Smartphone-based safety monitoring system

Abstract

This system provides a low-cost and easy-to-use device for monitoring the safety of individuals by utilizing the tilt and touch sensors on their smartphones. [Solution] This system consists of a commonly available smartphone owned by the person being monitored, a dedicated application that runs on it, a dedicated server, and an information and communication terminal such as a smartphone to which notifications will be sent. The dedicated application prevents false detections by detecting three operational changes: tilt changes, screen touch operations, and device startup. If none of these three changes occur for a certain period of time, the information is sent to the dedicated server along with an ID. Upon receiving the data, the dedicated server automatically sends a message to the recipient with the corresponding ID. The system also includes notification methods to prevent communication failures due to the application stopping or low battery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety monitoring system that utilizes the smartphone of a person to be monitored.

Background Art

[0002] According to the statistical data of single-person households who died at home in the 23 wards of Tokyo by the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner's Office, there were 4,604 single-person death cases at home in 2019 and 5,851 in 2021, so-called "lonely deaths." Nationally, according to the statistics of the number of lonely deaths from January to June 2024 announced by the National Police Agency, it is about 37,000, with an estimated annual figure of over 70,000, and 80% of them are elderly people aged 65 or above.

[0003] Regarding the period until the death due to lonely death is discovered, 38% are discovered within 1 day, 23% within 3 days, 13% within 7 days, and about 26% for more days, and the analysis result shows that the average number of days until discovery is 17 days.

[0004] Currently, in Japan where the aging process is advancing, due to factors such as the progress of nuclear family formation and population concentration in urban areas, the number of elderly people living alone is on the increase. According to the Cabinet Office, the population of elderly people living alone is predicted to reach 7.5 million by 2035 and exceed 10 million by 2050.

[0005] Although it is impossible to prevent people from dying, the problem of elderly people living alone and lonely deaths is that the situation of leaving the person who died indoors unattended for a long time becomes an issue. Also, even if a person collapses inside a single-person residence, if it can be discovered promptly, saving their life can be expected.

[0006] To solve this problem, the concept of "monitoring" is essential. In Japan, conventionally, regular phone calls to confirm safety by local governments' welfare measures and confirmation of safety by visits from neighborhood commissioners have been carried out. However, there are limitations to monitoring by personnel, and with the increase in the number of people to be monitored, it has become essential to use technology such as devices for monitoring.

[0007] However, the concept of "monitoring" is not simply a matter of watching over someone indiscriminately. Monitoring that infringes upon the privacy of the person being monitored is unacceptable. Care must be taken to ensure that monitoring does not impose any burden on the person's daily life. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5909832 [Non-patent literature]

[0009] [Non-Patent Document 1] Apple's webpage, "Using fall detection on Apple Watch," published October 23, 2024, describes the problem the invention aims to solve.

[0010] Apple's smartwatch, the "Apple Watch," connects to the company's iPhone and has a feature that detects if the user falls and then, if no movement is detected for more than 60 seconds, automatically contacts emergency services from the iPhone. In the United States and Canada, the Apple Watch also has a feature that uses its heart rate sensor to contact emergency services if a heart rate drops or rises for an extended period. These features are part of a device-based monitoring system. However, these features only work when the watch is worn on the wrist and are primarily intended for emergency calls while away from home. Furthermore, such smartwatches need to be charged once or twice a day, requiring them to be removed from the wrist for charging. Since it's unlikely that people would wear them constantly at home, these smartwatches are not considered very useful in addressing the issue of lonely deaths.

[0011] The inventor of this invention has invented a "centralized water meter reading device with safety monitoring function" (Application No. 2015-201509), which is patented under Patent No. 5909832. The patent applicant has developed and manufactured the device, and is actually installing and operating it in apartment buildings. This invention is a technology that incorporates a function into a conventional centralized meter reading device for measuring water usage to monitor water usage, such as periods of no water use or continuous water flow, in order to check on the well-being of residents in apartment buildings.

