Biological detection system, processing device, and non-transitory computer readable medium

Abstract

A biological detection system, a processing device, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium are provided. A transmitting antenna (11) transmits radio waves (W) to a detection area (20). A receiving antenna (12) receives the radio waves (W) arriving from the detection area (20) and outputs a detection signal (S) corresponding to the received intensity. The processing device (13) acquires an index value corresponding to the received intensity based on the detection signal (S), and infers the presence of a biological organism (30) in the detection area (20) based on the change in the index value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a biological detection system. This disclosure also relates to a processing device that can be included in the system, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program executable by a processor mounted on the device. Background Technology

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-162969 discloses a technology based on radar principles that extracts the frequency components of a signal corresponding to the received intensity of radio waves arriving from a detection area, thereby inferring the presence and age of an organism in the detection area.

[0003] The aim is to shorten the time required for radar-based detection of organisms. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One embodiment of this disclosure is a biological detection system comprising: a transmitting antenna that transmits radio waves to a detection area; a receiving antenna that receives radio waves arriving from the detection area and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the received intensity; and a processing device that, based on the detection signal, acquires an index value corresponding to the received intensity and infers the presence of a biological entity in the detection area based on the change in the index value.

[0005] One embodiment of this disclosure is a processing apparatus comprising: a processor that causes a transmitting antenna to transmit radio waves toward a detection area; and an interface that receives a detection signal corresponding to the received intensity from a receiving antenna that receives radio waves arriving from the detection area, wherein the processor acquires an index value corresponding to the received intensity based on the detection signal, and infers the presence of a living organism in the detection area based on the change in the index value.

[0006] One embodiment of this disclosure is a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program executable by a processor mounted on a processing device. By executing the computer program, the processing device performs the following operations: transmitting radio waves to a detection area via a transmitting antenna; receiving a detection signal corresponding to the received intensity from a receiving antenna that receives the radio waves arriving from the detection area; acquiring an index value corresponding to the received intensity based on the detection signal; and inferring the presence of a living organism in the detection area based on the change in the index value.

[0007] The inventors of this application have discovered a correlation between the vital signs of an organism and changes in the intensity of received radio waves. By focusing on this change, the presence or absence of an organism can be inferred even without performing frequency analysis of the received radio waves, which requires a relatively long time, thus reducing the time required for detecting organisms based on radar principles. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 The functional structure of a biological detection system according to one embodiment is illustrated.

[0009] Figure 2 Shown by Figure 1 This is an example of a process performed by a processing device.

[0010] Figure 3 Shown by Figure 1 Another example of processing performed by a processing device.

[0011] Figure 4 Examples of those equipped with Figure 1 Vehicles equipped with biological detection systems.

[0012] Figure 5 Shown by Figure 1 This is an example of an age estimation process performed by a processing device.

[0013] Figure 6 exemplify Figure 5 The process for age estimation. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Examples of embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, the scale has been appropriately altered to make the elements recognizable.

[0015] Figure 1 The functional structure of a biological detection system 10 according to one embodiment is illustrated. The biological detection system 10 is configured to detect a biological organism 30 located within a detection area 20 based on radar principles.

[0016] The biological detection system 10 includes a transmitting antenna 11. The transmitting antenna 11 is configured to transmit radio waves W to the detection area 20. The frequency of the radio waves W can be appropriately determined. In this example, the radio waves W have a frequency classified as microwaves.

[0017] The biological detection system 10 includes a receiving antenna 12. The receiving antenna 12 is configured to receive radio waves W arriving from the detection area 20. That is, the receiving antenna 12 is configured to be sensitive to the frequency of the radio waves W.

[0018] The receiving antenna 12 is configured to output a detection signal S corresponding to the intensity of the received radio waves. Depending on the specifications of the receiving antenna 12, the detection signal S can be an analog signal or a digital signal.

[0019] The biological detection system 10 includes a processing device 13. The processing device 13 has an input interface 131, a processor 132, and an output interface 133.

[0020] The input interface 131 is configured as a hardware interface capable of receiving the detection signal S. When the detection signal S is an analog signal, the input interface 131 has appropriate conversion circuitry including an A / D converter.

