Control device and system and method for watching

Abstract

To provide a control device and system and method for watching allowing for appropriately reducing the load of computation for watching a liver.SOLUTION: A control device, to be set up in a building where a liver resides so as to watch living of the liver by utilization of a plurality of detecting means to detect a position or behavior of the liver, comprises: a collecting section that gathers a plurality of detection results which are results obtained by respective ones of the plurality of detecting means detecting behaviors of the liver; and a presuming section that presumes a living behavior the liver conducted in a unit time zone into which one day is divided at a regular time interval, based on at least one of the plurality of detection results. The presuming section, if the plurality of detection results gathered in the unit time zone by the collecting section correspond to a plurality of different living behaviors, determines utilization detection results that are at least one detection results satisfying a condition of selection out of the plurality of detection results gathered by the collecting section and presumes a living behavior in the unit time zone based on the utilization detection result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, a monitoring system, and a monitoring method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, services that monitor the safety of elderly people living alone by installing sensors and the like in buildings where the elderly people live have become widespread. As a related technique, Patent Document 1 discloses a monitoring system. The monitoring system includes a monitoring support device and a sensor device. The sensor device detects the position, movement, etc. of the person being monitored. The monitoring support device can estimate the actions taken by the person being monitored at a certain time based on the results detected by the sensor device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 130890 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the monitoring system described in Patent Document 1, when the sensor device performs multiple detections at a certain time, multiple corresponding actions are estimated. For example, if a monitored person who is eating moves a little to get water and then immediately resumes eating, the monitoring system records the action of getting water as overlapping with the action of eating. When monitoring the safety of an elderly person, it is only necessary to determine that the person is eating, so actions such as getting water may be actions that do not need to be detected. This may result in an unnecessary calculation load on the monitoring device.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a control device, a monitoring system, and a monitoring method that can appropriately reduce the computational load for monitoring a person. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The control device of the present disclosure is a device for monitoring the lives of residents by utilizing multiple detection means that are installed in a building where the residents live and detect the location or behavior of the residents, and is equipped with a collection unit that collects multiple detection results that are the results of each of the multiple detection means detecting the behavior of the residents, and an estimation unit that estimates the daily living activities performed by the resident in a unit time period divided into a specified time interval based on at least one of the multiple detection results.When the multiple detection results collected by the collection unit in the unit time period correspond to multiple different daily living activities, the estimation unit determines a usage detection result that is at least one detection result from the multiple detection results collected by the collection unit that satisfies a selection condition, and estimates the daily living activities in the unit time period based on the usage detection result.

[0007] The monitoring system of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of detection means installed in a building in which a resident lives, each of which detects the location or behavior of the resident; a control device which estimates daily activities performed by the resident in a unit time period divided into specified time intervals based on detection results detected by each of the plurality of detection means; and one or more display means which display the estimated daily activities on the control device in correspondence with the unit time period.The control device has a collection unit which collects a plurality of detection results which are the results of each of the plurality of detection means detecting the behavior of the resident, and an estimation unit which estimates the daily activities in the unit time period based on at least one of the plurality of detection results.When the plurality of detection results collected by the collection unit in the unit time period correspond to a plurality of different daily activities, the estimation unit determines a usage detection result which is at least one detection result among the plurality of detection results collected by the collection unit that satisfies a selection condition, and estimates the daily activities in the unit time period based on the usage detection result.

[0008] The monitoring method disclosed herein is a method for monitoring the lives of residents by utilizing multiple detection means installed in a building in which the residents live and detect their location or behavior, and includes a collection process in which a control device collects multiple detection results resulting from each of the multiple detection means detecting the behavior of the resident, and an estimation process performed after the collection process in which the control device estimates daily activities performed by the resident in a unit time period divided into a specified time interval in a day based on at least one of the multiple detection results.If the multiple detection results collected in the collection process in the unit time period correspond to multiple different daily activities, in the estimation process, the control device determines a usage detection result which is at least one detection result that satisfies a selection condition from the multiple detection results collected in the collection process, and estimates the daily activities in the unit time period based on the usage detection result. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, even if multiple detection results corresponding to multiple living activities are collected, the control device estimates one living activity in a unit time period, thereby appropriately reducing the computation load for monitoring a person. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a building to which a monitoring system according to a first embodiment is applied. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of information in the monitoring system in the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a functional block diagram of a monitoring system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between living activities and rooms estimated by the monitoring system in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart of an example of an operation performed by the watching system in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart of an example of an operation performed by the watching system in the first embodiment. [Figure 7]4 is a flowchart of an example of an operation performed by the watching system in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart of an example of an operation performed by the watching system in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart of an example of an operation performed by the watching system in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart of an example of an operation performed by the watching system in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart of an example of an operation performed by the watching system in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the monitoring system in the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the monitoring system in the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the monitoring system in the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the monitoring system in the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control device of the monitoring system in the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. The duplicated description of the parts will be appropriately simplified or omitted.

[0012] Embodiment 1 Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a building to which a monitoring system according to the embodiment 1 is applied. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of information in the monitoring system according to the embodiment 1.

[0013] In recent years, the number of elderly households living alone has increased, and lonely deaths have become a social problem. In order to check the daily safety of such elderly people living alone, the monitoring system 1 provides an interface that allows related parties such as family members and local governments to monitor the lives of the elderly. The monitoring system 1 is capable of monitoring not only the safety of elderly people, but also the details of their daily activities.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, a building 1000 includes rooms such as a living room 1001, a bedroom 1002, a bathroom 1003, and a kitchen (not shown). A monitoring system 1 is used to monitor the life of a resident H residing in the building 1000. The monitoring system 1 includes a plurality of sensors 2, a plurality of home appliances 3, a resident terminal 4a, a participant terminal 4b, a control device 10, and an external contact terminal 50. The monitoring system 1 may include one or more sensors 2 and one or more home appliances 3. The monitoring system 1 may also include at least one of either the sensor 2 or the home appliance 3.

[0015] Each of the multiple sensors 2 is a detection means for detecting the position of a person or the action of a person. As an example, the multiple sensors 2 include a human presence sensor 2a and an open / close sensor 2b. The human presence sensor 2a is provided at the entrance / exit of the living room 1001. The human presence sensor 2a uses infrared reflection to detect the presence of a person within the detection range as a detection result. The open / close sensor 2b is provided at the door of the bathroom 1003. The open / close sensor 2b detects the open / close state of the door of the bathroom 1003 as a detection result. Although not shown, the sensor 2 may be provided in another room, another space, etc. of the building 1000.

[0016] Each of the multiple home appliances 3 is a detection means for detecting the location of a person or the action of a person. The home appliances 3 may be not only general home appliances but also home equipment installed in the building 1000. As an example, the home appliances 3 include air conditioners 3a and 3b and a hot water supply remote control 3c. The air conditioner 3a is installed in a living room 1001 and conditions the air in the living room 1001. The air conditioner 3b is installed in a bedroom 1002 and conditions the air in the bedroom 1002. The hot water supply remote control 3c is installed in a bathroom 1003 and accepts settings related to hot water supply in the bathroom. When the home appliances 3 accept an operation from the resident H, the home appliances 3 record the operation as a detection result.

[0017] The home appliance 3 may have a function of a sensor capable of detecting the position where a person is present. For example, the air conditioner 3b may have a function of detecting the position where a person is present inside the bedroom 1002 by using a thermal image sensor. Although not shown, the home appliance 3 may be any device provided in the building 1000. Although not shown, the home appliance 3 may be an electric light provided in the building 1000.

[0018] The multiple sensors 2 and the multiple home appliances 3 each function as multiple detection means. The detection means is a means for detecting at least one of the location and behavior of the resident H. The detection means can be classified into occasional detection means of occasional measurement type and periodic detection means of periodic measurement type, depending on the detection or measurement method. The multiple detection means are classified into either occasional detection means or periodic detection means. Note that the multiple detection means may be composed of only occasional detection means or only periodic detection means.

[0019] The on-demand measurement type is a method of transmitting a signal indicating the detection result when the detection conditions are met. For example, a sensor in which the physical contact state of the internal contacts is determined by the open / close state of the door, and a sensor in which the contacts close when the door is in the open state and an electrical signal is transmitted as the detection result, is an on-demand measurement type on-demand detection means.

[0020] The periodic measurement type is a method in which a signal indicating the detection result at that time is transmitted at each detection period specific to each detection means. For example, a home appliance that is always in standby mode and transmits an electrical signal indicating whether the current operation is in the on or off state as the detection result is a periodic detection means of the periodic measurement type.

[0021] The sensor 2 and the home appliance 3, i.e., the multiple detection means, are communicatively connected to the external network N1 by any communication means. Although not shown, the any communication means may be a means for wirelessly or wired connection to an Internet line that is connected to the network N1, or a means for directly connecting to the Internet line wirelessly. For example, a connection based on a wireless communication standard such as WiFi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or ZigBee (registered trademark) may be used as a wireless connection. For example, a connection based on a wireless communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) may be used as a wireless connection.