[0012] As the inventor of Patent No. 5909832, the reason for using water for monitoring is that water is always used continuously in people's lives, and it is thought that it will have little impact on the privacy of the person being monitored. Furthermore, in Japan, high-performance water volume sensors called "water meters" have traditionally been installed in each dwelling unit, and this technology utilizes these water meters. In apartment buildings, water meters are mainly installed in common areas, and by installing the monitoring device in a common area as well, the monitoring equipment can be installed with work outside the dwelling unit. This has the advantage that third parties such as owners or managers can easily monitor each resident without having to do any work inside the dwelling unit. In actual operation of this device, there have been cases where a report was made to the management company when an elderly person living alone in a room of an apartment building where the monitoring device was installed was hospitalized, indicating that the device had notified the management company of the prolonged non-use of water. In another apartment building, a report was made to the apartment building owner regarding continuous water flow due to a burst water pipe caused by freezing, demonstrating that a certain level of monitoring effectiveness has been achieved.

[0013] However, based on our experience implementing the invention described in Patent No. 5909832, we believe that the installation and operating costs are problematic. Initially, we thought that using existing water meters would be less expensive than introducing new sensors or devices, but in Tokyo, water meters are under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Waterworks Bureau, and by ordinance, the replacement of water meters in all units of apartment buildings must be carried out. The process of installing a water usage monitoring device involves replacing all existing water meters in each apartment unit with electronic water meters, installing the monitoring device in the common area, and wiring the pulse signals used to measure water usage from each meter to the monitoring device. Notifications are sent via email using the device's internet communication, which incurs communication costs. Furthermore, water meters must be replaced every eight years according to the Measurement Law, requiring rewiring work each time. In addition, the monitoring device also requires maintenance due to aging. Thus, there are costs involved in both installation and operation. Moreover, those being monitored must reside in the apartment building where this system is installed in order to receive the monitoring service.

[0014] Because people may end up living alone at any time due to factors such as family members moving out or the death of a cohabitant, it is believed that monitoring and support are necessary for all individuals. In Japan, a country facing a declining birthrate and an aging population, reducing the installation and operating costs of monitoring systems using devices and technologies will be a crucial challenge for future monitoring efforts. This challenge requires addressing the following means:

[0015] This invention was made in light of the circumstances described above, and the object of this invention can be usefully achieved by the following configuration. An information communication system comprising a dedicated application that operates on a smartphone owned by the person being monitored and connected to an internet communication network, and a dedicated server connected to the internet communication network that responds to communications from the application, wherein the application includes means for creating a unique dedicated ID, means for setting the contact information of the person being monitored's smartphone and the contact information of the information communication terminal to which notifications are received, means for transmitting the dedicated ID and the contact information to the dedicated server, means for continuously operating in the background on the smartphone, and operation variation recording means for recording operation variation information such as changes in the tilt detection of the smartphone, changes in screen touch operations and changes in the device startup operation during the background operation, and if there is no change in any of the operation variation information for a certain period of time, the no-change information is recorded by the dedicated I A smartphone-based safety monitoring system comprising: a constant transmission means that transmits D to the dedicated server; a battery low transmission means that transmits battery low information to the dedicated server along with the dedicated ID when the battery level of the smartphone drops; a periodic communication means that communicates with the dedicated server along with the dedicated ID at regular intervals; further, the dedicated server comprises a recording means that records and holds the contact information corresponding to the received dedicated ID; a notification means that notifies the information communication terminal to which the contact information corresponding to the dedicated ID is to be notified when the constant information and battery low information corresponding to the dedicated ID are received; and a notification means that notifies the information communication terminal to which the contact information corresponding to the dedicated ID is to be notified and the smartphone of the person being monitored when the periodic communication is not received for a certain period of time.

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily implement safety monitoring using a device with only a commonly available smartphone owned by the person being monitored, an application that runs on it, a dedicated server, and an information and communication terminal such as a smartphone to which notifications will be sent.

[0017] According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' 2023 Survey on Communication Usage Trends, the penetration rate of smartphones has reached 90.6%. In this invention, the smartphone, which is used by everyone, is used as a monitoring device, and the sensors are the tilt sensor and touch sensor attached to the smartphone. Installation only requires the installation of an application, and communication is handled by the communication function of the smartphone itself, making it possible to significantly reduce costs compared to monitoring that requires the installation of separate devices.

