Monitoring system

Abstract

To provide a monitoring system that prevents leaving a monitored subject, such as a preschool child, behind in a vehicle.SOLUTION: A monitoring system 10 prevents a monitored subject from being left behind in a vehicle. The monitoring system 10 includes: a reader 100 that reads identification information on an identification tag through communication with an identification tag 300 carried by the monitored subject and stored with the identification information that can identify the monitored subject, and associates the read identification information with alighting information indicating the alighting and stores the information in the storage unit 104 when predetermined conditions are met; and a processing unit 2012 that detects the monitored person who has boarded a vehicle but not yet alighted from the vehicle, based on the identification information with which no alighting information is associated and the identification information with which the alighting information is associated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a surveillance system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been an issue of children being left behind on buses to nursery schools and kindergartens. Patent Document 1 discloses a warning system that, as a measure against this problem, continues to sound a warning until the driver presses a confirmation button indicating that he has checked the situation inside the bus after all the children have been removed from the bus. Patent Document 2 discloses an on-boarding / off-boarding confirmation device that detects the load on the seats to confirm boarding, and counts and displays the number of passengers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7300782 [Patent Document 2] JP 2023-59781 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is a risk that the confirmation button will become a mere formality. Also, the seat load detection will determine that a child has got off the bus if he or she is not sitting on the seat, even if the child is on the bus.

[0005] The present invention provides a surveillance system that prevents a person to be monitored, such as a kindergarten child, from being left behind in a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The monitoring system of the present invention is a monitoring system that prevents a monitored person from being left behind in a vehicle, and has a reading device that reads identification information carried by the monitored person and storing identification information capable of identifying the monitored person by communicating with an identification tag, and when a specified condition is satisfied, associates the read identification information with disembarking information indicating disembarking and stores the associated information in a memory unit, and a processing unit that detects the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not disembarked from the vehicle based on the identification information that is not associated with the disembarking information and the identification information that is associated with the disembarking information.

[0007] According to this aspect, if there is a "monitored person who boarded the vehicle but did not disembark from the vehicle," it is possible to detect the monitored person based on the identification information that is not associated with disembarking information and the identification information that is associated with disembarking information, and it is possible to prevent the monitored person from being left behind.

[0008] In the above surveillance system, the reader may have a wireless communication function, and the reader may communicate with the identification tag using the wireless communication function.

[0009] According to this embodiment, reading the identification information does not require a special operation (such as a touch operation) by the person being monitored. The identification information can be acquired without being influenced by the actions of the person being monitored, and when there is a "person being monitored who has boarded a vehicle but has not disembarked," the person being monitored can be detected more accurately.

[0010] In the above surveillance system, the reading device may be disposed near an entrance / exit of the vehicle, and may communicate with the identification tag when the person to be monitored passes through the entrance / exit.

[0011] When getting on and off the vehicle, the monitored person uses the entrance / exit of the vehicle. By providing a reading device at the entrance / exit of the vehicle, it is possible to obtain the identification information of the monitored person when he / she passes through the entrance / exit.

[0012] In the above monitoring system, the reading device may associate the disembarking information with the identification information read when a power source for running the vehicle is stopped.

[0013] The stopping of the power source for driving the vehicle is an action that the driver performs without fail when letting the monitored person get off the vehicle. With this configuration, the disembarking information can be associated with the identification information read when the power source is stopped, and the identification information associated with the disembarking information can be appropriately acquired.

[0014] The monitoring system further has a setting unit that sets the mode to a disembarkation mode in response to a specified operation of the vehicle by the driver of the vehicle, and the reading device may associate the disembarkation information with the identification information read in the disembarkation mode by communicating with the identification tag.

[0015] According to this aspect, the driver performs a predetermined operation, and the alighting information is appropriately associated with the identification information. Note that the driver may forget to perform the predetermined operation, in the sense that the predetermined operation is required. However, if the driver does not perform the predetermined operation and the mode is not set to the alighting mode, the alighting information is not associated with the identification information at all, and the driver can immediately notice that the driver forgot to set the mode.

[0016] In the above surveillance system, a gate that opens in a different direction when the monitored person enters and exits the vehicle is provided at the entrance and exit of the vehicle, and the reading device may associate the disembarking information with the identification information read when the gate operates in the opening direction for disembarking.

[0017] According to this aspect, when the monitored person gets off the vehicle, the gate operates in the opening direction for when the person gets off the vehicle, so that the alighting information can be appropriately associated with the identification information.

[0018] In the above surveillance system, a detection sensor that detects objects is provided at the entrance and exit of the vehicle, and the reading device may detect the disembarking action of the monitored person based on the detection result by the detection sensor, and associate the disembarking information with the read identification information.

[0019] According to this aspect, the disembarking action of the monitored person is detected based on the detection result by the detection sensor, so that the disembarking information can be appropriately associated with the identification information.

[0020] In the above monitoring system, the system may further include a GPS sensor that acquires location information of the vehicle, and the reading device may associate the disembarking information with the identification information read when it determines that the vehicle location information acquired by the GPS sensor is a specified parking lot.

[0021] According to this aspect, since the time of disembarking is determined based on the vehicle position information acquired by the GPS sensor, the disembarking information can be appropriately associated with the identification information. Here, the "predetermined parking lot" is a parking lot where the vehicle is finally parked and where all monitored persons disembark, for example, a parking lot of a facility such as a kindergarten or nursery school.

[0022] In the above monitoring system, the system may further include a GPS sensor that acquires location information of the vehicle, and the reading device may determine that the location information of the vehicle acquired by the GPS sensor is a specified parking lot, and associate the disembarkation information with the identification information read when the power source for running the vehicle is stopped.

[0023] According to this aspect, for example, the identification information is not associated with the dismounting information simply because the power source is temporarily stopped due to an idling stop. This makes it possible to appropriately associate the dismounting information with the identification information.

[0024] In the above monitoring system, when the entrance / exit door of the vehicle is closed, the reading device may transmit to the processing unit the identification information that is not associated with the disembarking information and the identification information that is associated with the disembarking information.

[0025] According to this aspect, the action of closing the vehicle entrance door, which is an action that is surely performed after the vehicle arrives at the facility, is used as a trigger to transmit the identification information associated with the disembarking information and the identification information not associated with the disembarking information to the processing unit, thereby appropriately executing the detection process of the "monitoring target who got on the vehicle but did not get off the vehicle" by the processing unit.

[0026] In the above monitoring system, the identification information may include attribute information of the holder of the identification tag, and when the reading device reads the identification information including the attribute information of the driver of the vehicle, the reading device may transmit to the processing unit the identification information that is not associated with the disembarking information and the identification information that is associated with the disembarking information.

[0027] According to this aspect, when the driver leaves the vehicle, the identification information associated with the disembarking information and the identification information not associated with the disembarking information are transmitted to the processing unit.

[0028] The above monitoring system may further include an alarm unit that performs an alarm process when the processing unit detects the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but not disembarked from the vehicle.

[0029] According to such an embodiment, the alarm processing of the notification unit can inform the driver that there is a "person to be monitored who has boarded the vehicle but has not disembarked," thereby making it possible to prevent the person to be monitored from being left behind.

[0030] In the above surveillance system, the reader may set a communication distance that is shorter when the predetermined condition is satisfied than when the predetermined condition is not satisfied.

[0031] In order to prevent a person from being left behind in a vehicle, it is necessary to determine that the person has definitely disembarked when he or she has disembarked. When a certain condition is met, that is, when disembarking information is to be given, the communication distance of the reading device is reduced, so that the disembarking information is associated with the identification tag of the person to be monitored who has passed close enough to be readable at a short communication distance. In contrast, when it comes to boarding a vehicle, it is preferable to increase the communication distance to a certain extent so as not to miss the person to be monitored who has boarded the vehicle.

