Measuring instrument monitoring system

Abstract

To provide a measuring instrument monitoring system that enables central remote monitoring, and is at a low price, without relying on makers or models of measuring instruments of medical instruments and the like.SOLUTION: A measuring instrument monitoring system 100 comprises: measurement value recognition means 10 of recognizing a measurement value to be displayed on a monitor of a measuring instrument; and alarm sound detection means 20 of detecting an alarm sound the measuring instrument generates. In the system, the measurement value recognition means 10 includes: a monitoring photographing camera 11; a monitor image data recording unit 12 that is photographed by the camera; and a measurement value recognition unit 13 that digitizes the measurement value into character string data from the image data, and the alarm sound detection means 20 includes: an alarm sound capturing microphone 21; a data recording unit 22 of the alarm sound the microphone captures; and an alarm sound identification unit 23 that identifies the measuring instrument generating the alarm sound on the basis of a sound volume of the alarm sound and frequency thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a measurement instrument monitoring system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the development of IoT (Internet of Things) technology, services that enable centralized monitoring by aggregating and visualizing information from measuring devices in remote locations have become increasingly popular.In the medical field, the importance of remote monitoring is increasing as the shift to home medical care progresses, and monitoring methods are being considered that connect medical devices to a network and remotely monitor operation and failure information.

[0003] As a related technology, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a manager controls an agent to collect information such as a patient's vital signs, medical equipment operation information, and monitor signals including alarms in real time, and records and stores the information in a database, while medical personnel such as doctors and nurses in remote locations access the manager from a monitor terminal to monitor the patient's vital signs and manage and control the medical equipment operation information.

[0004] In addition, in conventional medical device monitoring in medical facilities, if a medical device installed in a patient's room malfunctions or issues an alert, a nurse in the ward typically detects the malfunction and contacts specialized staff by phone to request a response. In this case, depending on the nurse's knowledge of the medical device, the details of the malfunction may not be properly communicated to the specialized staff. In addition, there are cases where nurses do not notice an alert in the first place, or even if they do notice it, they are too busy to respond and leave it unattended.

[0005] In response to this, medical device manufacturers have begun providing systems that enable remote monitoring of medical devices within medical facilities. While these systems have made it possible to obtain information on malfunctions and other issues related to each medical device at any time, they have also required the use of different monitoring tools for each medical device manufacturer or model, which has often increased the burden of monitoring work.

[0006] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 does not particularly mention or consider how to configure an agent, for example, when the data formats of output operation information and alerts differ depending on the medical device manufacturer or model.

[0007] In response to this, Patent Document 2 proposes a medical device monitoring system that performs centralized remote monitoring of multiple medical devices in medical facilities, etc., regardless of manufacturer or model, reduces the operational burden on the site, and enables monitoring of operation information and alerts collected from a large number of medical devices.

[0008] In the medical device monitoring system of Patent Document 2, a device monitoring unit provided as a module for each medical device with different connection specifications has a communication connection function that acquires operation information and alert information from the corresponding medical device at regular intervals, and further has a data processing function that converts the data format and values ​​into a standardized and unified format to ensure consistency between the acquired information among medical devices. The communication connection function connects to the medical device in accordance with differences in the communication standards and communication protocols of the target medical device (e.g., TCP / IP, serial communication, etc.) and acquires operation information, etc. using a command interface, etc., provided by the medical device. The data processing function deletes control information such as start / end bits from the acquired operation information data, unifies data item names and terminology, and converts and converts the data based on the specifications. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-167400 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-124913 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, in the medical device monitoring system of Patent Document 2, a device monitoring unit with a communication connection function must perform data communication, and in order to acquire data from multiple medical devices made by different manufacturers that have different interfaces and communication standards, it is necessary to provide a device monitoring unit with a communication connection function that matches the interface and communication standard. Also, in order to ensure consistency between the information acquired from multiple medical devices made by different manufacturers, it is necessary to convert the data format and values ​​into a standardized, unified format.

[0011] Equipping a system with such functionality inevitably leads to high costs. Furthermore, adding medical devices from other manufacturers later requires the preparation of a device monitoring unit with communication connection functionality that matches the interface and communication standards, as well as a program to convert data formats and values ​​into a standardized, unified format, making it difficult to add medical devices from other manufacturers. Furthermore, while data integration is possible with only certain manufacturers that share a common communication standard, each company has its own unique feature extensions, and the reality is that there has been little progress in standardizing communication standards between manufacturers for data acquisition.

