Emission control system

Abstract

To accurately determine whether at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred even for a person who does not produce a sufficient odor when defecation or flatulence occurs.SOLUTION: An excrement determination method includes: acquiring sensing data detected by a first gas sensor 1; acquiring image data captured by a camera 2; making a first determination of determining whether a gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is higher than a first reference concentration; making a second determination of executing image processing onto the image data and determining whether the image data contains an image about defecation; making a third determination of determining, based on a determination result of the first determination and a determination result of the second determination, that at least one of the defecation and flatulence occurred; and outputting a determination result of the third determination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for determining excrement emitted from a person. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been a demand for objective management of waste products of care recipients in nursing care facilities, etc. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for determining whether waste products discharged in a bowl section correspond to defecation, urination, or urination based on a combination of the determination result of whether temperature data measured by a temperature measurement section exceeds a temperature threshold and the determination result of whether odor data measured by an odor measurement section exceeds an odor threshold.

[0003] However, there are people who do not produce a sufficient odor when defecating or passing flatus. Therefore, the technology of Patent Document 1, which uses temperature data and odor data, has the problem of not being able to accurately determine whether at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred for such people. Furthermore, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not mention detecting defecation accompanied by flatus. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-178764 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a technology that can accurately determine whether at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred, even for a person who does not produce a sufficient odor when defecation or flatulence occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An emission management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a sensor unit hung on the edge of a toilet bowl and an emission determination device that determines the amount of emission. The sensor unit has a distance measurement sensor and a camera capable of photographing the bowl portion of the toilet bowl inside, and the emission determination device determines that the person has sat down if the distance of an object detected by the distance measurement sensor is less than a reference distance. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to accurately determine whether a person has performed an excretory act even if the person does not produce a sufficient odor when defecating or passing flatulence. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a discharge management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 3 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement positions of a sensor unit and an emission determination device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart of an emission determination process according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a discharge management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of an emission determination process according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a discharge management system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart of a constipation determination process according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart of medication state determination processing according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart of an emission determination process according to a modified example of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiment is an example of a specific embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0010] (Background to this disclosure) Excretion history information, which indicates the number and duration of urination, defecation, and flatulence, is important information for understanding a person's health risks. In particular, nursing homes that house many elderly people prone to constipation are required to objectively record the excretion history information of care recipients and ensure that care recipients appropriately administer medications such as laxatives. However, because nursing homes have a large number of care recipients, it is not easy to assign the care staff the task of recording such excretion history information, as this would increase the burden on the care staff. Therefore, the present inventors are currently researching technology for automatically managing such excretion history information without human intervention.

[0011] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is a prior art document related to such technology. In Patent Document 1, if temperature data indicating the temperature of the toilet bowl is greater than a temperature threshold, and if first odor data measured by a hydrogen sulfide sensor or second odor data measured by an ammonia sensor is greater than an odor threshold, it is determined that defecation has occurred, and if both the first odor data and the second odor data are equal to or less than the odor threshold, it is determined that urination has occurred. Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, if temperature data is equal to or less than the temperature threshold, and if the first odor data or the second odor data is greater than an odor threshold, it is determined that flatulence has occurred.

[0012] However, some people who take medications such as laxatives and antibiotics on a daily basis do not produce a sufficient odor when defecating or passing flatus. Care recipients, in particular, tend to take large amounts of such medications, and are therefore more likely to produce a sufficient odor when defecating. Furthermore, some people do not produce a sufficient odor when defecating or passing flatus, depending on the diet they have eaten. Therefore, Patent Document 1 has the problem of being unable to accurately determine whether such people have had a bowel movement.

[0013] Specifically, if the technology of Patent Document 1 is applied to such a person, no temperature change in the bowl portion occurs during flatulence, and first and second odor data below the odor threshold are measured, so flatulence is not determined. Furthermore, although a temperature change in the bowl portion occurs during defecation, first and second odor data below the odor threshold are measured, so defecation is not determined. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 makes no mention of determining defecation accompanied by flatulence.

[0014] Therefore, the present inventor has found that even people who do not produce a sufficient odor when defecating or passing flatus produce odorless gas from within their bodies. Furthermore, the inventor has found that by combining the analysis results of image data capturing the state of the interior of the bowl portion with the analysis results of sensing data measured by the gas sensor, it is possible to accurately determine that at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred, even for people who do not produce a sufficient odor when defecating or passing flatus. Based on this finding, the present inventor has arrived at the following aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] A method for determining excrement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for determining excrement in an excrement determination device that determines excrement, which method acquires sensing data detected by a gas sensor installed in a toilet, acquires image data captured by a camera installed on the toilet so as to be able to photograph the bowl portion of the toilet in the toilet, performs a first determination to determine whether the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration, performs image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes an image showing defecation, and performs a third determination to determine whether at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred based on the results of the first determination and the second determination, and outputs the results of the third determination.

[0016] According to this configuration, it is determined that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred based on the result of the first determination that determines whether the gas concentration detected by the gas sensor is greater than the reference concentration and the result of the second determination that determines whether the image data captured by the camera includes an image showing defecation. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred even for a person who does not produce a sufficient odor when defecation or flatulence.

[0017] In the above-mentioned excrement determination method, the third determination may determine that the defecation and flatulence have occurred if the determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration is greater than a reference concentration and the determination result of the second determination indicates that the image data includes an image showing the defecation.

[0018] According to this configuration, if the result of the first judgment indicates that the image data does not contain an image showing defecation and the result of the second judgment indicates that the gas concentration detected by the gas sensor is greater than the reference concentration, it is determined that defecation and flatulence have occurred, and therefore it can be accurately determined that defecation accompanied by flatulence has occurred.

