Nurse call system

Abstract

To provide a nurse call system that can ensure authenticity of a transmission source of recorded and stored patient video and can also ensure the authenticity of the video, that is, that it has not been tampered with.SOLUTION: A nurse call system includes a handset 1 arranged at each bed and having a function for a patient to call a nurse, a base unit 3 installed at the nurse's station and having a function for responding to a call from the handset 1, a corridor light 2 arranged at each hospital room and relaying a call signal from the handset 1 and notifying a user of the occurrence of a call, a camera 5 for capturing an image of a patient, and a storage server 6 for storing the image captured by the camera 5, and the corridor light 2 digitally signs the image captured by the camera 5 with a private key and transmits the image to the storage server 6. The storage server 6 has a public key that is paired with the private key, and decrypts the image stored in a digitally signed state with the public key and outputs the image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a nurse call system, and more particularly to a nurse call system that is equipped with a camera that captures images of a patient and has a function of storing images captured by the camera. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a nurse call system in which a camera is installed in a patient's room, and when a call is made from a patient or an abnormal movement of the patient is detected, the camera captures the patient and displays it on the nurse's station. In such a system, the captured image is displayed on the nurse's station and is also recorded, so that the situation can be checked at a later date (for example, see Patent Document 1). On the other hand, there are technologies that encrypt and transmit information to prevent snooping. Among these, public key encryption, which encrypts and transmits information using a digital signature with a private key and decrypts it with a public key that is paired with the signed private key, is effective in preventing tampering and makes it possible to verify that the information has not been tampered with. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-126362 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology in Patent Document 1 mentioned above was effective in checking the situation when an abnormality occurred in a patient, as it saved the patient's condition when the patient called and captured video footage of the patient in a specific posture. However, it was not possible to determine if the recorded video itself had been tampered with. In other words, once a video was recorded and stored, the authenticity of the sender could not be ensured. It was also not possible to determine whether the video had been tampered with. On the other hand, since recorded images of patients are important in the event of problems such as medical malpractice, a configuration is desired that prevents tampering with the recorded images.

[0005] In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide a nurse call system that can ensure the authenticity of the source of recorded and stored patient video, and can also ensure that the video has not been tampered with. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a nurse call system comprising a handset unit that is placed at each bed and has a function for allowing a patient to call a nurse, a parent unit that is installed at a nurse's station and has a function for responding to calls from the handset unit, a corridor light that is installed in each hospital room and relays call signals from the handset unit and notifies the patient when a call is made, and a camera that images the patient, the system having a signature unit that has a private key and digitally signs and encrypts the image captured by the camera with the private key, and a storage means for storing the image captured by the camera, wherein the image digitally signed with the private key is stored in the storage means, while the storage means has a public key that pairs with the private key and a decryption unit that decrypts the image stored using the public key, and when the digitally signed and stored image is output, it is decrypted using the public key and output. According to this configuration, the captured video of the camera stored in the storage means is stored with a digital signature using a private key, so the authenticity of the camera that sent it can be ensured. And, the digital signature of the video output from the storage means is verified using a public key, so the authenticity of the video that has not been tampered with can be ensured. As a result, it is impossible to tamper with the stored patient video, and it can be effectively used for objective proof when a problem occurs, such as medical malpractice, regarding the recorded patient. Note that the captured video includes still images.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention, in the above configuration, is characterized in that the signature unit embeds time information obtained from an NTP server by a time synchronization protocol into the video and creates a digital signature. According to this configuration, the accurate time is embedded in the digitally signed video, so that it can be proven that the shooting time has not been tampered with, and this can be used to check the video when a problem occurs.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned configuration, is characterized in that the corridor light has a signature unit, and the image captured by the camera is digitally signed in the corridor light and transmitted to the storage means. According to this configuration, since the signature unit is provided in the hallway light and the image captured by the camera is digitally signed with a private key, it is possible to use a conventional camera to generate a digital signature without modifying the camera by providing it with a signature unit, etc. Furthermore, there is no need to change the connection destination of the camera. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the captured video of the camera stored in the storage means is stored with a digital signature using a private key, so the authenticity of the camera that sent it can be ensured. And, the digital signature of the video output from the storage means is verified using a public key, so the authenticity of the video that has not been tampered with can be ensured. As a result, it is impossible to tamper with the stored patient video, and it can be effectively used, for example, for objective proof when a problem occurs with a recorded patient, such as medical malpractice. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a nurse call system according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the corridor light. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a storage server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a nurse call system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a nurse call system 10 includes a handset 1 installed at each bed so that a patient can call a nurse, a corridor light 2 installed in front of a patient's room to notify the occurrence of a call and display patient information in the room, a master unit 3 for notifying and responding to a call from a patient at a nurse's station, a controller 4 for controlling the call / response, a camera 5 installed in the patient's room to capture an image of the patient, a storage server 6 as a storage means for storing the captured image of the camera 5, and the like. The system further includes a portable terminal 7 carried by a nurse to respond to a call from a patient, a base station 8 for communicating with the portable terminal 7, and a PBX (switchboard) 9 for managing communication via the base station 8.

