Safety confirmation device, safety confirmation method and program

Abstract

To provide a safety confirmation device, a safety confirmation method and a program which can perceive an abnormality which occurs after fall of a monitored person at an early stage.SOLUTION: A safety confirmation device comprises: a first detection unit which detects fall of a monitored person; a second detection unit which detects activities of the monitored person; a setting unit which changes setting of monitoring time for monitoring the monitored person from first monitoring time to second monitoring time shorter than the first monitoring time when the fall of the monitored person is detected by the first detection unit; a measurement unit which measures elapsed time from detection of the activities of the second detection unit; and a transmission unit which transmits an alarm showing that an abnormality occurs to the monitored person to a monitoring center which monitors the monitored person when the elapsed time elapses the second monitoring time when the setting of the monitoring time is changed to the second monitoring time by the setting unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety confirmation device, a safety confirmation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, there is a technology that detects a fall of a wearable device such as a smartwatch based on acceleration measured by the device and prompts the wearer to contact emergency services such as 119. This makes it possible to respond to injuries and loss of consciousness caused by falls, leading to the saving of lives.

[0003] As a technology for detecting and notifying such falls, a technology has been disclosed in which an impact is detected, and a first motion characteristic before the impact and a second motion characteristic after the impact are determined, thereby determining that the user has fallen and notifying the user that the user has fallen (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2020-531110 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, even after such a fall, there are risks involved. The most prominent of these, cranial nerve damage and chronic subdural hematoma, can occur several days after the fall and can be accompanied by a sudden deterioration such as loss of consciousness and difficulty walking. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully check on the person's safety for several days after the fall.

[0006] However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, when a fall of the monitored user is detected, the monitor is notified and can provide care for the user who has fallen, but there is a problem in that it is not possible to provide care for abnormalities that occur several days after the fall.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a safety confirmation device, a safety confirmation method, and a program that can detect any abnormality that occurs after a monitored person falls at an early stage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention is characterized by comprising a first detection unit that detects a fall of a monitored person, a second detection unit that detects activity of the monitored person, a setting unit that, when a fall of the monitored person is detected by the first detection unit, changes the monitoring time for monitoring the monitored person from a first monitoring time to a second monitoring time that is shorter than the first monitoring time, a measuring unit that measures the elapsed time since the detection of the activity by the second detection unit, and a transmitting unit that, when the setting unit has changed the setting to the second monitoring time, transmits an alarm indicating that something abnormal has occurred to the monitored person to a monitoring center monitoring the monitored person when the elapsed time exceeds the second monitoring time. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, any abnormality that occurs after a monitored person falls can be detected early. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of a safety confirmation system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the safety confirmation device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations of a conventional safety confirmation system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a safety confirmation device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations of the safety confirmation system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the safety confirmation device, the safety confirmation method, and the program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and the components in the following embodiments include those that a person skilled in the art can easily conceive, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the scope of what is called equivalent. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations of the components can be made without departing from the gist of the following embodiments.

[0012] (Overall configuration of the safety confirmation system) 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a safety confirmation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to which the overall configuration of a safety confirmation system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0013] The safety confirmation system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a system for detecting a fall of a monitored person 40 and confirming the safety of the monitored person 40 thereafter. As shown in Fig. 1, the safety confirmation system 1 includes a safety confirmation device 10, a wearable device 11, an activity detection sensor 12, a monitoring center 20, and a mobile phone 30. The safety confirmation device 10, the monitoring center 20, and the mobile phone 30 are capable of data communication via a network N. The network N is configured by the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), or a combination of these, and may include either a wired network or a wireless network.

