Animal health management device, animal health management method, animal health management program, and animal health management system

Abstract

To manage a health condition of a pet on a daily basis by simple means.SOLUTION: An animal health management device includes: a urine image acquisition unit for acquiring a urine image of urine collected from a reared animal which is packed in a predetermined container; an evaluation unit for evaluating at least one of a urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image; and a health condition estimation unit for estimating a health condition of the animal on the basis of at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an animal health management device, an animal health management method, an animal health management program, and an animal health management system. [Background technology]

[0002] In the above technical field, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for obtaining a pet's urine specific gravity and / or protein content as urine component information using a pet toilet, and judging the pet's health condition based on the urine component information (claims 1 to 3, paragraphs

[0031] to

[0033] ,

[0061] ,

[0075] to

[0076] , etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-182920 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires the use of a special and expensive pet toilet to measure the urine components, making it impossible to manage the health condition of a pet on a daily basis using simple means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, an animal health management device according to the present invention comprises: a urine image acquisition unit that acquires urine images by collecting urine from a captive animal and filling the urine into a predetermined container; an evaluation unit that evaluates at least one of a urine color and a urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image; A health condition estimation unit that estimates the health condition of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity; Equipped with:

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the animal health management method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: A urine image acquisition step of collecting urine from a kept animal and filling the urine into a predetermined container to acquire a urine image; an evaluation step of evaluating at least one of urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image; A health status estimation step of estimating the health status of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity; Includes.

[0007] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the animal health management program according to the present invention comprises: A urine image acquisition step of collecting urine from a kept animal and filling the urine into a predetermined container to acquire a urine image; an evaluation step of evaluating at least one of urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image; A health status estimation step of estimating the health status of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity; to be executed by the computer.

[0008] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the animal health management system according to the present invention comprises: An animal health management system including a mobile terminal, an animal health management device, and a medical appointment management device that manages medical appointment reservations at a plurality of veterinary clinics, The mobile terminal includes: a urine image generating unit that captures an image of a container filled with urine collected from a kept animal and generates a urine image; a first transmission unit that transmits the generated urine image to the animal health management device; Equipped with The animal health management device comprises: a urine image acquiring unit for acquiring the urine image; an evaluation unit that evaluates at least one of a urine color and a urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image; A health condition estimation unit that estimates the health condition of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity; a second transmission unit that transmits an estimation result by the health condition estimation unit to the mobile device; a request unit that requests the medical appointment management device to make a medical appointment based on a request for medical appointment from the mobile terminal; Equipped with The medical examination reservation management device includes: A request receiving unit that receives the request for the medical appointment; a consultation schedule generating unit that generates a consultation schedule at a predetermined veterinary clinic based on the received consultation reservation request; a schedule transmission unit that transmits the generated examination schedule to the animal health management device; Equipped with: Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the health condition of a pet can be managed on a daily basis by a simple means. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of health state estimation by an animal health management apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of an animal health management apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a urine color table, a urine lightness table, and a urine specific gravity table provided in the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a urine specific gravity table in the case where the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention has two beads. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a hardware configuration of an animal health management apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A]4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an estimation process in the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5C] 13 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing procedure of the estimation processing in the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5D] 13 is a flowchart illustrating still another example of the processing procedure of the estimation processing in the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5E] 13 is a flowchart illustrating still another example of the processing procedure of the estimation processing in the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5F] 5E is a flowchart illustrating subsequent processing of the processing procedure shown in FIG. 5E in the estimation processing in the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5G] 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the estimation process (two beads) in the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5H] 5C is a flowchart illustrating subsequent processing of the processing procedure shown in FIG. 5G in the estimation processing (for two beads) in the animal health management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an animal health management apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of an individual information table included in the animal health management apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an animal health management apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an animal health management apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10]FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an overview of health state estimation and medical examination reservations by an animal-health management system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an animal health management system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating the overall processing of an animal health management system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the configurations, numerical values, process flows, functional elements, etc. described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are free to be modified or changed, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the following description.

[0012] [First embodiment] An animal health management apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5E. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the operation of the animal health management apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The animal health management apparatus 100 is an apparatus that estimates the health condition of an animal from images of urine collected from the animal being kept.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, in the health management of an animal using the animal health management device 100, first, an owner 101 collects urine from a pet 102, such as a cat, using a dedicated urine collection container 103. The amount of urine to be collected is approximately half the capacity of the container 103, approximately 5 to 10 ml. That is, the capacity of the container 103 is approximately 10 to 20 ml, but is not limited to this. In addition, at least one bead 131 for measuring urine specific gravity is enclosed in the container 103.

[0014] The owner 101 takes an image of the container 103 in which urine has been collected using a mobile terminal 104 such as a smartphone. The captured image, a urine image 105, includes the color of the urine and the state of the beads 131 floating and sinking in the container 103. The owner 101 preferably takes an image of the container 103 in which urine has been collected from the front of the container 103, but may take any other direction as long as the urine color and the state of the beads 131 floating and sinking can be confirmed. When taking the urine image 105, it is preferable to confirm that the position of the beads 131 is stable before taking the image. The photographing direction of the container 103 may be changed depending on the shape of the container 103. That is, it is preferable to photograph the container 103 from a direction in which the optical path of light reaching the camera lens is constant when photographing the container 103. For example, if the shape of the container 103 is cylindrical, the optical path will be constant regardless of the direction from which it is photographed, but if the shape of the container 103 is prismatic, the optical path may not be constant depending on the photographing direction. Therefore, if the shape of the container 103 is a prism, care must be taken with the photographing direction.

[0015] Furthermore, when capturing the urine image 105, it is preferable to capture the image so that the entire container 103 is visible, and furthermore, if a color chart 151 is placed next to the container 103 and captured, it becomes easier to determine the urine color in the subsequent processing. Then, the owner 101 transmits the captured urine image 105 to the animal health management device 100.

[0016] In addition, the shape of container 103 is preferably one in which the optical path length of light passing through container 103 does not vary depending on the amount of urine collected, provided that the amount of urine collected is equal to or greater than a certain level, and is preferably, for example, a cylindrical or prismatic shape, and more preferably, a shape that can stand on its own. In addition, container 103 is preferably transparent or semi-transparent so that light can pass through.

[0017] Furthermore, to collect urine using the container 103, the owner 101 holds the side of the container 103 between his / her fingers, etc., reduces the pressure inside the container 103, and brings the suction nozzle of the container 103 into contact with the urine of the pet 102. After bringing the suction nozzle of the container 103 into contact with the urine, the owner 101 weakens the gripping force with his / her fingers, so that the urine is sucked up through the suction nozzle, and the urine fills the container 103. In this way, the container 103 is designed to be able to collect urine using a dropper. After the owner 101 has finished collecting urine, he / she can attach a cap to the suction nozzle of the container 103 to seal the container 103. The color of the cap attached to the container 103 is preferably uniform, and the cap is preferably white so that it can be used for color correction of the urine image 105, but is not limited to white as long as the color is suitable for color correction.

[0018] The animal health management device 100 receives the urine image 105, analyzes the received urine image 105, determines the color and specific gravity of the urine, and estimates the health condition of the pet 102. The health condition of the pet 102 estimated by the animal health management device 100 is, for example, kidney disease. Then, the animal health management device 100 transmits the estimated health condition to the mobile terminal 104 of the owner 101, for example. In this way, by using the animal health management device 100, the owner 101 can easily manage the health of an animal such as a cat that he or she keeps.

[0019] Next, the configuration of the animal health management device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The animal health management device 100 has a urine image acquisition unit 201, an evaluation unit 202, and a health state estimation unit 203. The evaluation unit 202 further has a urine color comparison evaluation unit 221 and a urine specific gravity comparison evaluation unit 222.

