Monitoring device and control terminal device

Abstract

To protect privacy of a monitoring object person and determine a state of the monitoring object person under appropriate conditions.SOLUTION: A controller 22 provided in a monitoring device 10 executes measurement processing and state determination processing: the measurement processing of causing a light transmission unit 32 to transmit light, causing a light receiving unit 34 to receive reflected light produced by reflection of the light in a measurement area 28, and measuring the length of an object in a specific direction at each measurement point P on the measurement area 28 on the basis of the reflected light received by the light receiving unit 34; and the state determination processing of determining a presence range of the monitoring object person 52 and a posture of the monitoring object person 52 on the basis of the length in the specific direction at each measurement point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring device and a control terminal device, and particularly to a device for determining the state of a person to be monitored and a terminal device for controlling the device.

Background Art

[0002] Research and development have been carried out on a system for monitoring the state of a person to be monitored (such as a person requiring care, a person requiring support, a patient, etc.) in a nursing facility, a hospital, etc. Some of such monitoring systems recognize the actions of the person to be monitored by an infrared sensor or a camera.

[0003] The following Patent Documents 1 to 5 describe monitoring systems. In the monitoring system described in Patent Document 1, the state of the person to be monitored is acquired by an image, and the image information is transmitted to a management device. In this system, it is detected that the person to be monitored has moved outside a preset area. In the monitoring system described in Patent Document 2, it is determined whether the person to be monitored is in a lying position by a plurality of infrared light receiving elements arranged on a bed, and the determination result is transmitted to an administrator server device. In the monitoring system described in Patent Document 3, the state of the person to be monitored is detected as information on a planar position and a height direction, and the situation of the person is judged according to the detection result.

[0004] Patent Documents 6 and 7 describe, as devices related to the present invention, a device for measuring the distance to a measurement object by transmitting and receiving light.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

[0006] In conventional monitoring systems, as described in Patent Documents 1, 4, and 5, there are some that observe the state of the person being monitored using a camera. However, in these systems, since the state of the person being monitored is acquired by an image, the privacy of the person being monitored may not be protected. Also, in conventional monitoring systems, even if the person being monitored simply turns over or raises the upper body, a warning or the like may be given to the caregiver.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to protect the privacy of the person being monitored and to determine the state of the person being monitored under appropriate conditions. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0008] The monitoring device according to the present invention includes a controller that executes a measurement process of transmitting light to a light transmission unit, receiving reflected light generated by the reflection of the light in a measurement region by a light reception unit, and measuring a specific direction length, which is the length in a specific direction of an object at each measurement point on the measurement region, based on the reflected light received by the light reception unit, and a state determination process of determining the presence range of the person being monitored and the posture of the person being monitored based on the specific direction length at each measurement point.

[0009] Preferably, the measurement process includes a process of measuring the specific direction length for each of a plurality of measurement sections obtained by dividing the measurement area, and the state determination process includes a process of determining the presence range of the person under surveillance based on the specific direction length measured for each measurement section and a fixed object specific direction length previously acquired for a fixed object in the measurement area.

[0010] Preferably, the measurement process includes a process of measuring the specific direction bulge of the person under surveillance based on the specific direction length measured for each measurement section and the fixed object specific direction length previously acquired for a fixed object in the measurement area for each of the plurality of measurement sections obtained by dividing the measurement area, and the state determination process includes a process of determining the posture of the person under surveillance based on the largest value among the specific direction bulges measured for each of the plurality of measurement sections.

[0011] Preferably, the state determination process includes a process of determining the presence range of the person under surveillance based on the specific direction bulge measured for each measurement section.

[0012] Preferably, the controller executes a risk prediction process for predicting risks for the person under surveillance according to the presence range and the posture.

[0013] Preferably, it is provided with a radio wave sensor that transmits radio waves and receives the reflected radio waves reflected by the person under surveillance to detect the person under surveillance, and the controller executes the measurement process and the state determination process when the person under surveillance is detected by the radio wave sensor.

[0014] Preferably, it is provided with a communication unit that acquires operation information from a user, and the controller executes a process of measuring the specific direction length for a designated section designated according to the operation information among the plurality of measurement sections obtained by dividing the measurement area, and a process of causing the communication unit to transmit information indicating the specific direction length measured for the designated section.

[0015] Desirably, an attitude adjustment mechanism for changing the attitude of the optical receiving unit is provided, and the controller controls the attitude adjustment mechanism according to the operation information to adjust the attitude of the optical receiving unit.

[0016] Desirably, a terminal communication unit that communicates between the user interface and the communication unit, and a control unit are provided. The control unit performs a designation process of designating the designated section from a plurality of the measurement sections according to the operation of the user on the user interface, a transmission process of causing the terminal communication unit to transmit the operation information indicating the designated section and transmitting the operation information indicating the designated section to the communication unit, and a reception process of causing the terminal communication unit to receive information indicating the specific direction length measured for the designated section transmitted from the communication unit.

[0017] Desirably, a terminal communication unit that communicates between the user interface and the communication unit, and a control unit are provided. The control unit performs a designation process of designating the designated section from a plurality of the measurement sections according to the operation of the user on the user interface, a transmission process of causing the terminal communication unit to transmit the operation information indicating the designated section and transmitting the operation information indicating the designated section to the communication unit, a reception process of causing the terminal communication unit to receive information indicating the specific direction length measured for the designated section transmitted from the communication unit, and a display process of causing the display unit to display the specific direction length measured for the designated section.