[0014] The safety confirmation device 10 is a device that detects the fall of the monitored person 40 by a signal received from the wearable device 11 and confirms the safety of the monitored person 40 thereafter. The safety confirmation device 10 detects the fall of the monitored person 40 by receiving a fall-related information signal including information related to the fall of the monitored person 40 output by the wearable device 11. After detecting the fall of the monitored person 40, the safety confirmation device 10 detects that the monitored person 40 is engaged in normal activity by receiving an activity detection signal indicating the activity of the monitored person 40 output by the activity detection sensor 12. On the other hand, if the safety confirmation device 10 does not receive an activity detection signal from the activity detection sensor 12 within a predetermined monitoring time after detecting the fall of the monitored person 40, it transmits an alarm to the monitoring center 20 via the network N, assuming that something abnormal has occurred in the monitored person 40. The safety confirmation device 10 is, for example, a dedicated device capable of receiving the fall-related information signal from the wearable device 11 and the activity detection signal from the activity detection sensor 12, or an information terminal such as a smartphone.

[0015] The wearable device 11 is a device that is attached to the body of the monitored person 40 and can detect a fall of the monitored person 40. When the wearable device 11 detects a fall of the monitored person 40, it transmits (outputs) a fall-related information signal indicating that the monitored person 40 has been detected to the safety confirmation device 10 by wireless communication. In addition, the wearable device 11 detects acceleration information, for example, by an acceleration sensor, or detects vital data, which is biological information such as the body temperature, heart rate, or electrocardiogram of the monitored person 40, and outputs the acceleration information or vital data as a fall-related information signal. The wearable device 11 may be, for example, a so-called smart watch that can detect the above-mentioned acceleration information or vital data, or may be a vital sensor that can detect the above-mentioned vital data.

[0016] In addition, the wearable device 11 may output a signal directly indicating that a fall of the monitored person 40 has been detected as a fall-related information signal, or may output acceleration information or vital data indicating the condition of the monitored person 40 as a fall-related information signal, and the safety confirmation device 10 may detect a fall of the monitored person 40 by analyzing the contents of the fall-related information signal.

[0017] Furthermore, in addition to or instead of the communication function with the safety confirmation device 10, the wearable device 11 may have a function for connecting to and communicating with an external network such as the Internet, and may transmit a fall-related information signal to the monitoring center 20 via the network N. In this case, the monitoring center 20 may receive the fall-related information signal output from the wearable device 11 and transfer it to the safety confirmation device 10, and the safety confirmation device 10 may receive the fall-related information signal output from the wearable device 11 via the monitoring center 20.

[0018] In addition, the wearable device 11 may output a fall-related information signal to an information terminal such as a smartphone on which a specified application is installed via close-proximity wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the information terminal may transmit the fall-related information signal to the safety confirmation device 10 via the network N.

[0019] Furthermore, the wearable device 11 may output a fall-related information signal to an information terminal such as a smartphone on which a specific application is installed, by close-proximity wireless communication such as Bluetooth, and the information terminal may transmit the fall-related information signal to the monitoring center 20 via the network N. In this case, the monitoring center 20 may receive the fall-related information signal transmitted from the information terminal and transfer it to the safety confirmation device 10, and the safety confirmation device 10 may receive the fall-related information signal transmitted from the information terminal via the monitoring center 20.

[0020] The activity detection sensor 12 is a sensor that detects whether the monitored person 40 is performing normal activities in a monitoring area (e.g., the living space of the monitored person 40) in which the monitored person 40 is monitored. The activity detection sensor 12 is, for example, a human sensor installed at a predetermined location in the monitoring area, a sensor that detects the opening and closing of a toilet door in the monitoring area, a sensor that detects that the toilet has flushed, a sensor that detects that tap water has been used, a sensor that detects that a gas appliance has been used, a sensor that detects that an electric appliance such as a home appliance has been used, or a camera sensor that performs fixed-point monitoring, and is a sensor that detects the activity of a person (here, the monitored person 40). The activity detection sensor 12 detects the activity of a person (here, the monitored person 40) and transmits it to the safety confirmation device 10 as an activity detection signal. Note that the activity detection sensor 12 does not need to be a single sensor, and may be multiple or a multiple type of sensor as shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the activity detection sensor 12 may transmit the activity detection signal wirelessly or by wire in order to transmit the activity detection signal to the safety confirmation device 10.