[0022] The resident terminal 4a and the participant terminal 4b are devices capable of displaying and inputting information, respectively, as display means of the monitoring system 1. For example, the resident terminal 4a and the participant terminal 4b are smartphones. The resident terminal 4a or the participant terminal 4b may be a notebook computer, a wearable device, a tablet, a television, or the like.

[0023] The resident terminal 4a is carried by a resident H who is the subject being watched by the watching system 1. The participant terminal 4b is carried by a participant who watches the subject being watched. A plurality of participant terminals 4b may be provided. For example, the participant may be a family member or relative of the resident H, a supporter who supports the life of the resident H, a person in charge of a local government who watches over the resident H, or a medical institution with which the resident H has a contract.

[0024] For example, the control device 10 is provided in a building separate from the building 1000. The control device 10 controls the operation of the monitoring system 1. The control device 10 can communicate with a plurality of sensors 2, a plurality of home appliances 3, a resident terminal 4a, and a participant terminal 4b via a network N1. Each function of the control device 10 may be realized by a cloud server composed of a plurality of devices.

[0025] The external communication terminal 50 can communicate with the control device 10. Although not shown, for example, the external communication terminal 50 is connected to a telephone line. The external communication terminal 50 can contact homes, facilities, medical institutions, etc. via telephone or the like.

[0026] As also shown in FIG. 2, daily activities of resident H in the building 1000 are detected by a plurality of detection means. The plurality of detection means transmit detection results to the control device 10. The control device 10 estimates daily living activities of resident H for each unit time slot based on the detection results. A unit time slot is each time slot when a day is divided into a specified time interval. The time interval is preset to one minute, 15 minutes, one hour, four hours, etc. For example, when the time interval is 15 minutes, a day is divided into 96 unit time slots. The control device 10 estimates one living activity performed by resident H in a certain unit time slot. That is, one living activity is associated with one unit time slot.

[0027] A lifestyle pattern, which is a pair of the estimated lifestyle activity and the unit time period, is displayed on the screen of the resident terminal 4a and the screen of the participant terminal 4b by the control device 10. The participant can watch the daily life of the resident H by the information displayed on the participant terminal 4b. The resident H can look back on his or her own life by the information displayed on the resident terminal 4a. When it is determined that the lifestyle activity or lifestyle pattern is abnormal, the control device 10 notifies the outside world via the external communication terminal 50 that an emergency has occurred.

[0028] Next, the functions of the monitoring system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the monitoring system in the first embodiment. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between living activities and rooms estimated by the monitoring system in the first embodiment. Figs. 5 to 11 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation performed by the monitoring system in the first embodiment. Figs. 12 to 15 are diagrams showing examples of screens displayed by the monitoring system in the first embodiment.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 3, the sensor 2 includes a detection unit 5a and a notification unit 5b. The detection unit 5a is a sensing function of the sensor 2, and detects physical changes related to human behavior. For example, the detection unit 5a detects changes in infrared reflected waves caused by the presence of a person. The detection unit 5a detects changes in the contact state caused by opening and closing a door. The notification unit 5b transmits a signal indicating the detection result of the detection unit 5a to the control device 10.

[0030] The home appliance 3 includes a detection unit 6a and a notification unit 6b. The detection unit 6a is a sensing function of the home appliance 3, and detects the operating state of the home appliance caused by human actions. The detection unit 6a may detect the operation of the home appliance 3 by the resident H. The notification unit 6b transmits a signal indicating the detection result of the detection unit 6a to the control device 10, similar to the notification unit 5b.

[0031] The resident terminal 4a includes a display unit 7a, an input unit 7b, and a control unit 7c. The display unit 7a is a screen that displays information. The input unit 7b accepts information input from a person. If the resident terminal 4a has a touch display, the display unit 7a and the input unit 7b may be integrated. The control unit 7c controls the overall operation of the resident terminal 4a. The control unit 7c accesses the control device 10 and receives interface information, thereby causing the display unit 7a to display a monitoring interface. The control unit 7c reflects the input content accepted by the input unit 7b in the monitoring interface and transmits it to the control device 10.

[0032] A dedicated application may be stored in the resident terminal 4a, and the monitoring interface may be displayed on the display unit 7a by executing the dedicated application. Also, a general-purpose web browser application may be stored in the resident terminal 4a, and the monitoring interface managed by the control device 10 may be called from the web browser application, and the monitoring interface may be displayed on the display unit 7a.

[0033] For example, the participant terminal 4b includes a display unit 7a, an input unit 7b, and a control unit 7c similar to those of the participant terminal 4a.

[0034] The control device 10 has as its functions a memory unit 11, an IF providing unit 12, a position setting unit 13, an attribute receiving unit 14, a priority setting unit 15, a collection unit 16, an estimation unit 17, a first generation unit 18, a complementation unit 19, a display setting unit 20, a display control unit 21, a second generation unit 22, a third generation unit 23, an analysis unit 24, a notification unit 25, an emergency setting unit 26, an emergency contact unit 27, a status display unit 28, and a status receiving unit 29.

[0035] The storage unit 11 stores various setting information necessary for monitoring. For example, the storage unit 11 stores information such as each room included in the building 1000, the layout of the building 1000, and combinations of the types and installation locations of the multiple sensors 2 and the multiple home appliances 3 that are multiple detection means. The storage unit 11 stores history information of the past living behavior or living pattern of the person H.

[0036] The IF providing unit 12 provides a screen or information of a monitoring interface related to the resident H. In the monitoring interface, various screens are displayed and various settings are accepted. That is, the acceptance process of settings from the resident H or participants via the resident terminal 4a or the participant terminal 4b, and the display process of the screen on the resident terminal 4a or the participant terminal 4b are executed via the monitoring interface.

[0037] The position setting unit 13 receives settings of the positions where the multiple sensors 2 and multiple home appliances 3 are installed and the types of these. For example, when the monitoring system 1 is introduced or when there is a change in the configuration of the sensors 2 and home appliances 3, the resident H or the person involved sets the positions where the sensors 2 and home appliances 3 are installed via the position setting unit 13. For example, the resident H sets the room where the air conditioner, which is the home appliance 3, is installed. The position setting unit 13 updates the information stored in the memory unit 11 based on the received settings.

[0038] The attribute receiving unit 14 receives information on the attributes of the person H. For example, the attribute receiving unit 14 receives the age, sex, family structure, etc. of the person H. For example, the age and sex of the person H are used when generating a preferred lifestyle pattern. For example, the family structure is used when setting participants.

[0039] The priority setting unit 15 accepts a priority setting for each room or space of the building 1000. The priority is used when determining living activities. Priorities can be set not only for rooms surrounded by walls, but also for spaces at least a part of which is not separated by walls or the like. Note that a room may be expressed as a space. The priority setting unit 15 updates the information stored in the memory unit 11 based on the accepted settings. An example of the priority to be set is shown in Table 1 below. In Table 1, the smaller the number, the higher the priority.

[0040] [Table 1]

[0041] Note that the priority may be a basic setting that is stored in advance in the storage unit 11. For example, the priority is set to be high for a room or space where the risk of an accident occurring is high, such as a toilet, a staircase, or a bathroom. Note that the priority may be set not only for a room or space, but also for the sensor 2 or the home appliance 3.

[0042] The collection unit 16 collects detection results transmitted from the sensor 2 or the home appliance 3, which are detection means. The collection unit 16 stores the detection results collected in a certain unit time period in the storage unit 11 in association with the unit time period. At this time, the collection unit 16 may store in the storage unit 11 a classification of daily living activities predicted from the detection results in association with the detection results.

[0043] The estimation unit 17 estimates the living activity related to the life of the person H based on the detection result of the detection means. At this time, the estimation unit 17 estimates the living activity by using a combination of a plurality of detection results or by using one detection result. In the monitoring system 1, one living activity is estimated for one unit time period in one day.

[0044] The living activities are set to any items necessary for monitoring, such as eating, sleeping, cooking, cleaning, going out, etc. As a method for estimating the living activities from the detection results, various methods may be adopted depending on the combination of the applied detection means and the living activities.

[0045] The living activity may be associated with a room or space that is a position inside the building 1000. When there is a one-to-one correspondence between a position and a living activity, the estimation unit 17 may estimate the living activity using only information about the room indicated in the detection result. As an example, a toilet that is a room is associated with a living activity called toilet (excretion). When the opening and closing of the toilet door is stored as a detection result, the estimation unit 17 estimates that the resident H is present in the toilet. Furthermore, the estimation unit 17 estimates the toilet as the living activity. The toilet that is a room is associated with the living activity.