[0019] In the above-mentioned excrement determination method, the third determination may determine that only flatulence has occurred if the determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration is greater than the reference concentration and the determination result of the second determination indicates that the image data does not contain an image showing the defecation.

[0020] According to this configuration, if the result of the first judgment indicates that the gas concentration detected by the gas sensor is greater than the reference concentration and the result of the second judgment indicates that the image data does not contain an image showing defecation, it is determined that only flatulence has occurred, and therefore it can be accurately determined that only flatulence has occurred.

[0021] In the above emission determination method, the gas sensor may be a first gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen.

[0022] It has been found that even people who do not produce odors when defecating or passing flatus excrete hydrogen from their bodies. In this configuration, since the gas sensor includes the first gas sensor that is sensitive to hydrogen, it is possible to accurately determine that at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred, even in people who do not produce odors when defecating or passing flatus.

[0023] In the above-described emission determination method, the second determination may be performed when the first determination is positive.

[0024] According to this configuration, the camera can be started when the first determination is affirmative, so there is no need to keep the camera running at all times, and power consumption can be reduced.

[0025] In the above-described emission determination method, the gas sensors may include a first gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen, a second gas sensor sensitive to ammonia, and a third gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen sulfide, and further, when the determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is equal to or lower than the reference concentration, a fourth determination may be performed to determine whether defecation or urination has occurred based on the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor and the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor.

[0026] According to this configuration, if the first gas sensor cannot detect a hydrogen concentration equal to or higher than the reference concentration, it is determined whether either defecation or urination has occurred based on the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor and the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor, thereby making it possible to detect urination, which is difficult to detect using the first gas sensor.

[0027] In the above-mentioned excrement determination method, if the determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is equal to or lower than the reference concentration, a fourth determination may be performed to determine whether defecation or urination has occurred based on the image data.

[0028] According to this configuration, if the first gas sensor does not detect hydrogen at a concentration equal to or greater than the reference concentration, it is determined whether or not defecation or urination has occurred based on the image data, making it possible to detect urination, which is difficult to detect with the first gas sensor.

[0029] In the above-described excrement determination method, the first determination, the second determination, and the third determination may be performed when a seating sensor that detects that the excretor has sat on the toilet bowl detects the seating.

[0030] According to this configuration, the first determination, the second determination, and the third determination are performed only while the user is seated, thereby reducing the processing load on the emission determination device.

[0031] In the above-mentioned discharge determination method, the output may generate discharge history information including the determination result, date and time information indicating the date and time when the discharge act was performed, and the gas concentration, and store the discharge history information in memory.Furthermore, if the discharge history information stored in the memory indicates that the defecation interval is equal to or greater than a first threshold and that flatulence has occurred continuously within the defecation interval, it may determine whether the rate of increase in the gas concentration indicated by the discharge history information is equal to or greater than a second threshold, and if it is determined that the rate of increase is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it may determine that the person who discharges flatulence is constipated, and further output the constipation determination result.

[0032] During constipation, the interval between defecations increases and the frequency of flatulence increases. Furthermore, during constipation, the concentration of gas expelled from the body through flatulence increases. With this configuration, it is determined from the excretion history information that the defecation interval is equal to or greater than a first threshold and that flatulence has occurred consecutively within the defecation interval, and further, if the rate of increase in gas concentration changes by equal to or greater than a second threshold, it is determined that constipation has occurred. Therefore, constipation can be accurately determined.

[0033] In the above-mentioned discharge determination method, the output may generate discharge history information including the determination result, date and time information indicating the date and time when the discharge act was performed, and the gas concentration, store the discharge history information in memory, calculate the degree of increase in the gas concentration based on the discharge history information stored in the memory, determine the medication status of the emitter based on whether the degree of increase is greater than or equal to a third threshold, and output the determination result of the medication status.

[0034] It has been found that when a person who emits medicine stops taking the prescribed medicine, the concentration of gases excreted from the body increases when at least one of defecation and flatulence occurs. According to this configuration, the degree of increase in gas concentration is calculated based on the excretion history information, and the person's medication status is determined based on whether this degree of increase is equal to or greater than a third threshold. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether the person who emits medicine is taking medicine.

[0035] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an excretion determination device for determining excretion, and includes: a sensing data acquisition unit that acquires sensing data from a gas sensor installed in a toilet; an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data from a camera installed on the toilet so that the bowl portion of the toilet in the toilet can be photographed; an excretion determination unit that performs a first determination to determine whether the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration, performs image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes an image showing defecation, and performs a third determination to determine that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred based on the determination result of the first determination and the determination result of the second determination; and a determination result output unit that outputs the determination result of the third determination.

[0036] An excrement determination program according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure causes a computer to function as follows: acquire sensing data from a gas sensor installed in a toilet; acquire image data from a camera installed on the toilet so as to be able to photograph the bowl portion of the toilet in the toilet; perform a first determination to determine whether the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration; perform image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes an image showing defecation; perform a third determination to determine whether at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred based on the results of the first determination and the second determination; and output the results of the third determination.

[0037] These configurations provide the same effects as the above-described emission determination method.

[0038] The present disclosure can also be realized as an emission determination program that causes a computer to execute each of the characteristic components included in such an emission determination method, or as an emission determination device that includes each of the characteristic components. Needless to say, such a computer program can be distributed on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0039] Note that each of the embodiments described below represents a specific example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, components, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims that represent the highest concept are described as optional components. Furthermore, in all of the embodiments, the respective contents can be combined.

[0040] (Embodiment 1) Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an excretion management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement positions of a sensor unit 105 and an excretion determination device 3 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following description, excretion includes defecation, urination, and flatus.