[0012] Therefore, there is a demand for a low-cost measuring device monitoring system that allows centralized remote monitoring regardless of the manufacturer or model of measuring devices such as medical devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The gist of the present invention is as follows. (1) A measurement device monitoring system for monitoring one or more measurement devices, comprising: a measurement value recognition means capable of recognizing a measurement value displayed on a monitor of the measuring device; and an alarm sound detection means capable of detecting an alarm sound emitted by the measuring device; Equipped with The measurement value recognition means a camera disposed for each of the measuring devices and configured to be able to photograph the monitor of the measuring device; an image data recording unit capable of recording image data of the monitor captured by the camera; and a measurement value recognition unit that recognizes the characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring instrument from the recorded image data and converts them into character string data; Including, The alarm sound detection means a microphone arranged for each of the measuring devices and configured to be able to capture the alarm sound of the measuring device; an alarm sound data recording unit configured to be able to record alarm sound data acquired by the microphone; and an alarm sound identification unit that can identify the measuring instrument that is emitting the alarm sound based on the volume and frequency of the recorded alarm sound; Including, a monitor terminal that can display information including the measurement values ​​converted into character string data by the measurement value recognition means and the alarm sound detection means and the identified measuring device; Measuring equipment monitoring system. (2) The measuring instrument monitoring system according to (1) above, wherein an image of the image data can be displayed on a monitor of the monitoring terminal. (3) A measuring instrument monitoring system as described in (1) or (2) above, in which the measurement value recognition means links the measurement value converted into character string data with a still image of the monitor of the measuring instrument at the time the measurement value was converted into character string data and records the linked image. (4) The measuring instrument monitoring system according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the measurement value recognition means acquires still image data of a monitor of the measuring instrument at predetermined time intervals. (5) A measuring instrument monitoring system described in any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein when the alarm sound detection means identifies the measuring instrument that is emitting the alarm sound, the measurement value recognition means acquires the still image data of the monitor of the measuring instrument that is emitting the alarm sound. (6) A measuring instrument monitoring system according to any one of (1) to (5) above, wherein the measurement value recognition means creates a trend graph of the measurement values ​​over time from one or more measurement values ​​converted into character string data. (7) Recognizing characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring device from the recorded image data and converting them into character string data, A specific coordinate that surrounds a predetermined range in the image of the monitor captured by the camera is associated with the type of characters included in the range of the specific coordinate and registered in advance; Recognizing the characters of the measurement values ​​within the range of the specific coordinates based on the pre-registered specific coordinates and character types using OCR and converting them into character string data. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to any one of (1) to (6) above, comprising: (8) The measuring instrument monitoring system according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the alarm sound detection means continuously acquires the alarm sound data for a predetermined period of time. (9) The alarm sound is a melody having a period, The predetermined time is equal to or longer than the period of the melody. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to any one of (1) to (8) above. (10) A measuring instrument monitoring system described in any one of (1) to (9) above, wherein the alarm sound detection means identifies the measuring instrument emitting the alarm sound based on the frequency peak of the alarm sound acquired by the alarm sound detection means and the frequency peak of the alarm sound of the measuring instrument to be monitored that is stored in advance. (11) The alarm sound detection means Recording ambient sounds at predetermined time intervals; performing a fast Fourier transform on the recorded ambient sound to decompose it into a waveform of volume and frequency; extracting a volume equal to or greater than a pre-stored specific dB from the decomposed volume; comparing the frequency characteristics of the extracted volume with frequency characteristics stored in advance for the measuring device to be monitored, and identifying the measuring device that is emitting the alarm sound; Including, The measuring instrument monitoring system according to any one of (1) to (10) above. (12) The measuring device monitoring system according to any one of (1) to (11) above, wherein the measuring device is a medical device. (13) A measuring instrument monitoring system described in any of (1) to (12) above, wherein the image data recording unit and the measurement value recognition unit are provided in an edge terminal arranged for each measuring instrument and connected to the camera, a server connected to the camera or the edge terminal, or a combination thereof. (14) A measuring instrument monitoring system described in any of (1) to (13) above, wherein the alarm sound data recording unit and the alarm sound identification unit are provided in an edge terminal arranged for each measuring instrument and connected to the microphone, a server connected to the microphone or the edge terminal, or a combination thereof. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a low-cost measuring instrument monitoring system that is capable of centralized remote monitoring regardless of the manufacturer or model of the measuring instrument. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a photograph of the exterior of a Covidien ventilator (artificial respirator) (Puritan Bennett (registered trademark) 560) including a monitor. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of this system in which two measuring devices measuring one measurement target are monitored. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the measurement value recognition means. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the alarm sound detection means. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of the volume (dB) versus frequency (Hz) of an alarm sound emitted by a specific medical device, obtained by the alarm sound detection means. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows an example of a screen on which it is possible to select either unconfirmed (not yet implemented) or confirmed (implemented). [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows an example of a display screen for a trend graph of measured values. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of a digital display screen showing the latest measurements. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an example of a display screen showing the measurement history displayed in a table format. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an example of a live camera display screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows an example of a screen that can be displayed on a monitoring terminal for recognizing characters at specific coordinates within a rectangle and converting them into character string data. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an example of a display screen for a reading test that can be displayed on the monitoring terminal. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 shows an example of this system that includes an edge terminal that is installed for each measuring device and a server that is connected to the edge terminal. [Figure 15] Figure 15 shows an example of the detection sound setting screen. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 shows another example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 shows an example of an alarm list screen that appears when the alarm list tab is selected on the monitoring screen of FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 shows an example of an alarm list screen where videos can be viewed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The present disclosure relates to a measuring instrument monitoring system for monitoring one or more measuring instruments, comprising: a measurement value recognition means capable of recognizing measurement values ​​displayed on the monitor of the measuring instrument; and an alarm sound detection means capable of detecting alarm sounds emitted by the measuring instrument; the measurement value recognition means includes a camera disposed for each measuring instrument and configured to be able to photograph the monitor of the measuring instrument, an image data recording unit capable of recording image data of the monitor photographed by the camera, and a measurement value recognition unit that recognizes characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring instrument from the recorded image data and converts them into character string data; the alarm sound detection means includes a microphone disposed for each measuring instrument and configured to acquire the alarm sound of the measuring instrument, an alarm sound data recording unit configured to record alarm sound data acquired by the microphone, and an alarm sound identification unit that can identify the measuring instrument that is emitting the alarm sound based on the volume and frequency of the recorded alarm sound; and the measuring instrument monitoring system is connectable to a monitoring terminal that can display information including the measurement values ​​converted into character string data by the measurement value recognition means and the alarm sound detection means and the identified measuring instrument.