[0018] While setting up a dedicated server incurs costs for installation and maintenance, the communication method according to the present invention is not frequent and involves small amounts of data, making it perfectly feasible to implement with a small-scale server. Currently, there is a wide range of rental server services available, including rental servers provided by communication server leasing companies, and VPS (Virtual Private Server), which further divides the internal structure of a single server using software, enabling lower-cost server operation. Generally, with rental servers, it is possible to operate the software on a remote server by connecting from outside via the internet, allowing servers to be operated from within the company or from home, making it easy for developers to operate servers at a low cost.

[0019] The "costs" mentioned above are not just about monetary amounts. In Japan, where the birthrate is declining and the population is aging, there are concerns that the cost of personnel due to labor shortages will also become significant. Not only is there the initial implementation cost, but for technologies that require a large number of dedicated personnel for installation, operation, and maintenance, there is a risk that operation will become more difficult in the future. As mentioned earlier, device-based "monitoring" will be essential in Japan going forward. This "monitoring" must be continued into the future. In order to sustain this monitoring, utilizing technology that many people are already using is of great importance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1]It is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a safety monitoring system using a smartphone. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an example of the content of a non-variable notification received by the information communication terminal of the notification destination according to the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of the content of a battery level decrease notification received by the information communication terminal of the notification destination according to the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of the content of a notification when regular communication has not been transmitted, received by the information communication terminal of the notification destination according to the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of the content of a notification when regular communication has not been transmitted, received by the smartphone of the person to be monitored according to the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] The smartphone connected to the Internet communication network according to the present invention refers to, as of 2024, the iPhone equipped with iOS provided by Apple, Inc. of the United States, which is generally commercially available, or the Android smartphone equipped with the Android-OS of Google, Inc. of the United States and provided by various manufacturers.

[0022] These common functions of smartphones include a communication function, battery drive, power button, touch panel, body tilt detection sensor, etc.

[0023] Currently, smartphones operating on these two operating systems occupy most of the market. Although it is conceivable that smartphones with new functions will emerge in the future, the basic concept of the present invention is to "detect operations performed by people" on smartphones.

[0024] The dedicated application according to the present invention refers to software that operates on the operating system corresponding to the aforementioned smartphone. It is installed on the smartphone owned by the person to be monitored and activated by their own operation.

[0025] The dedicated application according to the present invention detects changes in the tilt sensor of the smartphone and changes in the normal operation of the monitored person's smartphone, and automatically sends an alert if the monitored person has not operated their smartphone for a certain period of time.

[0026] Generally, smartphones only execute applications and perform communication with external devices such as phone calls and emails through the owner's actions. For example, applications cannot automatically send messages or make voice calls from a smartphone. While it is possible to automatically compose messages, they must always be sent through the owner's own actions.

[0027] Since this invention is for monitoring the safety of individuals, it needs to transmit data "automatically." With the owner's permission, it is possible to automatically perform data communication from a smartphone application to a specific server through programmatic processing. For this reason, a dedicated server is essential in the system of this invention. With the permission of the person being monitored and the user of the information communication terminal to which the notification will be sent, automatic notification to an external terminal can be achieved via the dedicated server.

[0028] Regarding the memory function of dedicated applications, typical smartphones have built-in non-volatile flash memory, where recorded data can be saved as files.

[0029] The dedicated server according to the present invention is assigned a unique address on the internet network in advance, and the server is kept in a receiving-waiting state. The dedicated application sends data to this unique address via the internet network, enabling data transmission and reception between the two parties. Furthermore, a specific protocol must be defined for communication between the application and the server.

[0030] Hereinafter, the dedicated application according to the present invention will be referred to as "this application," and the dedicated server according to the present invention will be referred to as "this server." Furthermore, a general application not related to the present invention will be referred to as "an app."

[0031] Figure 1a1, "Method for creating a dedicated ID," refers to a function within this application that creates a unique multi-digit number or string of characters specific to the person being monitored. This unique ID is added during communication with this server, as described later.