[0020] <Urine image acquisition> The urine image acquiring unit 201 acquires a urine image 105 by capturing urine collected from a domestic animal and filling it into a predetermined container. A domestic animal may be, for example, a cat, a dog, a rabbit, or the like, kept at home, or an animal kept at a place other than the home. Places other than the home may be, for example, a zoo, a police-controlled facility, an immigration control facility, an animal acrobatic facility such as a circus, or the like, but are not limited to these.

[0021] In this embodiment, a cat kept at home, that is, a cat as a pet 102 (a so-called house cat) is taken as an example, but as described above, animals kept at home are not limited to cats as pets. The animal health management device 100 estimates the state of renal disease of the cat.

[0022] Here, cat urine is collected by owner 101, and the method of collection by owner 101 may be any method that does not affect the components or color of the urine of pet 102, particularly, any method that does not affect the pH value, specific gravity, color, etc. of the urine. Specifically, there are a method of directly collecting urine with a cooking ladle, a method of collecting urine by turning a pet sheet upside down, a method of collecting urine in a pet toilet, and the like.

[0023] A method of collecting urine in a cat litter box is preferable as a method of collecting urine from normal urination without contaminating the urine. When using this method, it is preferable to use water-repellent cat litter and a system litter box that can collect urine in a tray, because if cat litter is used, the urine will be absorbed by the litter and cannot be collected.

[0024] In the analysis of urine color using the urine image 105, the appearance of color differs depending on the imaging conditions of the urine image 105, so it is preferable to image the urine image 105 under certain imaging conditions in order to quickly and easily perform processing in the animal health management device 100. That is, some cameras built into the mobile terminal 104 such as a smartphone that captures the urine image 105 employ high-performance lenses, while others, such as low-cost mobile terminals 104, employ relatively low-performance lenses. Therefore, by standardizing the imaging conditions, such as the brightness of the imaging location and the background, as much as possible, it is possible to improve the processing speed and accuracy of the animal health management device 100.

[0025] The urine image 105 may be an image that allows confirmation of at least one of the urine color and urine specific gravity. The urine image 105 for determining the urine color may also include a color chart 151 as a color sample, so as to accurately determine the color. The urine image 105 for determining the urine specific gravity may be a container 103 containing beads 131 with a scale showing the specific gravity value printed thereon.

[0026] For example, if a urine image 105 is a container 103 containing beads 131 capable of measuring specific gravity, with a color chart 151 attached as a color sample, then in subsequent processing, the urine color can be determined based on the color chart 151. This is preferable because it is possible to shorten the processing time and increase the processing accuracy.

[0027] Furthermore, when capturing the urine image 105, the container 103 containing the urine may be captured against, for example, a white paper background in order to reduce differences in urine color due to differences in the capturing locations. By placing a white paper in the background of the container 103 in this way, for example, it is possible to eliminate the influence of light entering the camera lens of the mobile terminal 104 from behind the container 103. Furthermore, it is preferable to capture the urine image 105 in a state where no shadow is cast on the container 103.

[0028] Here, for example, the container 103 may be enclosed in a package including a white background and a printed color chart 151, and sold as a health management kit for the pet 102. This allows the owner 101 to easily capture a urine image 105 showing the container 103 and the color chart 151 together by simply purchasing this kit, placing the urine-collected container 103 in a predetermined position in front of the package, and capturing an image.

[0029] Even when the imaging conditions are not constant, the animal health management device 100 may determine the urine color based on, for example, the color of the cap of the container 103 shown in the urine image 105. For example, by using the same container 103 for collecting cat urine, it is possible to overcome differences in how the urine image 105 appears due to the performance of the camera of the mobile terminal 104 used by the owner 101 and imaging conditions such as indoors, outdoors, and the presence or absence of lighting. That is, since the color of the cap attached to the container 103 is white and there is little color change, it is possible to use the white color of this cap as the color reference.

[0030] Then, the urine image acquiring unit 201 acquires the urine image 105 of the urine filled in the container 103, which has been imaged as described above, from the mobile terminal 104. The urine image 105 may be acquired from the mobile terminal 104 by connecting the mobile terminal 104 and the animal health management device 100 by wire or wirelessly. The urine image acquiring unit 201 may store the urine image 105 captured by the mobile terminal 104 in a predetermined medium or the like and acquire it from the medium. The animal health management device 100 may have a camera for capturing the urine image 105.

[0031] <Urine evaluation> The evaluation unit 202 evaluates at least one of the urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image 105. The evaluation unit 202 may perform image correction on the acquired urine image 105 to suppress variation in evaluation in subsequent processing. For example, the color tone of the urine image 105 may be corrected using the color of the cap of the container 103. In urine evaluation by the evaluation unit 202, first, the area of ​​the container 103 containing urine is identified from the urine image 105. In this case, the beads 131 sealed in the container 103 and the area around the beads 131 are excluded. This is because there is a possibility that the evaluation of the urine color may be affected.

[0032] For example, if the container 103 is cylindrical, the areas near the left and right ends of the container 103 are removed from the urine image 105. This is because the light path length of the light at the left and right ends of the container 103 is shorter than that at other parts, and this may affect the determination of the urine color. Similarly, the areas near the top and bottom ends of the container 103 are removed from the urine image. This is because the color of these areas may be less stable than that of other parts, and this may affect the determination of the urine color.

[0033] After performing the above-mentioned processing on the urine image 105, the evaluation unit 202 may extract color information for each dot from the remaining portion, i.e., the area to be used for urine color evaluation, and may determine the urine color by averaging the extracted color information.

[0034] The evaluation unit 202 further includes a urine color comparison evaluation unit 221 and a urine specific gravity comparison evaluation unit 222. The urine color comparison evaluation unit 221 compares the urine image 105 with the urine color index to evaluate the urine color. The urine specific gravity comparison evaluation unit 222 compares the urine image 105 with the urine specific gravity index to evaluate the urine specific gravity.

[0035] <Urine color comparison evaluation> First, the urine color is evaluated in the urine color comparison evaluation unit 221 by comparing the color of the urine collected in the container 103 with a predetermined urine color index, for example, a color chart 151. Urine color patterns are displayed in advance on the color chart 151, and the urine color is evaluated depending on whether or not it corresponds to any of the displayed patterns.

[0036] Here, there are other urine color evaluation methods other than those using color charts, such as the following. That is, since urine color is based on yellow, urine color evaluation is performed based on changes in this yellow color. Also, for example, when there is blood in the urine or when the liver is in poor condition, the urine color changes from yellow to red. As an evaluation method for such changes in urine color, for example, Lab color space (L*a*b* value) can be used. That is, the urine color comparison evaluation unit 221 evaluates the urine color by calculating the L*a*b* value of the urine color from the urine image 105.

[0037] In the Lab color space, the L* value indicates lightness. The a* value indicates red and can be used to evaluate redness. The b* value indicates yellow and can be used to evaluate yellowness. The C* value indicates saturation using the a* and b* values, and can be used in combination with the L* value to evaluate the lightness and brightness of a color. For example, when the C* value is low, as the L* value increases, the color becomes lighter, so the higher the L* value, the lighter the color (yellow closer to white) can be evaluated.

[0038] Therefore, in the case of urine color, the b* value represents yellow, so it accounts for most of the color, but when blood is mixed into the urine and it becomes redder, the a* value increases. In this way, the a* value is almost nonexistent for urine color, but if the a* value increases, it can be evaluated that there is some kind of abnormality. Therefore, urine color can be evaluated from the relationship between the a* value and the b* value. Using the above characteristics of the Lab color space, urine color can be evaluated.