[0018] Desirably, the control unit executes an operation process of causing the terminal communication unit to transmit the operation information for controlling the attitude adjustment mechanism while the specific direction length measured for the designated section is displayed, and transmitting the operation information for controlling the attitude adjustment mechanism to the communication unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to protect the privacy of the person to be monitored and determine the state of the person to be monitored under appropriate conditions.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

Figure 6C

Figure 6D

Figure 6E

Figure 6F

Figure 6G

Figure 6H

Figure 6I

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the respective figures. The same matters shown in multiple drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals to simplify the description. Also, terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, and right in this specification indicate the directions in the drawings. These terms indicating directions are for convenience in explaining the configuration and do not limit the posture when arranging each component.

[0022] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a monitoring system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring system 100 includes a plurality of monitoring devices 10, a wireless base station 12, a server 14, and a control terminal device 16. Each monitoring device 10 performs wireless communication with the wireless base station 12. The wireless base station 12 is connected to the server 14 by at least one of a wireless communication line and a wired communication line. The wireless base station 12 and the server 14 may form a LAN. In this case, the wireless base station 12 operates as an access point of a wireless LAN. The control terminal device 16 performs wireless communication with one of the plurality of monitoring devices 10 and controls the monitoring device 10 according to a user's operation. The control terminal device 16 may be an information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer. The control terminal device 16 may perform wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard with one of the plurality of monitoring devices 10. The wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard may be wireless communication conforming to the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) standard.

[0023] The monitoring device 10 is arranged in each room where the person to be monitored lives. The monitoring device 10 detects the state of the person to be monitored living in the room where it is arranged, generates information necessary for monitoring, and transmits the information necessary for monitoring to the wireless base station 12. The wireless base station 12 transmits the information necessary for monitoring to the server 14. The server 14 may be arranged in a management room where helpers such as nurses and caregivers work, such as a nurse station or a helper station. The server 14 stores the information necessary for monitoring. Further, the server 14 may display the state of the person to be monitored on a display device such as a display based on the information necessary for monitoring.

[0024] FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the monitoring device 10. The monitoring device 10 includes a distance measuring sensor unit 20, a controller 22, a wireless communication unit 24, and an attitude adjustment mechanism 26. The distance measuring sensor unit 20 detects the length in a specific direction of an object in the measurement area 28 for each measurement point P on the measurement area 28. In the present embodiment, the measurement area 28 is an area on the xy plane in the xyz orthogonal coordinate system shown in FIG. 2, and the length in the specific direction at each measurement point P is the length of the object in the z-axis direction at each measurement point P. The z-axis direction may be the height direction. The objects in the present embodiment include the person to be monitored and articles placed in the room where the person to be monitored lives.

[0025] The distance measuring sensor unit 20 is attached, for example, to the ceiling or wall of the room where the person to be monitored lives. The distance measuring sensor unit 20 may be attached to a structural part arranged in the room where the person to be monitored lives. The structural part may be, for example, a holder attached to the frame of the bed. The holder may include a fixing member fixed to the bed and a rod-shaped member extending toward the ceiling or wall. The distance measuring sensor unit 20 may be attached to the rod-shaped member provided in the holder. Further, the structural part may be a stand including a column installed on the floor and extending in the vertical direction. The distance measuring sensor unit 20 may be attached to the column provided in the stand.

[0026] The distance measuring sensor unit 20 operates according to the control of the controller 22. The distance measuring sensor unit 20 transmits light toward the measurement area 28, and receives the reflected light reflected by the object on the measurement area 28 and the reflected light reflected in the area where no object exists in the measurement area 28. The distance measuring sensor unit 20 obtains the length in the z-axis direction (hereinafter referred to as the z-axis direction length) of the object corresponding to the xy coordinates (x, y) of each measurement point P based on the time when the light is transmitted and the time when the reflected light arriving from each direction within a predetermined solid angle range is received.

[0027] The attitude adjustment mechanism 26 may be configured such that the attitude of the distance measurement sensor unit 20 is manually adjusted. The attitude adjustment mechanism 26 may be configured to rotate the distance measurement sensor unit 20 around an axis parallel to the x-axis, around an axis parallel to the y-axis, and around an axis parallel to the z-axis, for example, and to adjust the attitude of the distance measurement sensor unit 20. By adjusting the attitude of the distance measurement sensor unit 20, the light transmission and reception direction of the distance measurement sensor unit 20 is adjusted. Note that the attitude adjustment mechanism 26 may be configured to adjust the attitude of the distance measurement sensor unit 20 by power according to the control of the controller 22 based on communication with the control terminal device 16, as will be described later.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the distance measurement sensor unit 20. The distance measurement sensor unit 20 includes a light transmission unit 32, a light reception unit 34, and a length measurement unit 36. The light transmission unit 32 may include a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL). The light transmission unit 32 may include a vertical cavity surface emitting laser and be configured to transmit light to the measurement region 28. Further, the light reception unit 34 may include a SPAD sensor (Single Photon Avalanche Diode Sensor). The SPAD sensor may be one in which avalanche diodes are arranged in a two-dimensional array.