[0041] The emission management system shown in FIG. 1 includes a first gas sensor 1, a camera 2, an emission determination device 3, an occupancy sensor 4, and a server 6. The first gas sensor 1 is disposed in a toilet bowl 101 and is sensitive to hydrogen. The first gas sensor 1 is disposed in a sensor unit 105 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the toilet bowl 101 includes a bowl portion 101a and a rim portion 101b. The rim portion 101b is disposed at the upper end of the toilet bowl 101 and defines an opening. The bowl portion 101a is disposed below the rim portion 101b and is a member that receives feces and urine. The sensor unit 105 is hung on the rim portion 101b. The first gas sensor 1 detects the hydrogen concentration in the space within the toilet bowl 101. The first gas sensor 1 is connected to the emission determination device 3 by wire or wirelessly so that they can communicate with each other. The first gas sensor 1 transmits sensing data indicating the detected hydrogen concentration to the emission determination device 3. The location of the first gas sensor 1 is not limited to inside the sensor unit 105, but may be outside the sensor unit 105. For example, the first gas sensor 1 may be provided on a wall surrounding the toilet bowl 101, or may be provided anywhere within the toilet space.

[0042] A drainage channel (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the bowl portion 101a. Defecation and urination discharged into the bowl portion 101a are flushed away through the drainage channel. A toilet seat 102 for a person to sit on is provided at the top of the toilet bowl 101. The toilet seat 102 rotates up and down. A person sits with the toilet seat 102 lowered over the toilet bowl 101. A water tank 103 is provided at the rear of the toilet bowl 101 to store water for flushing defecation and urination.

[0043] The first gas sensor 1 may transmit sensing data indicating the hydrogen concentration detected during the period from when the emitter sits on the toilet seat 102 to when the emitter leaves the toilet seat 102 to the emission determination device 3. However, this is just one example, and the first gas sensor 1 may also transmit sensing data indicating the detected hydrogen concentration to the emission determination device 3 at all times.

[0044] Camera 2 is installed on toilet 101 so as to be able to capture images of bowl portion 101a. Here, camera 2 is disposed within sensor unit 105. Camera 2 is, for example, a high-sensitivity, wide-angle camera capable of capturing color images having R (red), G (green), and B (blue) components. In the field of object detection, cameras that illuminate an object with an infrared light-emitting diode and a white light-emitting diode and capture the object are widely used. However, such conventional cameras have difficulty detecting objects with a large amount of red color components, making it difficult to distinguish between defecation and urination. Therefore, in this embodiment, a high-sensitivity, wide-angle camera is used as camera 2. Specifically, camera 2 is a high-sensitivity camera with a 1 / 4-inch CMOS. Camera 2 is also a wide-angle camera with a horizontal angle of view of 120 degrees and a vertical angle of view of 45 degrees. Note that these numerical values for the number of inches and the angle of view are merely examples, and other values may be used. The camera 2 is connected to the discharge determination device 3 via a wire or wirelessly so that they can communicate with each other. The camera 2 captures images of the inside of the bowl portion 101a at a predetermined frame rate and transmits the obtained image data. Here, the camera 2 only needs to transmit image data captured during the period from when the emitter sits on the toilet seat 102 to when the emitter leaves the toilet seat 102 to the discharge determination device 3. However, this is just one example, and the camera 2 may also constantly transmit the captured image data to the discharge determination device 3.

[0045] The seating sensor 4 is disposed in the sensor unit 105 and detects whether or not the user is sitting on the toilet seat 102. The seating sensor 4 includes an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance around the bowl portion 101a and a distance measurement sensor that detects the distance of an object around the bowl portion 101a. When the user sits on the toilet seat 102, the opening is blocked by the user's buttocks, making it dark around the bowl portion 101a and indicating that an object is present near the sensor unit 105. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether or not the user has sat on the toilet seat 102 using the illuminance sensor and the distance measurement sensor. The seating sensor 4 may be configured with a pressure sensor that detects the pressure of a person sitting on the toilet seat 102, instead of the illuminance sensor and the distance measurement sensor. The seating sensor 4 may also be configured with either an illuminance sensor or a distance measurement sensor.

[0046] The discharge determination device 3 is disposed, for example, on the side surface of the water tank 103. The location of the discharge determination device 3 is not limited to the above, and may be anywhere within the toilet. Furthermore, if the sensor unit 105 and the discharge determination device 3 are connected wirelessly, the discharge determination device 3 does not have to be disposed within the toilet, but may be disposed in a location where it can communicate wirelessly with the sensor unit 105.

[0047] The emission determination device 3 includes a processor 31, a memory 32, and a communication unit 33. The memory 32 is configured with a storage device capable of storing various types of information, such as a random access memory (RAM), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory. The memory 32 stores the sensing data transmitted by the first gas sensor 1.

[0048] The processor 31 is configured by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). The processor 31 includes a sensing data acquisition unit 311, an image data acquisition unit 312, an emission determination unit 313, a determination result output unit 314, and a seating determination unit 315.

[0049] The sensing data acquisition unit 311 acquires sensing data indicating the hydrogen concentration around the toilet 101 detected by the first gas sensor 1. The sensing data acquisition unit 311 reads out the sensing data stored in the memory 32.

[0050] The image data acquisition unit 312 acquires image data captured by the camera 2.

[0051] The emission determination unit 313 determines whether the hydrogen concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a first reference concentration (first determination). It has been discovered that the hydrogen concentration emitted during flatus is higher than the hydrogen concentration released when only defecation occurs. Therefore, if the first reference concentration is set based on the detection result of the hydrogen concentration when the emitter only defecates, and the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration, it can be determined that the emitter has at least defecate or flatulence. Therefore, a value preset based on the detection result of the hydrogen concentration when the emitter only defecates is adopted as the first reference concentration. However, this is just one example, and a value preset based on the detection result of the hydrogen concentration when the emitter only defecates may also be adopted as the first reference concentration.

