Patent Publication Number: US-2022238211-A1

Title: Notification System and Notification Method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a national phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2020/021076, filed on May 28, 2020, which claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2019-109431, filed on Jun. 12, 2019, which applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a notification system and a notification method for acquiring biological information of a subject using a wearable device, and giving an external notification regarding an abnormality in the biological information. 
     BACKGROUND 
     There are multiple types of electrocardiographs and applications thereof, but long-term electrocardiography is particularly effective in the detection of sudden electrocardiographic abnormalities such as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Recent years have seen the development of electrocardiographs and electrodes that allow a subject to perform electrocardiogram measurement in their daily life (see PTL 1 to 3). With such electrocardiographs, long-term electrocardiographic measurement becomes possible, and countermeasures against a sudden life crisis are being actively discussed. 
     However, in the systems disclosed in PTL 1 to 3, a medical institution is directly notified when a subject has an abnormality, and therefore if many abnormality notifications for many subjects are received, there is a possibility that the medical institution cannot respond to all of the abnormality notifications. 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     PTL 1 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-201877 
     PTL 2 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-189570 
     PTL 3 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-54391 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     Embodiments of the present invention have been made to solve the foregoing problems, and an object of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a notification system and a notification method capable of reducing the possibility that a medical institution cannot respond to an abnormality that has occurred in a subject. 
     Means for Solving the Problem 
     A notification system according to an aspect of embodiments of the present invention includes: a biological information acquisition unit configured to acquire biological information of a subject; an abnormality determination unit configured to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject, and determine an abnormality level if it was determined that there is an abnormality; a storage unit in which notification destination information for use when an abnormality has occurred in the biological information of the subject is stored for each abnormality level in advance; a notification destination determination unit configured to, if an abnormality occurred in the biological information of the subject, reference the storage unit and acquire notification destination information that corresponds to the abnormality level determined by the abnormality determination unit; and a notification unit configured to transmit, to a notification destination device indicated by the information acquired by the notification destination determination unit, information that includes the abnormality level and indicates a determination result of the abnormality determination unit. 
     Also, in a configuration example of the notification system of embodiments of the present invention, the biological information acquisition unit, the abnormality determination unit, the storage unit, the notification destination determination unit, and the notification unit are provided in a wearable device worn by the subject. 
     In another configuration example of the notification system of embodiments of the present invention, the biological information acquisition unit is provided in a wearable device worn by the subject, the abnormality determination unit, the storage unit, the notification destination determination unit, and the notification unit are provided in a notification device on a network, the wearable device further includes a biological information transmission unit configured to transmit the biological information of the subject to the notification device, and the notification device further includes a biological information reception unit configured to receive the biological information of the subject that was transmitted by the wearable device. 
     In another configuration example of the notification system of embodiments of the present invention, the biological information acquisition unit, the storage unit, the notification destination determination unit, and the notification unit are provided in a wearable device worn by the subject, the abnormality determination unit is provided in a notification device on a network, the wearable device further includes a biological information transmission unit configured to transmit the biological information of the subject to the notification device, and a determination result reception unit configured to receive information that includes the abnormality level and indicates a determination result of the abnormality determination unit from the notification device, and the notification device further includes a biological information reception unit configured to receive the biological information of the subject that was transmitted by the wearable device, and a determination result transmission unit configured to transmit information that includes the abnormality level and indicates a determination result of the abnormality determination unit to the wearable device. 
     In another configuration example of the notification system of embodiments of the present invention, the biological information transmission unit transmits the biological information of the subject to the notification device if transmission permission has been received from the subject. 
     In another configuration example of the notification system of embodiments of the present invention, the notification device further includes a judge notification unit configured to transmit the biological information of the subject that was transmitted by the wearable device, to a device in possession of a predetermined judge or a server device that provides a web site that can be viewed by the judge, and a judge determination result reception unit configured to receive information indicating a determination result of the judge, and the abnormality determination unit determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject based on the biological information of the subject that was transmitted by the wearable device and the determination result of the judge that was received by the judge determination result reception unit, and determines an abnormality level if it was determined that there is an abnormality. 
     In another configuration example of the notification system of embodiments of the present invention, the notification device further includes a reward calculation unit configured to, if the biological information reception unit received information that was transmitted by the wearable device, calculate a reward that is to be given to the subject who is wearing the wearable device, and a reward information transmission unit configured to transmit the reward calculated by the reward calculation unit to an external device. 
     Also, a notification method according to one aspect of embodiments of the present invention includes: a first step of acquiring biological information of a subject; a second step of determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject; a third step of determining an abnormality level if it was determined that there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject; a fourth step of, if an abnormality occurred in the biological information of the subject, referencing a storage unit in which notification destination information for use when an abnormality has occurred is stored for each abnormality level in advance, and acquiring notification destination information that corresponds to the abnormality level that was determined in the third step; and a fifth step of transmitting the information obtained in the second and third steps to a notification destination device indicated by the information that was acquired in the fourth step. 
     Effects of embodiments of the Invention 
     According to embodiments of the present invention, it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of a subject, and if it was determined that there is an abnormality, the abnormality level is determined, a notification destination that corresponds to the abnormality level is selected, and information that includes the abnormality level and indicates the determination result obtained by the abnormality determination unit is transmitted to a notification destination device, and therefore it is possible to smoothly and suitably respond to the subject and reduce the possibility that a medical institution cannot respond to the occurrence of an abnormality in the subject. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an overview of a notification system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wearable device of the notification system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable device of the notification system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram showing an example of information registered in a notification destination database of the notification system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing a configuration of the wearable device of the notification system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram showing a configuration of the wearable device and a notification device of the notification system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable device of the notification system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification device of the notification system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram showing an example of information registered in the notification destination database of the notification system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a block diagram showing a configuration of the wearable device of the notification system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable device of the notification system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram showing an example of information registered in the notification destination database of the notification system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a block diagram showing a configuration of the notification device of the notification system according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a block diagram showing a configuration of the notification device of the notification system according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification device of the notification system according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a diagram showing an example of judge information stored in a judge information storage unit of the notification device of the notification system according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server device of the notification system according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a diagram showing an example of a web page viewed by a judge in the ninth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a diagram showing an example of a web page viewed by a subject in the ninth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a block diagram showing a configuration of the wearable device and the notification device of the notification system according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable device of the notification system according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 22  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification device of the notification system according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 23  is a block diagram showing a configuration of the notification device of the notification system according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 24  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification device of the notification system according to the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 25  is a flowchart illustrating abnormality level determination processing performed by an abnormality determination unit of the notification system according to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 26  is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence relationship between subject symptoms and abnormality levels. 