[0021] The monitoring center 20 is an information processing system for executing a predetermined measure in response to an alarm received from the safety confirmation device 10. For example, when the monitoring center 20 receives an alarm from the safety confirmation device 10, it transmits a message via the network N to a mobile phone 30 carried by a member of the team who manages and is in charge of the above-mentioned monitored area, instructing the member to rush to the monitored area.

[0022] When the monitoring center 20 receives an alarm, the notification is not limited to being sent to the mobile phone 30 of the member in charge of managing the monitoring area, but may be sent to the mobile phone of a close relative such as a family member or relatives of the monitored person 40, or a person who has been notified in advance, etc. In this case, if the mobile phone of the close relative or person who has been notified in advance cannot be contacted, the member in charge of managing the monitoring area may rush to the monitoring area.

[0023] The mobile phone 30 is a mobile phone such as a smartphone carried by a member of the team who manages and is in charge of the monitoring area of ​​the monitored person 40 described above.

[0024] (Hardware configuration of safety confirmation device) 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a safety confirmation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to which the hardware configuration of the safety confirmation device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the safety confirmation device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 502, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 503, a storage device 504, a wireless communication circuit 511 (receiving unit), an antenna 511a, a communication circuit 512, a speaker 513, a display unit 514, and an operation unit 515.

[0026] The CPU 501 is a computing device that controls the overall operation of the safety confirmation device 10. The ROM 502 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs used to drive the CPU 501. The RAM 503 is a volatile storage device that is used as a work area for the CPU 501.

[0027] The storage device 504 is a non-volatile storage device such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory that stores programs and various data.

[0028] The wireless communication circuit 511 is a communication circuit that performs wireless communication with other devices such as the monitoring center 20 via the antenna 511a and the network N in accordance with a standard such as Wi-Fi, 4G, or 5G.

[0029] The communication circuit 512 is a communication circuit for performing data communication with the wearable device 11 and the activity detection sensor 12 according to a standard such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth. Note that when the communication circuit 512 performs data communication with the wearable device 11 or the activity detection sensor 12, the communication circuit is not limited to wireless communication and may perform wired communication. Furthermore, the communication circuit for communicating with the wearable device 11 and the communication circuit for communicating with the activity detection sensor 12 may be separate from each other.

[0030] The speaker 513 is a built-in audio device that converts an electrical signal into physical vibrations and outputs sounds such as music or voice.

[0031] The display unit 514 is, for example, various display lamps, a display LED (Light Emitting Diode), or a display.

[0032] The operation unit 515 is a variety of buttons, a touch panel, or the like that is operated by a user including the monitored person 40 or the like.

[0033] The above-mentioned CPU 501, ROM 502, RAM 503, storage device 504, wireless communication circuit 511, communication circuit 512, speaker 513, display unit 514 and operation unit 515 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a bus 510 such as an address bus and a data bus.

[0034] The hardware configuration of the safety confirmation device 10 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and it is not necessary for all of the components to be included, and other components may be included.

[0035] (About the operation of the conventional safety confirmation system) Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations of a conventional safety confirmation system. The flow of operations of the conventional safety confirmation system will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Note that in the conventional safety confirmation system, the components corresponding to the safety confirmation device 10, the wearable device 11, the activity detection sensor 12, and the monitoring center 20 in the above-mentioned safety confirmation system 1 will be the safety confirmation device 10a, the wearable device 11a, the activity detection sensor 12a, and the monitoring center 20a, respectively.

[0036] <Step S51> The monitored person 40 will carry out normal activities in the monitored area in which he or she resides, provided that no abnormalities are found.

[0037] <Step S52> The activity detection sensor 12a installed in the monitoring area where the monitored person 40 resides detects the normal activity of the monitored person 40 and transmits it as an activity detection signal to the safety confirmation device 10a.