[0052] The excrement determination unit 313 performs image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes a defecation image showing defecation (second determination). The details of the image processing will be described later. The excrement determination unit 313 determines that at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred based on the determination results of the first determination and the second determination (third determination).

[0053] Here, in the third determination, if the determination result of the first determination indicates that the hydrogen concentration is greater than the first reference concentration and the determination result of the second determination indicates that the image data contains a defecation image, it is determined that defecation and flatulence have occurred. Also, in the third determination, if the determination result of the first determination indicates that the hydrogen concentration is greater than the first reference concentration and the determination result of the second determination indicates that the image data does not contain a defecation image, it is determined that only flatulence has occurred.

[0054] If the result of the first determination indicates that the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is equal to or lower than the first standard concentration, the excretion determination unit 313 determines whether urination or defecation has occurred based on the image data (fourth determination).

[0055] The determination result output unit 314 generates discharge history information including the determination result of the third determination or the determination result of the fourth determination, and transmits the discharge history information to the server 6 via the communication unit 33 and stores the discharge history information in the memory 32. The discharge history information may include date and time information indicating the date and time when the discharge action (defecation, flatus, urination, or defecation and flatus) was performed. Furthermore, the discharge history information may include identification information of the person who discharges. Furthermore, the discharge history information may include the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1. Furthermore, the discharge history information may include image data captured by the camera 2. For example, if the toilet 101 is placed in the care recipient's private room, the care recipient can be identified from the care recipient's room number. In this case, the identification information of the room in which the discharge determination device 3 is installed is used as the identification information of the person who discharges.

[0056] The seating determination unit 315 determines whether or not a person has sat on the toilet seat 102 based on the detection result of the seating sensor 4. For example, the seating determination unit 315 may determine that a person has sat on the toilet seat 102 if the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor of the seating sensor 4 is less than a predetermined reference illuminance and the distance of an object detected by the distance sensor of the seating sensor 4 is less than a reference distance. However, this is just one example, and the seating determination unit 315 may determine that a person has sat on the toilet seat 102 using the detection result of either the illuminance sensor or the distance sensor, or may determine that a person has sat on the toilet seat 102 if the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than the reference pressure.

[0057] The communication unit 33 is configured with a communication circuit that connects the emission determination device 3 to the network 5. The communication unit 33 transmits the emission history information to the server 6. The emission determination device 3 is connected to the server 6 via the network 5 so that they can communicate with each other. The network 5 is, for example, the Internet.

[0058] The server 6 receives the emission history information transmitted by the emission determination device 3. The server 6 includes a database that stores the emission history information.

[0059] For example, the caregiver uses the database of the server 6 when creating monitoring data for the care recipient. That is, the terminal device used by the caregiver acquires excretion history information and date and time information corresponding to the identification information of the care recipient from the server 6 and creates monitoring data for the care recipient. For example, the terminal device may create the monitoring data including the number of times the care recipient passed flatus in a predetermined period, the number of times the care recipient defecates in a predetermined period, the number of times the care recipient urinates in a predetermined period, and the number of times the care recipient defecates and passed flatus in a predetermined period. The predetermined period for creating the monitoring data may be one day, one week, or one month. Furthermore, for example, the terminal device may create the monitoring data including the number of times the care recipient passed flatus, defecates, urinates, and the times the care recipient defecates and passed flatus in a predetermined period.

[0060] Next, an excretion determination process according to the excretion determination device 3 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the excretion determination process according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In step S101, the seating determination unit 315 determines whether or not the excretor is seated on the toilet bowl 101 based on the detection result of the seating sensor 4. If it is not determined that the excretor is seated (NO in step S101), the process waits in step S101. On the other hand, if it is determined that the excretor is seated (YES in step S101), the process proceeds to step S102.

[0061] In step S102, the sensing data acquisition unit 311 acquires sensing data indicating the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 from the first gas sensor 1. In step S103, the image data acquisition unit 312 acquires image data captured by the camera 2 from the camera 2.

[0062] In step S104, the emission determination unit 313 determines whether the hydrogen concentration indicated by the sensing data acquired in step S102 is equal to or greater than a first reference concentration (first determination). If it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration (YES in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105, and if it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is less than the first reference concentration (NO in step S104), the process proceeds to step S109.

[0063] In step S105, the excrement determining unit 313 determines whether or not the image data acquired in step S103 includes a defecation image (second determination).

[0064] Here, the excrement determination unit 313 may determine whether or not the image data includes a defecation image, for example, as follows. First, the excrement determination unit 313 calculates differential image data indicating the difference between the image data acquired in step S103 and the base image data. Here, the base image data is image data generated by calibration performed when the sensor unit 105 is installed on the toilet 101. The base image data is generated, for example, based on multiple color image data obtained by the camera 2 capturing multiple images of the bowl portion 101a in a state where no defecation or urination has occurred. In other words, the base image data is color image data of the bowl portion 101a in a default state where no defecation or urination has occurred. Therefore, image data indicating defecation or urination can be extracted by calculating the difference between the image data captured during defecation or urination and the base image data.

[0065] Next, the excrement determination unit 313 calculates the RGB ratio of the R component, G component, and B component contained in the calculated differential image data. Next, the excrement determination unit 313 calculates the distance between the calculated RGB ratio and a predetermined defecation standard ratio. Here, the RGB ratio is, for example, the ratio of the total luminance value of the R component, the total luminance value of the G component, and the total luminance value of the B component in the differential image data. The defecation standard ratio is the RGB ratio of a typical defecation calculated by analyzing multiple image data including various defecation images. For example, the Euclidean distance is used as the distance. Finally, if the calculated distance is equal to or less than the standard distance, the excrement determination unit 313 determines that the image data captured by the camera 2 contains defecation.

