Watching system, watching method, and watching program

Abstract

To provide a watching system capable of reducing the burdens of both a caregiver and a care receiver and obtaining enough information.SOLUTION: A watching system S according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a microwave measuring device M which transmits a microwave to a watching object O and receives a reflection wave of the microwave, a body temperature measuring device T which measures a body temperature of the watching object O, and an information processing device C which processes outputs from the microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device. A watching program and a watching method according to another aspect of the present invention include a biological information recording step of recording biological information data containing any of respiration rate data and heart rate data of a person to be watched in a computer on the basis of the output data of the microwave measuring device and a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person to be watched, and executes watching.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring system, a monitoring method, and a monitoring program. [Background technology]

[0002] In an aging society, it is important to support the elderly, and various support services are provided for this purpose.

[0003] Support services require caregivers to provide care for the elderly, and securing sufficient numbers of caregivers is extremely important. However, there are usually many elderly people compared to the number of caregivers, making it extremely difficult to keep an eye on those in need of care at all times.

[0004] In response to the above situation, a system for watching over people requiring care has been proposed, as shown in, for example, the following Patent Document 1. The technology described in the following Patent Document 1 makes it possible to acquire location information of the person requiring care by having the person wearing a wireless tag, thereby reducing the workload of caregivers, such as checking the location of the person requiring care. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-053070 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the person requiring care must wear a wireless tag, which is a burden for the person requiring care. Also, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it is difficult to check biological information such as respiratory rate and heart rate, and the information is insufficient.

[0007] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system that reduces the burden on both the caregiver and the person requiring care, and enables them to obtain more sufficient information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A monitoring system according to one aspect of the present invention that solves the above problem comprises a microwave measuring device that transmits microwaves to the person being monitored and receives reflected microwaves, a body temperature measuring device that measures the body temperature of the person being monitored, and an information processing device that processes the output from the microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device.

[0009] Also, in this respect, although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the information processing device has a recording medium on which a program is recorded to execute a biometric information recording step of recording biometric information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being monitored based on output data from the microwave measuring device, and a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person being monitored.

[0010] Also, in this respect, although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device is a program for also executing a step of recording data on multiple monitored persons and a step of identifying monitored persons based on the recorded biometric information data.

[0011] Also, although not limited to this aspect, in a program recorded on a recording medium of an information processing device, it is preferable that the step of identifying the person to be monitored identifies the person to be monitored based on biometric information data from a certain recent period.

[0012] Also, in this respect, although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device is a program for also executing a step of recording warning data when it is determined that the biometric information data is within the abnormal range.

[0013] In addition, a monitoring program according to another aspect of the present invention is intended to cause a computer to execute a biometric information recording step of recording biometric information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being monitored based on output data from a microwave measuring device, and a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person being monitored.

[0014] In addition, a monitoring method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a biometric information recording step of recording biometric information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being monitored based on output data from a microwave measuring device, and a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person being monitored. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] As described above, the present invention can provide a monitoring system that reduces the burden on both the caregiver and the person requiring care, and allows more sufficient information to be obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a monitoring system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic image of a microwave measurement device and a body temperature measurement device according to an embodiment, and a housing B that houses them. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image of the arrangement of a pair of a microwave measurement device and a body temperature measurement device in a monitoring system according to an embodiment. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the specific examples described in the following embodiments and examples.

[0018] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a monitoring system S according to this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "this system") As shown in this diagram, this system S includes a microwave measuring device M that transmits microwaves to a target O to be monitored and receives reflected microwaves, a body temperature measuring device T that measures the body temperature of the target O to be monitored, and an information processing device C that processes outputs from the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T.

[0019] In this system S, the connection relationship between the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T and the information processing device C is not limited, and they may be directly connected by cables, etc., or they may be connected via a network such as the Internet or a local area network (LAN), as shown in this figure.

[0020] According to this system S, the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T can obtain biological information such as the body temperature, respiratory rate, and heart rate of the person being monitored O, and determine whether there are any abnormalities, thereby reducing the burden on the caregiver. Details will be made clear later.

[0021] First, the microwave measurement device M in this system S transmits microwaves to the monitored object O and receives the reflected microwaves. This makes it possible to obtain necessary information without contact. In this specification, "microwaves" refer to radio waves in the frequency range of 0.2 GHz to 111 GHz. By transmitting radio waves in this wavelength range to the monitored object O and receiving the reflected waves, the distance between the monitored object O and the microwave measurement device M can be determined. By measuring this distance multiple times in a short period of time, it becomes possible to detect the specific movements and behavior of the monitored object O. Note that the preferred frequency band for this system S is not limited as long as it can be realized, but is preferably 18 GHz to 100 Hz, and more preferably 20 GHz to 80 GHz.

[0022] The microwave measurement device M can detect a variety of actions and behaviors, including, for example, respiratory rate, heart rate, and pulse rate. That is, the microwave measurement device M can acquire at least one of respiratory rate data, heart rate data, and pulse rate data.