[0038] <Step S53> When the safety confirmation device 10a detects that the monitored person 40 is engaged in normal activity by receiving an activity detection signal from the activity detection sensor 12a, it resets the elapsed time measured from the time the previous activity detection signal was received to zero and starts measuring the elapsed time anew.

[0039] <Step S54> When the elapsed time measured from the time of receiving the activity detection signal from the activity detection sensor 12a exceeds a predetermined monitoring time (normal monitoring time shown in FIG. 3) as shown in FIG. 3, the safety confirmation device 10a transmits an alarm via the network N to the monitoring center 20a, assuming that something abnormal has occurred with the monitored person 40.

[0040] <Step S55> When the monitoring center 20a receives an alarm from the safety confirmation device 10a, it sends a message via the network N to the mobile phones carried by the personnel in charge of and managing the above-mentioned monitored area, instructing them to rush to the monitored area.

[0041] <Step S56> When a member of the team receives an alert via his / her mobile phone, he / she rushes to the monitoring area where the monitored person 40 resides, checks the condition of the monitored person 40, and if he / she confirms that something abnormal has actually occurred, he / she takes prescribed measures such as providing first aid to the monitored person 40 and making an emergency call.

[0042] As described above, in the operation of the conventional safety confirmation system shown in Fig. 3, if the activity detection sensor 12a does not detect the normal activity of the monitored person 40 within a predetermined monitoring time (normal monitoring time), an alarm is issued from the safety confirmation device 10a to the monitoring center 20a, and it is possible for team members to rush to the scene. However, after the monitored person 40 falls and suffers a blow to the head, the detection of normal activity by the activity detection sensor 12a during the above-mentioned normal monitoring time may not allow for early action in the event of an abnormality occurring after the fall. In the following, in this embodiment, the configuration of the functional blocks of the safety confirmation device 10 that can quickly detect an abnormality occurring after the monitored person falls, and the operation of the safety confirmation system 1 will be described.

[0043] (Configuration and operation of functional blocks of safety confirmation device) 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of the safety confirmation device according to the embodiment. The configuration and operation of the functional block of the safety confirmation device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, the safety confirmation device 10 has a first detection unit 101, a second detection unit 102, a setting unit 103, a measurement unit 104, a communication unit 105 (transmission unit), a memory unit 106, an input reception unit 107, and a display control unit 108.

[0045] The first detection unit 101 is a functional unit that detects a fall of the monitored person 40 by receiving, via the communication circuit 512, a fall-related information signal (first signal) including information related to a fall of the monitored person 40 outputted by the wearable device 11. As described above, the first detection unit 101 may detect a fall of the monitored person 40 by analyzing the contents of the received fall-related information signal.

[0046] The second detection unit 102 is a functional unit that detects that the monitored person 40 is engaged in normal activity by receiving an activity detection signal (second signal) indicating the activity of the monitored person 40 output by the activity detection sensor 12 via the communication circuit 512.

[0047] Note that the second detection unit 102 does not detect that the monitored person 40 is engaged in normal activity by receiving a detection signal from the activity detection sensor 12, but may detect that the monitored person 40 is engaged in normal activity, for example, based on the elapsed time from the monitored person 40's normal wake-up time to when the monitored person 40 actually wakes up (specifically, receiving a detection signal from the activity detection sensor 12 that detects the monitored person 40 waking up). For example, if the elapsed time is within a predetermined time, the second detection unit 102 detects that the monitored person 40 is engaged in normal activity.

[0048] The setting unit 103 is a functional unit that sets a predetermined monitoring time for monitoring detection of normal activity of the monitored person 40 by the second detection unit 102. Specifically, when the first detection unit 101 detects a fall of the monitored person 40, the setting unit 103 changes the monitoring time setting from a normal monitoring time (first monitoring time) (e.g., 6 hours) to a shortened monitoring time (second monitoring time) (e.g., 3 hours) that is shorter than the normal monitoring time. Furthermore, when the setting unit 103 changes the monitoring time setting, it causes the storage unit 106 to store the monitoring time.