         FIG. 27  is a diagram showing an example of a band used when a subject wears the wearable device in a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 28  is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a computer that realizes the wearable device and the notification device of the notification system according to any of the first to fifteenth embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     First Embodiment 
     Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.  FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an overview of a notification system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
     A wearable device  11  is attached to the body of a subject  100 .  FIG. 1  shows an example of a shirt-type wearable device  11 , but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to being a shirt-type wearable device. 
     The wearable device  11  has a wireless communication function or a wired communication function, and includes functionality for transmitting biological information of the subject  100 . In the present invention, electrocardiographic data is envisioned as the biological information, but pulse data, acceleration data, respiration data, body temperature data, myoelectric data, or the like may be included. By acquiring a plurality of pieces of biological information in this way, it is possible to determine the condition of the subject from multiple viewpoints. 
     A notification device  12  receives the biological information of the subject from the wearable device  11  and determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject. The notification device  12  includes functionality for determining the abnormality level if it has been determined that there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject, and also for changing the notification destination device  13  that is to receive the determination result and the abnormality level according to the abnormality level. 
     In the present invention, the notification device  12  is provided on a network, and the wearable device  11  and the notification device  12  may be connected to each other via the network, or the notification device  12  may be incorporated in the wearable device  11 . If the wearable device  11  and the notification device  12  are integrated, it is not necessary to separately provide the notification device  12 , and the notification system can be constructed easily. 
     Examples of the notification destination device  13  include a device operated by a security company contracted by the subject or a relative or the like of the subject, a device such as a smartphone in the possession of a relative or the like of the subject, and a device such as a smartphone in the possession of the subject. The notification destination device  13  is not a device at a medical institution. The reason why a medical institution is not a notification destination is that if the system directly notifies a medical institution of the condition of the subject, the device requires medical approval as a device related to medical practice, and various complicated procedures are required before the notification system can be put into service. 
     Next, the configuration and operation of the wearable device  11  will be described.  FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the configuration of the wearable device  11 , and  FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable device  11 . In the present embodiment, an example is described in which the functionality of the notification device  12  is also incorporated in the wearable device  11 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the wearable device  11  includes an electrode  110  and a biological information acquisition device  111 . The biological information acquisition device  111  includes a biological information acquisition unit  112  that acquires biological information of the subject, a biological information storage unit  113  that stores biological information, a standard waveform generation unit  114  that generates a standard waveform of biological information, an abnormality determination unit  115 , a notification destination determination unit  116 , a notification destination database (hereinafter, notification destination DB)  117 , and a notification unit  118 . The abnormality determination unit  115  determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject, and determines the abnormality level if it has been determined that there is an abnormality. When an abnormality appears in the biological information of the subject, the notification destination determination unit  116  acquires information regarding the notification destination that corresponds to the abnormality level determined by the abnormality determination unit  115 . The notification destination DB  117  is a storage unit in which information regarding which notification destination is to be used when an abnormality occurs in the biological information of the subject is stored in advance for each abnormality level. The notification unit  118  transmits information that includes the abnormality level and indicates the determination result of the abnormality determination unit  115  to the notification destination device indicated by the information acquired by the notification destination determination unit  116 . 
     The biological information acquisition unit  112  of the wearable device  11  acquires biological information (an electrocardiographic waveform) of the subject via the electrode no attached to the subject (step S 100  in  FIG. 3 ). Note that the electrode  110  of the wearable device  11  has a well-known configuration, and therefore will not be described in detail. 
     The biological information received by the biological information acquisition unit  112  is stored in the biological information storage unit  113  of the wearable device  11  (step S 101  in  FIG. 3 ). Note that the memory that constitutes the biological information storage unit  113  may be an external memory that can be removed from the biological information acquisition device  111 , or may be a built-in memory. 
     The standard waveform generation unit  114  of the wearable device  11  has a function of generating a standard waveform of an electrocardiographic waveform for each subject. A standard waveform is generated for each person by superimposing multiple waveforms using a well-known method. Further, multiple general electrocardiographic waveform patterns may be prepared, and a pattern that is close to the normal electrocardiographic waveform of the subject may be selected and set in advance. Using general electrocardiographic waveform patterns in this way makes it possible to simplify the device design and reduce the cost. 
     The abnormality determination unit  115  of the wearable device  11  compares the electrocardiographic waveform indicated by the biological information of the subject stored in the biological information storage unit  113  with the standard waveform generated by the standard waveform generation unit  114 , and determines whether or not an abnormality appears in the biological information of the subject (step S 102  in  FIG. 3 ). 
     As examples of methods for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality in biological information (electrocardiographic waveform), there is a method in which an abnormality such as sinus bradycardia or sinus tachycardia is detected based on the P wave interval (P-P interval) of an electrocardiographic waveform, and a method in which an abnormality such as a risk of atrial fibrillation is detected based on the fact that the R wave interval (R-R interval) of an electrocardiographic waveform is irregular and f waves are observed. Note that such abnormality determination methods that are based on an electrocardiographic waveform are well-known, and therefore will not be described in detail. Also, an abnormality may be determined based on only the biological information of the subject, or an abnormality may be determined by comparing the biological information with a standard waveform as described above. 
     If it was determined that there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject (YES in step S 102 ), the abnormality determination unit  115  determines the abnormality level of the biological information (step S 103  in  FIG. 3 ), and transmits an abnormality level flag that indicates the abnormality level to the notification destination determination unit  116  (step S 104  in  FIG. 3 ). The abnormality level may be determined from among any number of levels, but in this example, is determined from among five levels, namely 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. 
     In the case of determining an abnormality based on only the biological information of the subject, a normal threshold value indicating a guideline normal value is set in advance for each determination item (e.g., P-P interval, R-R interval, heart rate, QRS width from Q wave to S wave, and P wave height). If a determination item of the biological information is within the normal range defined by the normal threshold value, the abnormality determination unit  115  determines that it is normal. If a determination item of the biological information is outside the normal range defined by the normal threshold value, the abnormality determination unit  115  determines that an abnormality has occurred. Also, the abnormality determination unit  115  may estimate a symptom of the subject (e.g., atrial fibrillation, extra systole, angina, ventricular fibrillation, or myocardial infarction) based on the determination item in which the abnormality has occurred. 
     Also, multiple abnormality level determination threshold values for determining the abnormality level are set for each determination item according to amounts of deviation of the determination item in the biological information from the normal threshold value (e.g., four abnormality level determination threshold values in the case of a five-step evaluation). By comparing the amount of deviation of the determination item in the biological information from the normal threshold value with the abnormality level determination threshold values, the abnormality determination unit  115  can determine the abnormality level according to the amount of deviation of the determination item from the normal threshold value. 