[0039] <Urine specific gravity comparison evaluation> Furthermore, the urine specific gravity comparison evaluation unit 222 identifies the urine specific gravity by comparing the floating and sinking state of the beads 131 in the urine image 105 with the urine specific gravity index. For example, in the case of a cat, if the beads 131 with a specific gravity of 1.035 float on the liquid surface in the container 103, the urine specific gravity can be identified as being higher than 1.035. If the beads 131 sink to the bottom of the container 103, the urine specific gravity can be identified as being lower than 1.035. If the urine specific gravity is low (if the beads 131 sink), the cat's renal function is suspected to be impaired. Note that the number of beads 131 enclosed in the container 103 is not limited to one, and may be multiple. By using beads 131 with multiple specific gravities, the urine specific gravity can be evaluated in more detail.

[0040] <Health status estimation> The health condition estimation unit 203 estimates the health condition of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity. When the evaluation unit 202 evaluates only the urine color, when only the urine specific gravity is evaluated, and when both the urine color and the urine specific gravity are evaluated, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates the health condition based on the following combinations. The health condition of the animal (cat) estimated by the health condition estimation unit 203 is, for example, kidney disease. The health condition can be estimated, for example, from (1) urine color only, (2) urine specific gravity only, or (3) a combination of urine color and urine specific gravity. These health condition estimation methods will be described in detail below.

[0041] <(1) Urine color only> When estimating an animal's health condition from urine color alone, specifically, whether or not there is hematuria is determined from the relationship between the a* and b* values, and then whether the urine color is dark or light is determined from the relationship between the C* and L* values.

[0042] First, the health condition estimation unit 203 uses the calculated L*a*b* values ​​to derive the relationship between the a* value and the b* value, and determines the presence or absence of hematuria from the degree of redness of the urine color determined from the derived relationship between the a* value and the b* value.

[0043] For example, in the relationship between the a* value and the b* value, if the a* value divided by the b* value is high (the ratio of the a* value is high and the redness is high), it indicates that the urine color is mixed with redness, and can be evaluated as abnormal. Examples of suspected abnormalities in this case include urinary tract stones, cystitis (hematuria = hemoglobin), and liver disease (bilirubin). Note that when the relationship between the a* value and the b* value deviates slightly from the normal range, it may be estimated as "suspected abnormality" rather than "abnormal," and a border state (an intermediate state between normal and abnormal) may be set in the estimation of health status.

[0044] After checking the relationship between the a* and b* values, we next check the relationship between the C* and L* values. In the relationship between the C* and L* values, if the L* value divided by the C* value is high, that is, when the L* value is higher than the C* value, the color becomes lighter, and this can also be evaluated as abnormal. In this case, examples of suspected abnormalities include chronic kidney disease (reduced urine concentrating function) and urinary tract infection (cloudiness). Furthermore, if it is determined from the relationship between the C* and L* values ​​that the urine specific gravity is equivalent to less than 1.025, the urine concentrating ability may be evaluated as abnormal, rather than suspected, even if the urine specific gravity has not been measured.

[0045] In this manner, the evaluation unit 202 can evaluate the urine color using the Lab color space. In addition, for example, if a pattern is added to a part of a white background as the background when capturing the urine image 105, the Lab value changes from the light transmittance in the urine image 105, so that it is possible to evaluate the cloudiness of the urine. Cloudy urine indicates that bacteria are mixed in the urine. Note that by setting multiple reference values ​​for the urine color, it becomes possible to estimate the health condition in more detail.

[0046] <(2) Urine specific gravity only> First, the position of the liquid surface and the position of the bottom surface of the container 103 are identified from the urine image 105, and then the health condition is estimated based on whether the beads 131 are floating or sinking. If the beads 131 are floating, that is, if the urine specific gravity is greater than 1.035, the health condition is estimated to be normal. If the beads 131 are sinking, that is, if the urine specific gravity is less than 1.035, the health condition is estimated to be in a state where an abnormality is suspected. Note that if the beads 131 are floating between the liquid surface and the bottom surface (floating in the middle), that is, if the urine specific gravity is 1.035, the health condition is in a borderline state (a state that cannot be determined to be either normal or abnormal).

[0047] In this way, when estimating the health condition from only the urine specific gravity, the health condition estimation unit 203 can estimate the health condition using a specific gravity value of 1.035 as a threshold value. Also, although an example of estimating the health condition using one bead 131 has been described here, the health condition can be estimated in more detail by using a plurality of beads 131.

[0048] When there is one bead 131, three conditions, normal, suspected abnormal, and borderline, are estimated with a urine specific gravity of 1.035 as the threshold value. However, by using two beads 131, it becomes possible to estimate the health condition in more detail, such as a urine specific gravity value of less than 1.025 being abnormal, a urine specific gravity value of 1.025 to less than 1.035 being suspected abnormal, and a urine specific gravity value of 1.035 or more being normal.

[0049] <(3) Urine color and specific gravity> Next, the estimation of health status using urine color and urine specific gravity will be described. The estimation using urine color and urine specific gravity is a combination of the health status estimation using urine color and the health status estimation using urine specific gravity, as explained above in <(1) Only urine color> and <(2) Only urine specific gravity>. In this case, there are two possible patterns for the estimation order: from urine specific gravity to urine color, and from urine color to urine specific gravity. Each will be explained in order below.

[0050] <(3-1)Urine color → urine specific gravity> First, the presence or absence of hematuria is judged from the relationship between the a* and b* values ​​in the procedure shown in <(1) Urine color only> above. Next, the health condition estimating unit 203 judges the brightness of the urine color from the relationship between the C* and L* values, and judges the urine specific gravity (the state of floating or sinking of the beads 131), thereby estimating the health condition.

[0051] <(3-2) Urine specific gravity → urine color> First, urine concentrating ability is determined from urine specific gravity according to the procedure shown in (2) Urine specific gravity only above. Next, urine color is used for determination, but urine color determination only looks at the relationship between the a* value and the b* value. In other words, urine concentrating ability is determined from urine specific gravity before urine color determination (relationship between C* value and L* value). In other words, urine concentrating ability (urine darkness) can be determined by looking at urine specific gravity, so there is no need to determine urine concentrating ability by looking at the relationship between C* value and L* value, and urine concentrating ability can be determined more accurately based on urine specific gravity rather than urine color. <(4) Urine specific gravity (2 beads) → Urine color> It is also possible to store two beads 131 with different specific gravities in the container 103 to perform a more precise determination of the urine specific gravity. In this case, the specific gravities of the two beads 131 are preferably 1.025 and 1.035, respectively, but the specific gravities of the beads 131 are not limited to these. Also, three or more beads 131 may be stored in the container 103. When estimating the urine concentrating function from the urine specific gravity using two beads 131, the estimation contents are divided into four stages according to the state of the beads 131 rising and falling. That is, there are four stages: abnormal, suspected abnormal, border, and normal. Here, the border represents an intermediate state between abnormal and normal. Then, after the determination of the urine concentrating function based on the urine specific gravity is completed, the other renal functions are determined based on the urine color. In this way, the urine concentrating function is determined using two beads 131, so that the urine concentrating function can be determined with higher accuracy.

[0052] The owner 101 can continuously manage the health of the animal as the pet 102 by periodically capturing the animal's urine image 105. For example, regarding the urine concentration function, if there is no abnormality in the health condition of the pet 102 (normally), the owner 101 may manage the health no more than once every three months. If the owner 101 notices any worrying findings, the owner 101 may manage the health at any time.