[0012] The corridor light 2, the parent unit 3, the control unit 4, the storage server 6, and the exchange 9 are connected to each other by LAN wiring L1 via a HUB 12. Furthermore, the child unit 1 is connected to the corridor light 2 for each hospital room via a transmission line L2, and the camera 5 is connected to the corridor light 2 for each hospital room via a transmission line L3. Reference numeral 13 denotes an NTP server provided on the general-purpose network N.

[0013] The slave unit 1 is placed on or near each bed and is composed of a call button 1a that is operated by the patient to make a call, and a plate slave unit 1b that is installed on the wall and equipped with a microphone and speaker. The call button 1a is connected to the plate slave unit 1b, which is connected to the corridor light 2 via a transmission line L2.

[0014] Fig. 2 shows a functional block diagram of the corridor light 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the corridor light 2 includes an indicator light 21 that indicates the occurrence of a call from the handset 1, a patient information display unit 22 that displays information about the patient in the hospital room, a private key storage unit 23 that stores a private key for encrypting the image transmitted from the camera 5, a timer unit 24 that counts the duration of image capture by the camera 5, a corridor light CPU 25 that controls the corridor light 2, and a corridor light communication IF 26 that communicates with the handset 1, the control unit 4, and the camera 5. The corridor light CPU 25 functions as a signature unit that digitally signs the captured image transmitted from the camera 5 with a private key and transmits it.

[0015] The base unit 3 includes a handset 31, a first display 32 that displays a list of patient information and images captured by the camera 5, a second display 33 that displays caller information and the like when a call is made, and an operation unit 34 that is integrated with the first display 32 and performs various operations. In addition, the base unit 3 holds public keys corresponding to the private keys set for each camera 5, and has a function of decrypting and displaying the images captured by the camera 5 that have been digitally signed with the private key and transmitted, using the public key.

[0016] The control unit 4 has a patient-related information storage unit that stores information relating to the patient and the bed, information relating to the patient and the camera, etc., a nurse information storage unit that stores the nurse in charge of the patient, a mobile information storage unit that stores the association between the nurse and the mobile terminal 7, etc. (none of which are shown in the figure), and controls the communication between the slave unit 1 and the base unit 3, and the communication between the slave unit 1 and the mobile terminal 7. It also controls the acquisition of time information from the NTP server 13 via the general-purpose network N and the notification of the information to the corridor light 2.

[0017] Fig. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the storage server 6. As shown in Fig. 3, the storage server 6 includes an image storage unit 61 that stores images captured by the camera 5, a public key storage unit 62 that stores a public key that forms a pair with a private key set for each camera 5, a storage server CPU 63 that controls the storage server 6, and a storage server communication IF 64 that communicates with the control device 4 etc. via a LAN connection. The storage server CPU 64 has the function of a decryption unit that, when outputting stored video, decrypts the stored video in an encrypted state (digitally signed with a private key) using a public key and outputs it.

[0018] The operation of the nurse call system configured as above is as follows. However, since the operation of calling a nurse by operating the handset 1 and the operation of responding to the call from the base unit 3 are the same as in the past, the explanation will be omitted here, and the transmission of the image captured by the camera 5 will be mainly explained here. The camera 5 begins capturing images when a call is made by operating the handset 1, when the base unit 3 starts camera 5, or when it detects that the patient has taken a specific posture (not described in detail), and the captured images are recorded.

[0019] First, a case will be described in which an image captured by the camera 5 is transmitted by a call operation. When the call button 1a is pressed to make a call, a call signal is transmitted from the plate slave unit 1b to the master unit 3 via the corridor light 2 and the controller 4. The corridor light 2 to which the call signal has been sent transmits the call signal to the control unit 4, and at the same time starts the camera 5 to send the captured image to the control unit 4. At that time, the time information of the NTP server 13 obtained from the control unit 4 is embedded in the image data based on the time synchronization protocol, and the image data is digitally signed with a private key, encrypted, and sent.

[0020] The control unit 4 receives the encrypted image from the corridor light 2 and transmits the image to the base unit 3 and the storage server 6. The base unit 3, to which the call signal and image have been transmitted, issues a ring tone and decrypts the transmitted image using the public key it holds and displays it on the first display 32. On the other hand, the storage server 6 that receives the video from the control unit 4 stores the video in a digitally signed state in the video storage unit 61. Note that information about the camera 5 that captured the video is attached to the video, and the public key to be used is selected based on that information.