     Also, in the case of making the abnormality determination by comparing the biological information with the standard waveform, a plurality of abnormality level determination threshold values for determining the abnormality level are set according to the amount of deviation of the biological information from the standard waveform. By comparing the amount of deviation of the biological information from the standard waveform with the abnormality level determination threshold values, the abnormality determination unit  115  can determine the abnormality level according to the amount of deviation of the biological information from the standard waveform. 
     Information on a notification destination (the address of a notification destination device  13 ) that is to be used when an abnormality occurs in the biological information of the subject is registered in advance for each abnormality level in the notification destination DB  117  of the wearable device  11 .  FIG. 4  shows an example of the information registered in the notification destination DB  117 . Abnormality levels and notification destination information are registered in association with each other in the notification destination DB  117 . 
     Upon receiving the abnormality level flag from the abnormality determination unit  115 , the notification destination determination unit  116  of the wearable device  11  references the notification destination DB  117  and acquires the notification destination information that corresponds to the abnormality level indicated by the abnormality level flag from the notification destination DB  117  (step S 105  in  FIG. 3 ). 
     The information in the notification destination DB  117  may be registered by the subject himself/herself, by a relative or the like of the subject, by a doctor at a medical institution, by a representative at a security company contracted by the subject or a relative or the like of the subject, or by a staff member of an elderly home or nursing care facility where the subject resides. Also, examples of information registration methods include a method of registration with a PC (Personal Computer) and a method of registration via a network. In the present invention, any registration method may be used. 
     The notification unit  118  of the wearable device  11  generates notification information that includes the determination result of the abnormality determination unit  115 , and transmits the notification information to the notification destination device  13  indicated by the information acquired by the notification destination determination unit  116  (step S 106  in  FIG. 3 ). The notification information includes the determination result of the abnormality determination unit  115  (information indicating that there is an abnormality in the biological information, symptom information estimated from the determination item in which the abnormality has occurred, and the abnormality level). 
     The wearable device  11  performs the processing of steps S 100  to S 106  at regular intervals until, for example, the subject instructs the end of operation (YES in step S 107  of  FIG. 3 ). 
     Note that a comment regarding urgency may be added to the notification information. In this case, a comment regarding urgency may be registered in advance in the notification destination DB  117  for each abnormality level, and the notification destination determination unit  116  may be able to acquire the comment together with the notification destination information. 
     As described above, according to the present embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the biological information of the subject, a notification destination device  13  is selected according to the abnormality level, and a notification of the abnormality is given to the selected notification destination device  13 . Accordingly, it is possible to smoothly and suitably respond to the subject, and it is possible to reduce the possibility that a medical institution cannot respond to the occurrence of an abnormality in the subject. 
     When a relative or the like of the subject who is in possession of the notification destination device  13  is notified of the occurrence of an abnormality, they can take measures such as taking the subject to a medical institution or calling an ambulance. 
     As another example, a notification destination device  13  operated by a security company contracted by the subject may be prepared. This enables the security company to provide specialized services to subjects who have paid a contract fee. 
     Also, a special notification destination device  13  (a notification destination device  13  operated by a medical institution, or a notification destination device  13  related to a medical institution) may be prepared in advance for a subject who is determined to have a high degree of urgency (high abnormality level), regardless of whether or not there is a cost. As a result, it is possible to give priority to a subject who has a life-threatening risk. 
     Further, the notification destination device  13  may be a shared data box that can be viewed by medical institutions. Here, rather than medical institutions being directly notified of data, the shared data box is a data box in which data can only be viewed by medical institutions if they are registered. 
     Second Embodiment 
     Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.  FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing the configuration of the wearable device  11  of the present embodiment. The wearable device  11  of the present embodiment includes the electrode  110  and a biological information acquisition device  111   a.    
     The biological information acquisition device  111   a  includes the biological information acquisition unit  112 , the biological information storage unit  113 , the standard waveform generation unit  114 , an abnormality determination unit  115   a , the notification destination determination unit  116 , the notification destination DB  117 , the notification unit  118 , and an acceleration sensor  119 . 
     The flow of processing in the wearable device  11  is as described in  FIG. 3 . In the present embodiment, the abnormality determination unit  115   a  uses information from the acceleration sensor  119  together with the biological information of the subject stored in the biological information storage unit  113  to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject (step S 102  in  FIG. 3 ). 
     Because the acceleration sensor  119  can estimate the posture and movement of the subject, it is possible to make a determination based on a combination of the biological information and information on the posture and movement of the subject, such as that the subject is awake, the subject is sleeping, or the subject is walking. In this case, a normal threshold value is determined for each determination item (e.g., P-P interval, R-R interval, heart rate, QRS width from Q wave to S wave, and P wave height), and for each posture or movement of the subject. 
     The abnormality determination unit  115   a  estimates the posture or movement of the subject based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor  119 , and determines that an abnormality has occurred if a determination item of the biological information is outside the normal range defined by the normal threshold value that corresponds to the posture or movement of the subject. In this way, if the R-R interval is short (heart rate is high) for example, it can be determined that the subject is in a normal condition in which their heart rate is rising due to exercising, or if the heart rate is rising at rest, it can be determined that the subject is in an abnormal condition. Other aspects of the configuration are as described in the first embodiment. 
     Third Embodiment 
     Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the case where the notification device  12  is on a network will be described.  FIG. 6  is a block diagram showing the configuration of the wearable device  11  and the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. The wearable device  11  of the present embodiment includes the electrode  110  and a biological information acquisition device  111   b.    
     The biological information acquisition device  111   b  includes the biological information acquisition unit  112 , the biological information storage unit  113 , the standard waveform generation unit  114 , the acceleration sensor  119 , and a biological information transmission unit  120 . 
     The notification device  12  includes a biological information reception unit  121 , an abnormality determination unit  122 , a notification destination determination unit  123 , a notification destination DB  124 , and a notification unit  125 . 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable device  11  of the present embodiment, and  FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. 
     The processing of steps S 200  and S 201  in  FIG. 7  is the same as the processing of steps S 100  and S 101  in  FIG. 3 . 
     The biological information transmission unit  120  of the wearable device  11  acquires acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor  119  (step S 202  in  FIG. 7 ). 
     The biological information transmission unit  120  transmits, to the notification device  12 , a subject ID (identification information) unique to the subject, the biological information of the subject stored in the biological information storage unit  113 , standard waveform information generated by the standard waveform generation unit  114 , and the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor  119  (step S 203  in  FIG. 7 ). 