[0066] In step S105, if it is determined that the image data includes a defecation image (YES in step S105), the excrement determining unit 313 determines that both defecation and flatulence have occurred (step S106).

[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S105 that the image data does not include a defecation image (NO in step S105), the excrement determining unit 313 determines that only flatulence has occurred (step S107).

[0068] In step S109, the excrement determination unit 313 determines whether or not the image data contains a defecation image (fourth determination). If it is determined that the image data contains a defecation image (YES in step S109), the excrement determination unit 313 determines that only defecation has occurred (step S110). Here, the details of the process of determining whether or not the image data contains a defecation image are the same as those in step S105 described above.

[0069] On the other hand, if it is determined that the image data does not include a defecation image (NO in step S109), the excrement determining unit 313 determines whether the image data includes a urination image showing urination (fourth determination).

[0070] Here, the excrement determination unit 313 may determine whether or not the image data contains a urination image, for example, as follows. First, the excrement determination unit 313 calculates differential image data from the image data acquired in step S103 and the base image data. Next, the excrement determination unit 313 calculates the RGB ratio of the differential image data. Next, the excrement determination unit 313 calculates the distance between the calculated RGB ratio and a predetermined urination standard ratio. Here, the predetermined urination standard ratio is a typical RGB ratio of urination calculated by analyzing multiple image data including various urination images. Finally, if the calculated distance is equal to or less than the standard distance, the excrement determination unit 313 may determine that the image data acquired in step S103 contains a urination image.

[0071] In step S111, if it is determined that the image data acquired in step S103 includes a urination image (YES in step S111), the excretion determination unit 313 determines that only urination has occurred (step S112). On the other hand, if it is determined that the image data acquired in step S103 does not include a urination image (NO in step S111), no excretion action has occurred, so the process returns to step S101.

[0072] When steps S106, S107, S110, and S112 are completed, the process proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the determination result output unit 314 transmits the discharge history information including the determination result of step S105, S109, or S111 to the server 6 via the communication unit 33.

[0073] For example, when a flatus determination result is obtained (step S107), excretion history information is generated in which the flatus determination result, date and time information indicating the date and time when the flatus occurred, the hydrogen concentration at the time of the determination, and identification information are associated with each other. For example, when a defecation and flatus determination result is obtained (step S108), excretion history information is generated in which the defecation and flatus determination result, date and time information indicating the date and time when the defecation and flatus occurred, the hydrogen concentration at the time of the determination, and identification information are associated with each other. For example, when it is determined that only defecation occurred (step S110), excretion history information is generated in which the defecation determination result, date and time information indicating the date and time when the defecation occurred, the hydrogen concentration at the time of the determination, and identification information are associated with each other. For example, when it is determined that urination occurred (step S112), excretion history information is generated in which the urination determination result, date and time information indicating the date and time when urination occurred, the hydrogen concentration at the time of the determination, and identification information are associated with each other.

[0074] When step S108 is completed, the process returns to step S101. The server 6 that has received the discharge history information stores the discharge history information in the database as discharge history information.

[0075] Thus, according to this embodiment, if the judgment result of the first judgment indicates that the image data does not contain a defecation image and the judgment result of the second judgment indicates that the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is greater than the first reference concentration, it is judged that defecation and flatulence have occurred, and therefore it can be accurately determined that defecation accompanied by flatulence has occurred.

[0076] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, if the judgment result of the first judgment indicates that the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is greater than the first reference concentration and the judgment result of the second judgment indicates that the image data does not contain a defecation image, it is judged that only flatulence has occurred, so it can be accurately determined that only flatulence has occurred.

[0077] Furthermore, in this configuration, since the first gas sensor 1 is a gas sensor that is sensitive to hydrogen, it is possible to accurately determine that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred even in a person who does not produce an odor when defecating or passing flatulence.

[0078] Furthermore, if the first gas sensor 1 does not detect hydrogen at a concentration equal to or greater than the first reference concentration, it is determined based on the image data whether urination has occurred or not. Therefore, it is possible to detect urination, which is difficult to detect with the first gas sensor 1.

[0079] (Embodiment 2) Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of an emission management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The second embodiment is characterized in that the emission management system further includes a second gas sensor 7 and a third gas sensor 8. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. In Fig. 4, blocks whose functions differ from those in the first embodiment are denoted by the suffix A.

[0080] The second gas sensor 7 is a gas sensor that is sensitive to ammonia. The second gas sensor 7 may transmit sensing data indicating the ammonia concentration detected during the period from when the emitter sits on the toilet seat 102 to when the emitter leaves the toilet seat 102 to the emission determination device 3. However, this is just one example, and the second gas sensor 7 may constantly transmit sensing data indicating the detected ammonia to the emission determination device 3.

[0081] The third gas sensor 8 is a gas sensor that is sensitive to hydrogen sulfide. The third gas sensor 8 may transmit sensing data indicating the concentration of hydrogen sulfide detected during the period from when the emitter sits on the toilet seat 102 to when the emitter leaves the toilet seat 102 to the emission determination device 3. However, this is just an example, and the second gas sensor 7 may constantly transmit sensing data indicating the detected concentration of hydrogen sulfide to the emission determining device 3.