[0029] The length measurement unit 36 executes the following measurement process. The length measurement unit 36 controls the light transmission unit 32 and the light reception unit 34 to cause the light transmission unit 32 to transmit light and cause the light reception unit 34 to receive the reflected light. The length measurement unit 36 obtains the z-axis direction length of the object corresponding to the xy coordinates (x, y) of each measurement point P based on the time when the light is transmitted and the time when the reflected light arriving from each direction within a predetermined solid angle range is received. The length measurement unit 36 may obtain the z-axis direction length of the object corresponding to the xy coordinates (x, y) of each measurement point P according to the processes described in Patent Documents 6, 7, etc., for example.

[0030] In this embodiment, in the measurement process, the length measurement unit 36 further measures the swelling in the z-axis direction for each of a plurality of measurement sections formed by dividing the rectangular measurement area 28 into rectangles in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction. Here, the swelling in the z-axis direction refers to the length obtained by subtracting the length in the z-axis direction of the fixed object from the length in the z-axis direction of the measured object. The fixed object refers to an object installed in a room where the person to be monitored lives in advance, such as a floor or a bed. The length in the z-axis direction of the fixed object (fixed object z-axis direction length) is stored in advance by the controller 22 in association with the xy coordinates (x, y) of each measurement point P.

[0031] FIG. 4 shows 64 measurement sections Z0 to Z63 formed by dividing the measurement area 28 into 8 equal parts in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, respectively. The length measurement unit 36 measures the swelling in the z-axis direction of a plurality of measurement points P within one measurement section, and may obtain statistical values such as the average value, median value, and mode value of the swelling in the z-axis direction measured for the plurality of measurement points P as the swelling in the z-axis direction of that one measurement section. Also, the length measurement unit 36 may obtain the swelling in the z-axis direction measured at the measurement point P that is a representative point in one measurement section as the swelling in the z-axis direction of that one measurement section. Here, the representative point may be a point with the strongest light reflection intensity or a point with the shortest distance from the point where light is transmitted and received. The length measurement unit 36 outputs the swelling in the z-axis direction obtained for each of the measurement sections Z0 to Z63 to the controller 22.

[0032] The occupancy pattern determination process executed by the controller 22 will be described. The occupancy pattern determination process is a process of obtaining occupancy pattern information described below as information indicating the presence range of the person to be monitored. FIG. 5 conceptually shows the positional relationship between the bed 40 for the person to be monitored to lie on and each measurement section Z in the measurement area 28. Each measurement section Z belongs to one of four types of determination zones, namely, the bed edge zone 62, the warning zone 64, the safe gray zone 66, and the safe zone 68.

[0033] The eight measurement sections forming the leftmost column and the eight measurement sections forming the rightmost column belong to the bed edge zone 62. The eight measurement sections forming a column adjacent to the right side of the left bed edge zone 62 and the eight measurement sections forming a column adjacent to the left side of the right bed edge zone 62 belong to the warning zone 64. The eight measurement sections forming a column adjacent to the right side of the left warning zone 64 and the eight measurement sections forming a column adjacent to the left side of the right warning zone 64 belong to the safe gray zone 66. The 16 measurement sections forming two columns sandwiched between the left and right safe gray zones 66 belong to the safe zone 68.

[0034] The controller 22 identifies, as the subject occupancy sections, the sections among the measurement sections Z0 to Z63 in which the bulge in the z-axis direction exceeds the presence determination threshold value Ta. The controller 22 obtains the occupancy pattern information of the subject under surveillance. The occupancy pattern information is information indicating the pattern occupied by the subject under surveillance among the measurement sections Z0 to Z63. The occupancy pattern information may be information in which, for each of the codes z0 to z63 identifying the measurement sections Z0 to Z63, a numerical value A is associated if the measurement section is a subject occupancy section, and a numerical value B is associated if the measurement section is not a subject occupancy section. The numerical value A is, for example, 1, and the numerical value B is, for example, 0.

[0035] The state determination process executed by the controller 22 will be described. The controller 22 determines the measurement section among the measurement sections Z0 to Z63 constituting the measurement area 28 that has the largest bulge in the z-axis direction, and obtains the bulge in the z-axis direction of the measurement section with the largest bulge in the z-axis direction as the maximum bulge.

[0036] The controller 22 determines in which of the following nine states the subject under surveillance is based on the maximum bulge and the occupancy pattern information obtained previously. That is, the controller 22 determines in which of the nine states of supine, prone, lateral, back-raising, getting up, getting up on the bed (over the railing), slipping down, sitting upright at the edge, falling, and getting out of bed the subject under surveillance is.

[0037] FIG. 6A shows the ward subject 52 in the supine / prone position. FIG. 6B shows the ward subject 52 in the lateral position. FIG. 6C shows the ward subject 52 in the back-raised position. FIG. 6D shows the ward subject 52 in the rising-up state. FIG. 6E shows the ward subject 52 in the standing-up state on the bed. FIG. 6F shows the ward subject 52 in the slipping-down state. FIG. 6G shows the ward subject 52 in the sitting-upright position. FIG. 6H shows the ward subject 52 in the falling state. FIG. 6I shows the ward subject 52 in the out-of-bed state.