[0049] Furthermore, after changing the monitoring time from the normal monitoring time to the reduced monitoring time, if a predetermined period (e.g., one week) has elapsed without an alarm being transmitted by the communication unit 105, the setting unit 103 returns the monitoring time from the reduced monitoring time to the normal monitoring time. In other words, if the predetermined period has elapsed, it can be determined that the risk of an abnormality occurring in the monitored person 40 after the fall has been eliminated, and therefore, by returning the monitoring time to the normal monitoring time, the monitoring center 20 can take appropriate action.

[0050] Even if the first detection unit 101 detects the fall of the monitored person 40, the monitored person 40 may recognize that his / her physical condition is not required to be notified. Hereinafter, such a detection of a fall will be described as a "detection not requiring a report". For example, an example of a detection not requiring a report is when the monitored person 40 drops the wearable device 11 on the ground. Alternatively, the monitored person 40 may actually fall but not feel pain immediately after the fall. In such a case, for example, the display control unit 108 displays on the display unit 514 that a fall has been detected, and displays a message prompting the user to input either "report" or "cancel the report". If the monitored person 40 (or a close relative living with him / her) determines that the detection of the fall is not required to be notified, the user may be able to cancel the report by inputting "cancel the report" to the input receiving unit 107. However, even if the report is canceled by an operation on the input receiving unit 107, if the monitored person 40 actually falls, there is a risk that the condition of the monitored person 40 will suddenly change thereafter, for example, the monitored person 40 may develop cranial nerve damage and chronic subdural hematoma several days after the fall, so regardless of the cancellation of the report, the setting unit 103 may change the monitoring time setting from the normal monitoring time to the shortened monitoring time. On the other hand, if "Make a report" is input by an operation on the input receiving unit 107, or if neither "Make a report" nor "Cancel the report" is input for a predetermined time, the safety confirmation device 10 may determine that the safety of the monitored person 40 cannot be confirmed, and immediately transmit an alarm to the monitoring center 20.

[0051] When the wearable device 11 detects the monitored person 40's fall, instead of displaying a message by the display control unit 108 informing the user that the fall has been detected and prompting the user to input either "report" or "cancel the report", the wearable device 11 may display the detection of the fall and the message. Then, the wearable device 11 may select either "report" or "cancel the report" by operating the wearable device 11, and when "cancel the report" is selected, the safety confirmation device 10 may be notified of the selection, and the safety confirmation device 10, which has received the selection, may change the monitoring time from the normal monitoring time to the shortened monitoring time by the setting unit 103. On the other hand, when "report" is selected and the operation is not performed for a predetermined time, the wearable device 11 may notify the safety confirmation device 10 of the selection, and the safety confirmation device 10, which has received the selection, may determine that the monitored person 40's safety cannot be confirmed, and may immediately transmit an alarm to the monitoring center 20.

[0052] Moreover, the change in setting from the normal monitoring time to the shortened monitoring time by the setting unit 103 is not limited to being dynamically executed when the first detection unit 101 detects the fall of the monitored person 40. For example, when a close relative of the monitored person 40 contacts the base of the monitoring center 20 with a request to change the setting of the shortened monitoring time, the monitoring center 20 may transmit an instruction to change the setting to the shortened monitoring time to the safety confirmation device 10, and the setting unit 103 of the safety confirmation device 10 may change the setting from the normal monitoring time to the shortened monitoring time in response to the instruction received by the wireless communication circuit 511. In addition, when a disaster such as a typhoon, flood, earthquake, etc. occurs in the area where the monitored person 40 lives, the setting unit 103 may change the setting from the normal monitoring time to the shortened monitoring time in response to an instruction to change the setting to the shortened monitoring time that is transmitted from an information terminal such as a mobile phone owned by a close relative of the monitored person 40 to the safety confirmation device 10 and received by the wireless communication circuit 511. In this case, the instruction to change the settings may be transmitted to the safety confirmation device 10 via the monitoring center 20. This allows the monitoring of the monitored person 40 to be handled flexibly.