[0082] The second gas sensor 7 and the third gas sensor 8 are each disposed, for example, in a sensor unit 105. The second gas sensor 7 and the third gas sensor 8 are each connected to the emission determining device 3A by wire or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0083] In addition to the sensing data of the first gas sensor 1, the sensing data acquisition unit 311A further acquires sensing data indicating the ammonia concentration around the toilet bowl 101 detected by the second gas sensor 7, and also acquires sensing data indicating the hydrogen sulfide concentration around the toilet bowl 101 detected by the third gas sensor 8.

[0084] The discharge determining unit 313A differs from the first embodiment in the fourth determination. That is, when the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is equal to or lower than the first reference concentration, the discharge determining unit 313A determines whether or not only urination has occurred based on the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor 7 (fourth determination). Furthermore, when the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is equal to or lower than the first reference concentration, the discharge determining unit 313A determines whether or not only defecation has occurred based on the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor 8.

[0085] Next, an emission determination process according to the emission determination device 3A according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the emission determination process according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In this flowchart, the same processes as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0086] In step S102A, the sensing data acquisition unit 311A acquires sensing data from the first gas sensor 1, the second gas sensor 7, and the third gas sensor 8, respectively.

[0087] In step S201 following step S104, the emission determination unit 313 determines whether the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor 8 is equal to or greater than a third reference concentration. The third reference concentration is a value that is set in advance based on the detection result of the hydrogen sulfide concentration when the emitter only defecates, for example.

[0088] If the hydrogen sulfide concentration is determined to be equal to or higher than the third standard concentration (YES in step S201), the excretion determination unit 313A determines that only defecation has occurred (step S202). On the other hand, if the hydrogen sulfide concentration is determined to be lower than the third standard concentration (NO in step S201), the process proceeds to step S203.

[0089] In step S203, the discharge determination unit 313A determines whether the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor 7 is equal to or greater than the second reference concentration. If it is determined that the ammonia concentration is equal to or greater than the second reference concentration (YES in step S203), the discharge determination unit 313A determines that only urination has occurred (step S204). The second reference concentration is, for example, a value that is set in advance based on the detection result of the ammonia concentration when the excretor has only urinated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the ammonia concentration is less than the second reference concentration, no excretion action has occurred, and the process returns to step S101. After steps S202 and S204 are completed, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0090] As described above, according to the second embodiment, if the first gas sensor 1 fails to detect hydrogen at or above the first reference concentration, it is determined whether or not urination has occurred based on the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor 7 that detects ammonia and the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor 8 that detects hydrogen sulfide. Therefore, urination, which is difficult to detect with the first gas sensor 1, can be detected.

[0091] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the camera 2 is activated only when the first determination is affirmative (YES in step S104), thereby reducing power consumption.

[0092] (Embodiment 3) 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an excretion management system according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. Embodiment 3 is based on embodiment 1, and is characterized in that processor 31 further includes a constipation determination unit 316 and a medication state determination unit 317. In embodiment 3, the same components as those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0093] The constipation determination unit 316 reads out excretion history information for each excretor from the memory 32, and if the read excretion history information indicates that the excretor's defecation interval is equal to or greater than a first threshold and that flatulence has occurred continuously within the defecation interval, it determines whether the increase in hydrogen concentration indicated by the excretion history information is equal to or greater than a second threshold, and if it determines that the increase is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it determines that the person is constipated.

[0094] The medication status determination unit 317 calculates the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration based on the excretion history information stored in the memory 32, and determines the medication status of the emitter based on whether the calculated degree of increase is equal to or greater than a third threshold. The medication status indicates whether the emitter is taking the prescribed medication appropriately. For example, it has been found that if the emitter stops taking medication such as an antibiotic or laxative, the concentration of hydrogen excreted from the body increases when at least one of defecation and flatulence occurs. Therefore, the emitter's medication status can be determined by monitoring the emitter's hydrogen concentration.

[0095] 7 is a flowchart of the constipation assessment process according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. This flowchart may be executed periodically (for example, daily, weekly, or monthly), or may be executed when the number of pieces of excretion history information of the corresponding excretor stored in memory 32 increases by a certain amount since the last execution. In step S301, the constipation assessment unit 316 acquires excretion history information for each excretor from memory 32 based on the identification information. Here, the constipation assessment unit 316 may acquire excretion history information from the present to a certain period in the past. The constipation assessment process for a single excretor will be described below.

[0096] In step S302, the constipation determination unit 316 calculates the defecation interval for each person based on the excretion history information. Here, the constipation determination unit 316 extracts, from the read-out excretion history information, excretion history information indicating that the excretion behavior was defecation only and excretion history information indicating that the excretion behavior was defecation and flatulence. Then, the constipation determination unit 316 calculates the defecation interval by applying a process to all of the extracted excretion history information to calculate the difference in date and time indicated by the respective date and time information of two pieces of excretion history information that come one after the other in chronological order. This allows time-series data of defecation intervals to be obtained.

[0097] In step S303, the constipation determination unit 316 calculates the average defecation interval, which is the average value of the defecation interval.

[0098] In step S304, the constipation determination unit 316 determines whether the average defecation interval is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. If the average defecation interval is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (YES in step S304), the constipation determination unit 316 determines whether flatus is being passed continuously (step S305).

[0099] For example, the constipation determination unit 316 extracts excretion history information in which the excretion act is only flatus within each defecation interval. Then, the constipation determination unit 316 calculates the number of flatus occurrences within each defecation interval based on the extracted excretion history information. Next, the constipation determination unit 316 extracts, from all defecation intervals, defecation intervals in which the number of flatus occurrences is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (a predetermined value equal to or greater than 2). Then, if there are a predetermined number or more of extracted defecation intervals, the constipation determination unit 316 determines that flatus occurrences are continuous. On the other hand, if there is no defecation interval in which the number of flatus occurrences is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, or if there are fewer than the predetermined number of defecation intervals in which the number of flatus occurrences is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the constipation determination unit 316 determines that flatus occurrences are not continuous.