[0017] According to the system disclosed herein (hereinafter also referred to as the present system), it is possible to practically simultaneously convert measurement values ​​into character string data based on image data obtained by photographing the monitor screen of the measuring device, and identify the measuring device that is emitting an alarm sound based on the volume and frequency of the alarm sound.Therefore, it is possible to perform centralized remote monitoring of multiple measuring devices made by different manufacturers at low cost, regardless of the manufacturer or model of the measuring device.

[0018] With this system, as long as there is a wired or wireless network environment, there is no need for dedicated communication standards or protocols to read data from the measuring equipment being monitored, and no special construction is required during installation.It can be used with a variety of measuring equipment by reading measurement values ​​from image data captured of the measuring equipment's monitor screen.

[0019] This system can remotely monitor, for example, measuring devices (measuring instruments) made by multiple manufacturers in a factory in a unified manner. Therefore, even in factories where it is difficult to install a dedicated monitoring system, it is possible to remotely monitor the operating status of equipment within the factory that is difficult to see from the factory's control room or office.

[0020] This system can centrally and remotely monitor, for example, measuring devices (medical devices) made by multiple manufacturers in medical facilities or homes. This system enables remote monitoring of the operating status of medical devices, helping medical professionals to use medical devices to provide safe patient treatment and care. In particular, this system can help provide safe ventilator treatment and care for patients in general hospital beds that are difficult to visually monitor and far from the nurse's station in medical facilities where it is difficult to install a dedicated monitoring system. This system can also help provide safe ventilator treatment and care for patients receiving home medical care in homes where it is difficult to install a dedicated monitoring system.

[0021] For example, this system can combine measurements from a ventilator manufactured by Company A and transcutaneous arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurements from a patient monitor manufactured by Company B into a single patient's data. This system enables remote monitoring of measurements from multiple medical devices at low cost, regardless of the manufacturer. Because the system can integrate data, it can centrally manage the actual measurements taken by the medical devices for patients treated with multiple medical devices. Furthermore, this system enables virtually real-time bedside monitoring, thereby supporting respiratory care teams.