[0032] Another embodiment of the monitoring system of the present invention is a monitoring system that prevents a person to be monitored from being left behind in a vehicle, and includes a first reading device disposed in the vehicle that reads first information including identification information carried by the person to be monitored by communicating with an identification tag that stores identification information capable of identifying the person to be monitored, a second reading device disposed in a facility used by the person to be monitored that reads second information including the identification information by communicating with the identification tag, and a processing unit that detects the person to be monitored who has boarded the vehicle but has not entered the facility based on the first information and the second information.

[0033] According to this aspect, if there is a "person to be monitored who has boarded a vehicle but has not entered a facility" based on the first information and the second information, the person to be monitored can be detected, and the person to be monitored can be prevented from being left behind.

[0034] In the above monitoring system, the facility may have a local area network whose wireless communication range includes a specified parking lot where the vehicle is parked, and the first reading device may be capable of transmitting the first information to the processing unit via the local area network when the vehicle is located in the specified parking lot.

[0035] According to this aspect, when the vehicle arrives at a specified parking lot, first information related to the identification information of the monitored person in the vehicle is transmitted to the processing unit, so that the processing unit can appropriately perform the comparison process.

[0036] In the above monitoring system, the reading device may transmit the first information read during a predetermined period to the processing unit.

[0037] According to this embodiment, it is only necessary to transmit information for a predetermined period necessary to detect a "monitoring target who got in a vehicle but did not enter a facility." The "predetermined period" is, for example, a period from 30 minutes before the time when the second reading device reads the identification information to the current time.

[0038] In the above monitoring system, the reading device may transmit the first information to the processing unit in response to a stop of a power source for running the vehicle.

[0039] According to this embodiment, the first information is transmitted to the processing unit using the stopping of the engine of the vehicle as a trigger. The first information can be automatically and reliably transmitted to the processing unit using the action of stopping the power source, which is always performed by the driver, as a trigger.

[0040] In the above monitoring system, the processing unit may detect the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not entered the facility by performing a comparison process using the first information and the second information read by the second reading device within a predetermined time period after the processing unit receives the first information.

[0041] According to this aspect, it is possible to detect "the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not entered the facility" after a predetermined time has elapsed. Effect of the Invention

[0042] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a person to be monitored, such as a kindergarten child, from being left behind in a vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of read information when boarding a train. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of read information when disembarking. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of read information when disembarking. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control unit of the monitoring system according to the first modification. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a gate of a monitoring system according to the second modification. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring system according to the third modification. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring system according to the fourth modification. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a monitoring system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring system according to the fifth modification. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing whether the read information of the monitoring target person has been successfully read. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] Each embodiment will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. Various features shown in the embodiments described below can be combined with each other.

[0045] In addition, each drawing is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a precise illustration. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same configurations, and duplicated explanations may be omitted or simplified.

[0046] (First embodiment) First, the configuration of a monitoring system 10 according to a first embodiment will be described. The monitoring system 10 according to this embodiment is a monitoring system for preventing a person to be monitored from being left behind in a vehicle. The "vehicle" referred to in this disclosure is a bus for a nursery school or kindergarten, but the monitoring system 10 according to this embodiment is also applicable to a general vehicle. Also, the "person to be monitored" referred to in this disclosure is a child of the nursery school or kindergarten. FIG. 1(a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the monitoring system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0047] The monitoring system 10 shown in FIG. 1(a) includes a reading device 100 and a processing device 200. The reading device 100 reads information including the identification information of the monitoring subject by communicating with an identification tag 300 carried by the monitoring subject. Hereinafter, the information read from the identification tag 300 is referred to as "read information." The identification tag 300 stores identification information that can identify the monitoring subject. The "identification information" in this disclosure is information for identifying the monitoring subject, and may include a unique identification code assigned to each monitoring subject. The reading device 100 includes an antenna 101, a reading unit 102, a communication unit 103, and a storage unit 104. In this embodiment, the reading device 100 is configured by accommodating the antenna 101, the reading unit 102, the communication unit 103, and the storage unit 104 in one housing. Then, this housing is installed at a predetermined position in the vehicle. As an example, the predetermined position in the vehicle is near the entrance and exit of the vehicle. In this case, the reading device 100 communicates with the identification tag 300 when the person to be monitored passes through the entrance / exit of the vehicle. The "vicinity of the entrance / exit" refers to the ceiling above the entrance / exit door, a seat near the entrance / exit, etc., and may be any position where the reading device 100 can read the identification tag 300 of the person to be monitored who passes through the entrance / exit.

[0048] Antenna 101 receives radio waves (radio waves used as a medium for wireless communication between reader 102 and identification tag 300). In this embodiment, antenna 101 is used not only for receiving radio waves but also for transmitting radio waves. Antenna 101 may be either circularly polarized or linearly polarized, but in this embodiment, as an example, antenna 101 is configured as a circularly polarized antenna. As an example, antenna 101 is a microstrip antenna in which a conductive path is formed on a printed wiring board.

[0049] The reading unit 102 is a device that executes a reading process to read information including the identification information of a person to be monitored by performing wireless communication using radio waves as a medium with the identification tag 300 carried by the person to be monitored. The reading unit 102 performs wireless communication with the identification tag 300 using an antenna 101.

[0050] In this embodiment, the reading unit 102 is a reader constituting an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system. That is, the reading unit 102 acquires the identification information stored in the identification tag 300 by performing wireless communication with the identification tag 300 in the RFID system.

[0051] The identification tag 300 is, for example, a passive RF (Radio Frequency) tag. The identification tag 300 has at least a memory for storing identification information. A plurality of identification tags 300 are associated one-to-one with a plurality of monitoring subjects. The identification tag 300 stores identification information about the corresponding monitoring subject, and the identification tag 300 is carried by the corresponding monitoring subject.

[0052] The identification tag 300 only needs to be carried by the person to be monitored, and there are various specific modes in which the identification tag 300 is carried by the person to be monitored. In the present embodiment, as an example, the identification tag 300 is carried in a bag owned by the person to be monitored. As an example, the identification tag 300 is in the form of a sticker and is stored in the bag. Specifically, the identification tag 300 is stored in a pocket of the bag. Alternatively, the identification tag 300 may be connected to the bag by, for example, a string or the like. Also, the identification tag 300 may be formed integrally with an admission pass, a name tag, or the like.

[0053] The reading unit 102 transmits radio waves from the antenna 101, and performs wireless communication with the identification tag 300 activated by the radio waves, using the radio waves as a communication medium. In this embodiment, the reading unit 102 receives information including at least the identification information from the identification tag 300 when wireless communication with the identification tag 300 is established.

[0054] The communication unit 103 includes, for example, a wired communication module. The communication unit 103 communicates with, for example, an I 2 The communication unit 103 communicates with the communication unit 203 of the processing device 200 via a communication path by wired communication using a signal line such as C. The communication unit 103 may also communicate with the processing device 200 via a network by optical wireless communication using light such as infrared light or visible light as a medium, or wireless communication using radio waves as a medium, using a wireless communication module. The communication unit 103 may be connected to the network via a communication device such as a router.

[0055] The storage unit 104 is, for example, configured with at least one of a non-transitory recording medium such as a hard disk, and a non-transitory recording medium such as a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage unit 104 stores the read information read by the reading unit 102.

[0056] The reading device 100 reads information from the identification tag 300 by communicating with the identification tag 300, and when a predetermined condition is satisfied, associates the read information with disembarking information indicating disembarking and stores the associated information in the storage unit 104. One example of the "predetermined condition" is a state in which the power source for driving the vehicle (the engine of the vehicle, or the motor of the vehicle in the case of an electric vehicle) is stopped, but is not limited to this. Other examples of the "predetermined condition" will be described later.