[0053] Furthermore, if the owner 101 suspects that there is an abnormality in the urine concentrating function of the pet 102, he / she will take a urine image 105 again within one week to check the health condition, and if the abnormality is suspected again, he / she will similarly take a urine image 105 again within one week to check the health condition. If the abnormality is suspected again (abnormality is suspected three times in a row), the abnormality is confirmed. If the second or third check shows that the pet is normal, the owner 101 may manage the health of the pet once every three months or less.

[0054] If an abnormality in the urine concentrating function is confirmed, the owner 101 only needs to manage the health of the pet once a month or less. Here, since kidney disease is basically a progressive disease, it is said that the urine concentrating function often does not recover. On the other hand, kidney disease makes the pet more susceptible to hematuria and cystitis, so abnormalities in functions other than the urine concentrating function need to be managed. However, once the pet returns to a normal state through treatment, the owner 101 only needs to manage the health of the pet once every three months or less.

[0055] Next, for functions other than the urine concentration function (hematuria, bilirubinuria), if there is no abnormality in the health condition of the pet 102 (normally), the owner 101 may manage the health of the pet 102 no more than once every three months. If the owner 101 notices any worrying findings, the owner 101 may manage the health of the pet 102 as needed.

[0056] Furthermore, if the owner 101 suspects an abnormality in any other function, he / she should take a urine image 105 again within one week to check the health condition, and if the abnormality is suspected again, he / she should assume that the abnormality has been confirmed and perform health management. If the recheck shows that the condition has returned to normal, the owner 101 should perform health management no more than once every three months.

[0057] If abnormalities are confirmed in other functions, the owner 101 should take a urine image 105 about once a week to check the health condition (which may improve in about a week). The frequency can be changed depending on the illness or the veterinarian's instructions. If rechecking reveals that the health has returned to normal, the owner 101 should manage the health no more than once every three months.

[0058] With reference to FIG. 3A, an example of a urine color table 301, a urine brightness table 302, and a urine specific gravity table 303 included in the animal health management device 100 will be described. The urine color table 301 stores an estimated content 312 in association with an a* / b* value 311. The a* / b* value is an index representing the yellowness and redness of urine calculated from the urine image 105. The estimated content 312 is a health condition of the cat estimated from the a* / b* value 311. The urine brightness table 302 stores an estimated content 322 in association with an L* / C* value 321. The L* / C* value 321 is an index representing the brightness and saturation of urine. The estimated content 322 is a health condition of the cat estimated from the L* / C* value 321. The urine specific gravity table 303 stores a specific gravity value 332 and an estimated content 333 in association with a bead state 331. The bead state 331 indicates the state of the beads 131 contained in the container 103 in urine. The specific gravity value 332 is the value of urine specific gravity estimated from the bead state 331. The estimated content 333 is the health condition of the cat estimated from the specific gravity value 332 and the like. The health condition estimation unit 203 estimates the health condition of the animal (such as a cat) using the urine color table 301, the urine brightness table 302, and the urine specific gravity table 303. The above-mentioned tables 301 to 303 are used when estimating the health condition of a cat. However, when estimating the health condition of a dog, the cutoff values ​​of these tables 301 to 303 are 0.20 for the a* / b* value, 4.0 for the L* / C* value, and 1.025 for the specific gravity value, respectively.

[0059] Next, an example of the urine specific gravity table 304 of the animal health management apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 3B. The urine specific gravity table 304 is a table used for determining when the number of beads 131 contained in the container 103 is two. In this case, the two beads 131 contained in the container 103 are, for example, beads 131 with specific gravity of 1.035 and 1.025. The urine specific gravity table 304 stores a specific gravity value 343 and an estimated content 344 in association with a beads 1 state 341 and a beads 2 state 342. The beads 1 state 341 indicates the state in urine of the beads 131 contained in the container 103 with a specific gravity of 1.035, and the beads 2 state 342 indicates the state in urine of the beads 131 contained in the container 103 with a specific gravity of 1.025. The specific gravity value 343 is a value of urine specific gravity estimated from the state of the two beads 131. The estimated content 344 is the cat's health condition estimated from the specific gravity value 343 and the like.

[0060] The hardware configuration of the animal health management device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 410 is a processor for arithmetic control, and executes a program to realize each functional configuration of the animal health management device 100 in FIG. 2. The CPU 410 has multiple processors, and may execute different programs, modules, tasks, threads, etc. in parallel. The ROM (Read Only Memory) 420 stores fixed data such as initial data and programs, and other programs. The network interface 430 communicates with other devices via a network. The CPU 410 is not limited to one, and may be multiple CPUs or may include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) for image processing. The network interface 430 preferably has a CPU independent of the CPU 410, and writes or reads transmitted / received data in an area of ​​the RAM (Random Access Memory) 440. It is also preferable to provide a DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) that transfers data between the RAM 440 and the storage 450 (not shown). The CPU 410 recognizes that data has been received or transferred to the RAM 440, and processes the data. Furthermore, the CPU 410 prepares the processing results in the RAM 440, and leaves the subsequent transmission or transfer to the network interface 430 or DMAC.

[0061] The RAM 440 is a random access memory used by the CPU 410 as a temporary storage work area. The RAM 440 has a storage area reserved for storing data required for implementing this embodiment. The urine image data 441 is data of the urine image 105 captured by filling the container 103 with urine collected from a pet cat. The L*a*b* value 442 is used to determine the urine color calculated from the urine image 105. The a* / b* value and the L* / C* value 443 are values ​​used to determine the color of the urine in the urine image. The urine color index data 444 is data that serves as a reference for determining the color of the urine in the urine image 105. The urine specific gravity index data 445 is data that serves as a reference for estimating the health condition of the cat by comparing with the position of the beads 131 in the urine image 105.

[0062] The transmitted / received data 446 is data that is transmitted and received via the network interface 430. The RAM 440 also has an application execution area 447 for executing various application modules.

[0063] The storage 450 stores a database, various parameters, or the following data or programs required to realize this embodiment. The storage 450 stores a urine color table 301, a urine brightness table 302, and urine specific gravity tables 303 and 304. The urine color table 301 is a table for managing the relationship between the a* / b* value 311 and the estimated content 312 shown in FIG. 3. The urine brightness table 302 is a table for managing the relationship between the L* / C* value and the estimated content 322. The urine specific gravity table 303 is a table for managing the relationship between the bead state 331 and the like and the estimated content 333. The specific gravity table 304 is a table used for estimation when two beads 131 are contained in the container 103, and is a table for managing the relationship between the bead states 341, 342 and the like and the estimated content 344.

[0064] The storage 450 further stores a urine image acquisition module 451, an evaluation module 452, a urine color comparison evaluation module 453, a urine specific gravity comparison evaluation module 454, and a health condition estimation module 455. The urine image acquisition module 451 is a module that acquires a urine image 105 by filling a container 103 with urine collected from a pet cat or the like and capturing an image of the urine. The evaluation module 451 is a module that evaluates at least one of the urine color and the urine specific gravity from the urine image 105. The urine color comparison evaluation module 453 is a module that compares the urine image 105 with a urine color index to evaluate the urine color. The urine specific gravity comparison evaluation module 454 is a module that compares the urine image 105 with a urine specific gravity index to evaluate the urine specific gravity. The health condition estimation module 455 is a module that estimates the health condition of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and the urine specific gravity. These modules 451 to 456 are read into the application execution area 447 of the RAM 440 by the CPU 410 and executed. The control program 456 is a program for controlling the entire animal health management apparatus 100.

[0065] The input / output interface 460 interfaces input / output data with input / output devices. A display unit 461 and an operation unit 462 are connected to the input / output interface 460. A storage medium 464 may be further connected to the input / output interface 460. A speaker 463 serving as an audio output unit, a microphone (not shown) serving as an audio input unit, or a GPS position determination unit may be further connected. Note that the RAM 440 and storage 450 shown in FIG. 4 do not show programs and data related to the general-purpose functions of the animal health management apparatus 100 or other feasible functions.