[0022] Furthermore, since this system does not directly acquire measurements from measuring devices as digital data but instead acquires them using image processing, it does not require communication standards or protocols specific to the measuring device, and because it is less expensive than conventional remote monitoring systems, it can also be used favorably for home monitoring of ventilators for patients who use ventilators at home, and is particularly suitable for remote monitoring of ventilators used by chronic patients whose condition is relatively stable. As a result, this system can help patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), muscular dystrophy, and other conditions live safely at home.

[0023] In this way, this system is useful in that it enables centralized remote monitoring of measuring equipment used in factories, medical facilities, homes, etc., and is particularly useful in that it enables centralized remote monitoring of medical equipment.

[0024] The measuring instruments that can be monitored by this system are not particularly limited as long as they have a monitor that displays measured values ​​and can emit an alarm sound when an abnormal value is detected. Measuring instruments can be, for example, various measuring instruments used in factories. Abnormal values ​​of measuring instruments can be detected when a measured value exceeds or falls below a threshold value preset for the measuring instrument, when an abnormality is detected in the measuring instrument, or the like.

[0025] The measuring device that can be monitored by this system is preferably a medical device. There are no particular limitations on the medical device, as long as it has a monitor that displays a measurement value and is capable of emitting an alarm sound when an abnormal value is detected. The medical device can be, for example, a ventilator, a vital sign monitor, etc. Abnormal values ​​of a medical device can be detected when a measurement value exceeds or falls below a threshold value preset for the medical device, or when an abnormality in the medical device is detected.

[0026] The ventilator can measure, for example, the inhaled air volume, exhaled air volume, oxygen concentration in the inhaled air, oxygen concentration in the exhaled air, etc., and display these measured values ​​on the ventilator monitor. Figure 1 shows a photograph of the exterior of a Covidien ventilator (Puritan Bennett (registered trademark) 560) including its monitor, as an example of a ventilator.

[0027] The patient monitor can display on its monitor the measured values ​​such as SpO2 and pulse rate measured by the pulse oximeter. The patient monitor can also measure vital signs such as respiration, blood pressure, and body temperature and display them on its monitor.

[0028] Abnormal values ​​of the ventilator may be detected and an alarm may sound when, for example, the airway pressure of the ventilator does not reach a set value, the airway pressure exceeds a set range, the ventilation volume per minute is less than the alarm set value, spontaneous breathing decreases or disappears, the respiratory rate exceeds or falls below a set value, there is an abnormality in the power supply, the oxygen or compressed air supplied to the ventilator decreases, the oxygen concentration of the inspired air falls outside a set range, etc. Abnormal values ​​of the vital sign monitor may be detected and an alarm may sound when, for example, the SpO2 of the vital sign monitor is below a predetermined value, for example 94%, the pulse rate is outside a predetermined range, or the blood pressure is outside a predetermined range, etc.

[0029] In this application, a measurement value (information) is a measurement value (information) represented by text displayed on the monitor of a measuring device, and can be a value representing the operating status of the measuring device, including an actual measurement value of a measurement target. For example, a measurement value is a measurement value (information) measured by a measuring device that represents the temperature or pressure of a factory furnace. If the measuring device is a medical device, the measurement value is a measurement value (information) measured by the medical device that represents a patient's condition, such as inhaled air volume, exhaled air volume, oxygen concentration of inhaled air, oxygen concentration of exhaled air, SpO2, pulse, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and body temperature. The number and types of measurement values ​​that are measured substantially simultaneously and converted into character string data by this system are not particularly limited, and can be, for example, 1 to 10, 2 to 7, etc. The number of measurement values ​​is the number of measurement items, such as inhaled air volume, SpO2, and pulse, measured by the measuring device. The measurement target is an object measured by a measuring device that is the monitoring target of this system. For example, if the measuring device is a factory measuring device, it is a machine such as a kiln that the measuring device measures, and if the measuring device is a medical device, it is a patient that the medical device measures. The number of objects to be measured is not particularly limited, and can be one or more.

[0030] This system comprises a measurement value recognition means capable of recognizing measurement values ​​displayed on the monitor of a measuring device, and an alarm sound detection means capable of detecting alarm sounds emitted by the measuring device. By comprising the measurement value recognition means and the alarm sound detection means, this system can substantially simultaneously convert measurement values ​​measured by the measuring device into character string data and identify the measuring device emitting the alarm sound based on the volume and frequency of the alarm sound. This system can be connected to a monitoring terminal capable of displaying this information.