[0038] On the left side of FIG. 7, an example of the ward subject 52 in the supine / prone position is shown, and on the right side of FIG. 7, an example of the occupancy pattern information for the ward subject 52 in the supine / prone position is conceptually shown. In this figure, the measurement section, which is the subject occupancy section, is painted black. Also, on the left side of FIG. 8, an example of the ward subject 52 in the lateral position is shown, and on the right side of FIG. 8, an example of the occupancy pattern information for the ward subject 52 in the lateral position is conceptually shown. On the left side of FIG. 9, an example of the ward subject 52 in the sitting-upright position is shown, and on the right side of FIG. 9, an example of the occupancy pattern information for the ward subject 52 in the sitting-upright position is conceptually shown. On the left side of FIG. 10, an example of the ward subject 52 in the out-of-bed state is shown, and on the right side of FIG. 10, an example of the occupancy pattern information for the ward subject 52 in the out-of-bed state is conceptually shown.

[0039] FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of the state determination process executed by the controller 22. The controller 22 determines whether the entire body of the ward subject 52 is on the bed 40 based on the previously obtained occupancy pattern information (S101). This determination is made based on whether all the subject occupancy sections corresponding to the entire body of the ward subject 52 are at positions corresponding to the bed 40.

[0040] When the controller 22 determines that the entire body of the person 52 to be monitored is on the bed 40, it determines, based on the maximum bulge, which state among supine, prone, lateral, back-raising, rising, and standing up on the bed the person 52 to be monitored is in (S102). That is, when the maximum bulge is in the first range of H1 - α1 or more and less than H1 + α1, the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored is in the supine / prone state. Here, the constants H1 and α1 are predetermined constants. Similarly, the following constants H2 to H9 and constants α2 to α9 are also predetermined constants.

[0041] When the maximum bulge is in the second range of H2 - α2 or more and less than H2 + α2, the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored is in the lateral state. When the maximum bulge is in the third range of H3 - α3 or more and less than H3 + α3, the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored is in the back-raising state. When the maximum bulge is in the fourth range of H4 - α4 or more and less than H4 + α4, the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored is in the rising state. When the maximum bulge is in the fifth range of H5 - α5 or more and less than H5 + α5, the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored is in the standing-up-on-the-bed state. Here, the first range to the fifth range are ranges arranged in order so that the values belonging to the first range are the smallest and the values belonging to the fifth range are the largest, and adjacent ranges do not overlap.

[0042] Also, when the controller 22 determines, based on the occupancy pattern information, that the entire body of the person 52 to be monitored is not on the bed 40, it determines whether the person 52 to be monitored extends outside the bed 40 from the bed 40 (S103). This determination is made based on whether a plurality of subject occupancy sections corresponding to the entire body of the person 52 to be monitored extend outside the bed 40 from the bed 40.

[0043] When the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored has extended outside the bed 40 from the bed 40, it determines, based on the maximum bulge, whether the person 52 to be monitored is in a state of slipping down or sitting on the edge of the bed (S104). That is, when the maximum bulge is in the sixth range of H6 - α6 or more and less than H6 + α6, the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored is in a state of slipping down. When the maximum bulge is in the seventh range of H7 - α7 or more and less than H7 + α7, the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored is in a state of sitting on the edge of the bed. Here, the sixth range and the seventh range are defined such that the value belonging to the sixth range is smaller than the value belonging to the seventh range.

[0044] Further, when the controller 22 determines, based on the occupancy pattern information, that the person 52 to be monitored has not extended outside the bed 40 from the bed 40, it determines that the person 52 to be monitored is outside the bed 40, and determines, based on the maximum bulge, whether the person 52 to be monitored is in a state of falling or getting out of bed (S105). That is, when the maximum bulge is in the eighth range of H8 - α8 or more and less than H8 + α8, the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored is in a state of falling. When the maximum bulge is in the ninth range of H9 - α9 or more and less than H9 + α9, the controller 22 determines that the person 52 to be monitored is in a state of getting out of bed. Here, the eighth range and the ninth range are defined such that the value belonging to the eighth range is smaller than the value belonging to the ninth range.

[0045] In the above, an embodiment is shown in which the position determination for determining whether the person 52 to be monitored is on the bed 40, has extended outside the bed 40 from the bed 40, or is outside the bed 40 is performed based on the occupancy pattern information. Such position determination may be performed based on the number of target person occupancy sections in each determination zone.

[0046] The controller 22 may obtain the number of occupied sections, which is the number of target person-occupied sections in each determination zone, and obtain zone occupancy number information in which information for identifying each determination zone is associated with the number of occupied sections. Further, the controller 22 may obtain the ratio of the target person-occupied sections in each determination zone. The controller 22 may determine whether the entire body of the person under watch 52 is on the bed 40, whether the person under watch 52 extends from the bed 40 to the outside of the bed 40, and whether the person under watch 52 is outside the bed 40 according to the ratio of the target person-occupied sections in each determination zone. That is, the controller 22 may perform determinations corresponding to steps S101 and S105 according to the ratio of the target person-occupied sections in each of the bed edge zone 62, the warning zone 64, the safe gray zone 66, and the safe zone 68.

[0047] The controller 22 may execute the state determination process by machine learning as follows. That is, the controller 22 generates teacher data based on the state determination process performed in the past a plurality of times for the person under watch 52 in various states, and stores the teacher data. The teacher data associates a plurality of sets of the maximum bulge and occupancy pattern information with each of the nine states of supine, prone, lateral, back-raising, getting up, getting up from the bed, slipping down, sitting upright at the edge, falling, and getting out of bed. The controller 22 constructs a machine learning model based on the teacher data. The machine learning model is a model that outputs watch information indicating which of the nine states the state of the person under watch 52 is by giving a set of the maximum bulge and occupancy pattern information.