[0057] Next, the processing device 200 of this embodiment will be described. The processing device 200 is configured by accommodating a control unit 201, a storage unit 202, and a communication unit 203 in one housing. This housing is then installed at a predetermined position in the vehicle. The predetermined position in the vehicle is near the entrance / exit of the vehicle. In this regard, in this embodiment, the reading device 100 and the processing device 200 are separate devices, but the monitoring system 10 may be configured by accommodating the reading device 100 and the processing device 200 in one housing and installed near the entrance / exit of the vehicle. Also, if the processing device 200 and the reading device 100 can communicate with each other by wireless communication, the processing device 200 may be installed not in the vehicle but in a facility such as a nursery school or kindergarten used by the person to be monitored.

[0058] The control unit 201 is a computer system mainly composed of one or more processors and a memory as hardware. In the control unit 201, various functions are realized by executing a program recorded in the memory with one or more processors. The program may be recorded in the memory of the control unit 201 in advance, may be provided via a telecommunication line, or may be provided by recording it on a non-transitory recording medium such as an optical disk or a hard disk that can be read by a computer system.

[0059] 1(b) is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 201. The control unit 201 has an acquisition unit 2011, a processing unit 2012, and a notification unit 2013. Specifically, the control unit 201 realizes the functions of the acquisition unit 2011, the processing unit 2012, and the notification unit 2013 by executing a predetermined program using one or more processors.

[0060] The acquiring unit 2011 acquires the read information read by the reading device 100 via the communication unit 203 .

[0061] The processing unit 2012 detects a monitoring target who has boarded a vehicle but has not disembarked from the vehicle, based on the read information read by the reading device 100. Specifically, the processing unit 2012 detects a monitoring target who has boarded a vehicle but has not disembarked from the vehicle, based on read information not associated with disembarking information and read information associated with disembarking information.

[0062] The notification unit 2013 performs an alarm process when the processing unit 2012 detects a person to be monitored who has boarded the vehicle but has not dismounted from the vehicle. Specifically, the notification unit 2013 transmits a command to sound an alarm to an audio output device such as a buzzer installed in the vehicle. The audio output device that receives the command then sounds an alarm, so that the driver of the vehicle or a caregiver can notice that there is a person to be monitored who has boarded the vehicle but has not dismounted from the vehicle.

[0063] The storage unit 202 is, for example, configured with at least one of a non-transitory recording medium such as a hard disk, and a non-transitory recording medium such as a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage unit 202 stores the read information transmitted from the reading device 100.

[0064] The communication unit 203 includes, for example, a wired communication module. The communication unit 203 communicates with the communication unit 103 of the reading device 100 via a communication path using the wired communication module. The communication unit 203 may also communicate with the reading device 100 via a network using, for example, optical wireless communication using light such as infrared light or visible light as a medium, or wireless communication using radio waves as a medium, using a wireless communication module. The communication unit 203 may be connected to the network via a communication device such as a router.

[0065] An example of the operation of the monitoring system 10 of this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring system 10 of this embodiment.

[0066] When the power source for running the vehicle (the engine of the vehicle, or the motor of the vehicle in the case of an electric vehicle) is started, in S101, power is supplied to the reading device 100, and the reading function of the identification tag 300 of the reading device 100 is turned on. Note that, in order to make it easy to newly install the reading device 100 in a vehicle, it is preferable that the reading device 100 has an interface that can be powered from a USB power supply or a cigarette lighter socket. Note that the reading function of the reading device 100 may be always on.

[0067] In S102, when the person to be monitored gets into the vehicle, the reading device 100 communicates with the identification tag 300, reads information including the identification information for identifying the person to be monitored stored in the identification tag 300, and stores the read information in the memory unit 104. When reading, the reading device 100 also stores the time of communication with the identification tag 300.

[0068] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of read information at the time of boarding, which is stored in the memory unit 104 by the reading device 100 in S102. FIG. 3 shows read information when five monitored persons board a vehicle. The read information includes identification information and information on the time of boarding. The identification information includes attribute information. Here, "attribute information" refers to the attribute of the holder of the identification tag 300, and the attribute of the monitored person is "kindergartener." If the driver or caregiver is the holder of the identification tag 300, the driver's attribute is "driver" and the caregiver's attribute is "caregiver."

[0069] Once all the persons to be monitored for that day have boarded the vehicle, the vehicle returns to the facility. The driver parks the vehicle in the facility's parking lot, stops the engine, and opens the door of the vehicle. Then, in S103, when the persons to be monitored get out of the vehicle through the door of the vehicle, the reading device 100 communicates with the identification tag 300 and reads information including the identification information that identifies the persons to be monitored that is stored in the identification tag 300.

[0070] The reading device 100 acquires information from the vehicle that the engine of the vehicle is stopped and determines that a predetermined condition is satisfied. The reading device 100 associates the read information with disembarking information indicating disembarking, and stores the information in the storage unit 104. When reading the information, the reading device 100 also stores the time of communication with the identification tag 300.

[0071] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of read information at the time of disembarking, which is stored in the storage unit 104 by the reading device 100 in S103. FIG. 4 shows the read information when all five monitored persons who got on in S102 disembark from the vehicle. The read information includes identification information including attribute information, disembarking time information, and status. Here, "status" indicates that disembarking information is associated with the read information, and when disembarking information is associated, "disembarking" is displayed. In the example of FIG. 4, the driver disembarks from the vehicle last.

[0072] When disembarking, the identification tag 300 of the person to be monitored who has only approached the reading device 100 but has not disembarked should not be read and associated with disembarking information. This is because if the person is determined to have disembarked even though he or she is still in the vehicle, the person may be left behind. For this reason, it is preferable to set the communication distance between the reading device 100 and the identification tag 300 when disembarking shorter than the communication distance between the reading device 100 and the identification tag 300 when boarding.

[0073] In other words, it is preferable that the reader 100 makes the communication distance shorter when the predetermined condition is satisfied than when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. Specifically, if the communication distance when the predetermined condition is satisfied is a first distance and the communication distance when the predetermined condition is not satisfied is a second distance, the first distance is smaller than the second distance. For example, the first distance may be 30 cm and the second distance may be 1 m.

[0074] By setting the communication distance in this manner, boarding is detected when the reader 100 approaches within the second distance, reducing the risk of overlooking the boarding of a monitored person. On the other hand, if the communication distance is large, there is a possibility that communication may be possible with the identification tag 300 of the monitored person sitting in the vehicle. This is not a problem if boarding is detected, but in the case of disembarking, it is desired to detect that the person has disembarked without fail, so when a certain condition is met (when disembarking information is assigned), communication with the identification tag 300 of the monitored person sitting in the vehicle would cause inconvenience.

[0075] By reducing the communication distance of the reading device 100 to a first distance, it is possible to detect the identification tag 300 of a monitored person who has disembarked by limiting detection to the identification tag 300 of a monitored person who has passed near the reading device 100 without communicating with the identification tag 300 of a monitored person who is sitting nearby in the vehicle.

[0076] 5 shows the read information when the monitoring target with the identification information "A" among the five monitoring targets who got on in S102 did not get off the vehicle. In this way, if the identification tag 300 is not read by the reading device 100 at the time of getting off, the read information with the alighting information attached thereto is not recorded.

[0077] In S104, the closing of the vehicle door is used as a trigger, and the reading device 100 transmits the read information to the processing device 200. That is, the reading device 100 transmits to the processing device 200 the read information not associated with the alighting information and the read information associated with the alighting information.

[0078] In this embodiment, the reading device 100 transmits the read information to the processing device 200 when the door of the vehicle is closed, but the timing of transmitting the read information is not limited to this. The reading device 100 may transmit the read information to the processing device 200 when the driver gets off the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the identification information includes attribute information. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle has the reading device 100 read his / her own identification tag 300 only when getting off the vehicle. The timing of reading is after the driver judges that all the monitored persons have got off the vehicle. The reading device 100 may transmit the read information to the processing device 200 when the reading device 100 reads the identification information including the attribute information of the driver. In this case, the read information is transmitted to the processing device 200 when the driver leaves the vehicle. The reading device that reads the driver's identification information may be installed in the driver's seat and may be different from the reading device 100.

