Watching system, watching method, and watching program

Abstract

To provide a watching system capable of reducing the burdens of both a caregiver and a care receiver and obtaining enough information.SOLUTION: A watching system S according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a microwave measuring device M which transmits a microwave to a watching object O and receives a reflection wave of the microwave, a body temperature measuring device T which measures a body temperature of the watching object O, and an information processing device C which processes outputs from the microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device. A watching program and a watching method according to another aspect of the present invention include a biological information recording step of recording biological information data containing any of respiration rate data and heart rate data of a person to be watched in a computer on the basis of the output data of the microwave measuring device and a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person to be watched, and executes watching.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring system, a monitoring method, and a monitoring program. [Background technology]

[0002] In an aging society, it is important to support the elderly, and various support services are provided for this purpose.

[0003] Support services require people to provide care for the elderly (caregivers), and securing the necessary caregivers is extremely important; however, there are usually many elderly people compared to the number of caregivers, making it extremely difficult to constantly keep an eye on those in need of care.

[0004] In response to the above situation, a system for watching over those requiring care has been proposed, as shown in, for example, the following Patent Document 1. The technology described in the following Patent Document 1 makes it possible to acquire location information of those requiring care by having them wear a wireless tag, thereby reducing the workload of caregivers, such as checking the location of those requiring care. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-053070 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the care recipient must wear a wireless tag, which is a burden for the care recipient. In addition, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it is difficult to confirm biological information such as respiratory rate and heart rate, and the information is insufficient.

[0007] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system that reduces the burden on both the caregiver and the person requiring care and enables them to obtain more sufficient information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A monitoring system according to one aspect of the present invention which solves the above-mentioned problems comprises a microwave measuring device which transmits microwaves to the person being monitored and receives reflected microwaves, a body temperature measuring device which measures the body temperature of the person being monitored, and an information processing device which processes output from the microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device.

[0009] Also, in this respect, although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the information processing device has a recording medium having recorded thereon a program that executes a bio-information recording step of recording bio-information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being monitored based on output data from the microwave measuring device, and a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person being monitored.

[0010] Also, in this respect, although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device is a program for also executing a step of recording data on multiple monitored persons and a monitored person identification step of identifying the monitored person based on the recorded biometric information data.

[0011] Also, in this respect, although not limited thereto, in a program recorded on a recording medium of an information processing device, it is preferable that the step of identifying the person being watched over identifies the person being watched over based on biometric information data from a certain recent period of time.

[0012] Also, in this respect, although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device is a program for also executing a step of recording warning data when it is determined that the biometric information data is within the abnormal range.

[0013] In addition, a monitoring program according to another aspect of the present invention is intended to cause a computer to execute a bio-information recording step of recording bio-information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being monitored based on output data from a microwave measuring device, and a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person being monitored.

[0014] Furthermore, a monitoring method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a bio-information recording step of recording bio-information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being monitored based on output data from a microwave measuring device, and a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person being monitored. Effect of the Invention

[0015] As described above, the present invention can provide a monitoring system that reduces the burden on both the caregiver and the person requiring care and allows them to obtain more sufficient information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a monitoring system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic image of a microwave measurement device and a body temperature measurement device according to an embodiment, and a housing B that houses them. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an image of the arrangement of a pair of a microwave measuring device and a body temperature measuring device in a monitoring system according to an embodiment. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be embodied in many different forms, and is not limited to the specific examples described in the following embodiments and examples.

[0018] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a monitoring system (hereinafter referred to as "this system") S according to this embodiment. As shown in this diagram, this system S includes a microwave measuring device M that transmits microwaves to a target O to be monitored and receives reflected microwaves, a body temperature measuring device T that measures the body temperature of the target O to be monitored, and an information processing device C that processes outputs from the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T.

[0019] In this system S, the connection relationship between the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T and the information processing device C is not limited, and they may be directly connected by cables or the like, or they may be connected via a network such as the Internet or a local area network (LAN) as shown in this figure.

[0020] According to this system S, it is possible to obtain biological information such as the body temperature, respiratory rate, and heart rate of the person being watched over O using the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T, and to determine whether there is an abnormality, thereby reducing the burden on the caregiver. Details will be made clear later.

[0021] First, the microwave measuring device M in the present system S transmits microwaves to the object O to be watched and receives the reflected microwaves. This makes it possible to obtain the necessary information without contact. In this specification, "microwaves" refer to radio waves in the frequency range of 0.2 GHz to 111 GHz. By transmitting radio waves in this wavelength range to the object O to be watched and receiving the reflected waves, the distance between the object O to be watched and the microwave measuring device M can be obtained. By measuring this distance multiple times in a short period of time, it becomes possible to detect the specific actions and behaviors of the object O to be watched. Note that the preferred frequency band for the present system S is not limited as long as the present system S can be realized, but is preferably 18 GHz to 100 Hz, more preferably 20 GHz to 80 GHz.

[0022] There are various actions and behaviors that the microwave measurement device M can detect, such as respiratory rate, heart rate, and pulse rate. That is, the microwave detection device M can acquire at least any one of respiratory rate data, heart rate data, and pulse rate data.