[0066] Next, a processing procedure of the animal health management apparatus 100 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figures 5A to 5E. This flowchart is executed by the CPU 410 in Figure 4 using the RAM 440, and realizes each functional configuration of the animal health management apparatus 100 in Figure 2.

[0067] First, the overall processing procedure of the animal health management device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 5A. In step S501, the urine image acquisition unit 201 acquires a urine image 105 by capturing an image of urine collected from an animal (cat) and filling it into a container 103. In step S503, at least one of the urine color and urine specific gravity is evaluated from the urine image 105. When evaluating the urine color, the L*a*b* value is calculated, and when evaluating the urine specific gravity, for example, a specific gravity value of 1.035 is used as a reference value (cutoff value) for evaluation. In step S505, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates the health condition of the animal based on at least one of the urine color and urine specific gravity.

[0068] Next, the estimation of the animal's health condition in step S505 of FIG. 5A will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5B to 5E.

[0069] <(1) Urine color only> First, referring to FIG. 5B, a case where only the urine color of an animal is evaluated in step S503 in FIG. 5A will be described. In step S511, the health condition estimation unit 203 calculates the L*a*b* value from the urine image 105. In step S513, the health condition estimation unit 203 judges whether the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal or not from the calculated L*a*b* value. That is, when the collected urine contains hematuria, red is mixed into the urine color, and the ratio of the a* value to the b* value increases. Therefore, it is judged whether the a* value and the b* value are within the normal range, based on the relationship between the a* value and the b* value in the case of normal urine (urine without hematuria) as a standard.

[0070] If it is determined that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal (YES in step S513), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S515. In step S515, the health state estimation unit 203 determines whether the relationship between the C* value and the L* value is normal or not. The C* value and the L* value are indices that measure the brightness (shade) of urine color. For example, if the urine color is light, there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the kidney's ability to concentrate urine. Therefore, if it is determined that the relationship between the C* value and the L* value is normal (YES in step S515), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S517. Then, in step S517, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the cat's urine concentrating function and other renal functions (such as hematuria and bilirubinuria) are both normal.

[0071] If the relationship between the C* value and the L* value is determined to be abnormal (NO in step S515), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S525. In step S525, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that there is a suspicion of abnormality in the urine concentrating function, and estimates that other renal functions (such as hematuria and bilirubinuria) are normal.

[0072] If it is determined that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is not normal (NO in step S513), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S519. In step S519, the health state estimation unit 203 determines whether the relationship between the C* value and the L* value is normal or not. If it is determined that the relationship between the C* value and the L* value is normal in step S519 (YES in step S519), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S521. In step S521, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is normal, and estimates that other renal functions (such as hematuria and bilirubinuria) are abnormal.

[0073] Furthermore, if it is determined that the relationship between the C* value and the L* value is not normal (NO in step S519), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S523. In step S523, it is estimated that there is a suspicion of abnormality in the urine concentrating function, and that other renal functions (hematuria, bilirubinuria, etc.) are abnormal. When the processes of steps S517, S521, S523, and S525 are completed, the animal health management apparatus 100 ends the process.

[0074] <(2) Specific gravity only> Next, referring to FIG. 5C, a case where only urine specific gravity is evaluated in step S503 in FIG. 5A will be described. In step S531, health state estimation unit 203 specifies the position of beads 131 for measuring urine specific gravity from urine image 105. The color of beads 131 is a color different from the urine color of yellow, for example, blue. Therefore, health state estimation unit 203 specifies the blue portion in urine image 105 as the position of beads 131. In step S533, health state estimation unit 203 specifies the position of the liquid surface of urine contained in container 103 and the position of the bottom surface of container 103. Note that the color of beads 131 is not limited to blue, as long as it is easily distinguishable from the urine color and its position is easily specified.

[0075] In step S535, the health state estimation unit 203 judges whether the beads 131 are floating or not, based on the relationship between the identified position of the beads 131 and the identified positions of the liquid surface and the bottom surface. If it is judged that the beads 131 are floating (YES in step S535), the animal health management device 100 proceeds to step S537. If it is judged that the beads 131 are not floating (NO in step S535), the animal health management device 100 proceeds to step S539.

[0076] In step S537, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is normal. In step S539, the health condition estimation unit 203 determines whether the beads 131 have sunk. If it is determined that the beads 131 have sunk (YES in step S539), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S541.

[0077] In step S541, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that there is a suspicion of an abnormality in the cat's urine concentrating function. If it is determined in step S539 that the beads 131 have not sunk (NO in step S539), the animal health management device 100 proceeds to step S543. In step S543, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is in a borderline state, that is, an intermediate state between normal and abnormal, since the beads 131 are floating in the urine.

[0078] <(3-1) Urine color → Urine specific gravity> With reference to FIG. 5D, an example will be described in which, in the case where urine color and urine specific gravity are evaluated in step S503 of FIG. 5A, estimation based on urine color is performed and then estimation based on urine specific gravity is performed. In step S551, the health state estimation unit 203 calculates the L*a*b* value. In step S553, the health state estimation unit 203 judges whether the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal or not. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal (YES in step S553), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S555. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is not normal (NO in step S553), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S557. In step S557, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that other renal functions (such as hematuria and bilirubinuria) are abnormal.

[0079] In step S555, the health condition estimation unit 203 judges whether the relationship between the C* value and the L* value is normal or not. If it is judged that the relationship between the C* value and the L* value is normal (YES in step S555), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S559. If it is judged that the relationship between the C* value and the L* value is not normal (NO in step S555), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S561.

[0080] In step S559, the health condition estimation unit 203 determines whether the beads 131 are floating. When determining whether the beads 131 are floating, the health condition estimation unit 203 performs the determination after identifying the bead positions and the liquid surface and bottom surface as described above. Then, when it is determined that the beads 131 are floating (YES in step S559), the animal health management device 100 proceeds to step S563. In step S563, the health condition estimation unit 203 determines that the urine concentrating function is normal.

[0081] In step S559, when it is determined that the beads 131 are not floating (NO in step S559), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S565. In step S565, the animal health management apparatus 100 estimates that there is a suspected abnormality in the urine concentrating function.

[0082] Next, in step S561, the health condition estimation unit 203 judges whether or not the beads 131 are floating. If it is judged that the beads 131 are floating (YES in step S561), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S567. In step S567, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that there is a suspected abnormality in the urine concentrating function.

[0083] If it is determined that the beads 131 are not floating (NO in step S561), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S569. In step S569, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is abnormal. When the processes of steps S563, S565, S567, and S569 are completed, the animal health management apparatus 100 ends the process.

[0084] As described above, the animal health management device 100 estimates the health condition based on the urine color in the processing up to step S555, and in the processing from step S555 onwards, in addition to estimating the health condition based on the urine color, also estimates the health condition based on the urine specific gravity.

[0085] <(3-2) Urine specific gravity → urine color> With reference to FIG. 5E, an example will be described in which, in the case where urine color and urine specific gravity are evaluated in step S503 of FIG. 5A, estimation based on urine specific gravity is performed and then estimation based on urine color is performed. In step S571, the health state estimation unit 203 specifies the position of the beads 131 for measuring urine specific gravity from the urine image 105. In step S573, the health state estimation unit 203 specifies the position of the liquid surface of the urine contained in the container 103 and the position of the bottom surface of the container 103. In step S575, the health state estimation unit 203 judges whether the beads 131 are floating or not based on the relationship between the specified position of the beads 131 and the specified positions of the liquid surface and bottom surface. If it is judged that the beads 131 are floating (YES in step S575), the animal health management device 100 proceeds to step S577. On the other hand, if it is judged that the beads 131 are not floating, the animal health management device 100 proceeds to step S579.