[0031] This allows the system to identify the measuring device that is emitting an alarm sound and convert the measurement values ​​measured by the identified measuring device into character string data substantially simultaneously. As a result, users of the system (hereinafter simply referred to as users), such as factory managers and medical professionals, can identify the measuring device and check the specific status of the object being measured by that measuring device, which was previously impossible to determine by alarm sound recognition alone. This also enables them to quickly determine whether the object being measured by the measuring device emitting the alarm is in a state that requires immediate attention and take appropriate action.

[0032] 2 shows an example of this system 100, which monitors two measuring devices, measuring device 1 and measuring device 2, each measuring a single measurement target. This system 100 includes a measurement value recognition means 10 that can recognize the measurement values ​​displayed on the monitor of measuring device 1 and the monitor of measuring device 2, and an alarm sound detection means 20 that can detect the alarm sounds emitted by measuring device 1 and measuring device 2.

[0033] Figure 3 shows the configuration of the measurement value recognition means 10. The measurement value recognition means 10 comprises a camera 11 arranged for each measuring instrument and configured to be able to photograph the monitor of the measuring instrument, an image data recording unit 12 that can record image data of the monitor photographed by the camera 11, and a measurement value recognition unit 13 that recognizes the characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring instrument from the recorded image data and converts them into character string data.

[0034] Camera 11 is provided for each measuring instrument and configured to be able to photograph the monitor of the measuring instrument. Camera 11 is not particularly limited as long as it can photograph the monitor of the measuring instrument and record the photographed image data in image data recording unit 12, and can be a conventional camera such as a digital video camera. The image photographed by camera 11 can be a video image, a still image, or a combination thereof.

[0035] The image data recording unit 12 is not particularly limited as long as it can record image data of the monitor captured by the camera 11, and may be configured as a storage unit of an edge terminal, a storage unit of a server, or a combination thereof, as described below. The image data may be video data, still image data, or a combination thereof.

[0036] The measurement value recognition unit 13 acquires a still image from the image data recorded in the image data recording unit 12, recognizes the characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring instrument, and converts them into character string data. The characters can be character strings of numbers, alphabets, hiragana, katakana, kanji, symbols, etc., and are preferably numbers, alphabets, or a combination thereof.

[0037] The measurement value recognition unit 13 is not particularly limited in its configuration as long as it can convert the measurement values ​​into character string data. It is primarily composed of a conventionally used processor (processing unit) such as a CPU and a storage unit including an OCR (Optical Character Recognition / Reader) program. The processing unit executes the OCR program to convert the measurement values ​​contained in the image data recorded in the image data recording unit 12 into character string data. The conversion of the measurement values ​​into character string data can be performed using a conventionally used OCR function. The OCR function can be achieved using a conventionally used OCR engine. For example, a selected range can be binarized using OCR, which uses a white background and black characters as training data. For example, if the area enclosed by a square is primarily black, the background can be determined to be black and binarized by inverting the black and white. If the area is primarily white, the background can be determined to be white and binarized as is. Machine learning can be combined to improve character reading accuracy. Some measuring instruments may display characters in special fonts, and machine learning can improve the reading accuracy of characters displayed in special fonts. The camera 11, the image data recording unit 12, and the measurement value recognition unit 13 may be configured as an integrated device or as separate devices.

[0038] The camera 11, image data recording unit 12, and measurement value recognition unit 13 of the measurement value recognition means 10 may be configured, for example, as an information terminal such as a camera-integrated computer, or may be configured as an edge terminal (described later) that configures the camera 11 and the image data recording unit 12 and measurement value recognition unit 13, or may be configured as an edge terminal and server (described later) that configures the image data recording unit 12 and measurement value recognition unit 13, or may be configured as an edge terminal and server (described later) that configure the camera 11 and the image data recording unit 12 and measurement value recognition unit 13.

[0039] The present system 100 is preferably capable of displaying an image of image data on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30. Images recorded in the storage unit of the present system can be displayed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30. The storage unit of the present system can be the storage unit of a server, an edge terminal, or both. Image data can be sent from the present system to the monitoring terminal 30 and the received image data can be displayed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30. This allows the user of the present system to check video or still images captured of the monitor of the measuring device from the monitoring terminal 30, and to remotely monitor the monitor of the measuring device being monitored.

[0040] The video displayed on the monitoring terminal 30 can be streaming or downloadable, preferably streaming. The streaming video can be live, but in addition to live streaming, it may also be possible to display on-demand video at a date and time selected by the user.