[0079] In addition, if the vehicle does not move for a predetermined time after the vehicle door is opened or closed, it may be determined that the driver has exited the vehicle based on a vehicle speed pulse or engine stop. In addition, it may be detected that the driver has exited the vehicle based on keyless entry communication.

[0080] In S105, when the processing unit 2012 of the processing device 200 receives the read information, the processing unit 2012 detects a monitoring target who has boarded a vehicle but has not dismounted from the vehicle based on the read information not associated with dismounting information and the read information associated with dismounting information. Specifically, the processing unit 2012 performs a comparison process using the read information not associated with dismounting information and the read information associated with dismounting information to detect a monitoring target who has boarded a vehicle but has not dismounted from the vehicle. More specifically, the processing unit 2012 compares each piece of data in the read information not associated with dismounting information to see whether there is matching data in the read information associated with dismounting information.

[0081] In S106, the processing unit 2012 determines that there is no abnormality for all data in the read information not associated with the disembarking information if there is matching data in the read information associated with the disembarking information, and ends the process. Specifically, when comparing the read information in Fig. 3 with the read information in Fig. 4, the data in the read information in Fig. 3 matches the data in the read information in Fig. 4, and therefore it is determined that there is no abnormality.

[0082] On the other hand, if there is no matching data in the read information associated with the disembarking information for all the data in the read information not associated with the disembarking information, the flow proceeds to S107, where the processing unit 2012 determines that there is a monitoring target person who may have been left behind in the vehicle, and performs an alarm process. Specifically, when comparing the read information in Fig. 3 with the read information in Fig. 5, there is no data of monitoring target person "A" in the read information in Fig. 5. Therefore, the processing unit 2012 determines that there is monitoring target person "A" who may have been left behind in the vehicle, and performs an alarm process.

[0083] In this embodiment, the reading device 100 communicates with the communication unit 203 of the processing device 200 via a communication path using a wired communication module. The communication between the reading device 100 and the processing device 200 is not limited to this, and the reading device 100 may communicate with the processing device 200 via a mobile line network such as 4G or 5G.

[0084] Furthermore, when the reading device 100 transmits the read information to the processing device 200, the reading device 100 may receive, from the processing device 200, reception confirmation information indicating whether or not the processing device 200 has correctly received the read information. If the reading device 100 is unable to receive the reception confirmation information, the reading device 100 may transmit the read information to the processing device 200 multiple times until it receives the reception confirmation information. If the reading device 100 is unable to receive the reception confirmation information, the reading device 100 may issue an alarm to the effect that the read information could not be transmitted.

[0085] As described above, the monitoring system 10 of this embodiment that prevents a monitored person from being left behind in a vehicle has a reading device 100 that reads the read information of the identification tag 300 of the monitored person by communicating with the identification tag 300, and when a specified condition is satisfied, associates the read information with disembarking information indicating disembarking and stores the associated information in a memory unit 104, and a processing unit 2012 that detects a monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not disembarked, based on the read information not associated with disembarking information and the read information associated with disembarking information.

[0086] The children who are the subjects of monitoring run around near the entrance and exit of the vehicle. For this reason, if the reading of the identification tag 300 at the time of disembarking is not recorded as information at the time of disembarking, the subject of monitoring may be detected as disembarking even though he or she is on the vehicle because he or she runs around inside the vehicle. In order to prevent such erroneous detection, the reading device 100 of the present embodiment associates disembarking information indicating disembarking with the read information when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and stores the associated information in the storage unit 104. This allows a comparison process to be performed between the read information at the time of boarding that is not associated with disembarking information and the read information at the time of disembarking that is associated with disembarking information, and when there is a "subject of monitoring who has boarded the vehicle but has not disembarked," the subject of monitoring can be appropriately detected.

[0087] In this embodiment, the additional information, which is the disembarking information, is associated with the read information when the predetermined condition is satisfied, but the additional information may be associated with the read information even when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. In this case, when the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the boarding information indicating boarding may be associated with the read information.

[0088] The following describes a modification of the first embodiment. The following modification is another example of the "predetermined condition".

[0089] (Variation 1) In the first embodiment, the predetermined condition is described as an example in which the engine of the vehicle is stopped. Then, the reading device 100 associates the read information read when the engine of the vehicle is stopped with the disembarking information. In the first modification, the reading device 100 associates the read information with the disembarking information in response to a predetermined operation of the vehicle by the driver.

[0090] 6 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 201 of the processing device 200 according to Modification 1. The control unit 201 of Modification 1 differs from the control unit 201 of the first embodiment in that it has a setting unit 2014.

[0091] The setting unit 2014 sets the mode of the vehicle to the dismount mode via an operating member such as a switch or a button. When the driver of the vehicle turns on the switch or presses the button, the setting unit 2014 can set the mode of the vehicle to the dismount mode.

[0092] The reading device 100 acquires information from the vehicle that the mode of the vehicle is in the disembarking mode and determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied. At this time, the reading device 100 associates the disembarking information with the read information read in the disembarking mode by communicating with the identification tag 300.

[0093] As a result, even in the monitoring system 10 of the first modification, a comparison process is performed between the read information at the time of boarding that is not associated with the disembarking information and the read information at the time of disembarking that is associated with the disembarking information, and when there is a "person to be monitored who boarded the vehicle but did not disembark from the vehicle," the person to be monitored can be appropriately detected. Note that, when the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the setting unit 2014 may set the mode to the boarding mode. In other words, the setting unit 2014 may be a switch that switches between the boarding mode and the disembarking mode.

[0094] In the monitoring system 10 of the first modification, the disembarking information is associated with the read information in the disembarking mode set according to a predetermined operation by the driver. For example, if the driver forgets to set the disembarking mode and the disembarking mode is not set, the disembarking information is not associated with the read information at all, and the disembarking information is not acquired. This makes it possible to immediately notice that the driver has forgotten to set the mode. In addition, since the read information at the time of disembarking cannot be acquired, the driver or the caregiver is prompted to carefully check whether any monitored persons have been left behind, which makes it possible to further prevent monitored persons from being left behind.

[0095] (Variation 2) The monitoring system 10 of the second modification is different from the monitoring system 10 of the first embodiment in that a gate 105 is provided at the entrance of the vehicle, the opening direction of which differs when the monitored person gets on and off the vehicle. Fig. 7 shows a top view of a vehicle 20. The vehicle 20 has a driver's seat 21 and a plurality of passenger seats 22. The vehicle is provided with a gate 105 at the entrance of the vehicle 20. The opening direction of the gate 105 differs when the monitored person gets on and off the vehicle.

[0096] FIG. 7(a) shows the vehicle 20 when the gate 105 operates in the opening direction when boarding. When boarding, the gate 105 rotates toward the inside of the vehicle to allow the person to be monitored to enter the vehicle. FIG. 7(b) shows the vehicle 20 when the gate 105 operates in the opening direction when disembarking. When disembarking, the gate 105 rotates toward the outside of the vehicle to allow the person to be monitored to exit the vehicle. In this way, boarding and disembarking can be distinguished depending on the opening direction of the gate 105.

[0097] In the monitoring system 10 of the second modification, the reading device 100 acquires information from the vehicle that the gate 105 is operating in the opening direction (FIG. 7(b)) for disembarking, and determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied. At this time, the reading device 100 associates the read information with the disembarking information by communicating with the identification tag 300.

[0098] In the monitoring system 10 of the second variant example, a comparison process is performed between the read information at the time of boarding that is not associated with disembarking information and the read information at the time of disembarking that is associated with disembarking information, and in the event that there is a "monitored person who boarded the vehicle but did not disembark from the vehicle," the monitored person can be appropriately detected.