[0046] Depending on the characteristics of the detection means, the detection result from the detection means may correspond one-to-one to the living activity. In this case, the estimation unit 17 may estimate the living activity by using only the information of the detection result. As an example, the detection result regarding the operation of the vacuum cleaner, which is the detection means, is associated with the living activity of cleaning. When the operation of the vacuum cleaner is stored as the detection result, the estimation unit 17 estimates cleaning as the living activity. At this time, the location may not be associated with the living activity. Note that, when a detection result that the vacuum cleaner has operated and a detection result that a person is present in the living room 1001 are stored in the same unit time period, the estimation unit 17 may associate the living activity of cleaning with the room 1001. In another example, the estimation unit 17 estimates the living activity of cooking by using the detection result that an IH cooking heater is being operated. In this case, the living activity may be associated with the kitchen.

[0047] As an example of estimating a living activity based on a plurality of detection results, the estimation unit 17 may estimate a living activity of "resting" by using a detection result that a person is sitting in the same place in the living room 1001 and a detection result that the television is on. The detection result that a person is sitting in the same place is, for example, a detection result by a thermal image sensor. In this case, the living activity of the person H watching television is set to be expressed as "resting."

[0048] The estimation unit 17 may estimate the living activity by using additional information such as time in addition to the detection result. For example, the estimation unit 17 estimates the living activity of sleeping by using the detection result that a person is present in the bedroom 1002 during a unit time period set in the middle of the night.

[0049] A plurality of detection results may be stored for the same unit time period. Furthermore, the plurality of detection results may correspond to different living activities. For example, the classification of living activities assigned to each of the plurality of detection results may be different. In this way, when the plurality of detection results collected in a certain unit time period correspond to different living activities, the estimation unit 17 determines at least one detection result among the plurality of detection results that satisfies a selection condition as the usage detection result. The estimation unit 17 estimates the living activity corresponding to the unit time period by using the usage detection result. The selection condition may be set to a condition such as the detection method of the detection means, priority, etc.

[0050] There may be cases where a detection result corresponding to a certain unit time period is not stored in the storage unit 11. In this case, the estimation unit 17 does not estimate a living activity in the unit time period and sets it to a "blank". Alternatively, when no detection result is stored, the estimation unit 17 may estimate a living activity corresponding to the "blank".

[0051] When the living activity is estimated by the estimation unit 17, the first generation unit 18 generates an actual life pattern, which is an actual life pattern, and stores it in the storage unit 11 or updates the actual life pattern in the storage unit 11. For example, the actual life pattern is generated with one day as one unit. The actual life pattern includes at least one pair of a unit time period and a living activity. The actual life pattern may include a plurality of pairs of a unit time period and a living activity, thereby including an order of the living activities. In the actual life pattern, a "blank" may mean a unit time period that has already passed at the latest time point and is not associated with a living activity.

[0052] The complementing unit 19 estimates a living activity in a supplementary unit time slot associated with a "blank" in the actual life pattern, and associates the living activity with the supplementary unit time slot. The complementing unit 19 estimates a living activity in the supplementary unit time slot by using at least one of a living activity associated with a unit time slot immediately before the supplementary unit time slot and a living activity associated with a unit time slot immediately after the supplementary unit time slot in the actual life pattern.

[0053] The display setting unit 20 receives settings related to the contents to be displayed on the resident screen displayed on the resident terminal 4a and the participant screen displayed on the participant terminal 4b in the monitoring interface. The display setting unit 20 stores the received setting information in the storage unit 11.

[0054] The display control unit 21 controls the contents of a resident screen normally displayed on the resident terminal 4a and a participant screen normally displayed on the participant terminal 4b as a monitoring interface. For example, the display control unit 21 displays a combination of past living activities and unit time periods on the resident screen.

[0055] The second generating unit 22 generates a normal life pattern, which is an average life pattern in normal times, based on the history information, which is the actual life pattern. The second generating unit 22 may generate a threshold value for determining an abnormality when generating the normal life pattern. The normal life pattern includes at least one pair of the generated living activity and unit time period.

[0056] As an example, the second generation unit 22 calculates the time when the person H wakes up, i.e., the time or unit time when the living behavior changes from "sleeping" to another living behavior, based on one month's actual living pattern. The second generation unit 22 generates a normal living pattern in which the person H sleeps until the unit time corresponding to the average of the times when the person H wakes up. In addition, the second generation unit 22 generates times corresponding to variances σ, 3σ, etc. of the wake-up times for one month as thresholds for determining abnormality. For example, when a living behavior of sleeping is estimated even in a unit time corresponding to a time 3σ after a unit time when the living behavior is no longer sleeping in the normal living pattern, the living behavior can be considered to be an exceptional living behavior that is different from usual.

[0057] The third generating unit 23 generates an ideal life pattern, which is an ideal life pattern, based on the normal life pattern. The ideal life pattern includes at least one pair of the generated life activity and the unit time period. When generating the ideal life pattern, the third generating unit 23 may generate a threshold value for determining a deviation.

[0058] The third generation unit 23 sets a reference living activity that is a living activity that is included in the normal life pattern and serves as a reference. The third generation unit 23 sets a unit time slot corresponding to the reference living activity as a reference unit time slot. The third generation unit 23 generates an ideal life pattern in which a dependent living activity that is dependent on the reference living activity is performed in a dependent unit time slot that is a specified time away from the reference unit time slot.

[0059] It has been described in various papers that a person's health is positively affected when a person performs another living activity within a specified time period in relation to a certain living activity. As an example, in order to get a good quality sleep, it is recommended to have dinner three hours before falling asleep. In order to get a good quality sleep, it is recommended to take a bath about two hours before falling asleep. In this case, the third generation unit 23 sets sleep as the reference living activity. The third generation unit 23 sets the time period in which sleep begins in the normal living activity as the reference unit time period. The third generation unit 23 sets eating as the dependent living activity subordinate to sleep. In this case, the third generation unit 23 generates an ideal living pattern in which eating is associated with a unit time period 3.5 to 4.0 hours before the reference unit time period. For example, in the normal living pattern, when going to bed begins at 12 o'clock, the third generation unit 23 generates an ideal living pattern in which the living activity in the unit time period corresponding to 8 o'clock is eating. In addition, the threshold value for determining a deviation is set to a time later by a time corresponding to σ of the sleep time. In this case, if no meal is taken even in the time period that is σ elapsed from 8 o'clock, which is the dependent unit time period, it can be regarded as a deviation from the ideal life pattern.

[0060] Furthermore, the third generating unit 23 may generate an ideal life pattern in which bathing is associated with a unit time slot that is 2.5 to 3.0 hours before the reference unit time slot, and superimpose the generated ideal life pattern on the ideal life pattern that has already been generated.

[0061] Furthermore, when generating the ideal life pattern, the third generating unit 23 may use other information such as attribute information of the resident H as supplementary information. For example, when the resident H is an elderly person, the third generating unit 23 may generate an ideal life pattern in which the sleep time is shorter than that of a non-elderly person.

[0062] The analysis unit 24 compares the latest actual life pattern with the normal life pattern at a specified cycle to analyze the degree of abnormality in the life behavior of the person H. For example, consider a case where the greater the difference between the life patterns, the greater the possibility of abnormality. As an example, the analysis unit 24 determines whether the state is "no abnormality", "low level", or "high level" depending on the magnitude of the difference between the life behaviors. "No abnormality" is a case where the difference between the actual life pattern and the normal life pattern is smaller than the first abnormality threshold. "Low level" is a case where the difference is equal to or larger than the first abnormality threshold and smaller than the second abnormality threshold. "High level" is a case where the difference is equal to or larger than the second abnormality threshold. The second abnormality threshold is larger than the first abnormality threshold. For example, the first abnormality threshold corresponds to a σ value associated with the normal life pattern. The second abnormality threshold corresponds to a 3σ value associated with the normal life pattern.

[0063] The analysis unit 24 compares the latest actual life pattern with the ideal life pattern to determine whether the living behavior of the person H deviates from the ideal life pattern. For example, if the difference between the actual life pattern and the ideal life pattern is smaller than an ideal threshold, the analysis unit 24 determines that there is no problem. If the difference between the actual life pattern and the ideal life pattern is equal to or larger than the ideal threshold, the analysis unit 24 determines that there is a deviation. For example, the ideal threshold corresponds to a σ value associated with the normal life pattern.

[0064] The notification unit 25 transmits various notifications to at least one of the resident terminal 4a and the participant terminal 4b via the monitoring interface or directly. Specifically, when the analysis unit 24 determines that the actual life pattern has a "low level" abnormality with respect to the normal life pattern, the notification unit 25 notifies at least one of the resident terminal 4a and the participant terminal 4b that there is a small abnormality in the life behavior. Therefore, the resident H can notice that he / she has forgotten to do his / her own behavior. In addition, when the analysis unit 24 determines that the actual life pattern has a "high level" abnormality with respect to the normal life pattern, the notification unit 25 notifies the resident terminal 4a and the participant terminal 4b that there is a large abnormality in the life behavior. Therefore, the participant can know that there is a possibility that a problem has occurred with the resident H.