[0053] Furthermore, after changing the monitoring time to the reduced monitoring time, the setting unit 103 may return the monitoring time to the normal monitoring time when, for example, the monitored person 40 goes out of the residential space which is the monitored area and communication between the safety confirmation device 10 and the wearable device 11 becomes impossible. This makes it possible to suppress the generation of an alarm caused by the second detection unit 102 not detecting the activity of the monitored person 40 because the monitored person 40 has gone out. Furthermore, when the monitored person 40 returns to the residential space which is the monitored area, the setting unit 103 may change the monitoring time back to the reduced monitoring time.

[0054] The measuring unit 104 is a functional unit that measures the elapsed time from when the second detection unit 102 detects that the monitored person 40 is engaged in normal activity to the next time the monitored person 40 is detected by the second detection unit 102. Specifically, when the second detection unit 102 detects that the monitored person 40 is engaged in normal activity, the measuring unit 104 resets the elapsed time that has been measured since the previous detection by the second detection unit 102 to zero, and starts measuring the elapsed time anew.

[0055] The communication unit 105 is a functional unit that, when the elapsed time measured by the measurement unit 104 exceeds a predetermined monitoring time, transmits an alarm indicating that something abnormal has occurred in the monitored person 40 to the monitoring center 20 via the wireless communication circuit 511.

[0056] The storage unit 106 is a functional unit that stores information on the monitoring time set by the setting unit 103. For example, when the safety confirmation device 10 is turned on or when the safety confirmation device 10 is restarted, the setting unit 103 may read out the monitoring time stored in the storage unit 106. The storage unit 106 is realized by the storage device 504 shown in FIG. 2.

[0057] The input reception unit 107 is a functional unit that receives operation input from the monitored person 40 or a close relative living together, etc. The input reception unit 107 is realized by the operation unit 515 shown in FIG.

[0058] The display control unit 108 is a functional unit that controls the display operation of the display unit 514. For example, the display control unit 108 causes the display unit 514 to display the operating state of the safety confirmation device 10, or a notice to the monitored person 40. The display control unit 108 may also cause the display unit 514 to display whether the monitoring time set by the setting unit 103 is the normal monitoring time or the reduced monitoring time.

[0059] The above-mentioned first detection unit 101, second detection unit 102, setting unit 103, measurement unit 104, communication unit 105, and display control unit 108 are realized by executing a program by the CPU 501 shown in Fig. 2. For example, when the safety confirmation device 10 is an information terminal such as a smartphone, each of the above-mentioned functional units is realized by executing an application (so-called app) which is a program by the CPU 501. Note that some or all of these functional units may be realized by an integrated circuit such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) instead of a software program.

[0060] Although the safety confirmation device 10 and the wearable device 11 have been described as separate devices, for example, the wearable device 11 may have the functions of the safety confirmation device 10 shown in Fig. 4, i.e., function as the safety confirmation device 10. In this case, the first detection unit 101, the second detection unit 102, the setting unit 103, the measurement unit 104, the communication unit 105, and the display control unit 108 may be realized by executing an app installed in the wearable device 11.

[0061] Moreover, each functional unit of the safety confirmation device 10 shown in Fig. 4 is shown conceptually, and is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the safety confirmation device 10 shown in Fig. 4 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit in the safety confirmation device 10 shown in Fig. 4 may be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units.

[0062] (Operation flow of the safety confirmation system) 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of operations of the safety confirmation system according to the embodiment. The flow of operations of the safety confirmation system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0063] <Step S11> It is assumed that the monitored person 40 falls in the monitored area.

[0064] <Step S12> In this case, the wearable device 11 attached to the monitored person 40 detects a fall of the monitored person 40 and transmits (outputs) a fall-related information signal including information related to the fall of the monitored person 40 to the safety confirmation device 10 via wireless communication.