     The wearable device  11  performs the processing of steps S 200  to S 203  at regular intervals until, for example, the subject instructs the end of operation (YES in step S 204  of  FIG. 7 ). 
     Also, the biological information reception unit  121  of the notification device  12  receives the information transmitted by the wearable device  11  (step S 300  in  FIG. 8 ). 
     Similarly to the abnormality determination unit  115   a , the abnormality determination unit  122  of the notification device  12  determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the biological information of the subject based on the biological information of the subject and the acceleration information that were transmitted by the wearable device  11  (step S 301  in  FIG. 8 ). 
     Then, similarly to the abnormality determination units  115  and  115   a , if it was determined that there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject (YES in step S 301 ), the abnormality determination unit  122  determines the abnormality level of the biological information (step S 302  in  FIG. 8 ), and transmits the abnormality level flag indicating the abnormality level to the notification destination determination unit  123  (step S 303  in  FIG. 8 ). Note that the abnormality determination unit  122  may estimate a symptom of the subject based on the determination item in which the abnormality has occurred, similarly to the abnormality determination units  115  and  115   a.    
     Information on a notification destination (the address of a notification destination device  13 ) that is to be used when an abnormality occurs in the biological information of the subject is registered in advance for each subject ID and abnormality level in the notification destination DB  124  of the notification device  12 .  FIG. 9  shows an example of the information registered in the notification destination DB  124 . Subject IDs, abnormality levels, and notification destination information are registered in association with each other in the notification destination DB  124 . 
     Upon receiving the abnormality level flag from the abnormality determination unit  122 , the notification destination determination unit  123  of the notification device  12  references the notification destination DB  124  and acquires, from the notification destination DB  124 , the notification destination information that corresponds to the subject ID and the abnormality level indicated by the abnormality level flag, which were transmitted by the wearable device  11  (step S 304  in  FIG. 8 ). 
     Similarly to the notification unit  118 , the notification unit  125  of the notification device  12  generates notification information and transmits the notification information to the notification destination device  13  indicated by the information acquired by the notification destination determination unit  123  (step S 305  in  FIG. 8 ). 
     The notification device  12  performs the processing of steps S 300  to S 305  at regular intervals until, for example, a manager of the notification device  12  instructs the end of operation (YES in step S 306  of  FIG. 8 ). 
     In this way, in the present embodiment, the abnormality determination and the transmission of a notification to the notification destination device  13  can be performed by the notification device  12  on a network. 
     Fourth Embodiment 
     Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.  FIG. 10  is a block diagram showing the configuration of the wearable device  11  of the present embodiment. The wearable device  11  of the present embodiment includes the electrode  110  and a biological information acquisition device  111   c.    
     The biological information acquisition device  111   c  includes the biological information acquisition unit  112 , the biological information storage unit  113 , the standard waveform generation unit  114 , the acceleration sensor  119 , a biological information transmission unit  120   c , a display control unit  150 , a display unit  151 , and an operation unit  152 . 
       FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable device  11  of the present embodiment. The processing of steps S 400  to S 402  in  FIG. 11  is the same as the processing of steps S 200  to S 202  in  FIG. 7 . 
     When the biological information transmission unit  120   c  can transmit information to the notification device  12 , the display control unit  150  of the wearable device  11  of the present embodiment causes the display unit  151  to display a message asking the subject whether or not the transmission of information is permitted (step S 403  in FIG. For example, the display control unit  150  causes the display unit  151  to display a message such as “Transmit information?”. 
     If the subject wishes for information to be transmitted to the notification device  12 , the subject operates the operation unit  152  (e.g., presses a button). 
     If an operation was performed by the subject (YES in step S 404  in FIG. the biological information transmission unit  120   c  of the wearable device  11  transmits, to the notification device  12 , the subject ID, the biological information of the subject stored in the biological information storage unit  113 , the standard waveform information generated by the standard waveform generation unit  114 , and the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor  119  (step S 405  in  FIG. 11 ). At this time, biological information corresponding to the past several seconds, the standard waveform information, and the acceleration information may be transmitted to the notification device  12 . 
     The configuration and operation of the notification device  12  are as described in the third embodiment. 
     Electrocardiographic abnormalities often have subjective symptoms that the subject is aware of. In the present embodiment, information is transmitted to the notification device  12  when the subject performs an operation on the wearable device  11 , thus obtaining the effect that the notification device  12  can make a timely diagnosis of biological information that has subjective symptoms. 
     Note that although the case where the wearable device  11  includes the acceleration sensor  119  is described in the third and fourth embodiments, the wearable device  11  may be configured without the acceleration sensor  119 . In this case, the abnormality determination unit  122  of the notification device  12  performs the processing of steps S 301  and S 302  similarly to the abnormality determination unit  115  of the first embodiment. 
     Fifth Embodiment 
     In the third and fourth embodiments, an example is described in which the wearable device  11  includes the standard waveform generation unit  114 , but in the third and fourth embodiments, the standard waveform generation unit  114  may be omitted. In this case, the notification device  12  may be provided with the standard waveform generation unit  114 . 
     In the present embodiment, the amount of data transmitted by the wearable device  11  can be reduced due to providing the notification device  12  with the standard waveform generation unit  114 . For this reason, the power consumption of the wearable device  11  can be reduced, and the battery life of the wearable device  11  can be extended. 
     Note that in the first to fifth embodiments, in the case where the abnormality determination is made based on only the biological information of the subject, or in the case where the abnormality determination is made based on the biological information of the subject and the acceleration information, the standard waveform generation unit  114  is not necessary. 
     Sixth Embodiment 
     Instead of the subject ID used in the third to fifth embodiments, the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the wearable device  11  or the ID of the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card for communication of the wearable device  11  may be used as the ID for identifying the subject. 
       FIG. 12  shows an example of the information registered in the notification destination DB  124  of the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. An IP address or SIM card ID of the wearable device  11 , a subject ID, an abnormality level, and notification destination information are registered in association with each other in the notification destination DB  124  of the present embodiment. 
     The biological information transmission unit  120  or  120   c  of the wearable device  11  transmits, to the notification device  12 , the IP address or SIM card ID of the wearable device  11 , the biological information of the subject stored in the biological information storage unit  113 , the standard waveform information generated by the standard waveform generation unit  114 , and the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor  119  (step S 203  in  FIG. 7  and step S 405  in  FIG. 11 ). 
     Upon receiving the abnormality level flag from the abnormality determination unit  122 , the notification destination determination unit  123  of the notification device  12  references the notification destination DB  124 , and acquires, from the notification destination DB  124 , the notification destination information that corresponds to the IP address or SIM card ID and the abnormality level indicated by the abnormality level flag, which were transmitted by the wearable device  11  (step S 304  in  FIG. 8 ). 