[0065] When the analysis unit 24 determines that there is a deviation between the actual life pattern and the ideal life pattern, the notification unit 25 notifies the resident terminal 4a that there is a deviation from the ideal life pattern. Therefore, the resident H can know the next life behavior that he or she should take.

[0066] The emergency setting unit 26 receives settings relating to the priority order for making an emergency contact when it becomes necessary to make an emergency contact.

[0067] The emergency contact unit 27 detects that an emergency situation has occurred that requires emergency contact for the resident H. In this case, the emergency contact unit 27 makes emergency contact based on the set priority order. For example, the emergency contact unit 27 may make emergency contact using the external contact terminal 50. For example, the emergency contact may request the resident H to visit the building 1000 where the resident H resides.

[0068] As an example, when the number of times that the analysis unit 24 has determined that the level is "high" exceeds a prescribed number of times, the emergency contact unit 27 makes an emergency contact. When a set daily activity continues for longer than a set time, the emergency contact unit 27 makes an emergency contact. When a daily activity of going to the toilet continues for longer than three hours, the emergency contact unit 27 makes an emergency contact. When a prescribed emergency operation is performed by the resident H, the emergency contact unit 27 makes an emergency contact.

[0069] When an emergency occurs, the status display unit 28 displays an emergency status screen showing the emergency status in the monitoring interface. For example, when an emergency contact is made by the emergency contact unit 27, the status display unit 28 determines that an emergency has occurred. When the occurrence of an emergency is accepted on the participant screen of the monitoring interface, the status display unit 28 determines that an emergency has occurred. The emergency status screen is a screen different from the resident screen and the participant screen, and shows information that allows the current situation to be known. The emergency status screen allows not only the participants who are actually at the scene but also the participants who are not able to rush to the resident H to know the current situation.

[0070] The situation receiving unit 29 receives an input regarding the current situation on the emergency situation screen. The emergency situation screen is updated based on the received situation.

[0071] FIG. 4 shows the relationship between living activities and rooms associated with the living activities in a certain actual life pattern. In this example, the actual life pattern has a unit time period from 0:00 to 24:00 of one day. In the figure, when the associated living activity coincides with an adjacent unit time period, the boundary between the unit time period and the next unit time period is omitted.

[0072] 5 is an example of a process in which the sensor 2 transmits a detection result. The flowchart shows an example of the sensor 2 that is a periodic detection means of a periodic measurement type. The operation of the flowchart starts every time a detection period specific to the sensor 2 elapses.

[0073] In step S001, the detection unit 5a detects the current state. After that, in step S002, the notification unit 5b transmits the detection result in step S001 to the control device 10. After that, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0074] 6 is an example of a process in which the home appliance 3 transmits a detection result. The flowchart shows an example of the home appliance 3 that is a time-based detection means of a time-based measurement type. The operation of the flowchart starts every operation cycle.

[0075] In step S101, the detection unit 6a determines whether or not there is an operation from the person H. If there is no operation in step S101, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0076] If an operation is performed in step S101, the operation of step S102 is performed. In step S102, the notification unit 6b transmits the detection result in step S101 to the control device 10. After that, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0077] 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the collection unit 16. The flowchart starts with each operation cycle of the collection unit 16.

[0078] In step S201, the collection unit 16 determines whether or not a detection result has been received. If a detection result has not been received in step S201, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0079] In step S201, if a detection result has been received, the operation of step S202 is performed. In step S202, the collection unit 16 associates the received detection result with the current unit time slot and stores it in the storage unit 11. Thereafter, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0080] 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing the operation of the estimation unit 17 to estimate living activities. The process of the flowchart is performed each time a certain unit time slot ends. Hereinafter, the sensor 2 and the home appliance 3 are collectively described as a detection means. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, a unit time slot means one target unit time slot.

[0081] In step S301, the estimation unit 17 determines whether or not a detection result associated with a target unit time period is stored.

[0082] In step S301, if the detection result is not stored, the operation of step S302 is performed. In step S302, the estimation unit 17 determines the living activity to be "blank" and associates it with the unit time slot. After that, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0083] If the detection results are stored in step S301, the operation of step S303 is performed. In step S303, the estimation unit 17 determines whether or not the detection results in the unit time period correspond to a plurality of different living activities.

[0084] In step S303, if the detection result in the unit time period corresponds to one living activity, the operation of step S304 is performed. Note that, even if there is only one detection result in the unit time period, the operation of step S304 is performed. In step S304, the estimation unit 17 determines one or more currently stored detection results as the used detection results.

[0085] After that, in step S305, the estimation unit 17 estimates the daily living activity in the unit time period using the utilization detection result. Then, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0086] In step S303, when the plurality of detected behaviors in the unit time period correspond to a plurality of different living activities, the operation of step S306 is performed. In step S306, the estimation unit 17 determines whether the plurality of detection results includes a detection result by the occasional detection means.

[0087] In step S306, if the multiple detection results include a detection result by the occasional detection means, the operation of step S307 is performed. In step S307, the estimation unit 17 determines, as a selection condition, the detection result by the occasional detection means among the multiple detection results as the detection result to be used. In particular, if the multiple detection results include a detection result by the occasional detection means and a detection result by a periodic detection means, the estimation unit 17 determines the detection result by the occasional detection means as the detection result to be used based on the selection condition that prioritizes the detection result by the occasional detection means over the periodic detection means.

[0088] In step S307, the storage unit 11 stores multiple detection results by candidate anytime detection means, which are multiple candidate anytime detection means, and when the multiple detection results by different candidate anytime detection means correspond to multiple different living activities, the estimation unit 17 determines the detection result corresponding to one living activity as the detection result to be used based on a further selection condition. For example, the estimation unit 17 selects the room with the highest priority out of multiple different rooms in which multiple candidate anytime detection means are installed based on the priority of the rooms. The estimation unit 17 determines the detection result from the candidate anytime detection means installed in the selected room with the highest priority as the detection result to be used.

[0089] After the operation of step S307, the operations from step S305 onwards are performed. That is, the estimation unit 17 estimates the living activity by using the utilization detection result determined in step S307, and ends the operation of the flowchart.

[0090] In step S306, if the multiple detection results do not include a detection result by the occasional detection means, the operations from step S308 onwards are performed. Steps S308 to S312 are a calculation routine that is repeated until a termination condition is satisfied. In step S308, the estimation unit 17 determines, from the multiple detection results, a detection result of a target that has not yet been targeted in the calculation routine.

[0091] After that, in step S309, the estimation unit 17 determines whether or not the detection cycle of the periodic detection means of the object that detected the detection result of the object is longer than the length of the unit time period.

[0092] In step S309, if the detection cycle of the target periodic detection means is longer than the length of the unit time period, the operation of step S310 is performed. In step S310, the estimation unit 17 calculates the detection occupancy time of the target detection result as a value obtained by multiplying the length of the unit time period by half, that is, half the length of the unit time period. The estimation unit 17 stores the calculated detection occupancy time in the memory unit 11 in association with the target detection result.

[0093] In step S309, if the detection cycle of the target periodic detection means is equal to or shorter than the length of the unit time period, the operation of step S311 is performed. In step S311, the estimation unit 17 calculates the number of detection results received from the target periodic detection means in the same unit time period, i.e., the product of the number of detections by the target periodic detection means in the unit time period and the detection cycle, as the detection occupancy time. The estimation unit 17 stores the calculated detection occupancy time in the memory unit 11 in association with the target detection result.

[0094] After the operation of step S310 or step S311 is performed, the operation of step S312 is performed. In step S312, the loop condition of the calculation routine is confirmed. In step S312, if all detection results in the unit time period are the subject and the detection occupancy time is associated with them, the end condition is considered to be satisfied, and the calculation routine is ended. In step S312, if there are detection results that have not been the subject, the calculation routine from step S308 onwards is repeated.

[0095] When the calculation routine ends in step S312, the operation of step S313 is performed. In step S313, the estimation unit 17 determines the detection result having the longest associated detection occupation time among the multiple detection results as the detection result to be used.

[0096] In step S313, if the memory unit 11 contains a plurality of detection results with the longest detection occupancy time, the estimation unit 17 determines the detection result corresponding to one living activity as the detection result to be used based on a further selection condition. Here, the periodic detection means corresponding to the plurality of candidate detection results are referred to as a plurality of candidate periodic detection means. For example, the estimation unit 17 selects the room with the highest priority from among a plurality of different rooms in which a plurality of candidate periodic detection means are installed based on the priority of the rooms. The estimation unit 17 determines the detection result from the candidate periodic detection means installed in the selected room with the highest priority as the detection result to be used.