[0021] The processor 132 is configured to output a transmission control signal TC from an output interface 133, which is configured as a hardware interface, to cause the transmitting antenna 11 to transmit radio waves W. The transmission control signal TC contains information that can determine the timing point at which the transmitting antenna 11 transmits radio waves W.

[0022] Depending on the specifications of the transmitting antenna 11, the transmitting control signal TC can be either an analog signal or a digital signal. When the transmitting control signal TC is an analog signal, the output interface 133 has appropriate conversion circuitry including a D / A converter. This description also applies to other signals that can be output from the output interface 133, as described later.

[0023] The processor 132 is configured to perform processing to presuppose the presence of a living organism 30 in the detection region 20 based on the detection signal S. The following will refer to... Figure 2 and Figure 3 Explain the details of the process.

[0024] The processor 132 of the processing device 13 outputs a transmission control signal TC from the output interface 133, causing the transmitting antenna 11 to transmit radio waves W. The radio waves W are reflected by objects present in the detection area 20 and received by the receiving antenna 12.

[0025] The processor 132 acquires an index value corresponding to the intensity of the radio wave received by the receiving antenna 12 based on the detection signal S output from the receiving antenna 12. Examples of index values ​​include not only the value of the radio wave intensity itself, but also functions of the radio wave intensity.

[0026] Figure 2 The diagram shows the time-varying values ​​of an indicator acquired when a human child, an example of an organism 30, is present in the detection area 20. Body movements associated with the periodic vital signs (heartbeat, respiration, etc.) inherent in the organism 30 are reflected in the periodic changes in the intensity of the received radio waves. The processor 132 infers the presence of an organism 30 in the detection area 20 based on the amount of change in the indicator values ​​corresponding to the intensity of the received radio waves.

[0027] Specifically, when the change is determined to exceed a pre-defined first threshold, it is presumed that an organism 30 exists in the detection area 20. The change can be determined by the difference between the maximum and minimum values, the difference between the median (or the average (if available)) and the extreme values, etc.

[0028] The inventors of this application have discovered a correlation between the vital signs of an organism 30 and changes in the intensity of received radio waves. By focusing on this change, the presence or absence of an organism 30 can be inferred even without performing frequency analysis of received radio waves, which requires a relatively long time, thus shortening the time required for detecting organisms based on radar principles.

[0029] Figure 3 This shows the time-varying values ​​of the index acquired when an adult human, exemplified by organism 30, was present in detection area 20. It can be seen that, compared to... Figure 2 Compared to the children shown, the variation in indicator values ​​was greater.

[0030] The magnitude of the change in radio wave reception intensity corresponds to the area of ​​the part of the organism 30 that causes the change. Examples of such parts include the chest and abdomen, which shift periodically due to respiration, etc. Since the area of ​​this part increases with body growth, the change in radio wave reception intensity is greater in adults than in children.

[0031] The processor 132 of the processing device 13 can be configured to estimate the age of the organism 30 based on the change in index values ​​obtained in the manner described above. As used in this specification, the term "age" not only refers to a specific age value, but also includes age ranges such as "infant", "child", "adult", "elderly", and "teens".

[0032] The relationship between the magnitude of the indicator value and age is pre-stored in a memory (not shown) in the form of a table or function, and can be referenced by the processor 132 during estimation.

[0033] Based on this structure, the age of an organism at 30 can be estimated without the need for frequency analysis that requires a relatively long period of time.

[0034] like Figure 4 As illustrated, the biological detection system 10 can be mounted on a vehicle 40. In this case, the detection area 20 is set within the passenger compartment 41 containing the vehicle 40. The vehicle 40 is an example of a mobile body. The passenger compartment 41 is an example of a living space.

[0035] Based on this structure, it is possible to detect an organism 30 located inside the carriage 41. For example, when the change in the index value obtained as described above is greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold, it can be presumed that the detected organism 30 is a child or a pet. The second threshold can be determined to correspond to a reference... Figure 3 The description refers to the change in index values ​​that can be presumed to be for adults. Thus, it is possible to presume, for example, that a child or pet has been left in carriage 41.

[0036] like Figure 1As illustrated, the processor 132 may be configured to output a control signal CT from the output interface 133 when it is deduced from the detection signal S that a child or pet is present in the detection area 20. The control signal CT is configured to cause the controlled device 50 to perform a predetermined action. Examples of the controlled device 50 include alarm devices, communication devices, etc. Children and pets are examples of organisms classified as specific species.