[0048] After constructing the machine learning model in advance, the controller 22 obtains the occupancy pattern information and the maximum bulge for the person under watch 52. The controller 22 inputs the occupancy pattern information and the maximum bulge into the pre-constructed machine learning model to obtain watch information, and determines the state of the person under watch 52.

[0049] Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2 for description. The controller 22 outputs the monitoring information of the person to be monitored 52 to the wireless communication unit 24. The wireless communication unit 24 transmits the monitoring information to the wireless base station 12 by a wireless signal. The wireless base station 12 receives the wireless signal and transmits the monitoring information included in the wireless signal to the server 14. The server 14 stores the monitoring information or causes the monitoring information to be displayed on a display device.

[0050] Also, the wireless communication unit 24 may transmit the monitoring information to the control terminal device 16 by a wireless signal. The control terminal device 16 receives the wireless signal, stores the monitoring information included in the wireless signal, or causes the monitoring information to be displayed on the display unit 76. The control terminal device 16 may transmit the monitoring information to other information processing terminals outside the facility where the person to be monitored resides via a communication line such as the Internet.

[0051] As described above, the monitoring device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the following controller 22. That is, the controller 22 executes measurement processing and state determination processing. The measurement processing causes light to be transmitted to the light transmission unit 32, causes the reflected light generated in the measurement area 28 to be received by the light reception unit 34, and measures the length of the object in the z-axis direction at each measurement point P on the measurement area 28 based on the reflected light received by the light reception unit 34. The state determination processing is a process of determining the existence range of the person to be monitored 52 and the posture of the person to be monitored 52 based on the length of the object in the z-axis direction at each measurement point P.

[0052] The measurement processing includes a process of measuring the length of the object in the z-axis direction for each of a plurality of measurement sections obtained by dividing the measurement area 28. The state determination processing includes a process of determining the existence range of the person to be monitored 52 based on the length of the object in the z-axis direction measured for each measurement section and the length of the fixed object in the z-axis direction previously acquired for the fixed object in the measurement area 28.

[0053] Further, the measurement process includes a process of measuring the z-axis direction swelling of the person 52 to be monitored based on the length of the object measured in the z-axis direction for each measurement section and the length of the fixed object in the z-axis direction previously acquired for the fixed object in the measurement area 28. The state determination process includes a process of determining the posture of the person 52 to be monitored based on the largest value among the z-axis direction swellings measured for each of the plurality of measurement sections.

[0054] Further, the state determination process includes a process of determining the existence range of the person 52 to be monitored based on the z-axis direction swelling measured for each measurement section.

[0055] The controller 22 may execute a risk prediction process of determining the main occupied zone of the person 52 to be monitored based on the zone occupancy number information and performing a risk prediction based on the main occupied zone and the monitoring information of the person 52 to be monitored. Here, the main occupied zone refers to the zone with the largest ratio of the occupied sections of the subject among the bed edge zone, the warning zone, the safe gray zone, and the safe zone. In the present embodiment, since the number of measurement sections belonging to each zone is equal to 16 sections, the zone with the largest number of occupied sections of the subject among the bed edge zone, the warning zone, the caution zone, the safe gray zone, and the safe zone becomes the main occupied zone.

[0056] The controller 22 stores a risk prediction table shown in FIG. 12. Horizontally, there are a plurality of columns specifying the main occupied zone, and vertically, there are a plurality of columns specifying the state of the person 52 to be monitored.

[0057] For the combination of "safe zone" with each of "lying on back / prone", "lying on side", and "raising the back", a "safe state" is associated as the predicted state. Here, the "safe state" refers to a state in which no risk is recognized.

[0058] For the combinations of the "Safe Zone" with each of "supine / prone", "lateral", and "lifting the back", a "tendency to move towards the edge of the bed" is associated as a predicted state. Here, the "tendency to move towards the edge of the bed" refers to a state where the person 52 under watch may move from the central part of the bed 40 towards the edge.

[0059] For the combinations of the "Alert Zone" with each of "supine / prone", "lateral", and "lifting the back", a "movement towards the edge of the bed" is associated as a predicted state. The "movement towards the edge of the bed" refers to a state where the person 52 under watch is highly likely to move from the central part of the bed 40 towards the edge.

[0060] For the combination of the "Safe Zone" and "sitting up", a "sleep disorder or arousal disorder" is associated as a predicted state. The "sleep disorder or arousal disorder" refers to a state where the person 52 under watch may have a sleep disorder or an arousal disorder.

[0061] For the combination of the "Safe Gray Zone" and "sitting up", a "tendency to move towards the edge of the bed, getting out of bed, risk of falling" is associated as a predicted state. Here, the "tendency to move towards the edge of the bed, getting out of bed, risk of falling" refers to a state where the person 52 under watch moves from the central part of the bed 40 towards the edge and there is a possibility that the person 52 gets out of bed or falls.

[0062] For the combination of the "Alert Zone" and "sitting up", a "prediction of movement towards the edge of the bed, getting out of bed, falling" is associated as a predicted state. Here, the "prediction of movement towards the edge of the bed, getting out of bed, falling" refers to a state where the person 52 under watch moves from the central part of the bed 40 towards the edge and there is a high possibility that the person 52 gets out of bed or falls.