[0097] After the operation of step S313, the operations from step S305 onwards are performed. That is, the estimation unit 17 estimates the living activity by using the utilization detection result determined in step S313, and ends the operation of the flowchart.

[0098] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the complementing unit 19. For example, the operation of the flowchart starts at each specified period, such as every day.

[0099] In step S401, the complementing unit 19 determines whether or not there is a unit time period with a blank column for daily living activity in the actual life pattern. If there is no blank unit time period in step S401, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0100] In step S401, if there is a blank unit time slot, the operation of step S402 is performed. In step S402, the complement unit 19 sets the unit time slot with the blank living activity as the complement unit time slot. If multiple unit time slots are applicable, the complement unit 19 sets each of the multiple unit time slots as the complement unit time slot. The complement unit 19 determines whether or not the living activity of the complement unit time slot can be estimated based on at least one of the unit time slot immediately before and the unit time slot immediately after the complement unit time slot.

[0101] In a first example of an estimable living behavior, in the immediately preceding unit time period, a presence in a dressing room where a washing machine is installed is detected and estimated as a living behavior. In the immediately following unit time period, a presence on a balcony is detected and estimated as a living behavior. In this case, the complement unit 19 can estimate that a living behavior in the complemented unit time period is "hanging out laundry."

[0102] In a second example of an estimable behavior, a movement from the living room 1001 to the bedroom 1002 is detected and estimated during the immediately preceding unit time period, which is nighttime. A presence in the bedroom 1002 is detected and estimated during the immediately following unit time period. In this case, the complement unit 19 can estimate that the living activity during the complement unit time period is sleeping or going to bed.

[0103] In a third example of an estimable example, in the immediately preceding unit time period, it is detected that a microwave oven or the like is being used, and it is estimated that the resident H is cooking. In the immediately succeeding unit time period, it is detected that a dishwasher or water is being used, and the living activity of washing dishes is estimated. In this case, the complement unit 19 can estimate "eating" as the living activity in the complement unit time period. In this case, if a detection result of presence in the dining room is stored in the complement unit time period, the complement unit 19 can estimate "eating" as the living activity in the complement unit time period with higher accuracy. In this way, the living activity of eating cannot be estimated only from the detection result of presence in the dining room in the complement unit time period. However, the complement unit 19 can estimate the living activity in the complement unit time period by associating it with the living activities in the previous and following unit time periods.

[0104] If the living activity can be estimated in step S402, the operation of step S403 is performed. In step S403, the complement unit 19 estimates the living activity in the complement unit time zone to complement the actual living pattern.

[0105] After that, in step S404, the complementing unit 19 updates the information of the actual life pattern in the storage unit 11. Then, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0106] The complement unit 19 may estimate the living activity based on a complement list in which the living activity of the immediately preceding unit time slot, the living activity of the immediately succeeding unit time slot, and the living activity of the complemented unit time slot are associated with each other. In this case, in step S402, the complement unit 19 may determine whether or not the living activity can be estimated based on whether or not a combination of the living activity of the immediately preceding unit time slot and the living activity of the immediately succeeding unit time slot exists in the complement list.

[0107] The complement unit 19 may also estimate living activities based on a learned complement model. The complement model is a model for estimating living activities in a complemented unit time slot by using at least one of living activities in the immediately preceding unit time slot and living activities in the immediately succeeding unit time slot as an input. For example, the complement model may be generated by performing supervised learning using pairs of a plurality of consecutive unit time slots and living activities as teacher data.

[0108] 11 is a flowchart of an example of the operations of the second generating unit 22, the third generating unit 23, the analyzing unit 24, and the notifying unit 25. For example, the operations of the flowchart are performed once a day. Note that the operations of the flowchart may be performed each time a unit time period elapses.

[0109] In step S501, the second generating unit 22 generates a normal life pattern based on the history information.

[0110] Thereafter, in step S502, the third generator 23 generates an ideal life pattern based on the ordinary life pattern.

[0111] Thereafter, in step S503, the analysis unit 24 determines whether or not the difference between the ideal life pattern and the latest actual life pattern exceeds an ideal threshold value.

[0112] If, in step S503, the difference is less than or equal to the ideal threshold, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0113] In step S503, if the difference exceeds the ideal threshold, the operation of step S504 is performed. In step S504, the notification unit 25 notifies the resident terminal 4a via the monitoring interface that the life pattern is deviating from the ideal life pattern. After that, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0114] The second generating unit 22, the third generating unit 23, the analyzing unit 24, and the notifying unit 25 may each operate at an independent timing.

[0115] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a resident screen. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a participant screen.

[0116] In the example shown in Fig. 12, the display control unit 21 displays a pie chart showing the actual lifestyle pattern of the previous day on the lifestyle screen. That is, the lifestyle screen displays at least a pair of past lifestyle behaviors and their unit time slots. In addition, the lifestyle screen may display a nutrient graph related to the dietary content.

[0117] 13, the display control unit 21 displays, on the participant screen, a current living activity, an outline of a meal, an exercise situation, a part of a living activity of the previous day, etc. In this example, the information displayed on the participant screen is less than the information displayed on the participant screen.

[0118] The display setting unit 20 accepts settings related to the information displayed on the resident screen and the information displayed on the participant screen. The display setting unit 20 can accept settings from either the resident terminal 4a or the participant terminal 4b. In particular, the display setting unit 20 accepts settings such that the amount of information displayed on the participant screen is less than the amount of information displayed on the resident screen. When such settings are accepted, the participant screen displays information that summarizes the information displayed on the resident screen, information of an average value, or the like.

[0119] 14 shows a screen for setting an emergency contact address accepted by the emergency setting unit 26. In the monitoring interface, it is possible to transition to the screen shown in the figure.

[0120] For example, multiple contacts, such as "family", "neighborhood", "security company", and "local government", are set as emergency contacts. In the emergency setting unit 26, the priority setting of the contacts to be contacted is accepted in a case where the first and second classifications are combined according to the first classification of weekdays or holidays and the second classification of daytime or late night. Specifically, in this example, in a case where the first classification is weekdays and the second classification is daytime, the priority is set in the order of "family", "neighborhood", "security company", and "local government".

[0121] When making an emergency contact, the emergency contact unit 27 makes the emergency contact in order of priority based on conditions such as date and time. This is because the person or organization that can respond early varies for each case defined in the first or second classification. For example, during the day on a weekday, it is easier to contact family members, so an emergency contact is made to family members first. For example, since it may not be possible to contact family members late at night on a weekday, an emergency contact is made to a security company first at that time. Since the local government office may not be available on holidays, the priority of local governments is set low during the day on holidays.

[0122] The time classification may not be the example shown in the figure. For example, the third classification may be set to days of the week. For example, the fourth classification may be set to seasons.

[0123] 15 is an example of an emergency situation screen displayed by the situation display unit 28. The emergency situation screen is displayed on each of the multiple participant terminals 4b. The emergency situation screen includes a situation display part P1, a situation update part P2, and an additional part P3.

[0124] The status display portion P1 displays the current status. The status display portion P1 displays the current status, who has been contacted, who is planning to visit resident H, whether they are safe, etc. The status display portion P1 may also display the current location of resident H, etc. The status update portion P2 displays a button for updating the current status. Although not shown, the status update portion P2 may include an input form for accepting text input of the current status. The auxiliary portion P3 displays auxiliary information that can be used in an emergency. For example, the auxiliary portion P3 displays a button for contacting an external contact in an emergency.

[0125] The status receiving unit 29 receives the current status via the status update portion P2. The status display unit 28 updates the display of the status display portion P1 based on the current status received by the status receiving unit 29.

[0126] The status update section P2 displays buttons that allow the user to input a status. The amount of information displayed on each button is relatively small. The status display section P1 displays more information than the buttons displayed on the status update section P2 by supplementing the status display section P1 with text appropriate to the situation. For example, a participant who is able to rush to the location of resident H can update the current status with a simple operation. A participant who is not yet with resident H can find out the current detailed status by checking the display in the status display section P1.

[0127] Next, an example of hardware constituting the control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a hardware configuration diagram of the control device of the monitoring system in the first embodiment.

[0128] Each function of the control device 10 may be realized by a processing circuit. For example, the processing circuit may include at least one processor 100a and at least one memory 100b. For example, the processing circuit may include at least one dedicated hardware 200.

[0129] When the processing circuit includes at least one processor 100a and at least one memory 100b, each function of the control device 10 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and firmware is written as a program. At least one of the software and firmware is stored in at least one memory 100b. At least one processor 100a realizes each function of the control device 10 by reading and executing the program stored in the at least one memory 100b.