[0086] In step S577, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is normal. In step S579, the health condition estimation unit 203 determines whether the beads 131 have sunk. If it is determined that the beads 131 have sunk (YES in step S579), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S581.

[0087] In step S581, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that there is a suspected abnormality in the urine concentrating function. If it is determined in step S579 that the beads 131 have not sunk (NO in step S579), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S583. In step S583, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is in a borderline state, that is, an intermediate state between normal and abnormal, since the beads 131 are floating in the urine.

[0088] In step S585, the health condition estimation unit 203 calculates the L*a*b* values ​​from the urine image 105. In step S587, the health condition estimation unit 203 determines whether the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal or not from the calculated L*a*b* values. If it is determined that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal (YES in step S587), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S589. In step S589, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function and other renal functions are normal.

[0089] If it is determined that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is not normal (NO in step S587), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S591. In step S591, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is normal and estimates that the other renal functions are abnormal.

[0090] <(3-2) Urine specific gravity → Urine color> Next, referring to FIG. 5F, the following process of step S581 and step S583 in FIG. 5E will be described. First, in step S581-1, the health condition estimation unit 203 calculates the L*a*b* value from the urine image 105. In step S581-3, the health condition estimation unit 203 judges whether the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal or not from the calculated L*a*b* value. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal (YES in step S581-3), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S581-5. In step S581-5, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that there is a suspicion of abnormality in the urine concentrating function, and estimates that other renal functions are normal. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is not normal (NO in step S581-3), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S581-7. In step S581-7, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that there is a suspicion of an abnormality in the urine concentrating function, and estimates that the other renal functions are abnormal.

[0091] Next, in step S583-1, the health state estimation unit 203 judges whether the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal or not. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal (YES in step S583-1), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S583-3. In step S583-3, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function corresponds to follow-up observation, and estimates that the other renal functions are normal. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is not normal (NO in step S583-1), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S583-5. In step S583-5, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function corresponds to follow-up observation, and estimates that the other renal functions are abnormal.

[0092] <(4) Urine specific gravity (determined using two beads) → Urine color> Next, referring to FIG. 5G and FIG. 5H, a processing procedure in the case where two beads 131 are contained in the container 103 will be described. Here, the two beads 131 contained in the container 103 are two types of beads 131 with specific gravities of 1.025 and 1.035. In step S575', the health state estimation unit 203 judges whether or not both of the two beads 131 in the container 103 are floating. If it is judged that both of the two beads 131 are floating in the container 103 (YES in step S575'), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S577 and subsequent steps. Then, in step S587, the health state estimation unit 203 judges whether or not the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal (YES in step S587), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S589'. On the other hand, if it is determined that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is not normal (NO in step S587), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S591'. Then, in step S589', the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is normal, and that the other renal functions are normal. Also, in step S591', the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is normal, and that the other renal functions are abnormal.

[0093] If it is determined that neither of the two beads 131 is floating (NO in step S575′), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S579′. In step S579′, the health state estimation unit 203 determines whether or not both of the two beads in the container 103 are sinking. If it is determined that both of the two beads 131 are sinking (YES in step S579′), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S581′. In step S581′, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates an abnormality. If neither of the two beads 131 are sinking (NO in step S579′), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S593. In step S593, the health state estimation unit 203 determines whether or not one of the two beads 131 is sinking and the other is floating, or whether one is sinking and the other is drifting. If it is determined that one is sinking and the other is floating, or one is sinking and the other is floating (YES in step S593), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S593-1. If it is not "one is sinking and the other is floating, or one is sinking and the other is floating" (NO in step S593), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S595. In step S595, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the renal function is in a borderline state, that is, an intermediate state between normal and abnormal.

[0094] In step S581'-1, the health state estimation unit 203 calculates the L*a*b* value from the urine image 105. In step S581'-3, the health state estimation unit 203 judges whether or not the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal (YES in step S581'-3), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S581'-5. In step S581'-5, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is abnormal, and estimates that the other renal functions are normal. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is not normal (NO in step S581'-3), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S581'-7. In step S581'-7, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is abnormal, and estimates that the other renal functions are also abnormal.

[0095] Next, in step S593-1, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that there is a suspicion of abnormality in kidney function based on the floating and sinking state of the two beads 131. In step S593-3, the health condition estimation unit 203 calculates the L*a*b* value from the urine image 105. In step S593-5, the health condition estimation unit 203 judges whether or not the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal (YES in step S593-5), the animal health management device 100 proceeds to step S593-7. In step S593-7, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is suspected to be abnormal, and estimates that the other kidney functions are normal. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is not normal (NO in step S593-5), the animal health management device 100 proceeds to step S593-9. In step S593-9, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function is suspected to be abnormal, and estimates that the other renal functions are abnormal.

[0096] Furthermore, in step S595-1, the health state estimation unit 203 judges whether the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is normal (YES in step S595-1), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S595-3. In step S595-3, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function requires follow-up, and estimates that the other renal functions are normal. If it is judged that the relationship between the a* value and the b* value is not normal (NO in step S595-1), the animal health management apparatus 100 proceeds to step S595-5. In step S595-5, the health state estimation unit 203 estimates that the urine concentrating function requires follow-up, and estimates that the other renal functions are abnormal.

[0097] According to this embodiment, the health condition of a pet can be managed on a daily basis by a simple means. In addition, since the urine color and urine specific gravity are used, the health condition of an animal such as a pet can be managed with higher accuracy. In addition, by periodically capturing an image of the animal's urine, the health condition of the animal can be continuously managed.

[0098] [Second embodiment] Next, an animal health management apparatus 600 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 9. Fig. 6 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the animal health management apparatus 600 according to this embodiment. The animal health management apparatus 600 according to this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it has an individual information acquisition unit and a storage unit. Since the other configurations and operations are similar to those of the first embodiment, the same configurations and operations are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0099] The animal health management device 600 includes an individual information acquisition unit 601 and a storage control unit 602. The individual information acquisition unit 601 acquires individual information of the animal. Here, the individual information of the animal includes at least one of the animal's species, age, sex, microchip identification number, weight, surgical history, medical history, and food information. When combined with the evaluation of urine color and urine specific gravity, these individual information are information that can improve the accuracy of the estimation of the health state. For example, even if the urine color is light, if the animal is young, it can be estimated that the health state is temporary, and if the animal is old, it can be estimated that some kind of functional abnormality has occurred. Furthermore, for example, by storing the medical history in association with the animal, the health state of the animal can be estimated taking into account the effect of medicine on the urine, etc., so that a more accurate health state estimation can be performed.

[0100] Furthermore, the diet information included in the individual information may include information on whether the animal normally eats wet or dry food, or the ratio of wet to dry food if the animal eats a combination of both. In other words, since the amount of water contained in the food affects the urine specific gravity, diet information is important information for estimating the health condition of the animal. If the animal eats wet food, information on the moisture content may be included.

[0101] The memory control unit 602 associates the urine image 105, the estimated health condition, and the acquired individual information and stores them in a predetermined storage. By storing these pieces of information in association with each other, for example, it is possible to estimate the health condition of an animal reflecting its health condition history and estimation history. For example, if an animal normally urinates light-colored urine, even if the urine color at a certain point in time is light-colored, it can be estimated that this is due to the animal's original health condition. Therefore, in such a case, it is not necessary to estimate the health condition as suspected abnormality or abnormality, and the accuracy of the health condition estimation can be improved. In addition, when the memory control unit 602 stores the association information, date and time information may also be stored, and further, the urine image 105 to be stored may be an image with a corrected color tone. The storage in which the memory control unit 602 stores the association information may be inside or outside the animal health management device 600.