[0100] If it is determined that flatulence is occurring continuously (YES in step S305), the constipation determination unit 316 determines whether the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than a second threshold (step S306). For example, the constipation determination unit 316 calculates the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration from the hydrogen concentration indicated in the excretion history information from the present to a certain period in the past, which was read in step S301, and if the calculated degree of increase is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it may determine that the hydrogen concentration has increased by equal to or greater than the second threshold. Details of the degree of increase will be explained in the medication state determination process, which will be described later.

[0101] If it is determined that the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the second threshold value (YES in step S306), the constipation determining unit 316 determines that the person is constipated (step S307).

[0102] In step S308, the constipation determination unit 316 generates constipation notification information indicating that the waste generator is constipated, and outputs the constipation notification information via the communication unit 33. In this case, the constipation determination unit 316 may transmit the constipation notification information to, for example, a terminal device carried by a manager of the waste generator. The manager of the waste generator may be, for example, a caregiver or family member of the waste generator.

[0103] Next, the determination of the medication state will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the medication state determination process according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. This flowchart may be executed periodically (for example, daily, weekly, or monthly), or may be executed when the number of pieces of discharge history information for the corresponding user stored in memory 32 increases by a certain amount since the last execution.

[0104] In step S401, based on the identification information, excretion history information for each excretor is obtained from memory 32. Here, the constipation determination unit 316 only needs to obtain excretion history information from the present to a certain period in the past. Below, the medication state determination process for one excretor will be described.

[0105] In step S402, the medication state determination unit 317 determines whether the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than a third threshold. Here, the medication state determination unit 317 may calculate the degree of increase by subtracting the hydrogen concentration indicated by the oldest discharge history information from the hydrogen concentration indicated by the latest discharge history information among the discharge history information acquired in step S401.

[0106] Alternatively, the medication state determination unit 317 may calculate the increase degree by subtracting the average hydrogen concentration indicated by the discharge history information for a second period including the oldest from the average hydrogen concentration indicated by the discharge history information for a first period including the latest. The first period corresponds to, for example, a period from the latest date and time up to a certain period (e.g., one week, two weeks, or one month) before. The second period corresponds to a period from the oldest date and time up to a certain period (e.g., one week, two weeks, or one month) after the present.

[0107] Alternatively, the medication state determination unit 317 calculates the increase in hydrogen concentration by subtracting the hydrogen concentration indicated by the previous excretion history information from the hydrogen concentration indicated by the subsequent excretion history information in the extracted excretion history information in chronological order. The medication state determination unit 317 may then apply this process of calculating the increase in hydrogen concentration to all of the excretion history information acquired in step S401, calculate an integrated value by integrating the calculated multiple increase values, and calculate the calculated integrated value as the increase degree. Note that the increase value takes a negative value if the hydrogen concentration indicated by the subsequent excretion history information in the chronological order is lower than the hydrogen concentration indicated by the previous excretion history information.

[0108] If it is determined that the increase in hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the third threshold (YES in step S402), the medication state determination unit 317 determines that the medication state of the corresponding discharger is a state in which no medication is being taken (non-medication) (step S403).

[0109] In step S404, the medication status determination unit 317 generates medication status information indicating that the discharger has not taken the medication, and outputs the generated medication status information. Here, the medication status determination unit 317 transmits the generated medication status information to a terminal device carried by the manager of the corresponding discharger via the communication unit 33. This allows the manager to recognize that the discharger has not taken the medication, and can take appropriate measures to encourage the discharger to take the medication.

[0110] On the other hand, if it is determined that the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is less than the third threshold (NO in step S402), the medication status determination unit 317 determines that the medication status of the corresponding discharger is currently taking medication (step S405). If it is determined that the discharger is currently taking medication, the medication status information is not generated and the process ends. This is just one example. Even if the medication status is currently taking medication, the medication status determination unit 317 may generate medication status information indicating that the discharger is currently taking medication and send it to the terminal device. This allows the administrator of the corresponding discharger to confirm that the discharger is taking medication.

[0111] In this way, according to this embodiment, if it is determined from the excretion history information that the defecation interval is equal to or greater than the first threshold and flatus has occurred consecutively within the defecation interval, and if the rate of increase in hydrogen concentration has changed by equal to or greater than the second threshold, it is determined that the patient is constipated. Therefore, constipation can be accurately diagnosed.

[0112] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is calculated based on the discharge history information, and the medication status of the discharger is determined based on whether this degree of increase is equal to or greater than the third threshold value, so that it is possible to accurately determine whether the discharger is taking medication.

[0113] The present disclosure can employ the following modifications.

[0114] (1) The constipation determination unit 316 and the medication state determination unit 317 may be provided in the server 6. In this case, the constipation determination unit 316 provided in the server 6 may determine the presence or absence of constipation using the excretion history information stored in the database of the server 6. Furthermore, the medication state determination unit 317 provided in the server 6 may determine the medication state using the excretion history information stored in the database of the server 6.

[0115] (2) Although the medication status determination unit 317 has determined the medication status based on the hydrogen concentration, this is merely an example, and the medication status may be determined based on the hydrogen sulfide concentration or the ammonia concentration. Details of the process for determining the medication status based on the hydrogen sulfide concentration or the ammonia concentration are the same as the process for determining the medication status based on the hydrogen concentration described above. Furthermore, the medication status determination unit 317 may determine the medication status for each of the hydrogen concentration, the hydrogen sulfide concentration, and the ammonia concentration, and if at least one determination result is non-medication, determine that the medication status of the corresponding discharger is non-medication.