[0099] (Variation 3) FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the monitoring system 10 according to the third modification. The monitoring system 10 according to the third modification differs from the monitoring system 10 according to the first embodiment in that a detection sensor 106 for detecting an object is provided at the entrance / exit of the vehicle. The detection sensor 106 includes at least an optical sensor and a pressure sensor. The optical sensor is a sensor that detects light and converts it into an electric signal, and detects an object by projecting light from a light-projecting element and detecting the intensity of the reflected or transmitted light with a light-receiving element. The pressure sensor is a sensor that measures the pressure applied to an object, and includes a capacitance pressure sensor, a piezoelectric pressure sensor, a pressure sensor that uses light, a gauge pressure sensor, and the like.

[0100] When getting off, the monitored person moves from inside the vehicle to outside the vehicle. The monitoring sensor 106 detects the monitored person at two points on the route from inside the vehicle to outside the vehicle, so that the movement of the monitored person when getting off can be determined. That is, assuming that there is a first sensor and a second sensor from inside the vehicle to outside the vehicle, if the first sensor detects the monitored person and then the second sensor detects the monitored person, it is determined that the monitored person is getting off the vehicle. Conversely, if the second sensor detects the monitored person and then the first sensor detects the monitored person, it is determined that the monitored person is getting on the vehicle.

[0101] In the monitoring system 10 of the third modification, the reading device 100 acquires information from the sensing sensor 106 that the sensing sensor 106 has detected the disembarking action of the monitored person, and determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied. At this time, the reading device 100 associates the read information with the disembarking information by communicating with the identification tag 300.

[0102] In addition, when getting off the vehicle, it is often the case that multiple subjects to be monitored are lined up at the entrance / exit of the vehicle, waiting their turn. Therefore, when the detection sensor 106 detects multiple subjects to be monitored at the entrance / exit of the vehicle, the reading device 100 may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

[0103] In this manner, in the monitoring system 10 according to the third modification, the reading device 100 associates the read read information with the disembarking information based on the detection result by the detection sensor 106 that detects an object.

[0104] In the monitoring system 10 of the third variant example, a comparison process is performed between the read information at the time of boarding that is not associated with disembarking information and the read information at the time of disembarking that is associated with disembarking information, and if there is a "monitored person who boarded the vehicle but did not disembark from the vehicle," the monitored person can be properly detected.

[0105] (Variation 4) 9 is a block diagram of a monitoring system 10 according to Modification 4. The monitoring system 10 of Modification 4 differs from the monitoring system 10 of the first embodiment in that it has a GPS sensor 107 that acquires vehicle position information and map data 108. The GPS sensor 107 acquires vehicle position information based on a signal from a GPS satellite.

[0106] In the monitoring system 10 of the fourth modification, the reading device 100 compares the vehicle position information acquired by the GPS sensor 107 with the map data 108 to determine whether the vehicle is located in a predetermined parking lot, such as a parking lot of a facility. When the reading device 100 determines that the vehicle position information acquired by the GPS sensor 107 indicates that the vehicle is located in the predetermined parking lot, it determines that a predetermined condition is satisfied. At this time, the reading device 100 associates the read read information with the disembarking information by communicating with the identification tag 300. Here, the "predetermined parking lot" is a parking lot where the vehicle is finally parked and where all monitored persons disembark, such as a parking lot of a facility such as a kindergarten or nursery school.

[0107] In the first embodiment, the predetermined condition is exemplified as the vehicle engine being stopped. However, recent vehicles may have an idling stop function. In this case, when the vehicle picks up the person to be monitored to take him to a facility, the vehicle may be parked to allow the person to enter the vehicle, the entrance door may be opened, and the engine may be stopped by the idling stop function. If the engine being stopped is set as a condition for associating the read information with the disembarking information, the read information may be associated with the disembarking information even though it is read at the time of getting on. Therefore, this problem is solved by using the GPS sensor 107.

[0108] When the vehicle engine is stopped by the idling stop function, the reading device 100 determines that the vehicle is located in a specified parking lot using the GPS sensor 107, and associates the disembarking information with the read information read when the vehicle engine is stopped. In this way, the disembarking information can be appropriately associated with the identification information, since the identification information is not associated with the disembarking information simply because the engine is temporarily stopped by idling stop. Note that the specified condition may be that the vehicle door is opened in addition to the vehicle being located in a specified parking lot and the vehicle engine being stopped.

[0109] In addition, the specified condition may be that the vehicle is located in a specified parking lot and the vehicle engine is stopped, regardless of whether the vehicle has an idling stop function, or the specified condition may be that the vehicle is located in a specified parking lot, the vehicle engine is stopped, and the vehicle door is open.

[0110] In this way, even if the vehicle has an idling stop function, the reading device 100 can appropriately associate the disembarking information with the read information at the timing of disembarking.

[0111] In the monitoring system 10 of the fourth variant example, a comparison process is performed between the read information at the time of boarding that is not associated with disembarking information and the read information at the time of disembarking that is associated with disembarking information, and if there is a "monitored person who boarded the vehicle but did not disembark from the vehicle," the monitored person can be properly detected.

[0112] (Second embodiment) In the first embodiment, one reading device 100 is used to read information from the identification tag 300. In the monitoring system 10A of the second embodiment, two reading devices are used. The monitoring system 10A of the second embodiment includes a first reading device 100A arranged in a vehicle and a second reading device 100B arranged in a facility, and compares a monitoring subject detected in the vehicle with a monitoring subject detected in the facility to monitor whether any monitoring subject has been left behind in the vehicle.

[0113] FIG. 10(a) is a block diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring system 10A according to a second embodiment. The monitoring system 10A shown in FIG. 10(a) has a first reading device 100A and a second reading device 100B. The first reading device 100A reads first information including identification information of a monitoring target person by communicating with an identification tag 300 carried by the monitoring target person. The identification tag 300 stores identification information capable of identifying the monitoring target person. The first reading device 100A includes an antenna 101A, a reading unit 102A, a communication unit 103A, and a storage unit 104A. In this embodiment, the first reading device 100A is configured by accommodating the antenna 101A, the reading unit 102A, the communication unit 103A, and the storage unit 104A in one housing. Then, this housing is installed at a predetermined position in a vehicle. The predetermined position in a vehicle is, for example, near the entrance / exit of the vehicle. In this case, the first reading device 100A communicates with the identification tag 300 when the person to be monitored passes through the vehicle entrance / exit.

[0114] The antenna 101A receives radio waves (radio waves used as a medium for wireless communication between the reading unit 102A and the identification tag 300). In this embodiment, the antenna 101A is used not only for receiving radio waves but also for transmitting radio waves. The antenna 101A may be either a circularly polarized or linearly polarized antenna, but in this embodiment, as an example, the antenna 101A is configured as a circularly polarized antenna. As an example, the antenna 101A is a microstrip antenna in which a conductive path is formed on a printed wiring board.

[0115] The reading unit 102A is a device that executes a reading process to read first information including identification information of a monitoring subject by performing wireless communication using radio waves as a medium with the identification tag 300 carried by the monitoring subject. The reading unit 102A performs wireless communication with the identification tag 300 using the antenna 101A.

[0116] In this embodiment, the reading unit 102A is a reader constituting an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system. That is, the reading unit 102A acquires identification information stored in the identification tag 300 by performing wireless communication with the identification tag 300 in the RFID system.

[0117] The identification tag 300 is, for example, a passive RF (Radio Frequency) tag. The identification tag 300 has at least a memory for storing identification information. A plurality of identification tags 300 are associated one-to-one with a plurality of monitoring subjects. The identification tag 300 stores identification information about the corresponding monitoring subject, and the identification tag 300 is carried by the corresponding monitoring subject.

[0118] The identification tag 300 only needs to be carried by the person to be monitored, and there are various specific modes in which the identification tag 300 is carried by the person to be monitored. In the present embodiment, as an example, the identification tag 300 is carried in a bag owned by the person to be monitored. As an example, the identification tag 300 is in the form of a sticker and is stored in the bag. Specifically, the identification tag 300 is stored in a pocket of the bag. In addition, the identification tag 300 may be connected to the bag by, for example, a string or the like. The identification tag may also be formed integrally with an admission pass, a name tag, or the like.