[0041] The connection between this system and the monitoring terminal 30 may be made by accessing this system from the monitoring terminal 30 and displaying the display information data recorded in the memory unit of this system on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30, or by sending display information data from this system to the monitoring terminal 30, which receives it and records it in the memory unit of the monitoring terminal 30, and displaying it on an app on the monitoring terminal 30.

[0042] Preferably, the measurement value recognition means 10 can link the measurement value converted into character string data with a still image of the monitor of the measuring device at the time the measurement value was converted into character string data and record the linked data in the storage unit. The system can display the linked measurement value converted into character string data and the still image of the monitor of the measuring device at the time the data was acquired on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30. This allows the user to check, on the monitoring terminal 30, both the measurement value converted into character string data and the still image of the monitor of the measuring device at the time the data was acquired, and to check whether the measurement value converted into character string data matches the measurement value displayed on the monitor of the measuring device.

[0043] Preferably, the measurement value recognition means 10 acquires still image data from the monitor of the measuring device at predetermined time intervals and stores it in a memory unit. The conversion of measurement values ​​into character string data is performed based on still image data acquired from video data captured by a camera or still image data captured by a camera, so the frequency of converting measurement values ​​into character string data can be increased depending on the frequency of acquiring still image data. The frequency of converting measurement values ​​into character string data can be the same as the frequency of acquiring still image data.

[0044] The frequency of acquiring still image data can be set appropriately based on the type of measuring device, the type of measurement value, etc., and may be, for example, once every 1 to 120 seconds, once every 2 to 90 seconds, once every 3 to 80 seconds, once every 5 to 70 seconds, once every 8 to 60 seconds, once every 10 to 50 seconds, once every 15 to 40 seconds, or once every 20 to 30 seconds. For example, in the case of an artificial respirator, since monitoring the ventilation volume per minute (respiratory rate × tidal volume) is important, it is preferable that measurement values ​​be converted into character string data at a frequency of once per minute or more.

[0045] Figure 4 shows the configuration of the alarm sound detection means 20. The alarm sound detection means 20 comprises a microphone 21 arranged for each measuring device and configured to acquire the alarm sound of the measuring device, an alarm sound data recording unit 22 configured to record the alarm sound acquired by the microphone 21, and an alarm sound identification unit 23 that can identify the measuring device emitting the alarm sound based on the volume and frequency of the recorded alarm sound. The measuring device can be identified based on the identification number of the measuring device. The identification number can be composed of a string of numbers, letters, symbols, etc.

[0046] The microphone 21 is disposed for each measuring instrument and configured to be able to acquire the alarm sound of the measuring instrument. There are no particular limitations on the microphone 21 as long as it is able to acquire the alarm sound of the measuring instrument and record the alarm sound data in the alarm sound recording unit 22, and it can be a conventionally used microphone such as a dynamic microphone, a condenser microphone, a lavalier microphone (pin microphone), or a gun microphone.

[0047] The microphone 21 may be a directional microphone or a microphone with a soundproof cover with a hole facing the measuring device to be recorded. A directional microphone and a soundproof cover with a hole may be used together. The directional microphone may be a conventional directional microphone.

[0048] The soundproof cover attenuates alarm sounds from measuring instruments that are not being recorded, and microphone 21 can strongly detect the alarm sounds from measuring instruments that are being recorded that enter through the holes, making it easier to identify the alarm sounds of the measuring instruments that are being recorded, even when the measuring instruments that are being recorded and other measuring instruments are emitting alarm sounds at the same time. A microphone with a soundproof cover that has holes makes it easier to identify the alarm sounds of measuring instruments that are being recorded than a directional microphone.

[0049] By placing a soundproof cover with holes around a microphone, the alarm sound of a measuring device that is not the target of measurement can be attenuated by preferably 10 dB or more, more preferably 15 dB or more, compared to when no soundproof cover is placed. Furthermore, when a soundproof cover with holes facing the direction of the measuring device to be recorded is placed around a microphone, the attenuation of the alarm sound of the measuring device to be measured can be suppressed to preferably 5 dB or less, more preferably 3 dB or less, compared to when no soundproof cover is placed.

[0050] The holes in the soundproof cover may be pinholes having a diameter of, for example, 1 to 30 mm, 2 to 25 mm, 3 to 20 mm, 4 to 15 mm, or 5 to 10 mm. When the pinholes have a diameter within the above preferred range, the alarm sound of measuring instruments that are not the target of measurement can be attenuated more, and the attenuation of the alarm sound of the measuring instrument that is the target of measurement can be reduced.