[0032] Figure 1a2, the contact information setting method, allows users to register the contact information of the person being monitored and the contact information of the person providing the monitoring service who will be notified, in the settings of this application. Multiple notification destinations are permitted. Notification destinations can be email addresses, phone numbers used for SMS (Short Message Service), or contacts provided by messaging app operators, such as "LINE." However, when using a messaging app, it is necessary to have the communication function installed according to the individual communication method specified by the operator of each messaging app. The reason why you need to register the contact information of the person being monitored is to ensure that the application can notify the person if it stops running for any reason.

[0033] When a contact is registered in this application's settings, the dedicated ID created and the contact information are sent to this server. (Figure 1, a12) On this server side, the transmitted dedicated ID and contact information are recorded (s1 in Figure 1). Thereafter, when this application sends information to this server, this dedicated ID is added to the transmission (a41, a61, a71 in Figure 1), and this server side compares it with this dedicated ID and notifies the corresponding contact information recorded.

[0034] Generally, apps running on smartphones have a defined "lifecycle" managed by the operating system, which outlines the changes in their execution state. Each app transitions between states such as foreground, background, and background paused, based on user actions under the management of the OS. To conserve memory and reduce battery consumption when the battery is low, the OS monitors these lifecycle states and takes action such as terminating unused apps.

[0035] This application works by continuously monitoring changes in the user's smartphone usage; therefore, considering this lifecycle, it is necessary to implement processing to ensure continuous operation even in the background. (Figure 1, a3)

[0036] Figure 1a5, the operation change recording means, is a means of recording, along with a timestamp, the operation change recording means when the person being monitored performs the following three operations on their smartphone.

[0037] Figure 1, a51, tilt detection fluctuations refer to the fact that typical smartphones have a built-in sensor that detects tilt to change the screen orientation. This sensor is used to monitor fluctuations and detect changes in the user's movements when they pick up or put down the smartphone.

[0038] Figure 1, a52, "Fluctuations in screen touch operation," refers to monitoring the touch operation on the monitored person's smartphone screen at regular intervals. It is not necessary to constantly monitor these fluctuations in touch operation; monitoring at regular intervals is sufficient. The reason for monitoring at regular intervals is to conserve battery power; longer intervals result in lower power consumption. For example, intervals of one or two seconds are considered sufficient.

[0039] Figure 1, a52, "Variations in Device Startup Operation," refers to a function that monitors when a startup operation is performed from sleep mode. Typical smartphones have a power button; pressing this button wakes the device from sleep mode, and the screen immediately lights up. Furthermore, some recent smartphones can be woken from sleep mode by operations such as pressing the home button, touching the screen, or lifting the device. While there are various methods depending on the model, the function records when the device is woken from sleep mode.

[0040] Figure 1a6, the non-variable transmission means, is used when this application sends information to the server if there has been no change in the aforementioned operation variation record (tilt detection, screen touch operation, device startup operation) for a certain period of time. The server then notifies the designated recipient, who is the monitoring party, corresponding to the ID. This certain period is, for example, a time unit such as 12 hours or 24 hours. Since this certain period varies depending on how often the monitored person uses their smartphone, it is advisable to make it variable while taking usage frequency into consideration.

[0041] There's a reason for monitoring three types of operation variations. For example, to prevent false positives, we monitor not only tilt but also screen touch operations, considering cases where the person being monitored keeps their smartphone stationary. We also detect power-on operations to prevent false positives, considering cases where the user only checks the time or other information after waking from sleep mode.

[0042] Figure 1a7, the low battery transmission method, is a mechanism that transmits a message to this server when the battery of the monitored person's smartphone is low, and then the server notifies the designated recipient. Naturally, this application cannot operate if the smartphone is powered off (shut down). Smartphones are battery-powered, and automatically shut down when the battery capacity runs out. This measure is designed to provide advance notification of this. When a low battery alert is received, the recipient should promptly contact the person being monitored, as they will lose contact once the battery runs out. Because communication is necessary even after a low battery is detected, it's best to allow some margin when setting the low battery level. While too low a level is undesirable, too high a level could lead to false alarms, so a level below 10% would be ideal.