     Other aspects of the configuration are as described in the third to fifth embodiments. 
     In the present embodiment, the wearable device  11  is not provided with the subject ID that can identify the subject, and therefore security can be improved. 
     Seventh Embodiment 
     Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described.  FIG. 13  is a block diagram showing the configuration of the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. 
     The notification device  12  of the present embodiment includes the biological information reception unit  121 , an abnormality determination unit  122   d , the notification destination determination unit  123 , the notification destination DB  124 , the notification unit  125 , and an other person database (hereinafter, other person DB)  126 . 
     The flow of processing in the notification device  12  is similar to that of the third to sixth embodiments, and therefore the operation of the notification device  12  of the present embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 8 . 
     The processing of steps S 300  and S 301  in  FIG. 8  is as described in the third embodiment. 
     The other person DB  126  stores the electrocardiographic waveforms of people who have been determined to have an abnormality in the past and the abnormality levels thereof, or the values of determination items of the biological information of people who have been determined to have an abnormality in the past and the abnormality levels thereof. 
     Similarly to the abnormality determination units  115  and  115   a , the abnormality determination unit  122   d  of the notification device  12  determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information based on the biological information of a subject (or biological information and acceleration information) transmitted by the wearable device  11  of the subject (step S 301  in  FIG. 8 ). 
     Then, if it was determined that there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject (YES in step S 301 ), the abnormality determination unit  122   d  determines the abnormality level of the biological information (step S 302  in  FIG. 8 ). At this time, the abnormality determination unit  122   d  uses other person information that has been registered in advance in the other person DB  126 . 
     Specifically, the abnormality determination unit  122   d  determines the abnormality level according to the amount of deviation of the electrocardiographic waveform of the subject with respect to the electrocardiographic waveform of another person registered in the other person DB  126 . At this time, the abnormality determination unit  122   d  compares the electrocardiographic waveform of the subject with the electrocardiographic waveform of another person. If the electrocardiographic waveform of the other person and the electrocardiographic waveform of the subject substantially match each other, the abnormality determination unit  122   d  sets the abnormality level of the subject to the same value as the abnormality level of the other person used in the comparison. Also, if the electrocardiographic waveform of the subject deviates to the normal side with respect to the electrocardiographic waveform of the other person, the abnormality determination unit  122   d  sets the abnormality level of the subject to a value that is lower than the abnormality level of the other person used in the comparison. Further, if the electrocardiographic waveform of the subject deviates to the abnormal side with respect to the electrocardiographic waveform of the other person, the abnormality determination unit  122   d  sets the abnormality level of the subject to a value that is higher than the abnormality level of the other person used in the comparison. Note that the amount of deviation may be determined using a cross-correlation function between the electrocardiographic waveform of the subject and the electrocardiographic waveform of the other person used in the comparison. 
     In an alternative example, the abnormality determination unit  122   d  determines the abnormality level according to the amount of deviation of the value of a determination item of the subject with respect to the value of a determination item of the other person registered in the other person DB  126 . If the value of the determination item of the other person and the value of the determination item of the subject substantially match each other, the abnormality determination unit  122   d  sets the abnormality level of the subject to the same value as the abnormality level of the other person used in the comparison; if the value of the determination item of the subject deviates to the normal side with respect to the value of the determination item of the other person, the abnormality level of the subject is set lower than the abnormality level of the other person used in the comparison; and if the value of the determination item of the subject deviates to the abnormal side of the value of the determination item of the other person, the abnormality level of the subject is set higher than the abnormality level of the other person used in the comparison. 
     Other aspects of the configuration are as described in the third to sixth embodiments. In the present embodiment, it is possible to compare the biological information of the subject with a very large amount of biological information of other people who have been determined to have an abnormality in the past, and the longer the system operation time is, the more accurate the abnormality determination can be. 
     Eighth Embodiment 
     Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described.  FIG. 14  is a block diagram showing the configuration of the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. The notification device  12  of the present embodiment includes the biological information reception unit  121 , an abnormality determination unit  122   e , the notification destination determination unit  123 , the notification destination DB  124 , the notification unit  125 , a judge notification unit  127 , a judge determination result reception unit  128 , a judge information storage unit  129 , and a search unit  130 . 
       FIG. 15  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. When the biological information reception unit  121  receives information transmitted by the wearable device  11  (step S 500  in  FIG. 15 ), the judge notification unit  127  of the notification device  12  transmits the received information to a predetermined external device of the judge (step S 501  in  FIG. 15 ). 
     The judge views the information that was transmitted by the notification device  12 , determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject, and in a case of determining that there is an abnormality, determines the abnormality level. One example of a judge is a doctor of a medical institution that has been contracted in advance. 
     The judge operates a device such as a PC that is in their possession or inputs information on a web page that will be described later and transmits the determination result (information on the presence/absence of an abnormality in the biological information, and an estimated symptom) and a judge comment to the notification device  12 . 
     The judge determination result reception unit  128  of the notification device  12  stores the information received from the judge&#39;s device (e.g., PC), or a server device that provides the later-described web page, in the judge information storage unit  129  together with the biological information of the subject (step S 502  in  FIG. 15 ). 
     Similarly to the first to sixth embodiments, the abnormality determination unit  122   e  of the notification device  12  determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject (step S 503  of  FIG. 15 ), and in the case of determining that there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject, determines the abnormality level of the biological information (step S 504  in  FIG. 15 ). However, if there is a difference between the determination made by the abnormality determination unit  122   e  and the determination result of the judge, the abnormality determination unit  122   e  gives priority to the determination result of the judge. 
     The processing of steps S 505  to S 508  of  FIG. 15  is the same as the processing of steps S 303  to S 306  of  FIG. 8 . Other aspects of the configuration are as described in the third to sixth embodiments. 
     As described above, in the present embodiment, a method of obtaining a judgement from a judge via a network is used as the abnormality determination method. 
     In the first to seventh embodiments, the notification system determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information of the subject, but a determination result obtained by an expert can be added to this determination. 
     Information may be transmitted to the judge in step S 501  by being transmitted to the judge&#39;s device at a predetermined address, or the judge notification unit  127  may transmit the information to a specific server device operated by the judge or a third party. 
     Also, when determining the abnormality level, the abnormality determination unit  122   e  determines the abnormality level based on a comment from the judge (step S 504 ). Specifically, the abnormality determination unit  122   e  determines the abnormality level based on a symptom included in the comment (e.g., atrial fibrillation, extra systole, angina, ventricular fibrillation, or myocardial infarction). If there are comments from multiple judges, the comment of the judge with the highest evaluation may be adopted, or the comments of multiple judges may be weighted according to the evaluation of the judges when determining the abnormality level. A method for evaluating judges will be described later. 