[0116] (3) The first threshold used by the constipation determination unit 316 to determine the constipation interval may be a different value for each excretor. In this case, the administrator may set the first threshold by determining an appropriate value for the first threshold based on the past defecation intervals of the corresponding excretor and inputting the determined first threshold into the excretion determination device 3 using an operation device (not shown). Alternatively, the constipation determination unit 316 may calculate the defecation intervals of the corresponding excretor over a certain period in the past based on the excretion history information and set the first threshold based on the calculated defecation intervals.

[0117] (4) The second threshold used by the constipation determination unit 316 to determine the degree of increase may be a different value for each emitter. In this case, the administrator may determine the value of the second threshold based on the past increase trend (e.g., increase rate) of the hydrogen concentration of the emitter in question, and set the second threshold by inputting the determined second threshold into the emission determination device 3 using an operation device (not shown). Alternatively, the constipation determination unit 316 may calculate the increase rate of the hydrogen concentration of the emitter in question over a certain period of time in the past based on the emission history information, and set the second threshold based on the calculated increase rate. Alternatively, the first reference concentration may be used as the second threshold.

[0118] (5) The third threshold used by the medication state determination unit 317 to determine the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration may be a different value for each emitter. In this case, the administrator may determine the value of the third threshold based on the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration of the emitter who is taking medication, and set the third threshold by inputting the determined third threshold into the emission determination device 3 using an operation device (not shown). Alternatively, the medication state determination unit 317 may calculate the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration of the emitter who is taking medication based on the emission history information, and set the third threshold based on the calculated degree of increase. This also applies when hydrogen sulfide or ammonia is used instead of hydrogen in the medication state determination process.

[0119] (6) In the flowcharts of Figures 3 and 5, the processes of steps S102 to S107 and steps S109 to S112 are executed, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the processes of steps S102 to S107 and steps S109 to S112 may be executed regardless of whether a person is seated or not. In this case, the processes of steps S102 to S107 and steps S109 to S112 may be executed at a predetermined control cycle.

[0120] (7) In the flowcharts of Figures 3 and 5, when the determination process of whether the first hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration is affirmative (YES in step S104), a determination process of whether the image data includes a defecation image is performed (step S105). However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the flowchart of Figure 9 may be adopted. Figure 9 is a flowchart of an excretion determination process according to a modified example of the present disclosure. This flowchart is characterized in that the image data determination process is performed before the hydrogen concentration determination process. In this flowchart, the same processes as those in Figures 3 and 5 are assigned the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted.

[0121] In step S501 following step S103, the excretion determination unit 313 determines whether or not the image data includes a defecation image. If it is determined that the image data includes a defecation image (YES in step S501), the excretion determination unit 313 determines whether or not the hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than a first reference concentration (step S502). If it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration (YES in step S502), the excretion determination unit 313 determines that defecation and flatulence have occurred (step S503). The first reference concentration set here is a value that is preset based on the detection result of the hydrogen concentration when the person flatulences. On the other hand, if it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is less than the first reference concentration (NO in step S502), the excretion determination unit 313 determines that only defecation has occurred (step S506).

[0122] If it is determined in step S501 that the image data does not include a defecation image (NO in step S501), the excrement determining unit 313 determines whether the image data includes a urination image (step S504).

[0123] If it is determined that the image data includes a urination image (YES in step S504), the excrement determination unit 313 determines that only urination has occurred (step S508). On the other hand, if it is determined that the image data does not include a urination image (NO in step S504), the excrement determination unit 313 determines whether the hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than a first reference concentration (step S505). If it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration (YES in step S505), the excrement determination unit 313 determines that only flatulence has occurred (step S507). On the other hand, if it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is less than the first reference concentration (NO in step S505), the process returns to step S101.

[0124] (8) Although the third embodiment is based on the first embodiment, it may also be based on the second embodiment. [Industrial Applicability]

[0125] The technology according to the present disclosure is useful as a technology for determining discarded items because it can accurately determine whether a discarder has performed a discarding action. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 1: First gas sensor 2: Camera 3: Emission determination device 4: Seat sensor 5: Network 6: Server 7: Second gas sensor 8: Third gas sensor 31: Processor 32: Memory 33: Communications Department 101: Toilet 101a: Bowl section 105: Sensor unit 311: Sensing data acquisition unit 312: Image data acquisition unit 313: Emission determination section 314: Judgment result output unit 315: Seating determination unit 316:Constipation determination department 317: Medication status determination unit

Claims

1. a sensor unit hung on the edge of the toilet bowl; an emission determination device for determining emissions, The sensor unit has a distance measuring sensor and a camera capable of photographing the bowl portion of the toilet disposed therein, The sensor unit is provided behind the edge portion. Emissions management system.

2. the sensor unit is attached so that the distance measuring sensor is located inside the edge portion and vertically below the toilet seat when the toilet seat is placed on the upper surface of the edge portion; The emissions management system of claim 1.

3. When the emission determination device determines that a person is seated, it acquires image data from the camera. The emission management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The emission determination device has a communication unit that connects to a network, The sensor unit and the emission determination device are connected by wire or wirelessly. The emission management system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The emission determination device generates emission history information including date and time information indicating a date and time when an emission act was performed, and transmits the emission history information to a server via the communication unit. The emissions management system of claim 4.

6. the emission determination device generates emission history information including identification information of the emitter, and transmits the emission history information to a server via the communication unit; The emissions management system of claim 4.

7. The excrement determination device acquires image data captured by the camera, performs image processing on the image data, and determines whether the image data includes an image showing at least one of defecation and urination. The emission management system according to claim 1 or 2.

Images