[0119] The reading unit 102A transmits radio waves from the antenna 101A and performs wireless communication using the radio waves as a communication medium with the identification tag 300 activated by the radio waves. In this embodiment, the reading unit 102A receives first information including at least the identification information from the identification tag 300 when wireless communication with the identification tag 300 is established.

[0120] The communication unit 103A communicates with the second reading device 100B via a local area network using a wireless communication module, for example, optical wireless communication using light such as infrared or visible light as a medium, or wireless communication using radio waves as a medium. The communication unit 103A may be connected to the local area network via a communication device such as a router. In this embodiment, the facility used by the person to be monitored has a local area network whose wireless communication range is a predetermined parking lot, such as the parking lot of the facility where the vehicle is parked. Therefore, when the vehicle is located in the predetermined parking lot, the first reading device 100A communicates with the second reading device 100B via the local area network.

[0121] The storage unit 104A is, for example, configured with at least one of a non-transitory recording medium such as a hard disk, and a non-transitory recording medium such as a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage unit 104A stores the first information read by the first reading device 100A.

[0122] Next, the second reading device 100B of this embodiment will be described. The second reading device 100B reads second information including the identification information of the person to be monitored by communicating with the identification tag 300 carried by the person to be monitored. The second reading device 100B has an antenna 101B, a reading unit 102B, and a processing device 200, which are accommodated in one housing. The antenna 101B and the reading unit 102B are the same as the antenna 101A and the reading unit 102B of the first reading device 100A, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0123] The processing device 200 has a control unit 201, a storage unit 202, and a communication unit 203. The second reading device 100B is installed near the entrance of a facility used by a person to be monitored, not in a vehicle. In this embodiment, the processing device 200 is an element of the second reading device 100B, but the processing device 200 may be a device separate from the second reading device 100B. In this case, the second reading device 100B needs to be provided with a storage unit for storing the read second information, similar to the first reading device 100A, so that the second reading device 100B and the processing device 200 can communicate with each other.

[0124] The control unit 201 is a computer system mainly composed of one or more processors and a memory as hardware. In the control unit 201, various functions are realized by executing a program recorded in the memory with one or more processors. The program may be recorded in the memory of the control unit 201 in advance, may be provided via a telecommunication line, or may be provided by recording it on a non-transitory recording medium such as an optical disk or a hard disk that can be read by a computer system.

[0125] 10(b) is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 201. The control unit 201 has an acquisition unit 2011, a processing unit 2012, and a notification unit 2013. Specifically, the control unit 201 realizes the functions of the acquisition unit 2011, the processing unit 2012, and the notification unit 2013 by executing a predetermined program using one or more processors.

[0126] The acquiring unit 2011 acquires, via the communication unit 203, the first information read by the first reading device 100A.

[0127] The processing unit 2012 detects a person to be monitored who has boarded a vehicle but has not entered a facility, based on the first information read by the first reading device 100A and the second information read by the second reading device 100B. In the first embodiment, the processing unit 2012 detects a person to be monitored who has boarded a vehicle but has not exited the vehicle, but in the present embodiment, the processing unit 2012 detects a person to be monitored who has boarded a vehicle but has not entered a facility. This is because the second reading device 100B is installed in the facility, not in the vehicle.

[0128] The notification unit 2013 performs an alarm process when the processing unit 2012 detects a person to be monitored who has boarded a vehicle but has not entered the facility. Specifically, the notification unit 2103 transmits a command to sound an alarm to an audio output device such as a buzzer installed in the vehicle or the facility. The audio output device that receives the command then sounds an alarm, so that the driver of the vehicle or the caregiver can notice that there is a person to be monitored who has boarded a vehicle but has not entered the facility.

[0129] The storage unit 202 is, for example, configured with at least one of a non-transitory recording medium such as a hard disk, and a non-transitory recording medium such as a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage unit 202 stores the first information transmitted from the first reading device 100A and the second information read by the second reading device 100B.

[0130] The communication unit 203 communicates with the first reader 100A via a local area network using a wireless communication module, for example, optical wireless communication using light such as infrared light or visible light as a medium, or wireless communication using radio waves as a medium. The communication unit 203 may be connected to the local area network via a communication device such as a router.

[0131] An example of the operation of the monitoring system 10A of this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring system 10A of this embodiment.

[0132] When the power source for running the vehicle (the engine of the vehicle, or the motor of the vehicle in the case of an electric vehicle) is started, in S201, power is supplied to the first reading device 100A, and the function of reading the identification tag 300 of the first reading device 100A is turned ON. In order to make it easy to newly install the first reading device 100A in a vehicle, it is preferable that the first reading device 100A has an interface that can be powered from a USB power supply or a cigarette lighter socket. Also, the reading function of the first reading device 100A may be always ON.

[0133] In S202, when the person to be monitored gets into the vehicle, the first reading device 100A communicates with the identification tag 300, reads the first information including the identification information for identifying the person to be monitored stored in the identification tag 300, and stores it in the memory unit 104A. When reading, the first reading device 100A also stores the time of communication with the identification tag 300.

[0134] Once all the persons to be monitored for that day have boarded the vehicle, the vehicle returns to the facility. In S203, when the driver stops the vehicle engine, the first reading device 100A transmits the first information within the most recent predetermined period (e.g., one hour) to the second reading device 100B, triggered by the stopping of the engine. Thereafter, the persons to be monitored get out of the vehicle. Note that the persons to be monitored may be allowed to get out of the vehicle before the engine is stopped.

[0135] In S204, when the person to be monitored enters the facility, the second reading device 100B communicates with the identification tag 300, reads the second information including the identification information for identifying the person to be monitored stored in the identification tag 300, and stores the second information in the memory unit 202. When reading the second information, the second reading device 100B also stores the time of communication with the identification tag 300.

[0136] The first reading device 100A is provided near the entrance of the vehicle, while the second reading device 100B is provided near the entrance of a facility larger than the vehicle. For this reason, it is preferable to set the communication distance between the first reading device 100A and the identification tag 300 (for example, a maximum communication distance of 50 cm) shorter than the communication distance between the second reading device 100B and the identification tag 300 (for example, a maximum communication distance of 5 m).

[0137] In S205, the processing unit 2012 of the second reading device 100B detects a person to be monitored who has boarded a vehicle but has not entered the facility based on the first information and the second information after a predetermined time (e.g., 15 minutes) has elapsed since receiving the first information from the first reading device 100A. Specifically, the processing unit 2012 performs a comparison process using the first information and the second information to detect a person to be monitored who has boarded a vehicle but has not entered the facility. More specifically, the processing unit 2012 compares each piece of data in the first information to determine whether or not there is matching data in the second information.

[0138] In S206, if there is data in the second information that matches all the data in the first information, the processing unit 2012 determines that there is no abnormality and ends the process. On the other hand, if there is no data in the second information that matches all the data in the first information, the flow proceeds to S207, where the notification unit 2013 determines that there is a monitored person who may have been left behind in the car and performs alarm processing.

[0139] In this embodiment, in S203, the first reading device 100A transmits the first information to the second reading device 100B, triggered by the engine stop of the vehicle. However, the transmission timing of the first information of the first reading device 100A is not limited to this. For example, the second reading device 100B may transmit a read information transmission command to the first reading device 100A to transmit the first information. In this case, when the first reading device 100A receives the read information transmission command from the second reading device 100B, it transmits the first information to the second reading device 100B. If the second reading device 100B transmits the read information transmission command to the first reading device 100A but is unable to receive the first information, the notification unit 2013 of the second reading device 100B may perform an alarm process, assuming that there is a possibility of a communication abnormality.