[0051] The soundproof cover may be made of a sound-insulating material, a sound-absorbing material, or a combination thereof. The material of the soundproof cover is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that can attenuate the alarm sound, and may be, for example, a metal such as iron, a resin such as polyester, polylactic acid, urethane, or vinyl chloride, a ceramic such as rock wool or glass wool, or a combination thereof. The soundproof cover may be made of, for example, a substrate having a sound-insulating material and a sound-absorbing material on its outer surface and / or inner surface. The substrate may be made of the material of the soundproof cover. The sound-insulating material and the sound-absorbing material may be attached to the substrate or may be directly attached to it.

[0052] Because the alarm sound attenuates with distance, the microphone 21 can be placed near the measuring device being measured and away from the measuring device not being measured. For example, a 70 dB alarm sound from a measuring device located 1 m away from the microphone will attenuate to 60 dB at the microphone.

[0053] For example, if a box-shaped soundproof cover is used as the base material, a 5mm thick plastic (polylactic acid) plate made with a 3D printer, a 1.2mm thick soundproofing sheet (made by WhiteLeaf) made of soft PVC resin with a high specific gravity material is placed on the outer surface, and the inside is lined with sound-absorbing material made of urethane foam (density: 23D) that absorbs sound and secures the microphone, and the soundproof cover has a 10mm diameter hole on the side facing the measuring device to be measured and a microphone inlet on the bottom, when placed around a pin microphone, the 70dB alarm sound of a measuring device not being measured 1m away from the pin microphone can be attenuated to 50dB or less, and the alarm sound of a measuring device being measured 1m away from the pin microphone can be obtained at 55dB or more.

[0054] The alarm sound data recording unit 22 is not particularly limited as long as it can record the alarm sound data acquired by the microphone 21, and may be configured as a storage unit of an edge terminal, a storage unit of a server, or a combination thereof, as described below.

[0055] The alarm sound identification unit 23 can identify the measuring device that is emitting the alarm sound based on the volume and frequency of the recorded alarm sound.

[0056] The microphone 21, alarm sound data recording unit 22, and alarm sound identification unit 23 may be configured, for example, by an information terminal such as a computer with an integrated microphone, or may be configured by the microphone 21 and an edge terminal described later that configures the alarm sound data recording unit 22 and alarm sound identification unit 23, or may be configured by the microphone 21 and a server described later that configures the alarm sound data recording unit 22 and alarm sound identification unit 23, or may be configured by the microphone 21 and an edge terminal and server described later that configure the alarm sound data recording unit 22 and alarm sound identification unit 23.

[0057] Fig. 5 shows a graph of an example of the volume (dB) versus frequency (Hz) of the alarm sound emitted by the Covidien ventilator (artificial respirator) (Puritan Bennett (registered trademark) 560) shown in Fig. 1, acquired by the alarm sound detection means 20. This graph has characteristic peaks at frequencies near 1000 Hz and 3000 Hz.

[0058] The alarm sound detection means 20 can associate measuring devices with graphs of the volume versus frequency of the alarm sound emitted by the measuring devices and store them in advance in the storage unit. The alarm sound identification unit 23 compares the previously stored graph of the volume versus frequency of the alarm sound with the graph of the volume versus frequency of the alarm sound to be acquired, and selects the measuring device whose graph of the volume versus frequency of the alarm sound is closest, thereby identifying the measuring device that is emitting the alarm sound.

[0059] The alarm sound detection means 20 can also associate a measuring device with a frequency peak characteristic specific to the alarm sound emitted by that measuring device and store them in advance in a storage unit. The alarm sound identification unit 23 compares the frequency peak characteristic of the pre-stored alarm sound with the frequency peak characteristic of the acquired alarm sound and selects the measuring device with the closest frequency peak, thereby identifying the measuring device emitting the alarm sound. The frequency peak characteristic refers to the independent or relative peak magnitude and frequency. The relative peak magnitude is, for example, the ratio of the next largest peak to the main peak. The frequency peak characteristic to be compared and stored in advance may be one frequency peak, but is preferably two or more frequency peaks, more preferably three or more frequency peaks, and even more preferably four or more frequency peaks.

[0060] 15 is an example of a detection sound setting screen that can be displayed by the system. The detection sound setting screen is a screen that is displayed by clicking the detection sound setting tab among the operation information tab, camera tab, device setting tab, microphone setting tab, detection sound setting tab, backup tab, system tab, detection stop tab, detection start tab, and restart tab that can be included in the home screen that can be displayed by the system.