[0037] For example, when it is presumed that a child or pet has been left in the passenger compartment 41, at least one of a visual alarm and an audible alarm can be issued to the user of the vehicle 40 or the surrounding area via an alarm device installed on the vehicle 40. Examples of notification methods include sounding the horn of the vehicle 40, illuminating all the lights in the vehicle 40, or automatically moving to a populated area. Alternatively, a notification of the presumed situation can be sent to the mobile device carried by the user of the vehicle 40 via a communication device installed on the vehicle 40. Alternatively, images captured inside the passenger compartment 41 can be sent in conjunction with the notification of the situation.

[0038] Alternatively, intervention measures can be added to or replace the aforementioned alarms to change the environment inside the vehicle compartment 41. Examples of such intervention measures include automatically controlling the air conditioning system (cooling or heating), opening the windows of the vehicle 40, unlocking the doors of the vehicle 40, opening the doors of the vehicle 40, and opening or closing the sunshade.

[0039] Furthermore, if the distance to the subject is known, as in the case where organism 30 is seated in the rear seat 42 of vehicle 40, then the age of organism 30 can be directly estimated from the change in the index value. However, when the distance to the subject is not constant, it is not easy to make an accurate age estimation based solely on the change in the index value. For example, there are cases where it is impossible to distinguish the chest area of ​​a child located at close range from the chest area of ​​an adult located at a distance.

[0040] On the other hand, since the time point at which radio wave W is transmitted from the transmitting antenna 11 can be determined based on the transmission control signal TC output from the processing device 13, if the time point at which the radio wave W reflected by the organism 30 is received by the receiving antenna 12 can be determined, the distance to the organism 30 can be determined based on the elapsed time.

[0041] Therefore, if the detection signal S is configured to include information indicating the time point at which radio wave W is received by the receiving antenna 12, the processor 132 can determine the distance to the organism 30 by referring to this information. The processor 132 can be configured to estimate the age of the organism 30 while referring to this distance. Specifically, the relationship between the magnitude of the index value, the distance to the organism 30, and the age of the organism 30 can be stored in advance in the form of a table or function in a memory not shown. By using the determined distance to the organism 30 and referring to this table or function, the processor 132 can more accurately estimate the age of the organism 30.

[0042] like Figure 5 As illustrated, an organism's age of 30 can be divided into at least three intervals. The second interval is younger than the first interval. The third interval is older than the first interval. Examples of combinations of the second and third intervals include "child" and "adult," "infant" and "child," "elderly" and "adult," etc. The second interval is assigned to an age group smaller than the third interval.

[0043] Figure 6 An example is shown of the processing flow for estimating the age of organism 30 based on the interval described above. The processor 132 of the processing device 13 estimates the age of organism 30 based on the aforementioned change in the index value corresponding to the intensity of the received radio waves (STEP 1).

[0044] Next, processor 132 determines whether the estimated age belongs to the first interval (STEP 2). If it is determined that the estimated age belongs to the first interval (STEP 2 is "yes"), processor 132 re-estimates the age of organism 30 (STEP 3). Figure 5 As illustrated, the re-estimation is performed without including the first interval. That is, the re-estimated age of organism 30 falls into either the second or third interval.

[0045] When it is determined that the age estimated by STEP 1 does not belong to the first interval (STEP 2 is "No"), processor 132 ends the processing.

[0046] For example, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether an organism's age belongs to the second or third age range, as can be seen with relatively large children and relatively small adults. However, based on the structure described above, a first age range is defined, which is the middle range to which organisms 30, which are difficult to distinguish, can be assigned. Therefore, it is possible to reliably identify whether an organism belongs to the second or third age range. As a result, appropriate measures corresponding to the estimated age range can be quickly implemented (e.g., an alarm when the organism is estimated to be a child).

[0047] The re-estimation process is preferably based on an index value that differs from the index value corresponding to the intensity of the received radio wave. As an example, the age can be re-estimated by performing frequency analysis on the received radio wave W.

[0048] Based on this structure, for organisms whose age of 30 is difficult to determine based on the index value corresponding to the intensity of received radio waves, it is possible to identify with high precision whether they belong to the second or third interval.