[0023] The range that the microwave measuring device M can detect varies depending on the installation location of the microwave measuring device M, the location of the monitored object O, etc., but it is preferable to set the detection range to an area of ​​30 cm x 30 cm or more and 150 cm x 150 cm or less in front of the device and at a distance of 0.4 m to 5 m from the installation location. This range has the advantage of being able to reliably capture the monitored object O while eliminating noise to enable accurate measurements. The detection range of the microwave measuring device M is preferably 10 cm to 4 m, but is not limited to this.

[0024] Furthermore, the body temperature measuring device T in this system S is a device that can measure the body temperature of the person O to be watched over.

[0025] In this system S, the body temperature measuring device T is not limited to a device that has the above functions, but it is one that can measure the body temperature (temperature) of the person being monitored O without contact, and a preferable example is a so-called thermal camera that can detect and analyze far-infrared rays emitted from the surface of a person's body.

[0026] The range that the body temperature measuring device T can detect varies depending on the installation location of the body temperature measuring device T, the location of the monitored object O, etc., but it is preferable to set the detection range to an area of ​​50 cm x 50 cm or more and 500 cm x 500 cm or less in front of the device, at a distance of 0.4 m to 5 m from the installation location. This range has the advantage of being able to reliably capture the monitored object O while eliminating noise to enable accurate measurement. The detection range of the temperature measuring device T is preferably 10 cm to 4 m, but is not limited to this.

[0027] Furthermore, in this system S, it is preferable that the microwave measurement device M and the body temperature measurement device T are formed as a single unit. Forming them as a single unit has the advantage that the measurement direction can be unified and it becomes possible to measure the same monitored object O. Figure 2 shows a schematic image of the microwave measurement device M, body temperature measurement device T, and the housing B that houses them. By storing them in a single housing B in this way, the microwave measurement device M and body temperature measurement device T can be held as a set, and by installing multiple of these, monitoring can be performed with high accuracy.

[0028] Furthermore, as described above, the information processing device C in this system S is a device that can process the output from the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T, and is preferably a so-called computer, although it is not limited to this as long as it has this function.

[0029] A computer preferably includes, for example, common components such as a central processing unit (CPU), a non-volatile recording medium such as a hard disk or flash memory, a volatile recording medium such as memory, a bus connecting these, input devices such as a keyboard or mouse, and a display device such as a monitor.

[0030] The computer may be a laptop or desktop PC, or may be a mobile information terminal, specifically a smartphone or tablet terminal, which have become increasingly popular in recent years. A typical mobile information terminal houses and integrates components such as the CPU and display device within a single cover. Furthermore, by placing a sensor on the display device to function as a touch panel, it can also function as an input device, making it highly user-friendly and desirable. In the case of a mobile information terminal, a program for executing the method described above can be recorded and displayed as a so-called app on the mobile information terminal, and the desired function can be realized by launching the app.

[0031] Furthermore, the information processing device C in this system S is a device that can process the outputs from the microwave measuring device M and the body temperature measuring device T, as described above, and specifically, it is preferable that the recording medium has recorded thereon a monitoring program (hereinafter referred to as "this program") that executes (S1) a biometric information recording step of recording biometric information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being monitored based on output data from the microwave measuring device, and (S2) a body temperature recording step of recording body temperature data of the person being monitored. By executing this program, the information processing device C in this system S can execute a monitoring method (hereinafter referred to as "this method") that executes the above steps.

[0032] Next, each step of the method executed by the program will be described in detail. This method can be suitably used in, but is not limited to, elderly care facilities. In particular, this method uses a microwave measuring device M and a body temperature measuring device T that measures the body temperature of the person being monitored O, but does not use an imaging device, such as a video camera; it excludes the use of an imaging device. Therefore, it does not monitor individual behavior, but rather monitors respiratory rate, heart rate, body temperature, etc., and has the advantage of reducing the risk of causing psychological pressure to the elderly person or other person being monitored O. In particular, because it does not use an imaging device, eliminating a camera lens or the like from the housing B makes it possible to eliminate the feeling of pressure on the person being monitored O or the aversion to being monitored.

[0033] First, this method includes a step (S1) of recording biometric information including at least one of the respiration rate data and the heart rate data of the person being monitored based on the output data of the microwave measurement device. This step allows the respiration rate and heart rate of the person being monitored to be checked to see if there are any abnormalities in their physical condition. In this case, pulse rate data may also be acquired as described above.

[0034] As described above, the respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being watched over O can be obtained from the output data of the microwave measurement device M. Although the specific method is not limited, it is generally preferable to use a microwave measurement device that measures the output using the Doppler effect, which occurs when the transmitted microwaves hit a vibrating surface and are reflected. This makes it possible to obtain the respiratory rate data, heart rate data, and pulse rate data, and as a result, it is possible to calculate the respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being watched over O.

[0035] This method also includes (S2) a temperature recording step of recording the body temperature data of the person being watched over. By checking the body temperature, it is possible to check whether there are any abnormalities in the physical condition of the person being watched over.