[0140] The timing for the second reading device 100B to transmit the read information transmission command to the first reading device 100A is a time (e.g., 8:30) slightly later than the usual time (e.g., 8:20) when the vehicle returns to the facility. If the vehicle has not returned to the facility even at a time slightly later than the usual time, there is a possibility that some problem has occurred. If the second reading device 100B can receive the first information in response to the transmission of the read information transmission command, it can be confirmed that the person to be monitored is able to board the vehicle.

[0141] In the present embodiment, the first reading device 100A communicates with the second reading device 100B via a local area network owned by the facility. The communication between the first reading device 100A and the second reading device 100B is not limited to this, and the first reading device 100A may communicate with the second reading device 100B via a mobile line network such as 4G or 5G.

[0142] Also, when the first reading device 100A transmits the first information to the second reading device 100B, the first reading device 100A may receive from the second reading device 100B reception confirmation information indicating whether the second reading device 100B has correctly received the first information. If the first reading device 100A cannot receive the reception confirmation information, the first reading device 100A may transmit the first information to the second reading device 100B multiple times until it receives the reception confirmation information. Also, if the first reading device 100A cannot receive the reception confirmation information, the first reading device 100A may issue an alarm to the effect that the first information could not be transmitted.

[0143] As described above, the monitoring system 10A of this embodiment that prevents a person to be monitored from being left behind in a vehicle includes a first reading device 100A placed in the vehicle and reading first information by communicating with the identification tag 300 of the person to be monitored, a second reading device 100B placed in the facility and reading second information by communicating with the identification tag 300, and a processing unit 2012 that detects a person to be monitored who has boarded the vehicle but has not entered the facility based on the first information and the second information.

[0144] Children who are the targets of monitoring often run around near the entrances and exits of vehicles. For this reason, if a person to be monitored runs around inside the vehicle, he or she may be detected as disembarking even though he or she is still in the vehicle. To prevent such erroneous detection, in this embodiment, the reading of the identification tag 300 when disembarking is also treated as the first information that is read inside the vehicle. This allows a comparison process to be performed between the first information and the second information read at different locations, and in the event that there is a "person to be monitored who has boarded the vehicle but has not entered the facility," the person to be monitored can be appropriately detected.

[0145] (Variation 5) In each of the above embodiments, it is assumed that the person to be monitored remembers to carry the identification tag 300. In the fifth modification, a case where the person to be monitored forgets the identification tag 300 will be described. In the following, the monitoring system 10 of the first embodiment will be described as an example, but the contents described below also apply to the monitoring system 10A of the second embodiment.

[0146] 12 shows the operation flow of the monitoring system 10 when a person to be monitored forgets his / her ID tag 300. An example will be described in which there are a total of 10 people to be monitored.

[0147] In S301, when all the persons to be monitored for that day get into the vehicle, the reading device 100 communicates with the identification tag 300 and reads information including the identification information that identifies the persons to be monitored that is stored in the identification tag 300.

[0148] In S302, the processing unit 2012 extracts "monitoring subjects who are not in the vehicle" based on the information of all the monitoring subjects in the facility stored in the storage unit 202 and the read information read in S301. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing whether the identification tag 300 of the monitoring subjects who have the identification tag 300 read in S301 among all 10 monitoring subjects. In FIG. 13, "◯" in the "reading success / failure" column indicates that the identification tag 300 was successfully read and the corresponding monitoring subject got in the vehicle. A blank in the "reading success / failure column" indicates that the identification tag 300 could not be read. As shown in FIG. 13, it can be seen that the identification tag 300 could not be read for the monitoring subjects C, D, E, and G among the 10 monitoring subjects A to J. In S302, the processing unit 2012 extracts these monitoring subjects C, D, E, and G.

[0149] Next, in S303, the acquisition unit 2011 acquires attendance contact confirmation information of the monitored person. "Attendance contact confirmation information" is information that indicates the attendance status of the monitored person on the day. The facility has a system that manages attendance contact of monitored people. If a child who is a monitored person is absent, the guardian notifies the facility of the absence in advance. In this way, the attendance of monitored people on the day is managed. When the absence is notified, "absent" information is added to the "attendance" column as shown in FIG. 13. In the example of FIG. 13, monitored people D and G are absent.

[0150] In S304, the processing unit 2012 extracts "monitoring subjects who are not set to be absent on the day" from among the "monitoring subjects who are not in the vehicle" based on the information of the "monitoring subjects who are not in the vehicle" extracted in S302 and the attendance contact confirmation information. In the example of FIG. 13, the processing unit 2012 extracts "monitoring subjects (C, E) who are not set to be absent on the day" from among the "monitoring subjects (C, D, E, G) who are not in the vehicle." Note that the processing unit 2012 may refer to read information associated with the disembarking information read when disembarking from the vehicle, and narrow down the search based on the condition of "monitoring subjects who are not disembarking from the vehicle."

[0151] In S305, the processing unit 2012 sends an inquiry email to the guardian of the monitoring target (C, E) extracted in S304, asking whether the monitoring target is absent, such as "they did not get into the vehicle, is this correct that they are absent?". This allows the guardian to know about the monitoring target who got into the vehicle but was not read by the reading device 100 when getting in, if the monitoring target is not absent, and eliminates the possibility that the monitoring target is left behind in the vehicle due to a failure of the reading device 100. In addition, for a monitoring target whose identification tag 300 is not read in the vehicle and who has not been notified of absence, the possibility may be considered that the identification tag 300 has been forgotten, and the driver or caregiver may be encouraged to monitor the vehicle.

[0152] (Variation 6) In the above embodiments, the monitoring systems 10 and 10A have been described that prevent vehicles from being left behind by associating disembarking information with read information when a predetermined condition is satisfied (first embodiment) or by using first information and second information, thereby using two types of read information. In the sixth modification, a monitoring system that prevents vehicles from being left behind more simply by using one type of read information will be described. The monitoring system of the sixth modification has the same configuration as the monitoring system 100 of the first embodiment.

[0153] In the monitoring system 10 of the sixth modified example, the communication range of the reading device 100 is set to include the entire vehicle. The reading device 100 communicates with the identification tag 300 at a predetermined time interval (for example, every few minutes) and reads the identification information of the person to be monitored who is in the vehicle. In other words, as long as the reading device 100 can read the identification information of the identification tag 300, it means that the person to be monitored who carries the identification tag 300 is in the vehicle.

[0154] When the vehicle arrives at the facility and the person to be monitored gets off, the reading device 100 stops communicating with the identification tag 300. If communication with the identification tag 300 occurs, it means that the person to be monitored is left behind in the vehicle, and the driver or caregiver is prompted to monitor the inside of the vehicle.

[0155] It may be provided in any of the following ways: (Aspect 1) A monitoring system that prevents a monitored person from being left behind in a vehicle, the monitoring system having a reading device that reads identification information carried by the monitored person and storing identification information capable of identifying the monitored person by communicating with an identification tag, and that associates the read identification information with disembarking information indicating disembarking when a specified condition is satisfied, and stores the associated identification information in a memory unit; and a processing unit that detects the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not disembarked, based on the identification information that is not associated with the disembarking information and the identification information that is associated with the disembarking information.

[0156] (Aspect 2) The reader has a wireless communication function, 2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the reading device communicates with the identification tag using the wireless communication function.

[0157] (Aspect 3) The reading device is Located near an entrance / exit of the vehicle, 3. The monitoring system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a communication unit that communicates with the identification tag when the monitored person passes through the entrance / exit.

[0158] (Aspect 4) The monitoring system according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the reading device associates the disembarking information with the identification information read when a power source for running the vehicle is stopped.

[0159] (Aspect 5) A setting unit that sets a mode to a disembarkation mode in response to a predetermined operation of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle, The monitoring system according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the reading device associates the disembarking information with the identification information read in the disembarking mode by communicating with the identification tag.