[0023] The range that the microwave measuring device M can detect varies depending on the installation position of the microwave measuring device M and the position of the target O to be monitored, but it is preferable to set the detection range to an area of ​​30 cm x 30 cm or more and 150 cm x 150 cm or less in front of the device, which is 0.4 m to 5 m away from the installation position. This range has the advantage that the target O to be monitored can be reliably captured, while noise can be removed to enable accurate measurement. The detection range of the microwave measuring device M is preferably 10 cm to 4 m, but is not limited to this.

[0024] Further, the body temperature measuring device T in this system S is a device capable of measuring the body temperature of the person O to be watched over.

[0025] In this system S, the body temperature measuring device T is not limited to one having the above functions, but is one that can measure the body temperature (temporal temperature) of the subject O being monitored without contact, and a preferable example is a so-called thermal camera that can detect and analyze far-infrared rays emitted from the surface of a person's body.

[0026] The range that the body temperature measuring device T can detect varies depending on the installation position of the body temperature measuring device T and the position of the target O to be watched, but it is preferable to set the detection range to an area of ​​50 cm x 50 cm or more and 500 cm x 500 cm or less in front of the body temperature measuring device T, which is 0.4 m to 5 m away from the installation position. This range has the advantage that the target O to be watched can be reliably captured while noise can be removed to enable accurate measurement. The detection range of the temperature measuring device T is preferably 10 cm to 4 m, but is not limited to this.

[0027] In addition, in this system S, it is preferable that the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T are integrally formed. By forming them integrally, there is an advantage that the measurement direction can be unified and it is possible to measure the same monitored subject O. Figure 2 shows a schematic image of the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T and the housing B that houses them. By storing them in one housing B in this way, there is an advantage that the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T can be held as a set, and by installing multiple of these, monitoring can be performed with high accuracy.

[0028] In addition, the information processing device C in this system S is, as described above, a device that can process the output from the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T, and although it is not limited to this function, it is preferable that it is a so-called computer.

[0029] A computer preferably includes, for example, common components such as a central processing unit (CPU), a non-volatile recording medium such as a hard disk or flash memory, a volatile recording medium such as memory, a bus connecting these, input devices such as a keyboard or mouse, and a display device such as a monitor.

[0030] The computer may be a so-called notebook computer or desktop computer, or may be a mobile information terminal, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, specifically a so-called smartphone or tablet terminal. A typical mobile information terminal is a device in which the above-mentioned CPU, display device, and other components are housed and integrated in a single cover, and a sensor is placed on the display device to function as a so-called touch panel, which makes it possible to function as an input device, making it very easy to handle and preferable. In the case of a mobile information terminal, a program for executing the present method is recorded and displayed as a so-called app on the mobile information terminal, and the desired function can be realized by starting the app.

[0031] Furthermore, the information processing device C in this system S is a device capable of processing the output from the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T as described above, and specifically, it is preferable that the recording medium has recorded thereon a monitoring program (hereinafter referred to as "this program") that executes (S1) a biometric information recording step of recording biometric information data including at least one of respiration rate data and heart rate data of the person being watched over based on output data from the microwave measuring device, and (S2) a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person being watched over. The information processing device C in this system S can execute a monitoring method (hereinafter referred to as "this method") that executes the above steps by executing this program.

[0032] Next, each step of the method executed by the program will be described in detail. The method can be suitably used in, but not limited to, elderly care facilities. In particular, the method uses a microwave measuring device M and a body temperature measuring device T for measuring the body temperature of the person to be watched O, but does not use an imaging device, a so-called video camera, and does not use imaging devices. Therefore, it is not intended to monitor the behavior of an individual, but merely to monitor the respiratory rate, heart rate, body temperature, etc., and has the advantage that there is little risk of giving psychological pressure to the elderly person or other person to be watched O. In particular, since no imaging device is used, it is possible to eliminate the feeling of pressure on the person to be watched O and the aversion that they may be being watched by eliminating the camera lens, etc. from the housing B.

[0033] First, this method includes a step of recording biometric information (S1) for recording biometric information including at least one of the respiration rate data and the heart rate data of the person being watched over based on the output data of the microwave measuring device. This step allows the respiration rate and the heart rate of the person being watched over to be confirmed, and it can be confirmed whether there is any abnormality in the physical condition of the person being watched over. In this case, pulse rate data may be obtained as described above.

[0034] The respiration rate data and heart rate data of the target O to be watched over can be obtained from the output data of the microwave measuring device M as described above, and although the specific method is not limited, it is generally preferable to use a microwave measuring device that measures the output using the Doppler effect that occurs when the transmitted microwave hits a vibrating surface and is reflected. This makes it possible to obtain the respiration rate data, heart rate data, and pulse rate data, and as a result, the respiration rate data and heart rate data of the target O to be watched over can be calculated.

[0035] This method also includes a step of recording body temperature data of the person being watched over (S2). By checking the body temperature, it is possible to check whether there is anything abnormal with the physical condition of the person being watched over.