[0102] The health condition estimation unit 203 then estimates the health condition of the animal using the stored urine image 105, the health condition, and the individual information. In addition to estimating the health condition of the animal, the health condition estimation unit 203 may also estimate the next examination date based on the estimated health condition, and present it to the owner 101.

[0103] Furthermore, the health condition estimation unit 203 may fine-tune the content of the estimation using the associated and stored individual information. For example, when the animal is old, the health condition estimation unit 203 adjusts the estimation of the urine concentrating function so as to estimate it closer to abnormality. Furthermore, the health condition estimation unit 203 may fine-tune the content presented to the owner 101, etc., after estimating the health condition using the individual information. For example, when the animal is old, the renal function is often low, so the health condition estimation unit 203 may present a strong recommendation (strong recommendation to visit) to a veterinary clinic.

[0104] The health condition estimation unit 203 may adjust the content of the health condition estimation by using statistical information generated from accumulated data on the same animal species (cat species, dog species, etc.), age, sex, medical history, etc. In addition, when an abnormality is estimated multiple times, the health condition estimation unit 203 may set the content of the health condition estimation to, for example, a strong recommendation to visit a hospital.

[0105] An example of an individual information table 701 held by the animal health management device 600 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The individual information table 701 stores an animal species 712, an age 713, a sex 714, an MCID 715, a weight 716, a surgical history 717, an medical history 718, and food information 719 in association with an animal ID 711. The animal ID (identifier) ​​711 is an identifier for identifying an animal. The animal species 712 indicates the type of the animal (e.g., cat, dog, etc.). The age 713 is the age of the animal. The sex 714 is the sex of the animal. The MCID 715 is an identifier for identifying a microchip (MC) when the microchip is embedded. The weight 716 is the weight [kg] of the animal. The surgical history 717 is a record of surgeries the animal has undergone. The medical history 718 is a record of illnesses the animal has suffered up to that point. The food information 719 is information about the food that the animal normally eats, and is information about whether the food is wet or dry. The health condition estimation unit 203 then uses the information in the individual information table 701 to estimate the health condition of the animal.

[0106] The hardware configuration of the animal health management apparatus 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The RAM 840 is a random access memory used by the CPU 410 as a temporary storage work area. A storage area for storing data required for implementing this embodiment is secured in the RAM 840. The individual information data 841 is data related to information specific to the animal, including the animal species, age, sex, etc.

[0107] The storage 850 stores a database, various parameters, or the following data or programs required to realize this embodiment. The storage 850 stores an individual information table 701. The individual information table 701 is a table for managing the relationship between the animal ID 711 and the animal species 712, etc., shown in FIG.

[0108] The storage 850 further stores an individual information acquisition module 851 and a memory control module 852. The individual information acquisition module 851 is a module that acquires individual information of an animal. The memory control module 852 is a module that associates the urine image 105, the estimated health condition, and the acquired individual information and stores them in a predetermined storage. These modules 851 to 852 are read by the CPU 410 into the application execution area 447 of the RAM 840 and executed.

[0109] Next, the processing procedure of the animal health management apparatus 600 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 9. This flowchart is executed by the CPU 410 in Fig. 8 using the RAM 840, and realizes each function of the animal health management apparatus 600 in Fig. 6.

[0110] In step S901, the individual information acquisition unit 601 acquires individual information of the animal. In step S903, the memory control unit 602 associates and stores the urine image 105, the estimated health condition, and the acquired individual information. In step S905, the health condition estimation unit 203 estimates the health condition of the animal using the stored urine image 105, the health condition, and the individual information.

[0111] According to the present embodiment, the health condition of an animal is estimated using individual information of the animal, so that the health condition can be estimated with higher accuracy. In addition, the health condition is estimated taking into account the past medical history, so that it is possible to accurately estimate whether the animal is normal or abnormal.

[0112] [Third embodiment] Next, an animal health management system 1000 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 10 to 14. Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of the animal health management system according to this embodiment. The animal health management system 1000 according to this embodiment is a system that enables an owner 101 to manage the health of his / her pet 102 by booking an appointment with a veterinary clinic 1003 based on the estimated health condition from a captured urine image 105.

[0113] An owner 101 collects urine from a pet 102 using a urine collection container 103. Beads 131 are sealed in the container 103, so that the urine specific gravity can be measured. After collecting urine from a pet 102 in the container 103, the owner 101 photographs the container 103 containing the urine with a mobile terminal 104, and transmits the photographed urine image 105 to an animal health management device 1001. A color chart 151 serving as a standard for urine color may be photographed in the urine image 105.

[0114] The animal health management device 1001 that receives the urine image 105 estimates the health condition of the pet 102 based on the color of the urine shown in the urine image 105 and the positions of the beads 131. The animal health management device 1001 transmits the estimated health condition to the mobile terminal 104 of the owner 101 or the like.

[0115] For example, when the estimated health condition of the pet owner 101 is not good, the pet owner 101 transmits a request for a medical appointment to the animal health management device 1001. Here, the transmitted medical appointment request may be merely an indication of the owner's desire to have the pet 102 examined at the veterinary clinic 1003. The animal health management device 1001 that receives the medical appointment request transmits a request for a medical appointment to the medical appointment management device 1002. The request includes information about the pet owner 101, the estimated health condition of the pet 102, and the like.

[0116] The medical appointment management device 1002 creates a medical appointment schedule at a specific veterinary clinic 1003 based on the received medical appointment request, and returns the schedule to the animal health management device 1001. The medical appointment schedule includes information such as the name of the hospital where the appointment was made and the appointment date and time. The animal health management device 1001 then transmits the received medical appointment schedule to the mobile terminal 104 of the owner 101. In this way, the owner 101 can make a medical appointment at the veterinary clinic 1003 without performing any complicated operations, simply by requesting a medical appointment based on the estimated result of the health condition of the pet 102.

[0117] Next, the configuration of the animal health management system 1000 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. The animal health management system 1000 includes a mobile terminal 104, an animal health management device 1001, and a medical examination reservation management device 1002.

[0118] <Mobile terminal 104> The mobile terminal 104 includes a urine image generating unit 1131 and a first transmitting unit 1132. Here, the mobile terminal 104 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a smart watch, etc. Also, instead of the mobile terminal 104, a stationary terminal may be used.

[0119] The urine image generating unit 1131 then captures an image of a predetermined container 103 filled with urine collected from a kept animal, and generates a urine image 105. The owner 101 captures an image of the container 103 filled with urine using a camera built into the mobile terminal 104, and the mobile terminal 104 generates a urine image 105. The urine image 105 can be captured in the same manner as described in the first embodiment. The camera does not need to be built into the mobile terminal 104, and may be connected to the mobile terminal 104 via wired or wireless communication.

[0120] Then, the first transmission unit 1132 transmits the generated urine image 105 to the animal health management device 1001. The transmission of the urine image 105 by the first transmission unit 1132 may be performed automatically when the owner 101 captures the urine image 105, or may be performed when the owner 101 performs an operation to transmit the urine image 105.

[0121] <Animal health management device 1001> The animal health management device 1001 includes a urine image acquisition unit 1111 , an evaluation unit 1112 , a health state estimation unit 1113 , a second transmission unit 1114 , and a request unit 1115 .

[0122] The urine image acquiring unit 1111 acquires the urine image 105 transmitted from the mobile terminal 104. The urine image 105 is acquired from the mobile terminal 104 by wireless communication or wired communication. The urine image acquiring unit 1111 may also acquire the urine image 105 from the mobile terminal 104 via a recording medium such as a non-volatile memory.