[0043] Figure 1a4, the periodic communication method, is a means by which this application, running in the background, periodically communicates with this server at regular intervals to indicate that it is running. This regular interval is measured in units of time, such as one hour, by the application's internal timer. If periodic communication does not occur, this server sends a notification to the contact with the corresponding ID. The regular communication method is designed to address situations where the application unexpectedly terminates due to factors such as the replacement of the monitored person's smartphone or an OS update. Even if the application terminates, this server will send a message to the notification recipient and the monitored person urging them to continue running the application. Therefore, the contact information required is the contact details of the monitored person themselves.

[0044] In Figure 1, s1, the recording means for this server, refers to a means by which, upon receiving the dedicated ID and contact information registered in the settings of this application, the server records and stores the contact information of the person being monitored and one or more notification destinations for the dedicated ID using a file system such as a database within this server.

[0045] Contact information can be sent via various messaging services, including email, SMS, and messaging apps. Depending on the system design, the service can be fixed from the outset, or if multiple services are used, it is best for the application to identify the service type and add an identification flag that has been pre-matched with the server before sending. The messaging service used for notifications and alerts may change depending on the times, so it is best to use a method that is appropriate for the current situation.

[0046] In Figure 1, s3, the notification method of this server is a means of receiving constant information (a61) and low battery information (a71) from this application, searching for the transmitted ID and the ID in the recorded database, and sending a notification via message service to the notification destination registered with the corresponding ID. (Figures 2 and 3)

[0047] In Figure 1, s2, the notification method of this server is as follows: each time this server receives a periodic communication from this application, it obtains and stores the timestamp at that moment, compares this timestamp with the current time, and if the predetermined periodic communication interval has elapsed, it sends a notification via the message service to all recorded contacts corresponding to that ID. (Figures 4 and 5)

[0048] As mentioned above, on smartphones, apps cannot be launched externally except by the owner. Therefore, the owner must personally execute this application to run it. In recent years, by registering a server address unique to the application service, it has become possible to install and run the application on a smartphone by executing a URL link. By utilizing this function and attaching a URL link to a notification message, it becomes possible to easily run this application. (Figure 5)

[0049] Furthermore, by utilizing the above functions and incorporating a feature that encourages the caregiver to install this application on the person being cared for, it is expected that the introduction of the caregiving system will proceed smoothly. [Industrial applicability]

[0050] For example, by integrating the function to detect changes in operations performed in the background of this application as a function on the smartphone's OS, and managing the notification destination on the OS, the smartphone can automatically send notifications directly to the destination. This would eliminate the need for the periodic communication function for confirming application execution within the present invention, as well as the dedicated server itself, further reducing costs and proving useful as an added service for smartphone users.

Claims

[Claim 1] In an information communication system comprising a dedicated application that operates on a smartphone owned by the person being monitored and connected to an internet communication network, and a dedicated server connected to the internet communication network that responds to communications from the application, the application includes means for creating a unique dedicated ID, means for setting the contact information of the person being monitored's smartphone and the contact information of the information communication terminal to which notifications are received, means for transmitting the dedicated ID and the contact information to the dedicated server, means for continuously operating in the background on the smartphone, and operation variation recording means for recording operation variation information such as changes in the tilt detection of the smartphone, changes in screen touch operations and changes in the device startup operation during the background operation, and if there is no change in any of the operation variation information for a certain period of time, the no-change information is recorded by the dedicated I A smartphone-based safety monitoring system comprising: a constant transmission means that transmits to the dedicated server along with D; a battery low transmission means that transmits battery low information along with the dedicated ID to the dedicated server when the battery level of the smartphone drops; a periodic communication means that communicates with the dedicated server along with the dedicated ID at regular intervals; further, the dedicated server comprises a recording means that records and holds the contact information corresponding to the received dedicated ID; a notification means that, upon receiving the constant information and battery low information corresponding to the dedicated ID, notifies the information communication terminal to which the contact information corresponding to the dedicated ID is to be notified; and a notification means that, if the periodic communication is not received for a certain period, notifies the information communication terminal to which the contact information corresponding to the dedicated ID is to be notified and the smartphone of the person being monitored.

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