[0021] Next, a case will be described in which the captured image of the camera 5 is saved by operating the parent unit 3. When a patient to be confirmed is selected by a predetermined operation of the parent unit 3, the control unit 4 starts and controls the camera 5 associated with the patient. Thus, imaging is started and the captured image of the camera 5 is transmitted to the parent unit 3. At the same time, the captured image is saved in the storage server 6. In this case, too, the image digitally signed with the private key in the corridor light 2 is transmitted to the parent unit 3 and the storage server 6. The subsequent display operation, storage operation, and control for embedding time information in the image are the same as in the case of the operation of the child unit 1 described above.

[0022] The corridor light 2 counts the image capturing time (recording time) using the timer unit 24, and when the image capturing duration of the camera 5 reaches a predetermined time, it automatically ends the capture and starts recording again. This is the time set to prevent synonyms when storing encrypted video.

[0023] In addition, when the patient takes a specific posture, a posture recognition unit (not shown) provided in the camera 5 recognizes it and notifies the control unit 4, etc., and the captured image is output. The image thus output is displayed on the parent unit 3 and is also stored in the storage server 6. In this case, too, the image digitally signed with the private key in the corridor light 2 is transmitted to the parent unit 3 and the storage server 6. The subsequent display operation, storage operation, and control for embedding time information in the image are the same as in the case of the operation of the child unit 1 described above. The camera equipped with the posture recognition unit captures images at all times and identifies the patient's specific posture from the image information.

[0024] The images thus stored in the storage server 6 can be retrieved and viewed by operating the parent unit 3. Any stored image is displayed on the first display 32 by a specific operation of the parent unit 3. For example, when a patient's name is selected, a list of the image files of that patient is displayed, and when any file is selected, that image is displayed. With this display operation, the image decrypted with the public key is transmitted from the storage server 6 and displayed on the first display 32. At this time, the time information embedded in the image is also displayed.

[0025] It is also possible to view the images stored in the storage server 6 from the mobile terminal 7, and the image selected by a specified operation is decoded, transmitted, and displayed from the storage server 6 in the same manner as the image displayed on the parent unit 3.

[0026] In this way, the captured video of camera 5 stored in storage server 6 is stored with a digital signature using a private key, so the authenticity of the camera 5 that sent it can be ensured. And, the digital signature of the video output from storage server 6 is verified using a public key, so the authenticity of the video that has not been tampered with can be ensured. As a result, it is impossible to tamper with the stored patient video, and it can be effectively used, for example, for objective proof when a problem occurs with a recorded patient, such as medical malpractice. In addition, because the exact time is embedded in digitally signed video, it can be proven that the time of capture has not been tampered with, and this can be used to check the video when a problem occurs. Furthermore, since the image captured by the camera 5 in the corridor light 2 is digitally signed with a private key, the digital signature can be obtained without changing the configuration of the conventional camera 5, and there is no need to change the connection destination of the camera 5.

[0027] Although the storage destination of the captured video of the camera 5 is the storage server 6, for example, the video may be stored in a video storage unit 61 provided in the control device 4. Also, although a signature unit is provided in the corridor light 2 that relays the transmission of the captured video of the camera 5, a signature unit may be provided in each individual camera 5. In this case, the camera 5 can be directly connected to the HUB 12. Also, the digital signature (encryption) / decryption of the video captured by the camera 5 has been described, but the data to be encrypted / decrypted may be a captured image (still image). [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1·· Handset, 1a·· Call handset, 1b·· Plate handset, 2·· Corridor light, 3·· Parent unit, 4·· Control unit, 5·· Camera, 6·· Storage server (storage means), 10·· Nurse call system, 13·· NTP server, 23·· Private key storage unit, 24·· Timer unit, 25·· Corridor light CPU (signature unit), 61·· Video storage unit, 63·· Storage server CPU (decryption unit).

Claims

1. A nurse call system comprising: a slave unit arranged at each bed and having a function for a patient to call a nurse; a master unit arranged at a nurse station and having a function for responding to calls from the slave units; a corridor light arranged at each hospital room for relaying call signals from the slave units and for notifying the occurrence of a call; and a camera for capturing images of patients; a signature unit having a private key and encrypting the captured image of the camera by digitally signing the image with the private key; A storage means for storing the captured image of the camera, The image digitally signed with the private key is stored in the storage means, The storage means includes a public key that is paired with the private key, and a decryption unit that decrypts the stored video using the public key; A nurse call system characterized in that, when outputting the video stored with a digital signature, the video is decrypted with the public key and output.

2. 2. The nurse call system according to claim 1, wherein the signature unit embeds time information obtained from an NTP server by a time synchronization protocol into the video and creates a digital signature.

3. 2. The nurse call system according to claim 1, wherein the hallway light is provided with the signature unit, and the image captured by the camera is digitally signed in the hallway light and transmitted to the storage means.

Images