[0063] For each of the "Safe Zone", "Warning Zone", and "Bed Edge Zone" in combination with the "upright sitting position", "Prediction of getting up from the bed to the upright sitting position, getting out of bed, and falling" is associated as the predicted state. "Prediction of getting up from the bed to the upright sitting position, getting out of bed, and falling" means that the person 52 to be monitored gets up on the bed 40 and assumes the upright sitting position, and then gets out of bed or falls.

[0064] For each of the "Warning Zone" and "Bed Edge Zone" in combination with "sliding down", "Falling Prediction" is associated. Here, "Falling Prediction" means a state where the person 52 to be monitored is highly likely to fall.

[0065] For each of the "Warning Zone" and "Bed Edge Zone" in combination with "crossing the railing", "Getting out of bed, Falling Prediction" is associated. Here, "Getting out of bed, Falling Prediction" means a state where the person 52 to be monitored gets out of bed and is highly likely to fall.

[0066] For the combination of the "Bed Edge Zone" and "getting out of bed", "Wandering Prediction" is associated. Here, "Wandering Prediction" means a state where the person 52 to be monitored may wander.

[0067] For the combination of the "Bed Edge Zone" and "falling", "Critical State" is associated. Here, "Critical State" means a state where the person 52 to be monitored may be subjected to physical or mental stress.

[0068] Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2 for explanation. The controller 22 refers to the danger prediction table based on the main occupancy zone and the state of the person 52 to be monitored, and acquires prediction information as information indicating the predicted state of the person 52 to be monitored. The controller 22 outputs the prediction information of the person 52 to be monitored to the wireless communication unit 24. The wireless communication unit 24 transmits the prediction information to the wireless base station 12 by wireless signal. The wireless base station 12 receives the wireless signal and transmits the prediction information included in the wireless signal to the server 14. The server 14 stores the prediction information or causes the prediction information to be displayed on the display device.

[0069] In addition, the wireless communication unit 24 may transmit prediction information to the control terminal device 16 by wireless signals. The control terminal device 16 receives the wireless signals, stores the prediction information included in the wireless signals, or causes the display unit 76 to display the prediction information. The control terminal device 16 may transmit the prediction information to other information processing terminals outside the facility where the person to be monitored resides via a communication line such as the Internet.

[0070] According to the monitoring system 100 according to the present embodiment, the state of the person to be monitored 52 is detected based on the transmission and reception of light to and from the measurement area 28. Since the state of the person to be monitored 52 is not detected by an image or the like, the privacy of the person to be monitored 52 is protected. Further, according to the monitoring system 100 according to the present embodiment, the state of the person to be monitored 52 is detected by measuring the length of the object in the z-axis direction for each of a plurality of measurement sections obtained by dividing the measurement area 28. Therefore, the detailed state of the person to be monitored 52 is determined.

[0071] Before the length measurement unit 36 executes the above-described measurement process, the monitoring device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may execute the following calibration process. The calibration process is executed in a state where the person to be monitored 52 is absent.

[0072] The control terminal device 16 transmits operation information according to a user's operation to the monitoring device 10. The wireless communication unit 24 included in the monitoring device 10 receives the operation information and outputs it to the controller 22. The controller 22, together with the distance measurement sensor unit 20, measures the length of the object in the z-axis direction for a designated section designated according to the operation information among a plurality of measurement sections, and causes the wireless communication unit 24 (communication unit) to transmit information indicating the length of the object in the z-axis direction measured for the designated section. Since the calibration process is executed in a state where the person to be monitored 52 is absent, the length of the object in the z-axis direction becomes the length of the fixed object in the z-axis direction.

[0073] Here, the length measurement unit 36 in the distance measurement sensor unit 20 measures the z-axis direction length of an object at a plurality of measurement points P within one designated section, and may obtain a statistical value such as an average value, a median value, or a mode value of the z-axis direction lengths of the object measured at the plurality of measurement points P as the z-axis direction length of the object in that one designated section. Further, the distance measurement sensor unit 20 may measure the z-axis direction length of the object at the measurement point P that is a representative point in one designated section, and obtain the z-axis direction length measured at that measurement point P as the z-axis direction length of the object in that one designated section. Here, the representative point may be a point with the strongest light reflection intensity or a point with the shortest distance from the point where light is transmitted and received.

[0074] FIG. 13 shows an example of the designated section 38 where the z-axis direction length of the object is obtained by hatching. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the measurement sections Z0, Z7, Z56, and Z63 at the four corners of the measurement region 28 and Z27, Z28, Z35, and Z36 at the center of the measurement region 28 are the designated sections 38. The length measurement unit 36 in the distance measurement sensor unit 20 measures the z-axis direction length of the object for each designated section 38.

[0075] A diagram showing the designated section 38 as shown in FIG. 13 may be displayed on a display unit 76 (FIG. 1) such as a display of the control terminal device 16 in response to an input of operation information by the user.

[0076] The controller 22 transmits information indicating the z-axis direction length measured for each designated section 38 to the control terminal device 16 via the wireless communication unit 24. The control terminal device 16 acquires the z-axis direction length of the object measured for each designated section 38 from the monitoring device 10 by wireless communication and displays it on the display unit 76.