[0123] The evaluation unit 1112 evaluates at least one of the urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image 105. The evaluation unit 1112 evaluates the color of the urine of the pet 102 from the urine image 105. The evaluation unit 1112 also identifies the positions of the beads 131, the liquid level, the bottom surface of the container 103, and the like from the urine image 105, and evaluates the urine specific gravity from the state in which the beads 131 float. The evaluation unit 1112 evaluates only the urine color, only the urine specific gravity, or both the urine color and the urine specific gravity.

[0124] The health condition estimation unit 1113 estimates the health condition of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity. The health condition can be estimated from (1) urine color only, (2) urine specific gravity only, or (3) a combination of urine color and urine specific gravity. The estimation contents include, for example, the presence or absence of abnormality in urine concentrating function or other abnormality in kidney function.

[0125] The second transmission unit 1114 transmits the estimation result by the health condition estimation unit 1113 to the mobile terminal 104. The second transmission unit 1114 may also transmit a notice of need for examination in accordance with the estimation result of the health condition.

[0126] The request unit 1115 requests the medical appointment to the medical appointment management device 1002 based on a medical appointment request from the mobile terminal 104. For example, when the owner 101 sees the estimated health condition and wants to take the pet 102 to a hospital, the owner 101 makes an appointment via the animal health management device 1001, rather than connecting to the medical appointment management device 1002. The owner 101 may also transmit a desired date and time for an appointment to the animal health management device 1001. The request unit 1115 may transmit not only the request for a medical appointment but also the desired date and time for an appointment to the medical appointment management device 1002.

[0127] <Medical appointment management device 1002> The examination reservation management device 1002 includes a request receiving unit 1121 , an examination schedule generating unit 1122 , and a schedule transmitting unit 1123 .

[0128] The request receiving unit 1121 receives a request for a consultation appointment from the animal health management apparatus 1001. The request may include the desired date and time of consultation, the desired location of consultation, the desired veterinary hospital, and so on.

[0129] The examination schedule generating unit 1122 generates an examination schedule for a specific veterinary clinic 1003 based on the received examination reservation request. The examination schedule generating unit 1122 is responsible for generating schedules for a plurality of veterinary clinics 1003, for example, and can generate an examination schedule for a veterinary clinic 1003 according to the request of the owner 101. The examination schedule generating unit 1122 can also generate examination schedules for veterinary clinics 1003 near the residence of the owner 101, veterinary clinics 1003 with specialists for specific diseases, veterinary clinics 1003 with well-equipped hospitalization facilities, and the like.

[0130] In this way, the examination schedule generating unit 1122 generates an examination schedule for the veterinary clinic 1003, which can save the veterinary clinic 1003 the trouble of managing the examination schedule. Similarly, the examination schedule generating unit 1122 generates an examination schedule on behalf of the owner 101, which can save the owner 101 the trouble of making an appointment for an examination.

[0131] The schedule transmission unit 1123 transmits the generated examination schedule to the animal health management apparatus 1001. The schedule transmission unit 1123 may transmit the generated examination schedule directly to the mobile terminal 104.

[0132] Next, the overall processing of the animal health management system 1000 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 12. In step S1201, the mobile terminal 104 takes an image of urine collected from a kept animal and generates a urine image 105. In step S1203, the mobile terminal 104 transmits the generated urine image 105 to the animal health management device 1001.

[0133] In step S1205, the animal health management device 1001 evaluates at least one of the urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image 105. In step S1207, the animal health management device 1001 estimates the health condition of the animal based on the evaluation result of at least one of the urine color and urine specific gravity. In step S1209, the animal health management device 1001 transmits the estimation result to the mobile terminal 104.

[0134] In step S1211, the mobile terminal 104 transmits a consultation request to the animal health management device 1001. In step S1213, the animal health management device 1001 transmits a consultation appointment request to the consultation appointment management device 1002 based on the consultation request received from the mobile terminal 104.

[0135] In step S1215, the examination reservation management device 1002 generates an examination schedule at a predetermined animal hospital 1003 based on the received request. In step S1217, the examination reservation management device 1002 transmits the generated examination schedule to the animal health management device 1001. In step S1219, the animal health management device 1001 transmits the received examination schedule to the mobile terminal 104.

[0136] According to this embodiment, the owner does not need to make a troublesome appointment by himself, and can make an appointment at a veterinary clinic by simply making a request for an examination to the animal health management device. In addition, the system can consistently manage the entire process from the estimation of the health state to the treatment at the hospital.

[0137] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. In addition, systems or devices that combine separate features included in each embodiment in any way are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0138] The present invention may be applied to a system consisting of multiple devices, or to a single device. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a case where an information processing program for implementing the functions of the embodiment is supplied to a system or device and executed by a built-in processor. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention includes a program installed on a computer to implement the functions of the present invention with a computer, a medium storing the program, a WWW (World Wide Web) server that downloads the program, and a processor that executes the program. In particular, at least a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute the processing steps included in the above-mentioned embodiment is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. a urine image acquisition unit that acquires urine images by collecting urine from captive animals and filling the urine into a predetermined container; an evaluation unit that evaluates at least one of urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image; a health condition estimation unit that estimates the health condition of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity; An animal health management device comprising:

2. The evaluation unit a urine color comparison and evaluation unit that compares the urine image with a urine color index to evaluate the urine color; a urine specific gravity comparison and evaluation unit that compares the urine image with a urine specific gravity index to evaluate the urine specific gravity; The animal health management device of claim 1 , further comprising:

3. an individual information acquisition unit that acquires individual information of the animal; a memory control unit that stores the urine image, the estimated health condition, and the acquired individual information in association with each other; Furthermore, The animal health management device according to claim 1 , wherein the health state estimation unit estimates the health state using the stored urine image, the health state, and the individual information.

4. The animal health management device according to claim 3 , wherein the individual information includes at least one of the animal's species, age, sex, microchip identification number, weight, surgical history, medical history, and diet information.

5. The animal health management device according to claim 4 , wherein the feed information includes information on whether the feed is wet or dry.

6. the animal is a cat, The animal health management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the health condition is a state of kidney disease.

7. 3. The animal health management device of claim 1, wherein the container contains at least one bead for assessing urine specific gravity.

8. a urine image acquisition step of collecting urine from an animal kept at home, filling the urine into a predetermined container, and acquiring a urine image; an evaluation step of evaluating at least one of urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image; a health status estimation step of estimating the health status of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity; 10. An animal health care method comprising:

9. a urine image acquisition step of collecting urine from an animal kept at home, filling the urine into a predetermined container, and acquiring a urine image; an evaluation step of evaluating at least one of urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image; a health status estimation step of estimating the health status of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity; An animal health management program that causes a computer to execute the above.

10. An animal health management system including a mobile terminal, an animal health management device, and a medical appointment management device that manages medical appointment reservations at a plurality of veterinary clinics, The mobile terminal a urine image generating unit that captures an image of a predetermined container filled with urine collected from a domestic animal and generates a urine image; a first transmission unit that transmits the generated urine image to the animal health management device; Equipped with The animal health management device comprises: a urine image acquisition unit for acquiring the urine image; an evaluation unit that evaluates at least one of urine color and urine specific gravity from the acquired urine image; a health condition estimation unit that estimates the health condition of the animal based on at least one of the evaluated urine color and urine specific gravity; a second transmission unit that transmits an estimation result by the health state estimation unit to the mobile device; a request unit that requests the medical appointment management device to make a medical appointment based on a request for medical appointment from the mobile terminal; Equipped with The examination reservation management device a request receiving unit that receives the request for the appointment; a consultation schedule generating unit that generates a consultation schedule at a predetermined veterinary hospital based on the received consultation appointment request; a schedule transmission unit that transmits the generated examination schedule to the animal health management device; An animal health management system comprising:

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