     Also, the seventh embodiment and the eighth embodiment may be combined so that access rights for the other person DB  126  are given only to a highly evaluated judge. 
     The biological information stored in the other person DB  126  has high medical value, and therefore can be used to motivate the judge to judge the biological information of the subject. 
     Ninth Embodiment 
     Next, a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment describes the judge information used in the eighth embodiment.  FIG. 16  is a diagram showing an example of the judge information stored in the judge information storage unit  129 . 
     Judge IDs unique to judges and the addresses of the judges&#39; devices or the URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) of websites are registered in advance as judge information I 1  in the judge information storage unit  129 . Based on this information, the judge notification unit  127  of the notification device  12  transmits information to a judge&#39;s device, or transmits information to a server device operated by a judge or a third party. 
     Further, date information regarding when a judge determined that there is or is not an abnormality in the biological information of a subject, a judge ID, a subject ID, biological information of a subject, a determination result of a judge, a comment of the judge, and evaluation information determined by a subject for a judge are registered in association with each other as judge information I 2  in the judge information storage unit  129 . 
     The evaluation information determined by the subject for the judge serves as the status of the judge and can be used as important weighting information when determining the abnormality level. The evaluation information determined by the subject for the judge can also be used as the evaluation of the judge (doctor) or medical institution. 
     Tenth Embodiment 
     Next, a tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.  FIG. 17  is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server device of the present embodiment. The server device  14  includes a web page provision unit  140  that provides a web page for a judge site on the network, a judge reception unit  141 , a subject reception unit  142 , a transmission unit  143 , and a search reception unit  144 . The server device  14  is operated by a judge or a third party other than a judge. 
       FIG. 18  is a diagram showing an example of a web page  180  viewed by a judge in the present embodiment. The web page provision unit  140  of the server device  14  publishes the web page of the judges site on the network. Access is restricted so that only the judge and the subject can view the web page of the judge. Also, among the information that can be viewed by the judge, the subject can only view information about himself/herself. 
     The web page provision unit  140  has an authentication function for identifying the judge and the subject. Such an authentication function is a well-known technique, and therefore will not be described in detail. 
     In the web page  180  in  FIG. 18, 181  denotes an electrocardiographic waveform of a subject. Also,  182  denotes a comment made by a judge regarding the electrocardiographic waveform of the subject. 
     The judge reception unit  141  of the server device  14  displays the comment entered by the judge on the web page  180 . 
     The transmission unit  143  of the server device  14  transmits, to the notification device  12 , a judge ID, the ID of the subject to be judged, the determination result (information on the presence or absence of an abnormality in the biological information, and an estimated symptom) input by the judge via the judge reception unit  141 , and the comment from the judge. Due to transmitting such information to the notification device  12  in this way, judge information  12  is stored in the judge information storage unit  129  of the notification device  12  as described above. Note that the subject ID is included in the information transmitted by the notification device  12 . 
     In the present embodiment, the judge inputs a comment, but the judge may select a comment from among comment options prepared in advance. If the judge selects a comment from among the options, there are fewer fluctuations in comments, and data management becomes easier. Also, the time and effort required for judge input can be reduced. 
       FIG. 19  is a diagram showing an example of a web page  190  viewed by the subject on a PC, a smartphone, or the like in the present embodiment. The web page provision unit  140  of the server device  14  provides the web page  190  so that among the information that can be viewed by the judge, the subject can only view information about himself/herself. As described above, the web page provision unit  140  has a subject authentication function in order to identify the subject. 
     Also, the web page provision unit  140  displays an evaluation button  184  for operation by the subject on the web page  190 . In the example of  FIG. 19 , a “good” evaluation button  184  for the subject to evaluate the judge positively and a “bad” evaluation button  184  for the subject to evaluate the judge negatively are displayed. 
     Upon viewing the comment displayed on the web page  190 , in the case of giving the judge a positive evaluation, the subject clicks the “good” evaluation button  184  on their own PC, smartphone, or the like. Also, in the case of giving the judge a negative evaluation to the judge, the subject clicks the “bad” evaluation button  184  on their own PC, smartphone, or the like. 
     The subject reception unit  142  of the server device  14  receives the evaluation information for the judge entered by the subject on the web page  190 . 
     The transmission unit  143  of the server device  14  transmits, to the notification device  12 , the ID of the judge who is to be evaluated, the ID of the subject who input the evaluation information, and the evaluation information that was input by the subject via the subject reception unit  142 . In this way, by transmitting the evaluation information for the judge given by the subject to the notification device  12 , the evaluation information is stored in the judge information storage unit  129  of the notification device  12  as described above. 
     Note that in the example of  FIG. 19 , an example of a two-stage evaluation of good/bad is shown, but evaluations may be given in multiple stages. This enables giving judges a more granular evaluation. 
     Further, in the example of  FIG. 19 , only the comment of one judge is displayed, but the comment of multiple judges may be displayed so that the subject can evaluate multiple judges. 
     Eleventh Embodiment 
     Next, an eleventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the server device  14  is as described in the tenth embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIG. 18 , a keyword input field  185  and a search button  186  are displayed on the web page  180  viewed by the judge. 
     By operating their own PC or the like, the judge inputs a keyword in the keyword input field  185  on the web page  180 , and clicks the search button  186 . 
     The search reception unit  144  of the server device  14  receives the keyword input by the judge. The transmission unit  143  of the server device  14  transmits, to the notification device  12 , the keyword that was input by the judge via the search reception unit  144 . 
     Upon receiving the keyword from the server device  14 , the search unit  130  of the notification device  12  references the judge information storage unit  129  and extracts the judge information I 2  that includes the keyword. 
     The judge notification unit  127  of the notification device  12  then transmits the judge information I 2  that was extracted by the search unit  130  to the server device  14 . 
     The web page provision unit  140  of the server device  14  displays the judge information I 2  that was transmitted by the notification device  12  on the web page  180  that is viewed by the judge. 
     In this way, the judge can view the biological information of other subjects for which a symptom similar to the symptom of the subject is described in the comment column, and can utilize the vast amount of information stored in the judge information storage unit  129  as medical data. 
     Twelfth Embodiment 
     Next, a twelfth embodiment of the present invention will be described.  FIG. 20  is a block diagram showing the configuration of the wearable device  11  and the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. The wearable device  11  of the present embodiment includes the electrode  110  and a biological information acquisition device  111   f.    