[0036] In addition, although not limited thereto, the method preferably includes a step (S0) of recording data of a plurality of people to be watched over before the step (S1) above. In this way, it is possible to have a plurality of people to be watched over, and it becomes possible to centrally watch over and manage a large number of people in an elderly care facility. In this case, it is preferable that the data of the people to be watched over includes a plurality of identification number data and name data corresponding to the plurality of identification number data.

[0037] In addition, the method preferably includes a step (S3) of identifying the person being watched based on the recorded biometric data after the above. As described above, the method uses only the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device at the very least to obtain the necessary information from the person being watched, and does not use an imaging device such as a video camera, so some ingenuity is required to identify the individual. Therefore, by identifying the person being watched based on the biometric data, it is possible to identify the person being watched even if there are multiple people being watched. However, this identification does not need to be an identification that matches a specific individual including the name, and it is sufficient to identify that the people watching are the same person.

[0038] Therefore, in this step, although it is not limited as long as the person to be watched can be identified, it is preferable to identify the person to be watched based on bio-information data from a recent fixed period. The body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, etc. of the person to be watched fluctuate throughout the day, and it is rather rare for them to remain stable for a long period of time. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the person to be watched based on the results of measurements over a long period of time, while the heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, etc. of the person to be watched do not fluctuate significantly over a recent fixed short period of time. Therefore, the person to be watched can be identified by identifying the time in a recent fixed period of time.

[0039] In addition, in this step, for example, identification number data is assigned to each of a plurality of sets of microwave measuring devices M and body temperature measuring devices T (or a housing B that accommodates them) to enable identification, the positional relationship of the sets of the plurality of microwave measuring devices M and body temperature measuring devices T (for example, the position coordinates of the set of the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T, the adjacent relationship such as adjacently arranged) is recorded, the above-mentioned heart rate data, respiratory rate data, and pulse rate data are measured in one set of a plurality of microwave measuring devices M and body temperature measuring devices T, and this set of data is recorded to identify the person to be watched over O (however, it is not necessarily necessary to identify an individual as in S0 above), and when a set of heart rate data, respiratory rate data, and pulse rate data in a similar range is detected in a set of adjacent microwave measuring devices M and body temperature measuring devices T, it is possible to recognize it as the above-mentioned person to be watched over and record it as the movement data of the individual. This makes it possible to confirm the movement of the person to be watched over O without directly identifying the individual. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an image of the arrangement of the sets of microwave measuring devices M and body temperature measuring devices T in this system.

[0040] That is, as is clear from the above description, it is preferable to place multiple sets of microwave measuring devices M and body temperature measuring devices T and the housings B that house them in a facility, and they can be placed, for example, in halls, corridors, staircases, private rooms, etc. By placing multiple of these and measuring the body temperature, heart rate, and pulse rate of the monitored subject O in each of them, it becomes possible to monitor the monitored subject O and detect abnormalities in any location in the facility.

[0041] It is also preferable that this method further comprises the step of (S4) recording warning data when it is determined that the biometric data is within the abnormal range.

[0042] A typical example of being in an abnormal range is when the biometric data is within a range of body temperature, breathing, heart rate, pulse, etc. that is previously determined to be abnormal. However, if the person being monitored has an illness and being abnormal is normal, constantly notifying them of the abnormality can be irritating. Therefore, if there is a person being monitored who has an illness, if the person being monitored who has the illness can be identified, the average past biometric data of the person being monitored can be set as the normal range, and if the biometric data deviates from this normal range by a specified percentage, it can be determined that the biometric data is in the abnormal range.

[0043] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a monitoring system that reduces the burden on both the caregiver and the person requiring care and enables them to obtain more sufficient information. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has industrial applicability as a monitoring system, a monitoring method, and a monitoring program.

Claims

1. A microwave measuring device that transmits microwaves to a target to be monitored and receives reflected waves of the microwaves; A body temperature measuring device for measuring the body temperature of a person being monitored; A monitoring system comprising: an information processing device that processes outputs from the microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device.

2. a biological information recording step of the information processing device recording biological information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being watched over based on output data of the microwave measurement device; The monitoring system according to claim 1 , further comprising a recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person being monitored.

3. The program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device A step of recording a plurality of pieces of monitoring target data; The monitoring system according to claim 2 , further comprising a program for executing a step of identifying a person to be monitored based on the recorded biometric information data.

4. In the program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device, The monitoring system according to claim 3 , wherein the step of identifying the person being watched over identifies the person being watched over based on the biological information data for a recent fixed period of time.

5. The program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device 3. The monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising a program for executing a step of recording warning data when it is determined that the vital sign data is within an abnormal range.

6. The microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device are housed as a set in a single housing, The monitoring system according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of pairs of the microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device.

7. On the computer, a biological information recording step of recording biological information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being watched over based on output data of the microwave measurement device; A monitoring program for executing a temperature recording step for recording the temperature data of the person being monitored.

8. a biological information recording step of recording biological information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being watched over based on output data of the microwave measurement device; A monitoring method comprising a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of a person being monitored.

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