[0130] When the processing circuit includes at least one dedicated hardware 200, the processing circuit is realized, for example, by a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof. For example, each function of the control device 10 is realized by a processing circuit. For example, each function of the control device 10 is realized collectively by a processing circuit.

[0131] Some of the functions of the control device 10 may be realized by dedicated hardware 200, and the remaining parts may be realized by software or firmware. For example, the function of the IF providing unit 12 may be realized by a processing circuit as the dedicated hardware 200, and functions other than the function of the IF providing unit 12 may be realized by at least one processor 100a reading and executing a program stored in at least one memory 100b.

[0132] Thus, the processing circuitry implements each function of the control device 10 in hardware 200, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0133] Although not shown, each function of the resident terminal 4a and the participant terminal 4b is also realized by a processing circuit equivalent to the processing circuit that realizes each function of the control device 10.

[0134] The control device 10 may be realized on a cloud server. In this case, the processing circuit is composed of a plurality of partial circuits. The plurality of partial processing circuits are provided in the plurality of devices constituting the cloud server, respectively. The plurality of devices constituting the cloud server may be provided in different buildings, respectively.

[0135] According to the above-described embodiment 1, the monitoring system 1 includes a plurality of detection means, the control device 10, and the resident terminal 4a and the participant terminal 4b, which are display means. The control device 10 realizes a monitoring method in which each function of the control device 10 is treated as each step. The control device 10 includes a collection unit 16 and an estimation unit 17. When a plurality of different living activities correspond to a plurality of detection results in a unit time period, the estimation unit 17 determines a usage detection result to which one living activity corresponds based on a selection condition. In the monitoring system 1, it is sufficient that one living activity corresponds to the unit time period. Furthermore, if a plurality of living activities correspond to the unit time period, the amount of information received by the watching side and the watched side increases, which may result in a complicated system. Furthermore, a unit time period is set to a length that can sufficiently obtain the effect of monitoring with one living activity. Therefore, the load of calculations in the control device 10 can be appropriately reduced.

[0136] Furthermore, the resident H often only has a vague understanding of his / her own behavior. Even if the person involved asks the resident H about the details of his / her life, it is difficult for the person involved to specifically understand the life of the resident H, since the person often evades the question or the person H does not understand the details in the first place. In the monitoring system 1, the estimated life behavior is displayed by a display means. The resident H can objectively understand the details of his / her daily life. The person involved can understand not only the safety of the resident H, but also the specific details of the life, such as whether the resident H is eating and sleeping well, without directly contacting the resident H. Therefore, the resident H can obtain information that allows him / her to live a regular life. The person involved can grasp the risk of the resident H's life worsening in the future at an early stage. For example, if the resident H becomes ill, the resident H and the person involved can obtain information to find the cause. As a result, the resident H and the person involved can obtain a sense of security, including about the future.

[0137] Furthermore, the estimation unit 17 prioritizes the detection results from the occasional detection means over the detection results from the periodic detection means for use detection results. The detection results from the periodic measurement type detection means may not indicate a change in the behavior of the resident H, such as continuing to indicate an on state. The detection results from the occasional measurement type detection means often indicate a change in the behavior of the resident H. For this reason, the control device 10 can estimate the daily activities of the resident H with greater accuracy.

[0138] Furthermore, when there are multiple candidate on-demand detection means, the estimation unit 17 determines the usage detection result based on the priority of the room. For example, in general, while the time spent in a toilet or on stairs is short, the risk of falling or the like is high. By determining the usage detection result based on the priority, it is possible to prevent the detection result in a high-risk space from being buried under other detection results. In this way, the participants can ensure that the daily living behavior they wish to grasp is preferentially estimated.

[0139] Furthermore, when there are multiple candidate periodic detection means, the estimation unit 17 determines the usage detection result based on the detection occupation time of the detection result. The living activity corresponding to the detection result with a longer detection occupation time can be considered to represent the actual behavior of the resident H in the unit time period. Therefore, the control device 10 can estimate the living activity of the resident H with higher accuracy.

[0140] Furthermore, when calculating the detection occupation time, the estimation unit 17 changes the calculation method of the detection occupation time based on the relationship between the length of the unit time period and the detection cycle of the regular detection means. In particular, when the detection cycle is longer than the length of the unit time period, the estimation unit 17 calculates half the length of the unit time period as the detection occupation time. Therefore, the detection occupation time of such a regular detection means can be compared with the detection occupation time of a regular detection means whose detection cycle is equal to or shorter than the length of the unit time period. As a result, the living activity of the resident H can be estimated with higher accuracy.

[0141] The control device 10 further includes a position setting unit 13. The position setting unit 13 accepts the setting of the position where the detection means is installed. Therefore, the resident H and the person involved can easily add a detection means or change the installation position of the detection means.

[0142] In addition, the estimation unit 17 may prioritize the detection result from the candidate detection means with the highest priority among the multiple detection results from the multiple candidate detection means that are the detection means to be candidates, and determine it as the detection means to be used. Therefore, the living behavior of the resident H can be estimated with higher accuracy.

[0143] The control device 10 also includes a first generation unit 18 and a complementation unit 19. Due to a small number of detection means or other reasons, the estimation unit 17 may not be able to estimate living activities for all unit time periods. The complementation unit 19 estimates and complements living activities for complement unit time periods in which living activities were not estimated by the estimation unit 17. This allows the control device 10 to store an actual living pattern that is more in line with reality.

[0144] The control device 10 also includes a first generating unit 18, a second generating unit 22, and a notifying unit 25. When the difference between the actual life pattern and the normal life pattern exceeds a threshold, the notifying unit 25 notifies at least one of the resident terminal 4a and the participant terminal 4b. The participant may not have time to look at the life behavior of the resident H every day. In addition, it is difficult for the resident H himself to always look back on his own life behavior. By receiving a notification from the notifying unit 25, the resident H or the participant can check the life behavior when necessary. In addition, when the resident H behaves differently from usual, such as eating out, it is possible to create an opportunity for the participant to be concerned about the life behavior.

[0145] The control device 10 also includes a first generating unit 18, a second generating unit 22, a third generating unit 23, and a notifying unit 25. When the difference between the actual life pattern and the ideal life pattern exceeds the ideal threshold, the notifying unit 25 notifies the resident terminal 4a of the fact. Even if the resident H wants to live a healthy life, he or she may not be able to actually apply it to his or her own life. The ideal life pattern is generated based on the normal life pattern of the resident H. The control device 10 presents the ideal life pattern and notifies specifically of any deviation from it. This makes it easy to assist the resident H in living a healthy life.

[0146] The third generation unit 23 also generates an ideal life pattern by determining a reference life activity included in the normal life pattern and setting a dependent life activity and a dependent unit time period. That is, the third generation unit 23 generates an ideal life pattern based on the actual life pattern of the person H. Therefore, the control device 10 can generate a reasonable ideal life pattern suited to the person H.

[0147] The control device 10 further includes a display setting unit 20 and a display control unit 21. The living activity may include private information of the resident H. In addition, the resident H may have information that he does not want to show to the participants. The display control unit 21 displays the participant screen and the resident screen based on the setting received by the display setting unit 20 so that the amount of information on the participant screen is less than the amount of information on the resident screen. This makes it possible to ensure the privacy of the resident H.

[0148] The control device 10 further includes an emergency setting unit 26 and an emergency contact unit 27. The emergency contact unit 27 makes an emergency contact to the contacts in the order in which they are received by the emergency setting unit 26. When an emergency occurs that requires an emergency contact, it is desirable to give priority to contacting the person or organization that can respond most quickly. For example, in the middle of the night, it may be impossible to contact a family member. In this case, it is desirable to give priority to contacting a security company that is prepared to receive contacts even in the middle of the night. For this reason, the control device 10 can make contact with the person who is easiest to contact. As a result, a response can be taken early in the emergency situation.

[0149] The control device 10 further includes a status display unit 28 and a status reception unit 29. For example, not all of the multiple participants on the watch side, such as family members, neighbors, security company personnel, and local government personnel, can rush to the resident H in an emergency. In general, it is difficult for those who have not rushed to the scene to know the situation. In addition, since it is not known who has rushed to the scene, it is also difficult to contact those who know the situation. The status display unit 28 displays the current situation received by the status reception unit 29 on the participant terminal 4b. Therefore, the current latest situation can be easily shared with participants who have not rushed to the resident H. As a result, the anxiety of the participants can be easily alleviated.

[0150] Although not shown, the control device 10 may include a probability calculation unit as a function. The probability calculation unit calculates, for each living activity, a behavior probability that the living activity is performed in a certain unit time period based on the history information of the actual living pattern. For example, the second generation unit 22 may assign a behavior probability to the living activity included in the normal living pattern. The analysis unit 24 compares the actual living pattern with the normal living pattern while taking into account the behavior probability. Specifically, when the behavior probability of a certain living activity is lower than the threshold, the analysis unit 24 may change the value of the first abnormality threshold or the second abnormality threshold of the corresponding living activity to a larger value. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility of determining that a movement that is not actually abnormal is abnormal.