[0036] Furthermore, although not limited to this, it is preferable that the method includes a step (S0) of recording data on multiple monitored individuals before the step (S1) above. This allows multiple monitored individuals to be monitored, making it possible to centrally monitor and manage a large number of individuals in an elderly care facility. In this case, it is preferable that the monitored individual data include multiple identification number data and name data corresponding to the multiple identification number data.

[0037] Furthermore, this method preferably includes a step (S3) of identifying the person being watched over based on the recorded biometric information data after the above steps. As described above, this method uses only a microwave measuring device M and a body temperature measuring device, at a minimum, to obtain the necessary information from the person being watched over, and does not use an imaging device such as a video camera, so ingenuity is required to identify the individual. Therefore, by identifying the person being watched over based on biometric information data, it is possible to identify the person being watched over even if there are multiple people being watched over. However, this identification does not need to be based on a match of a specific individual, including their name; it is sufficient to identify that the person watching over them is the same person.

[0038] Therefore, in this step, although there are no limitations as long as the person being watched over can be identified, it is preferable to identify the person being watched over based on biometric information data from a recent fixed period. The body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, etc. of the person being watched over fluctuate throughout the day, and it is rather rare for them to remain stable over an extended period of time. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the person being watched over based on long-term measurement results, whereas the heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, etc. of the person being watched over do not fluctuate significantly over a recent fixed short period of time. Therefore, the person being watched over can be identified by identifying them based on the time from a recent fixed period of time.

[0039] In this step, for example, identification number data is assigned to each of the multiple sets of microwave measurement devices M and body temperature measurement devices T (or the housing B that houses them) to enable identification, the positional relationship between the multiple sets of microwave measurement devices M and body temperature measurement devices T (e.g., the position coordinates of the set of microwave measurement devices M and body temperature measurement devices T, adjacent relationships such as adjacent placement, etc.) is recorded, the heart rate data, respiratory rate data, and pulse rate data are measured for one set of multiple microwave measurement devices M and body temperature measurement devices T, and this set of data is recorded to identify the person being watched over (however, it is not necessarily necessary to identify an individual as in S0 above), and if a set of heart rate data, respiratory rate data, and pulse rate data within a similar range is detected in multiple adjacent sets of microwave measurement devices M and body temperature measurement devices T, it is recognized as the person being watched over and can be recorded as that individual's movement data. This makes it possible to confirm the movement of the person being watched over O without directly identifying the individual. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an image of the arrangement of sets of microwave measurement devices M and body temperature measurement devices T in this system.

[0040] That is, as is clear from the above description, it is preferable to place multiple sets of microwave measurement device M and body temperature measurement device T and the housing B that houses them within a facility, and they can be placed, for example, in halls, corridors, staircases, private rooms, etc. By placing multiple of these and measuring the body temperature, heart rate, and pulse of the person being watched over O in each of them, it becomes possible to monitor the person being watched over O and detect any abnormalities at any location within the facility.

[0041] Preferably, this method also includes the step of (S4) recording warning data when it is determined that the biological information data is in an abnormal range.

[0042] A typical example of being in an abnormal range is when biometric data is within a range of body temperature, breathing, heart rate, pulse, etc. that is previously determined to be abnormal. However, if the person being monitored is suffering from an illness and abnormality is normal, constantly notifying them of abnormality can be cumbersome. Therefore, if there is a person being monitored who is suffering from an illness, and it is possible to identify the person being monitored who has the illness, the average past biometric data of that person can be set as the normal range, and if the data deviates from this normal range by a specified percentage, it can be determined that the data is in the abnormal range.

[0043] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a monitoring system that reduces the burden on both the caregiver and the person requiring care, and allows them to obtain more sufficient information. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] The present invention has industrial applicability as a monitoring system, a monitoring method, and a monitoring program.

Claims

1. a microwave measuring device that transmits microwaves to a target to be monitored and receives reflected waves of the microwaves; a body temperature measuring device for measuring the body temperature of a person being monitored; A monitoring system comprising: an information processing device that processes outputs from the microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device.

2. a biological information recording step in which the information processing device records biological information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being watched over based on output data of the microwave measurement device; The monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a recording medium on which a program for executing a temperature recording step of recording the temperature data of the person being monitored is recorded.

3. The program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device A step of recording data of a plurality of monitoring targets; The monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising a program for executing a step of identifying a person to be monitored based on the recorded biometric information data.

4. In the program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device, The monitoring system according to claim 3 , wherein the step of identifying the person being watched over identifies the person being watched over based on the biological information data collected over a recent fixed period of time.

5. The program recorded on the recording medium of the information processing device The monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a program for executing a step of recording warning data when the biological information data is determined to be in an abnormal range.

6. The microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device are housed as a set in a single housing, The monitoring system according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of pairs of the microwave measuring device and the body temperature measuring device.

7. On the computer, a biological information recording step of recording biological information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being watched over based on output data of the microwave measurement device; A monitoring program for executing a temperature recording step for recording the temperature data of the person being monitored.

8. a biological information recording step of recording biological information data including at least one of respiratory rate data and heart rate data of the person being watched over based on output data of the microwave measurement device; A monitoring method comprising a temperature recording step of recording the body temperature data of the person being monitored.

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