[0160] (Aspect 6) a gate that opens in a different direction when the monitoring subject gets on or off the vehicle is provided at an entrance or exit of the vehicle; The monitoring system according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the reading device associates the disembarking information with the identification information read when the gate operates in the opening direction for disembarking.

[0161] (Aspect 7) A detection sensor for detecting an object is provided at the entrance / exit of the vehicle, A monitoring system according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the reading device detects the disembarking behavior of the monitored person based on the detection result by the detection sensor, and associates the disembarking information with the read identification information.

[0162] (Aspect 8) Further comprising a GPS sensor for acquiring position information of the vehicle, A monitoring system according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the reading device associates the disembarking information with the identification information read when it determines that the vehicle location information acquired by the GPS sensor is a specified parking lot.

[0163] (Aspect 9) Further comprising a GPS sensor for acquiring position information of the vehicle, A monitoring system described in any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the reading device determines that the vehicle's location information acquired by the GPS sensor is a specified parking lot, and associates the disembarkation information with the identification information read when the power source for running the vehicle is stopped.

[0164] (Aspect 10) When the vehicle entrance door is closed, A monitoring system according to aspect 5, wherein the reading device transmits to the processing unit the identification information not associated with the alighting information and the identification information associated with the alighting information.

[0165] (Aspect 11) When the vehicle entrance door is closed, A monitoring system as described in aspect 9, wherein the reading device transmits to the processing unit the identification information not associated with the alighting information and the identification information associated with the alighting information.

[0166] (Aspect 12) the identification information includes attribute information of an owner of the identification tag, When the reading device reads the identification information including the attribute information of the driver of the vehicle, A monitoring system according to any one of aspects 4 to 9, wherein the reading device transmits to the processing unit the identification information that is not associated with the disembarking information and the identification information that is associated with the disembarking information.

[0167] (Aspect 13) 13. The monitoring system according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, further comprising an alarm unit that performs an alarm process when the processing unit detects the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but not disembarked from the vehicle.

[0168] (Aspect 14) 14. The surveillance system according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the reader reduces the communication distance when the predetermined condition is satisfied compared to when the predetermined condition is not satisfied.

[0169] (Aspect 15) A monitoring system for preventing a person to be monitored from being left behind in a vehicle, comprising: a first reading device disposed in the vehicle, which communicates with an identification tag carried by the person to be monitored and storing identification information capable of identifying the person to be monitored, to read first information including the identification information; a second reader disposed in a facility used by the person to be monitored, the second reader communicating with the identification tag to read second information including the identification information; A monitoring system having a processing unit that detects the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not entered the facility based on the first information and the second information.

[0170] (Aspect 16) the facility has a local area network having a wireless communication range that covers a predetermined parking lot where the vehicle is parked; 16. The monitoring system of claim 15, wherein the first reading device is capable of transmitting the first information to the second reading device via the local area network when the vehicle is located in the specified parking lot.

[0171] (Aspect 17) 17. The monitoring system according to aspect 15 or 16, wherein the reading device transmits the first information read during a predetermined period of time to the processing unit.

[0172] (Aspect 18) A monitoring system according to aspect 17, wherein the reading device transmits the first information to the processing unit in response to a stop of a power source for running the vehicle.

[0173] (Aspect 19) The processing unit includes: A monitoring system described in any of aspects 15 to 18, which detects a monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not entered the facility by performing a comparison process using the first information and the second information read by the reading device within a predetermined time after the processing unit receives the first information.

[0174] Finally, although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The new embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments and their modifications are within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0175] 10,10A Monitoring System 100 Reading device 100A First Reading Device 100B Second reading device 101 Antenna 102 Reading unit 103 Communications Department 104 Storage section Gate 105 106 Sensor 107 GPS Sensor 200 Processing equipment 201 Control section 202 Storage section 203 Communications Department 2011 Acquisition Department 2012 Processing section 2013 Information Department 2014 Setting Department 300 Identification Tag

Claims

1. A monitoring system for preventing a person to be monitored from being left behind in a vehicle, comprising: a reading device that communicates with an identification tag that is carried by the person to be monitored and that stores therein identification information that can identify the person to be monitored, reads the identification information, and when a predetermined condition is satisfied, associates the read identification information with disembarking information that indicates disembarking, and stores the association in a storage unit; A monitoring system having a processing unit that detects the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not disembarked from the vehicle based on the identification information that is not associated with the disembarking information and the identification information that is associated with the disembarking information.

2. The reader has a wireless communication function, The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the reader communicates with the identification tag by using the wireless communication function.

3. The reading device is Located near an entrance / exit of the vehicle, The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system communicates with the identification tag when the monitored person passes through the entrance / exit.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the reading device associates the disembarking information with the identification information read when a power source for running the vehicle is stopped.

5. A setting unit that sets a mode to a disembarkation mode in response to a predetermined operation of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle, The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the reader associates the disembarking information with the identification information read in the disembarking mode by communicating with the identification tag.

6. a gate that opens in a different direction when the monitoring subject gets on or off the vehicle is provided at an entrance or exit of the vehicle; The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the reader associates the disembarking information with the identification information read when the gate operates in an opening direction for disembarking.

7. A detection sensor for detecting an object is provided at the entrance / exit of the vehicle, The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the reading device detects the disembarking action of the monitored person based on a detection result by the detection sensor, and associates the disembarking information with the read identification information.

8. Further comprising a GPS sensor for acquiring position information of the vehicle, The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the reading device associates the disembarking information with the identification information read when it determines that the vehicle location information acquired by the GPS sensor is a predetermined parking lot.

9. Further comprising a GPS sensor for acquiring position information of the vehicle, The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the reading device determines that the vehicle's location information obtained by the GPS sensor is a specified parking lot, and associates the disembarking information with the identification information read when the power source for running the vehicle is stopped.

10. When the vehicle entrance door is closed, The monitoring system according to claim 5 , wherein the reading device transmits to the processing unit the identification information not associated with the alighting information and the identification information associated with the alighting information.

11. When the vehicle entrance door is closed, The monitoring system according to claim 9 , wherein the reading device transmits to the processing unit the identification information not associated with the alighting information and the identification information associated with the alighting information.

12. the identification information includes attribute information of an owner of the identification tag, When the reading device reads the identification information including the attribute information of the driver of the vehicle, The monitoring system according to claim 4 , wherein the reading device transmits to the processing unit the identification information that is not associated with the disembarking information and the identification information that is associated with the disembarking information.

13. The surveillance system according to claim 1 , further comprising an alarm unit that performs an alarm process when the processing unit detects the person to be monitored who has boarded the vehicle but not disembarked from the vehicle.

14. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the reader sets a communication distance shorter when the predetermined condition is satisfied than when the predetermined condition is not satisfied.

15. A monitoring system for preventing a person to be monitored from being left behind in a vehicle, comprising: A first reading device disposed in the vehicle, the first reading device communicating with an identification tag carried by the person to be monitored and storing identification information capable of identifying the person to be monitored, to read first information including the identification information; a second reader disposed in a facility used by the person to be monitored, the second reader communicating with the identification tag to read second information including the identification information; A processing unit that detects the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not entered the facility based on the first information and the second information.

16. the facility has a local area network having a wireless communication range that covers a predetermined parking lot where the vehicle is parked; 16. The monitoring system according to claim 15, wherein the first reader is capable of transmitting the first information to the processor via the local area network when the vehicle is located in the predetermined parking lot.

17. The monitoring system according to claim 15 , wherein the reading device transmits the first information read during a predetermined period of time to the processing unit.

18. The monitoring system according to claim 17 , wherein the reading device transmits the first information to the processing unit in response to a stop of a power source for running the vehicle.

19. The processing unit includes: The monitoring system according to any one of claims 15 to 18, further comprising a comparison process using the first information and the second information read by the reading device within a predetermined time period after the processing unit receives the first information, thereby detecting the monitored person who has boarded the vehicle but has not entered the facility.

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