     The biological information acquisition device  111   f  includes the biological information acquisition unit  112 , the biological information storage unit  113 , the standard waveform generation unit  114 , the acceleration sensor  119 , the biological information transmission unit  120 , a determination result reception unit  153 , a notification destination determination unit  154 , a notification destination DB  155 , and a notification unit  156 . 
     The notification device  12  includes the biological information reception unit  121 , the abnormality determination unit  122 , and a determination result transmission unit  131 . 
       FIG. 21  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wearable device  11  of the present embodiment, and  FIG. 22  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. 
     The processing of steps Shoo to S 603  of the wearable device  11  shown in  FIG. 21  is the same as the processing of steps S 200  to S 203  of  FIG. 7 . 
     Also, the processing of steps S 700  to S 702  of the notification device  12  shown in  FIG. 22  is the same as the processing of steps S 300  to S 302  of  FIG. 8 . 
     The determination result transmission unit  131  of the notification device  12  transmits to the wearable device  11 , information on the determination result of the abnormality determination unit  122  (information indicating that there is an abnormality in the biological information, symptom information estimated from the determination item in which the abnormality has occurred, and an abnormality level) (step S 703  in  FIG. 22 ). 
     The notification device  12  performs the processing of steps S 700  to S 703  at regular intervals until, for example, the administrator of the notification device  12  instructs the end of operation (YES in step S 704  of  FIG. 22 ). 
     Also, if the determination result reception unit  153  receives a determination result from the notification device  12  (YES in step S 604  of  FIG. 21 ) and the determination result indicates that there is an abnormality (YES in step S 605  of  FIG. 21 ), the notification destination determination unit  154  of the wearable device  11  references the notification destination DB  155  and acquires notification destination information that corresponds to the abnormality level indicated by the abnormality level flag from the notification destination DB  155  (step S 606  in  FIG. 21 ). The configuration of the notification destination DB  155  is the same as that of the notification destination DB  117 . 
     The notification unit  156  of the wearable device  11  generates notification information that includes the determination result received from the notification device  12 , and transmits the notification information to the notification destination device  13  indicated by the information that was acquired by the notification destination determination unit  154 . (step S 607  in  FIG. 21 ). 
     The wearable device  11  performs the processing of steps S 600  to S 607  at regular intervals until, for example, the subject instructs the end of operation (YES in step S 608  of  FIG. 21 ). 
     In the present embodiment, the abnormality determination regarding biological information is performed by the notification device  12  on the network as in the third embodiment, but the selection of the notification destination device  13  and the transmission of a notification to the notification destination device  13  are performed in the wearable device  11  as in the first and second embodiments. 
     Accordingly, the present embodiment has an advantage of not requiring the management of personal information on the network. In particular, notification destination information for devices that are used only for about a week, such as an Holter ECG, are more easily managed locally than on a network. 
     Needless to say, the present embodiment may be applied to the fourth to eleventh embodiments. 
     Thirteenth Embodiment 
     Next, a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which, in the case where abnormality determination regarding biological information is performed by the notification device  12  on a network as in the third to twelfth embodiments, the subject is prompted to transmit data on the network. 
     As described in the first and second embodiments, in the present invention, the wearable device  11  can have the functionality of the notification device, and therefore the subject needs to feel a certain advantage to transmit their own biological information to the notification device  12  on the network. 
     In the seventh embodiment, the information in the other person DB  126  can be utilized if the biological information of subjects is transmitted to the notification device  12  on the network. Further, in the eighth embodiment, if the biological information of subjects is transmitted to the notification device  12  on the network, it is possible to expect to receive a detailed determination result from the judge. 
     In the present embodiment, in order to give the subject further motivation, reward points, money, or the like are given to a subject who transmits their biological information to the notification device  12  on the network. 
       FIG. 23  is a block diagram showing the configuration of the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. The notification device  12  of the present embodiment includes the biological information reception unit  121 , the abnormality determination unit  122 , the notification destination determination unit  123 , the notification destination DB  124 , the notification unit  125 , a reward calculation unit  132 , a reward storage unit  133 , and a reward information transmission unit  134 . 
       FIG. 24  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification device  12  of the present embodiment. When the biological information reception unit  121  receives information transmitted by the wearable device  11  (step S 800  in  FIG. 24 ), the reward calculation unit  132  of the notification device  12  calculates a reward (reward points or money) that is to be given to the subject who is wearing the wearable device  11  (step S 801  in  FIG. 24 ). The reward calculation unit  132  may identify the subject based on the subject ID transmitted by the wearable device  11 , for example, and may calculate the reward according to the number of transmissions of biological information of the subject, or may calculate the reward using another calculation method. 
     The value of the reward calculated by the reward calculation unit  132  is stored in the reward storage unit  133  in association with the subject ID (step S 802  in  FIG. 24 ). 
     The reward information transmission unit  134  of the notification device  12  transmits the subject ID and the reward value stored in the reward storage unit  133  to a predetermined external device (step  803  in  FIG. 24 ). One example of the external device here is a server device of an insurance company contracted by the subject. 
     The processing of steps S 804  to S 809  of  FIG. 24  is the same as the processing of steps S 301  to S 306  of  FIG. 8 . 
     In the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a framework in which information on the reward given to the subject is transmitted to the server device of the insurance company contracted by the subject for example, and thus the insurance company reduces the insurance fee by the amount of the reward. As a result, the subject can be motivated to transmit their biological information to the notification device  12  on the network. 
     Although the configuration of the present embodiment for giving a reward to the subject is applied to the third embodiment, it goes without saying that it may be applied to the fourth to eleventh embodiments. 
     Also, a configuration is possible in which the subject uploads not only current biological information but also biological information after treatment is underway. According to this configuration, the judge can evaluate the initial biological information more objectively. 
     Fourteenth Embodiment 
     Next, a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the operation in which the abnormality determination unit  122   e  determines the abnormality level of the biological information (step S 504  in  FIG. 15 ) in the eighth embodiment will be described in more detail. 
       FIG. 25  is a flowchart illustrating the abnormality level determination processing of the abnormality determination unit  122   e  of the notification device  12 . When determining the abnormality level, the abnormality determination unit  122   e  acquires, from the judge information storage unit  129 , judge information (judge information I 2  of the ninth embodiment) regarding the biological information for which the abnormality level is to be determined (step S 900  in  FIG. 25 ). Also, the abnormality determination unit  122   e  extracts, from the judge information (judge information I 2  of the ninth embodiment), evaluation information given in the past by the subject or a person other than the subject for the judge who performed the abnormality level determination for the target biological information (step S 900 ). 
     The abnormality determination unit  122   e  determines whether or not the acquired judge information includes comments from multiple judges (step S 901  in  FIG. 25 ). 