[0077] A diagram showing the designated section 38, the length of the object in the z-axis direction measured for each designated section 38 is displayed on the display unit 76, and the user may manually rotate the distance measurement sensor unit 20 around axes parallel to the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis respectively by the posture adjustment mechanism 26 to adjust the posture of the distance measurement sensor unit 20. That is, while referring to the length of the object in the z-axis direction in each designated section 38 displayed on the display unit 76 of the control terminal device 16, the user may manually adjust the posture of the distance measurement sensor unit 20.

[0078] When the posture adjustment mechanism 26 is configured to adjust the posture of the distance measurement sensor unit 20 by power, the following processing may be executed. The control terminal device 16 performs wireless communication with the monitoring device 10 according to the user's operation and controls the monitoring device 10. The monitoring device 19 adjusts the posture of the distance measurement sensor unit 20 according to the control. That is, the controller 22 controls the posture adjustment mechanism 26 to rotate the distance measurement sensor unit 20 around axes parallel to the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis respectively to adjust the posture of the distance measurement sensor unit 20. The user may operate the control terminal device 16 while referring to the length of the object in the z-axis direction in each designated section 38 displayed on the display unit 76 of the control terminal device 16 to adjust the posture of the distance measurement sensor unit 20 of the monitoring device 10.

[0079] Also, in the calibration process, the controller 22 may control the distance measurement sensor unit 20 to measure the length of the fixed object in the z-axis direction at each measurement point P by the distance measurement sensor unit 20. In this case, the controller 22 stores the length of the fixed object in the z-axis direction in association with the xy coordinates of each measurement point P.

[0080] FIG. 14 shows the configuration of a control terminal device 16 for executing calibration processing. The control terminal device 16 includes a user interface 70, a terminal communication unit 74, and a control unit 72. The user interface 70 may include keys, a touch panel, a display (display unit 76), a speaker, headphones, and the like. The user interface 70 may include a processor that executes processing related to calibration processing by executing a program. The terminal communication unit 74 communicates with the monitoring device 10.

[0081] The control unit 72, in response to a user operation on the user interface 70, performs a designation process of designating a designated section 38 from a plurality of measurement sections, causes the terminal communication unit 74 to transmit operation information indicating the designated section 38, and transmits the operation information indicating the designated section 38 to the wireless communication unit 24 (communication unit) of the monitoring device 10. The control unit 72 also performs a reception process of causing the terminal communication unit 74 to receive information transmitted from the wireless communication unit 24 and indicating the length of the object measured in the z-axis direction of the designated section 38.

[0082] Also, when an attitude adjustment mechanism 26 is configured to adjust the attitude of the distance measurement sensor unit 20 by power, the control unit 72 may execute the following processing. The control unit 72 performs a display process of displaying the length of the object measured in the z-axis direction of the designated section 38 on the display unit 76 in the user interface 70, and when the length in the z-axis direction measured for the designated section 38 is displayed, causes the terminal communication unit 74 to transmit operation information for controlling the attitude adjustment mechanism 26, and may execute an operation process of transmitting the operation information for controlling the attitude adjustment mechanism 26 to the wireless communication unit 24.

[0083] Through the calibration process, the user refers to the information displayed on the display unit 76 of the control terminal device 16 and adjusts the posture of the distance measurement sensor unit 20 by operating the control terminal device 16. For example, the user may adjust the posture of the distance measurement sensor unit 20 so that the bed 40 is located in the measurement area 28. Thereby, the position where the person 52 to be monitored stays is included within the measurement area 28. Further, the controller 22 controls the distance measurement sensor unit 20 to measure the length of the fixed object in the z-axis direction at each measurement point P in the measurement area 28, and stores the length of the fixed object in the z-axis direction measured for each measurement point P. The stored length of the fixed object in the z-axis direction at each measurement point P is used in the measurement process.

[0084] The control terminal device 16 may perform wired communication with the monitoring device 10. In this case, the monitoring device 10 is provided with a wired communication unit instead of or together with the wireless communication unit 24. The terminal communication unit 74 provided in the control terminal device 16 is connected to the wired communication unit provided in the monitoring device 10 by a communication cable or the like. Further, the control terminal device 16 may be included in the server 14.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the swelling in the z-axis direction of the person 52 to be monitored is measured by transmitting and receiving light. Therefore, when the person 52 to be monitored is not present on the bed 40 and bedding or the like is placed thereon, there may be an incorrect determination that the person 52 to be monitored is present on the bed 40. Therefore, the monitoring device 10 may be configured to detect the person 52 to be monitored on the bed 40 by transmitting and receiving radio waves.

[0086] FIG. 15 shows the configuration of the monitoring device 78 with the addition of the radio wave sensor 80. The radio wave sensor 80 transmits radio waves toward the bed 40 and receives the reflected radio waves reflected by the person 52 to be monitored, thereby detecting the person 52 to be monitored on the bed 40. Bedding and the like are more likely to transmit radio waves than the human body. Therefore, even when the person 52 to be monitored is covered with bedding such as a futon, the radio waves transmitted from the radio wave sensor 80 pass through the bedding and are reflected by the person 52 to be monitored. Then, the reflected radio waves from the person 52 to be monitored pass through the bedding and are received by the radio wave sensor 80. Thereby, the radio wave sensor 80 detects the person 52 to be monitored covered with bedding and outputs information indicating that the person 52 to be monitored has been detected to the controller 22.