[0049] Alternatively, the estimation based on the index value corresponding to the received radio wave intensity can be repeated until it can be identified as the second or third interval.

[0050] The processor 132, possessing the various functions described so far, can be implemented by at least one general-purpose microprocessor cooperating with at least one general-purpose memory. Examples of general-purpose microprocessors include CPUs, MPUs, GPUs, etc. Examples of general-purpose memory include ROMs and RAMs. In this case, the ROM can store a computer program for implementing the function. ROM is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program. The general-purpose microprocessor specifies at least a portion of the computer program stored on the ROM and expands it in RAM, performing the aforementioned processing in cooperation with RAM. The aforementioned computer program can also be pre-loaded into the general-purpose memory, or downloaded and installed into the general-purpose memory from an external server via a communication network. In this case, the external server is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program.

[0051] Processor 132 can also be implemented using at least one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) capable of executing the aforementioned computer program. Examples of ASICs include microcontrollers, ASICs, and FPGAs. In this case, the aforementioned computer program is pre-loaded into a storage element contained in the ASIC. This storage element is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program. Processor 132 can also be implemented using a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and an ASIC.

[0052] The structures described so far are merely examples for the purpose of understanding this disclosure. Each structural example can be appropriately modified and combined with other structural examples without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0053] In the above embodiment, one receiving antenna 12 is assigned to one transmitting antenna 11. However, the number of receiving antennas 12 assigned to one transmitting antenna 11 can be multiple. As long as at least one receiving antenna 12 is assigned to one transmitting antenna 11, the number of transmitting antennas 11 included in the biological detection system 10 can also be two or more.

[0054] Figure 4 The vehicle 40 is just one example. The number of seats and wheels of the vehicle 40 equipped with the bio-detection system 10 can be appropriately determined. Furthermore, the bio-detection system 10 is not necessarily required to be mounted on the vehicle 40. Examples of other mobile bodies equipped with the bio-detection system 10 include railway vehicles, aircraft, and ships. Alternatively, the mobile body may not require a driver. The location and size of the detection area 20 can be appropriately determined depending on the type of mobile body.

[0055] The biological detection system 10 does not necessarily need to be mounted on a mobile object. The biological detection system 10 can be installed in suitable residences, facilities, equipment, etc. The location and size of the detection area 20 can be appropriately determined depending on the installation site.

[0056] As part of this disclosure, the contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-004987, filed on January 17, 2024, are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A biological detection system, characterized in that, have: A transmitting antenna that transmits radio waves into the detection area; A receiving antenna receives radio waves arriving from the detection area and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the received intensity. as well as The processing device acquires an index value corresponding to the received intensity based on the detection signal, and infers the presence of a living organism in the detection area based on the change in the index value.

2. The biological detection system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processing device estimates the age of the organism based on the change in the index value.

3. The biological detection system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The age range includes a first interval, a second interval where the age is less than the first interval, and a third interval where the age is greater than the first interval. When the processing device estimates that the age of the organism belongs to the first interval, it performs a re-estimate process.

4. The biological detection system according to claim 3, characterized in that, In the re-estimation process, the age of the organism is estimated based on an index value that is different from the reception intensity.

5. The biological detection system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The processing device determines the distance to the organism and estimates the age of the organism by referring to that distance.

6. The biological detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, When the processing device presumes that an organism classified as a specific species exists in the detection area, it causes the controlled device to perform a predetermined action.

7. The biological detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The detection area is set within the living quarters of the mobile body.

8. The biological detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The radio waves have frequencies that are classified as microwaves.

9. A processing apparatus, characterized in that, have: The processor, which causes the transmitting antenna to transmit radio waves toward the detection area; and The interface receives a detection signal corresponding to the received intensity from a receiving antenna that receives radio waves arriving from the detection area. The processor acquires an index value corresponding to the received intensity based on the detection signal, and infers whether a living organism exists in the detection area based on the change in the index value.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program executable by a processor mounted on a processing device. The non-transitory computer-readable medium is characterized in that... By executing the computer program, the processing device performs the following operations: The transmitting antenna sends radio waves toward the detection area; A detection signal corresponding to the received intensity is received from the receiving antenna that receives radio waves arriving from the detection area; Based on the detection signal, an index value corresponding to the received strength is obtained; The presence of a living organism in the detection area is inferred based on the change in the index value.

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