     If there are not multiple judges (NO in step S 901 ), the abnormality determination unit  122   e  determines the abnormality level based on the symptom of the subject included in the comment of the judge (step S 902  in  FIG. 25 ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 26 , the correspondence relationship between symptoms of the subject and abnormality levels has been determined in advance. In the example of  FIG. 26 , the higher the value of the abnormality level is, the higher the degree of urgency is. The abnormality level for atrial fibrillation is 2, the abnormality level for extrasystole is 3, the abnormality level for angina is 4, and the abnormality level for ventricular fibrillation is 1. In this way, the abnormality level can be determined based on the relationship shown in  FIG. 26 . 
     Also, if there are multiple judges (YES in step S 901 ), the abnormality determination unit  122   e  determines whether or not evaluation information given to a judge in the past by the subject or a person other than the subject is included in the acquired judge information (step S 903  in  FIG. 25 ). If such evaluation information for a judge is not included (NO in step S 903 ), the abnormality determination unit  122   e  determines, as the final abnormality level, the abnormality level that has the highest degree of urgency among the abnormality levels determined based on the symptoms included in the comments of the judges (step S 904  in  FIG. 25 ). 
     Also, if there are multiple judges, and the acquired judge information includes evaluation information for the judges (YES in step S 903 ), the abnormality determination unit  122   e  determines the abnormality level based on the comments of the judges and the evaluation information (step S 905  in  FIG. 25 ). 
     For example, the abnormality determination unit  122   e  determines, as the final abnormality level, the abnormality level that was determined based on the symptom included in the comment from the judge who has the highest evaluation, from among the abnormality levels determined based on the symptoms included in the comments from the judges (step S 905 ). 
     Alternatively, the abnormality determination unit  122   e  may weight the comments of the judges in order to determine the abnormality level (step S 905 ). For example, assume that an evaluation score SAA for the judge AA is 5 points, an evaluation score SBB for the judge BB is 4 points, the judge AA has determined that the symptom of the subject is atrial fibrillation, and the judge BB has determined that the symptom of the subject is angina. In  FIG. 26 , the abnormality level for atrial fibrillation is 2, and the abnormality level for angina is 4. Accordingly, upon calculating the weight average SAA/(SAA+SBB)×2+SBB/(SAA+SBB)×4=5/(5+4)×2+4/(5+4)×4, the abnormality level is 2.9. In this way, the data of highly evaluated judges can be given more weight. 
     Evaluation information from the subject is not essential, but as described above, it is possible to expect an effect of being used for weighting when determining the abnormality level and improving the motivation of judges. It is also possible for a certain amount of money to be paid to a judge who has been highly evaluated by the subject. This can lead to an increase in the motivation of the judge to give a comment. 
     Also, judge information and employing hospital information may be managed in association with each other, and the evaluation information given by the subject for a judge may be used as an evaluation of the employing medical institution. If there are multiple judges at the same medical institution, the weight average of the evaluation information may be calculated. By evaluating medical institutions and disclosing such evaluations in this way, patients can have a basis for choosing a medical institution, and medical institutions can be motivated to become a judge and leave more comments in order to increase the number of visitors. 
     Fifteenth Embodiment 
     Next, a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present invention, it is assumed that the subject always wears the wearable device  11  when the wearable device  11  is turned on. However, the subject may temporarily remove the wearable device  11  when taking a bath or charging it. If the user forgets to turn off the power of the wearable device  11  when the wearable device  11  is removed, there is a risk that noise or the like will be detected as biological information even though the wearable device  11  cannot detect biological information. 
     In view of this, in the present embodiment, as shown in (a) of  FIG. 27  for example, electrodes (not shown) are respectively provided on snap buttons  160  and  161  of the band  16  that is fastened when the wearable device  11  is worn on the human body. When the subject wears the wearable device  11 , the band  16  is tightened and the snap buttons  160  and  161  are fastened together ((b) in  FIG. 27 ). Accordingly, the electrodes provided on the snap buttons  160  and  161  come into contact with each other, and the wearable device  11  is turned on. 
     Conversely, when the subject unfastens the snap buttons  160  and  161  in order to remove the wearable device the electrodes are separated from each other and the wearable device  11  is turned off. 
     In this way, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the case where the user forgets to turn on/off the power supply when the wearable device  11  is attached/removed. 
     The biological information acquisition devices  111 ,  111   a ,  111   b ,  111   c , and  111   f  of the wearable devices  11  described in the first to fifteenth embodiments can be realized by a computer that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and an interface, as well as a program that controls such hardware resources. A configuration example of this computer is shown in  FIG. 28 . The computer includes a CPU  200 , a storage device  201 , and an interface device (hereinafter abbreviated as I/F)  202 . The I/F  202  is connected to circuits such as the biological information acquisition unit  112 , the reception unit  153 , the notification units  118  and  156 , the acceleration sensor  119 , and the biological information transmission units  120  and  120   c . A program for realizing the notification method of the present invention is stored in the storage device  201  of the computer. The CPU  200  executes the processing described in any of the first to fifteenth embodiments in accordance with the program stored in the storage device  201 . 
     Similarly, the notification device  12  can be implemented by a computer and a program. The I/F  202  of the notification device  12  is connected to circuits such as the reception units  121  and  128 , the notification unit  125 , the judge notification unit  127 , and the transmission units  131  and  134 . The CPU  200  of the notification device  12  executes the processing described in any of the first to fifteenth embodiments in accordance with the program stored in the storage device  201  of the notification device  12 . 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     Embodiments of the present invention can be applied to a technique for giving an external notification of an abnormality in the biological information of a subject. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
     
         
           11  Wearable device 
           12  Notification device 
           13  Notification destination device 
           14  Server device 
           110  Electrode 
           111 ,  111   a ,  111   b ,  111   c ,  111   f  Biological information acquisition device 
           112  Biological information acquisition unit 
           121 ,  128 ,  153  Reception unit 
           113  Biological information storage unit 
           114  Standard waveform generation unit 
           115 ,  115   a ,  122 ,  122   c ,  122   d ,  122   e  Abnormality determination unit 
           116 ,  123 ,  154  Notification destination determination unit 
           117 ,  124 ,  155  Notification destination database 
           118 ,  125 ,  156  Notification unit 
           119  Acceleration sensor 
           120 ,  120   c ,  131 ,  134 ,  143  Transmission unit 
           126  Other person database 
           127  Judge notification unit 
           129  Judge information storage unit 
           130  Search unit 
           132  Reward calculation unit 
           133  Reward storage unit 
           140  Web page provision unit 
           141  Judge reception unit 
           142  Subject reception unit 
           144  Search reception unit 
           150  Display control unit 
           151  Display unit 
           152  Operation unit.