[0065] <Step S13> The first detection unit 101 of the safety confirmation device 10 detects a fall of the monitored person 40 by receiving, via the communication circuit 512, a fall-related information signal including information related to a fall of the monitored person 40 output by the wearable device 11. When the first detection unit 101 detects a fall of the monitored person 40, the setting unit 103 of the safety confirmation device 10 resets to zero the elapsed time that has been measured since the previous detection by the second detection unit 102, changes the setting of the monitoring time from the normal monitoring time to a reduced monitoring time that is shorter than the normal monitoring time, and starts measuring the elapsed time anew.

[0066] <Step S14> If no abnormality is found in the monitored area even after a fall, the monitored person 40 continues to carry out normal activities.

[0067] <Step S15> The activity detection sensor 12 installed in the monitoring area where the monitored person 40 resides detects the normal activity of the monitored person 40 and transmits it as an activity detection signal to the safety confirmation device 10. The second detection unit 102 of the safety confirmation device 10 receives the activity detection signal output by the activity detection sensor 12 via the communication circuit 512, thereby detecting that the monitored person 40 is performing normal activity.

[0068] <Step S16> When the second detection unit 102 detects that the monitored person 40 is engaged in normal activity, the measurement unit 104 of the safety confirmation device 10 resets to zero the elapsed time measured since either the most recent change in the monitoring time setting or the previous detection by the second detection unit 102, and begins measuring the elapsed time anew.

[0069] <Step S17> If the elapsed time measured by the measuring unit 104 reaches the shortened monitoring time without the activity detection signal output from the activity detection sensor 12 being received by the second detection unit 102 as shown in FIG. 5, the communication unit 105 of the safety confirmation device 10 determines that something abnormal has occurred with the monitored person 40 and transmits an alarm indicating that something abnormal has occurred with the monitored person 40 to the monitoring center 20 via the network N.

[0070] <Step S18> When the monitoring center 20 receives an alarm from the communication unit 105, it sends a message via the network N to the mobile phones 30 carried by the personnel in charge of and managing the above-mentioned monitored area, instructing them to rush to the monitored area.

[0071] <Step S19> When a team member receives an alarm via the mobile phone 30 carried by the team member, the team member rushes to the monitoring area where the monitored person 40 resides, checks the condition of the monitored person 40, and if the team member confirms that something abnormal has actually occurred, takes prescribed measures such as providing first aid to the monitored person 40 and making an emergency call.

[0072] As described above, in the safety confirmation device 10 according to the present embodiment, the first detection unit 101 detects the fall of the monitored person 40, the second detection unit 102 detects the activity of the monitored person 40, the setting unit 103 changes the monitoring time for monitoring the monitored person 40 from the normal monitoring time to a shortened monitoring time shorter than the normal monitoring time when the first detection unit 101 detects the fall of the monitored person 40, the measurement unit 104 measures the elapsed time from the detection of the activity of the monitored person 40 by the second detection unit 102, and the communication unit 105 transmits an alarm indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the monitored person 40 to the monitoring center 20 monitoring the monitored person 40 when the elapsed time exceeds the shortened monitoring time when the setting has been changed to the shortened monitoring time by the setting unit 103. This allows for early detection of an abnormality occurring after the monitored person 40 falls. Furthermore, the monitored person 40 does not need to wear or carry the wearable device 11 after the fall.

[0073] Furthermore, the setting unit 103 changes the setting from the normal monitoring time to the shortened monitoring time in response to an instruction transmitted from an information terminal such as a mobile phone owned by the monitoring center 20 or a close relative of the monitored person 40 via the wireless communication circuit 511 and received by the wireless communication circuit 511. This allows for flexible monitoring of the monitored person 40.

[0074] Furthermore, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after changing the monitoring time from the normal monitoring time to the shortened monitoring time, the setting unit 103 returns the monitoring time to the normal monitoring time. In other words, when the predetermined period of time has elapsed, it can be determined that the risk of an abnormality occurring in the monitored person 40 after the fall has been eliminated, so that by returning the monitoring time to the normal monitoring time, the monitoring center 20 can take appropriate action.