[0151] Although not shown, the control device 10 may have a range display unit as a function. The range display unit displays the activity range of the resident H using a floor plan of the building 1000 or a map of the land surrounding the building 1000 in the monitoring interface. As an example, the activity range is displayed in the form of a heat map. Therefore, the resident H and the involved parties can visually know the activity range. The range display unit uses the detection result to aggregate the activity range in a specified unit such as one day, one week, one year, etc. When using a map of the land, the range display unit may obtain location information from the resident terminal 4a based on the GPS function of the resident terminal 4a. The heat map means the probability that the resident H is present. The analysis unit 24 may use the information on the activity range for analysis in the same manner as the activity probability.

[0152] The resident terminal 4a and the participant terminal 4b may be able to register the detection means and the like in the monitoring system 1 using near field communication (NFC) with the detection means, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark), or the like. For example, a two-dimensional code may be attached to the detection means such as the home appliance 3, and the position setting unit 13 may identify the type of the detection means based on the information of the two-dimensional code. Therefore, the resident H and the participant can use the monitoring system 1 with simple operations.

[0153] To summarize the above explanation, possible configurations of the technology according to the present disclosure include the configurations listed below as appendices. (Appendix 1) A device for monitoring the lives of residents by using a plurality of detection means installed in a building in which residents live and detect the location or behavior of the residents, A collection unit that collects a plurality of detection results that are results of each of the plurality of detection means detecting the behavior of the resident; an estimation unit that estimates daily activities performed by the person in a unit time period obtained by dividing a day into a specified time interval based on at least one of the plurality of detection results; Equipped with The estimation unit is a control device that, when a plurality of detection results collected by the collection unit during the unit time period correspond to a plurality of different daily living activities, determines a usage detection result which is at least one detection result among the plurality of detection results collected by the collection unit that satisfies a selection condition, and estimates the daily living activity during the unit time period based on the usage detection result, when a plurality of detection results collected by the collection unit correspond to a plurality of different daily living activities. (Appendix 2) The plurality of detection means include an occasional detection means of an occasional measurement type that transmits a signal indicating a detection result when a detection condition is satisfied, and a periodic detection means of a periodic measurement type that transmits a signal indicating a detection result at each specific detection period, The control device according to claim 1, wherein when a detection result by the on-demand detection means and a detection result by the periodic detection means are included among a plurality of detection results in the unit time period, the estimation unit determines the detection result by the on-demand detection means among the plurality of detection results to be the utilization detection result. (Appendix 3) The plurality of detection means include a plurality of candidate on-demand detection means of a on-demand measurement type provided in each of a plurality of spaces in the building to which different priorities are set, The control device described in Appendix 2, wherein when a detection result by each of the multiple candidate on-demand detection means is included among the multiple detection results in the unit time period, the estimation unit determines the detection result by the candidate on-demand detection means installed in the space with the highest priority among the multiple spaces corresponding to the multiple candidate on-demand detection means to be the detection result in use. (Appendix 4) The plurality of detection means include a plurality of periodic detection means of a periodic measurement type that transmits a signal indicating a detection result at each specific detection period, The control device according to claim 1, wherein when a plurality of detection results in the unit time period are detection results obtained by each of the plurality of periodic detection means, the estimation unit determines the detection result among the plurality of detection results that has the longest corresponding detection occupancy time to be the detection result in use. (Appendix 5) The estimation unit is when the detection cycle of a target periodic detection means among the plurality of periodic detection means is longer than the length of the unit time period, a value half the length of the unit time period is calculated as a detection occupancy time of the detection result from the target periodic detection means; A control device as described in Appendix 4, which, when the detection period of the target periodic detection means is equal to or less than the length of the unit time period, calculates the product of the number of times that the target periodic detection means transmits detection results during the unit time period and the detection period as a detection occupancy time of the detection results from the target periodic detection means. (Appendix 6) a position setting unit that receives a setting of a position of a space in which the plurality of detection means are provided in the building; 6. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: (Appendix 7) the plurality of detection means include a plurality of candidate detection means provided in each of a plurality of spaces in the building to which different priorities are set, The control device described in Appendix 6, wherein when a detection result by each of the plurality of candidate detection means is included among the plurality of detection results in the unit time period, the estimation unit determines the detection result by the candidate detection means installed in the space with the highest priority among the plurality of spaces corresponding to the plurality of candidate detection means to be the detection result used. (Appendix 8) a first generation unit that generates an actual life pattern in which the estimated living activity is associated with the unit time period; a complementing unit that estimates and complements the living activity of a complement unit time period that is a past unit time period in the actual life pattern and to which the living activity does not correspond; Further comprising: The control device according to any one of Supplementary claims 1 to 7, wherein the complementing unit estimates the living activity of the complement unit time slot based on at least one of the living activity associated with the unit time slot immediately before the complement unit time slot and the living activity associated with the unit time slot immediately after the complement unit time slot. (Appendix 9) a first generation unit that generates an actual life pattern in which the estimated living activity is associated with the unit time period; a second generation unit that generates an average normal life pattern including at least one pair of the daily living activity and the unit time slot based on the actual life pattern; A notification unit that notifies at least one of a user terminal carried by the user and a participant terminal carried by a participant watching the user's life when a difference between the actual life pattern and the normal life pattern exceeds a threshold value; 9. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: (Appendix 10) a first generation unit that generates an actual life pattern in which the estimated living activity is associated with the unit time period; a second generation unit that generates an average normal life pattern including at least one pair of the daily living activity and the unit time slot based on the actual life pattern; a third generation unit that generates an ideal life pattern including at least one pair of the living activity and the unit time slot based on the ordinary life pattern; a notification unit that notifies a user terminal carried by the user when there is a difference between the actual life pattern and the ideal life pattern; 10. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: (Appendix 11) The control device according to claim 10, wherein the third generation unit sets a reference living activity that is a reference living activity included in the normal life pattern and a reference unit time slot corresponding to the reference living activity, and generates the ideal life pattern such that a dependent living activity dependent on the reference living activity is performed in a dependent unit time slot set based on the reference unit time slot. (Appendix 12) A display control unit that displays information on the living activity estimated by the estimation unit on a living person terminal carried by the living person and a participant terminal carried by a participant watching the life of the living person; A display setting unit that accepts settings of the contents to be displayed on the resident screen that the display control unit displays on the resident terminal and the participant screen that the display control unit displays on the participant terminal; Further comprising: The control device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 11, wherein the display control unit displays the participant screen and the resident screen so that the amount of information displayed on the participant screen is less than the amount of information displayed on the resident screen, based on the settings accepted by the display setting unit. (Appendix 13) an emergency setting unit that receives a priority setting for each of a plurality of external contacts to be contacted in an emergency; an emergency contact unit that, when a situation occurs that requires emergency contact for the resident, makes an emergency contact preferentially to a contact with a highest priority among the plurality of contacts that is received from the emergency setting unit; 13. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising: (Appendix 14) a situation display unit that displays an emergency situation screen showing an emergency situation on a plurality of participant terminals respectively held by a plurality of participants who are watching over the life of the person; a situation receiving unit that receives an input of a current situation in an emergency from any one of the plurality of participant terminals; Further comprising: 14. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the situation display unit reflects the current situation accepted by the situation accepting unit on the emergency situation screen. (Appendix 15) A plurality of detection means are installed in a building in which residents reside, each detecting a location or behavior of the residents; A control device that estimates daily activities performed by the person during a unit time period that is obtained by dividing a day into a specified time interval based on the detection results detected by each of the plurality of detection means; and one or more display means for displaying the estimated living activity on the control device in association with the unit time period; Equipped with The control device includes: A collection unit that collects a plurality of detection results that are results of each of the plurality of detection means detecting the behavior of the resident; an estimation unit that estimates the living activity in the unit time period based on at least one of a plurality of detection results; having A monitoring system in which, when multiple detection results collected by the collection unit during the unit time period correspond to multiple different daily living activities, the estimation unit determines a usage detection result which is at least one detection result among the multiple detection results collected by the collection unit that satisfies a selection condition, and estimates the daily living activity during the unit time period based on the usage detection result. (Appendix 16) A method for monitoring the lives of residents by using a plurality of detection means installed in a building in which the residents live and detect the location or behavior of the residents, comprising: A collection step in which the control device collects a plurality of detection results, which are results of each of the plurality of detection means detecting the behavior of the resident; an estimation step, which is performed after the collection step, in which the control device estimates daily activities performed by the person in a unit time period obtained by dividing one day into a specified time interval, based on at least one of the plurality of detection results; Equipped with A monitoring method in which, when the multiple detection results collected in the unit time period in the collection process correspond to multiple different daily living activities, in the estimation process, the control device determines a usage detection result which is at least one detection result that satisfies a selection condition from the multiple detection results collected in the collection process, and estimates the daily living activity in the unit time period based on the usage detection result. [Explanation of symbols]