[0087] When the person 52 to be monitored is detected by the radio wave sensor 80, the controller 22 executes the above-described measurement process and state determination process. On the other hand, when the person 52 to be monitored is not detected by the radio wave sensor 80, the controller 22 generates absence information indicating that the person 52 to be monitored is absent and outputs it to the wireless communication unit 24. The wireless communication unit 24 transmits the absence information to the wireless base station 12 by a wireless signal. The wireless base station 12 receives the wireless signal and transmits the absence information included in the wireless signal to the server 14. The server 14 stores the absence information or causes the display device to display the absence information.

[0088] Note that a vital sensor may be used as the radio wave sensor 80. The vital sensor generates data regarding the respiration and heartbeat of the person 52 to be monitored by transmitting and receiving radio waves in the microwave band and outputs it to the controller 22. The controller 22 determines whether or not the person 52 to be monitored exists on the bed 40 based on the data output from the vital sensor.

Explanation of Signs

[0089] 10,78 Monitoring device, 12 Wireless base station, 14 Server, 16 Control terminal device, 20 Distance measurement sensor unit, 22 Controller, 24 Wireless communication unit, 26 Posture adjustment mechanism, 28 Measurement area, 32 Transmission unit, 34 Reception unit, 36 Length measurement unit, 38 Designated section, 40 Bed, 50 Occupancy pattern, 52 Person under monitoring, 54 Fence, 62 Bed edge zone, 64 Warning zone, 66 Safe gray zone, 68 Safe zone, 70 User interface, 72 Control unit, 74 Terminal communication unit, 76 Display unit, 80 Radio wave sensor.

Claims

1. Causing light to be transmitted to a light transmitting unit, causing reflected light generated by reflection of the light in a measurement region to be received by a light receiving unit, and based on the reflected light received by the light receiving unit, measuring a specific direction length, which is the length in a specific direction of an object at each measurement point on the measurement region, in a measurement process; A state determination process of determining an existence range of a person to be monitored and a posture of the person to be monitored based on the specific direction length at each of the measurement points; A monitoring device comprising a controller that executes the above.

2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement process includes a process of measuring the specific direction length for each of a plurality of measurement sections obtained by dividing the measurement region, and the state determination process includes a process of determining the existence range of the person to be monitored based on the specific direction length measured for each of the measurement sections and a specific direction length of a fixed object previously acquired for the fixed object in the measurement region. A monitoring device characterized by this.

3. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement process includes a process of measuring a specific direction bulge of the person to be monitored based on the specific direction length measured for each of the measurement sections obtained by dividing the measurement region and the specific direction length of a fixed object previously acquired for the fixed object in the measurement region, and the state determination process includes a process of determining the posture of the person to be monitored based on the largest value among the specific direction bulges measured for each of the plurality of measurement sections. A monitoring device characterized by this.

4. The monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein the state determination process includes a process of determining the existence range of the person to be monitored based on the specific direction bulge measured for each of the measurement sections. A monitoring device characterized by this.

5. The monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller executes a risk prediction process of performing a risk prediction for the person to be monitored according to the existence range and the posture. A monitoring device characterized by this.

6. The monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a radio wave type sensor that transmits radio waves and receives reflected radio waves reflected by the person to be monitored to detect the person to be monitored, wherein the controller A monitoring device that executes the measurement process and the state determination process when the monitored person is detected by the radio wave sensor.

7. The monitoring device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, comprising a communication unit that acquires operation information from a user, wherein the controller performs a process of measuring the specific direction length for a designated section designated according to the operation information among a plurality of measurement sections obtained by dividing the measurement area, and performs a process of causing the communication unit to transmit information indicating the specific direction length measured for the designated section. A monitoring device characterized by this.

8. The monitoring device according to Claim 7, comprising an attitude adjustment mechanism that changes the attitude of the light receiving unit, wherein the controller controls the attitude adjustment mechanism according to the operation information to adjust the attitude of the light receiving unit. A monitoring device characterized by this.

9. A control terminal device that controls the monitoring device according to Claim 7, comprising a user interface, a terminal communication unit that communicates with the communication unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit performs a designation process of designating the designated section from a plurality of the measurement sections according to the operation of the user in the user interface, performs a transmission process of causing the terminal communication unit to transmit the operation information indicating the designated section and transmitting the operation information indicating the designated section to the communication unit, and performs a reception process of causing the terminal communication unit to receive information indicating the specific direction length measured for the designated section transmitted from the communication unit. A control terminal device characterized by this.

10. A control terminal device that controls the monitoring device according to Claim 8, comprising a user interface, a terminal communication unit that communicates with the communication unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit performs a designation process of designating the designated section from a plurality of the measurement sections according to the operation of the user in the user interface, performs a transmission process of causing the terminal communication unit to transmit the operation information indicating the designated section and transmitting the operation information indicating the designated section to the communication unit, performs a reception process of causing the terminal communication unit to receive information indicating the specific direction length measured for the designated section transmitted from the communication unit, and performs a display process of causing a display unit to display the specific direction length measured for the designated section. A control terminal device characterized by this.

11. ​ A control terminal device for controlling the monitoring device according to claim 10, wherein the control unit executes an operation process of causing the terminal communication unit to display the specific direction length measured for the specified section and to transmit the operation information for controlling the attitude adjustment mechanism to the communication unit, and transmitting the operation information for controlling the attitude adjustment mechanism to the communication unit. The control terminal device is characterized by the above.

Images