[0075] In the above-mentioned embodiment, when at least one of the functional units of the safety confirmation device 10 is realized by executing a program, the program is provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the program executed by the safety confirmation device 10 may be provided by being recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) in an installable or executable format. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the program executed by the safety confirmation device 10 may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the program executed by the safety confirmation device 10 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the program executed by the safety confirmation device 10 has a modular structure including at least one of the above-mentioned functional units, and in terms of actual hardware, the CPU 501 reads out the program from the above-mentioned storage device (e.g., ROM 502, storage device 504, etc.) and executes it, so that each of the above-mentioned functional units is loaded onto the main storage device (RAM 503) and generated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1. Safety confirmation system 10, 10a Safety confirmation device 11, 11a Wearable devices 12, 12a Activity detection sensor 20, 20a Monitoring Center 30 Mobile Phones 40 Supervised person 101 First detection unit 102 Second detection unit 103 Setting section 104 Measurement section 105 Communications Department 106 Storage section 107 Input reception section 108 Display control unit 501 CPU 502 ROM 503 RAM 504 Storage device 510 Bus 511 Wireless communication circuits 511a Antenna 512 Communication Circuit 513 Speaker 514 Display section 515 Operation section N Network

Claims

1. A first detection unit that detects a fall of the monitored person; A second detection unit that detects the activity of the monitored person; a setting unit that changes a monitoring time for monitoring the monitored person from a first monitoring time to a second monitoring time that is shorter than the first monitoring time when a fall of the monitored person is detected by the first detection unit; A measurement unit that measures an elapsed time from the detection of the activity by the second detection unit; a transmission unit that, when the setting unit has changed the setting to the second monitoring time, transmits an alarm indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the monitored person to a monitoring center that monitors the monitored person when the elapsed time exceeds the second monitoring time; A safety confirmation device equipped with the above.

2. The safety confirmation device of claim 1, wherein the first detection unit detects the fall of the monitored person by receiving a first signal indicating that the monitored person has fallen from a wearable device worn by the monitored person.

3. A safety confirmation device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the second detection unit detects the activity of the monitored person by receiving a second signal indicating that the activity of the monitored person has been detected from a sensor installed in the monitoring area of ​​the monitored person.

4. a receiving unit that receives an instruction to change the setting from the first monitoring time to the second monitoring time from an external device, The safety confirmation device according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit further changes the setting from the first monitoring time to the second monitoring time when the instruction is received by the receiving unit.

5. 3. The safety confirmation device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit returns the monitoring time to the first monitoring time when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after changing the monitoring time from the first monitoring time to the second monitoring time.

6. A safety confirmation device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein when the activity of the monitored person is detected by the second detection unit, the measurement unit resets the elapsed time that has been measured since the last detection by the second detection unit, and starts measuring the elapsed time anew.

7. A first detection step of detecting a fall of a monitored person; a second detection step of detecting the activity of the monitored person; a setting step of changing a monitoring time for monitoring the monitored person from a first monitoring time to a second monitoring time shorter than the first monitoring time when a fall of the monitored person is detected; a measuring step of measuring an elapsed time from the detection of the activity; a transmission step of transmitting an alarm indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the monitored person to a monitoring center that monitors the monitored person when the elapsed time has passed the second monitoring time, in a case where the setting has been changed to the second monitoring time; A method of confirming safety.

8. On the computer, A first detection step of detecting a fall of a monitored person; a second detection step of detecting the activity of the monitored person; a setting step of changing a monitoring time for monitoring the monitored person from a first monitoring time to a second monitoring time shorter than the first monitoring time when a fall of the monitored person is detected; a measuring step of measuring an elapsed time from the detection of the activity; a transmission step of transmitting an alarm indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the monitored person to a monitoring center that monitors the monitored person when the elapsed time has passed the second monitoring time, in a case where the setting has been changed to the second monitoring time; A program for executing.

Images