[0154] 1 monitoring system, 2 sensor, 2a human presence sensor, 2b opening / closing sensor, 3 home appliance, 3a, 3b air conditioner, 3c hot water supply remote control, 4a resident terminal, 4b participant terminal, 5a detection unit, 5b notification unit, 6a detection unit, 6b notification unit, 7a display unit, 7b input unit, 7c control unit, 10 control device, 11 memory unit, 12 IF providing unit, 13 position setting unit, 14 attribute reception unit, 15 priority setting unit, 16 collection unit, 17 estimation unit, 18 first generation unit, 19 complementation unit, 20 display setting unit, 21 display control unit, 22 second generation unit, 23 third generation unit, 24 analysis unit, 25 notification unit, 26 emergency setting unit, 27 Emergency contact section, 28 status display section, 29 status reception section, 50 external contact terminal, 100a processor, 100b memory, 200 hardware, 1000 building, 1001 room, 1002 bedroom, 1003 bathroom, H resident, N1 network, P1 status display section, P2 status update section, P3 accessory section

Claims

1. A device for monitoring the lives of residents by using a plurality of detection means installed in a building in which residents live and detect the location or behavior of the residents, A collection unit that collects a plurality of detection results that are results of each of the plurality of detection means detecting the behavior of the resident; an estimation unit that estimates daily activities performed by the person in a unit time period obtained by dividing a day into a specified time interval based on at least one of a plurality of detection results; Equipped with The estimation unit is a control device that, when a plurality of detection results collected by the collection unit during the unit time period correspond to a plurality of different daily living activities, determines a usage detection result which is at least one detection result among the plurality of detection results collected by the collection unit that satisfies a selection condition, and estimates the daily living activity during the unit time period based on the usage detection result when the plurality of detection results collected by the collection unit correspond to a plurality of different daily living activities.

2. The plurality of detection means include an occasional detection means of an occasional measurement type that transmits a signal indicating a detection result when a detection condition is satisfied, and a periodic detection means of a periodic measurement type that transmits a signal indicating a detection result at each specific detection period, The control device according to claim 1, wherein when the multiple detection results in the unit time period include a detection result by the on-demand detection means and a detection result by the periodic detection means, the estimation unit determines the detection result by the on-demand detection means among the multiple detection results as the usage detection result.

3. The plurality of detection means include a plurality of candidate on-demand detection means of a on-demand measurement type provided in each of a plurality of spaces in the building to which different priorities are set, The control device described in claim 2, wherein when the multiple detection results in the unit time period include detection results by each of the multiple candidate on-demand detection means, the estimation unit determines the detection result by the candidate on-demand detection means installed in the space with the highest priority among the multiple spaces corresponding to the multiple candidate on-demand detection means to be the detection result in use.

4. The plurality of detection means include a plurality of periodic detection means of a periodic measurement type that transmits a signal indicating a detection result at each specific detection period, The control device according to claim 1, wherein when multiple detection results in the unit time period are detection results obtained by each of the multiple periodic detection means, the estimation unit determines the detection result among the multiple detection results that has the longest corresponding detection occupancy time to be the detection result in use.

5. The estimation unit is when the detection cycle of a target periodic detection means among the plurality of periodic detection means is longer than the length of the unit time period, a value half the length of the unit time period is calculated as a detection occupancy time of the detection result from the target periodic detection means; 5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein when the detection period of the periodic detection means of the target is equal to or less than the length of the unit time period, the product of the number of times that the periodic detection means of the target transmits detection results during the unit time period and the detection period is calculated as the detection occupancy time of the detection results from the periodic detection means of the target.

6. a position setting unit that receives a setting of a position of a space in which the plurality of detection means are provided in the building; The control device of claim 1 further comprising:

7. the plurality of detection means include a plurality of candidate detection means provided in each of a plurality of spaces in the building to which different priorities are set, The control device described in claim 6, wherein when a detection result by each of the plurality of candidate detection means is included among the plurality of detection results in the unit time period, the estimation unit determines the detection result by the candidate detection means installed in the space with the highest priority among the plurality of spaces corresponding to the plurality of candidate detection means to be the detection result in use.

8. a first generation unit that generates an actual life pattern in which the estimated living activity is associated with the unit time period; a complementing unit that estimates and complements the living activity of a complement unit time period that is a past unit time period in the actual life pattern and to which the living activity does not correspond; Further comprising:

8. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the complementing unit estimates the living activity of the complementary unit time slot based on at least one of the living activity associated with the unit time slot immediately before the complementary unit time slot and the living activity associated with the unit time slot immediately after the complementary unit time slot.

9. a first generation unit that generates an actual life pattern in which the estimated living activity is associated with the unit time period; a second generation unit that generates an average normal life pattern including at least one pair of the daily living activity and the unit time slot based on the actual life pattern; A notification unit that notifies at least one of a user terminal carried by the user and a participant terminal carried by a participant watching the user's life when a difference between the actual life pattern and the normal life pattern exceeds a threshold value; The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

10. a first generation unit that generates an actual life pattern in which the estimated living activity is associated with the unit time period; a second generation unit that generates an average normal life pattern including at least one pair of the daily living activity and the unit time slot based on the actual life pattern; a third generation unit that generates an ideal life pattern including at least one pair of the living activity and the unit time slot based on the ordinary life pattern; a notification unit that notifies a user terminal carried by the user when there is a difference between the actual life pattern and the ideal life pattern; The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

11. 11. The control device according to claim 10, wherein the third generation unit sets a reference living activity that is a reference living activity included in the ordinary life pattern and a reference unit time slot corresponding to the reference living activity, and generates the ideal life pattern such that a dependent living activity dependent on the reference living activity is performed in a dependent unit time slot set based on the reference unit time slot.

12. A display control unit that displays information on the living activity estimated by the estimation unit on a living person terminal carried by the living person and a participant terminal carried by a participant watching the life of the living person; A display setting unit that accepts settings of the contents to be displayed on the resident screen that the display control unit displays on the resident terminal and the participant screen that the display control unit displays on the participant terminal; Further comprising: A control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the display control unit displays the participant screen and the resident screen so that the amount of information displayed on the participant screen is less than the amount of information displayed on the resident screen based on the settings accepted by the display setting unit.

13. an emergency setting unit that receives a priority setting for each of a plurality of external contacts to be contacted in an emergency; an emergency contact unit that, when a situation occurs that requires emergency contact for the resident, makes an emergency contact preferentially to a contact with a highest priority among the plurality of contacts that is received from the emergency setting unit; The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

14. a situation display unit that displays an emergency situation screen showing an emergency situation on a plurality of participant terminals respectively held by a plurality of participants who are watching over the life of the person; a situation receiving unit that receives an input of a current situation in an emergency from any one of the plurality of participant terminals; Further comprising: The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the situation display unit reflects the current situation accepted by the situation accepting unit on the emergency situation screen.

15. A plurality of detection means are installed in a building in which residents reside, each detecting a location or behavior of the residents; A control device that estimates daily activities performed by the person during a unit time period that is obtained by dividing a day into a specified time interval based on the detection results detected by each of the plurality of detection means; one or more display means for displaying the estimated living activity on the control device in association with the unit time period; Equipped with The control device includes: A collection unit that collects a plurality of detection results that are results of each of the plurality of detection means detecting the behavior of the resident; an estimation unit that estimates the living activity in the unit time period based on at least one of a plurality of detection results; having A monitoring system in which, when multiple detection results collected by the collection unit during the unit time period correspond to multiple different daily living activities, the estimation unit determines a usage detection result, which is at least one detection result among the multiple detection results collected by the collection unit that satisfies a selection condition, and estimates the daily living activity during the unit time period based on the usage detection result.

16. A method for monitoring the lives of residents by using a plurality of detection means installed in a building in which the residents live and detect the location or behavior of the residents, comprising: A collection step in which the control device collects a plurality of detection results, which are results of each of the plurality of detection means detecting the behavior of the resident; an estimation step, which is performed after the collection step, in which the control device estimates daily activities performed by the person in a unit time period obtained by dividing one day into a specified time interval, based on at least one of the plurality of detection results; Equipped with A monitoring method in which, when the multiple detection results collected in the unit time period in the collection process correspond to multiple different daily living activities, in the estimation process, the control device determines a usage detection result, which is at least one detection result that satisfies a selection condition from the multiple detection results collected in the collection process, and estimates the daily living activity in the unit time period based on the usage detection result.

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