[0061] The detection sound setting screen allows you to set the detection sound, such as alarm detection notification settings, alarm sound detection cycle (seconds), alarm stop detection count, detection frequency (Hz), detection frequency band, minimum detection volume (dB), detection at two peak frequencies, second detection frequency (Hz), second detection frequency band, and second minimum detection volume (dB).

[0062] The alarm detection notification settings allow you to set whether or not a notification icon will be displayed when an alarm occurs. The alarm sound detection cycle (seconds) allows you to set the number of seconds per cycle if the alarm sound is a melody. The alarm stop detection count allows you to set the number of cycles required to determine whether the alarm has stopped. Alarms may occur intermittently rather than continuously. By setting the number of cycles required to determine whether the alarm has stopped, even if the alarm has stopped once, it can be determined to be continuing if it occurs again within the set number of cycles from the time it stopped. It can also be determined to have stopped if the alarm has not occurred within the set number of cycles. The detection frequency (Hz) allows you to set the peak frequency of the alarm sound. The detection frequency band allows you to set the band (Hz) to be secured above and below the detection frequency. The minimum detection volume (dB) allows you to set the minimum volume to be detected. The detection at two peak frequencies allows you to set whether the alarm sound is detected at two peak frequencies or one peak frequency. The second detection frequency (Hz) allows you to set the second peak frequency when detecting the alarm sound at two peak frequencies. The second detection frequency band allows you to set the band (Hz) above and below the second detection frequency. The second detection minimum volume (dB) allows you to set the minimum volume to be detected for the second peak frequency when the alarm sound is detected at two peak frequencies.

[0063] The alarm sound detection means 20 preferably has a function for test recording ambient sounds and alarm sounds as reference information when setting each of the above items. Test recording can be performed for one or more alarm cycles, for example, two, and a graph of the frequency and volume can be displayed. Figure 15 shows an example of a test start button for test recording displayed on the detection sound setting screen, and a graph of the test-recorded alarm sound. The user of this system can set each of the above items by looking at the peak frequency and volume of the test-recorded alarm sound.

[0064] As described above, this system can identify the measuring device that is emitting an alarm sound, so it can simultaneously monitor one or more measuring devices used for each measurement object. When this system is simultaneously monitoring two or more measuring devices and a measuring device emits an alarm sound, the alarm sound identification unit 23 can identify whether only one measuring device is emitting an alarm sound or whether multiple measuring devices are emitting alarm sounds simultaneously.

[0065] This system preferably uses the measurement value recognition means 10 and alarm sound detection means 20 to detect an alarm sound emitted by a measuring device and display on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30 that an alarm sound has been emitted, as well as displaying a monitor image of the measuring device at the time the alarm sound was detected. This system also uses the measurement value recognition means 10 and alarm sound detection means 20 to detect an alarm sound emitted by a measuring device and display on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30 that an alarm sound has been emitted, as well as displaying a monitor image of the measuring device at the time the alarm sound was detected, and may also generate a sound indicating that an alarm sound has been emitted from a speaker of the monitoring terminal 30 or a speaker connected to the monitoring terminal 30. The monitor image of the measuring device at the time the alarm sound was detected can be a still image or video captured by the camera 11, or a combination of both. This allows the user to check on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30 that an alarm sound has been detected, the measuring device that is emitting the alarm sound, the measurement value when the alarm sound was detected, and the monitor image of the measuring device at the time the alarm sound was detected.

[0066] Preferably, when the alarm sound detection means 20 identifies the measuring device that is emitting the alarm sound, the measurement value recognition means 10 also acquires still image data of the monitor of the measuring device that is emitting the alarm sound and stores it in the memory unit. The identified measuring device and still image data acquired by the measurement value recognition means 10 and the alarm sound detection means 20 can be displayed on the monitoring terminal 30.

[0067] This allows the user to check on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30 that an alarm sound has been detected, the measuring device that is emitting the alarm sound, and the measurement value when the alarm sound was detected, as well as a still image of the measuring device's monitor when the alarm sound was detected, allowing the user to more visually understand the status of the measuring device and to check whether the measurement value converted into character string data matches the measurement value on the still image.

[0068] When the alarm sound detection means 20 identifies a measuring device that is emitting an alarm sound, there is a possibility that the object being measured is in a state that requires immediate attention, and a still image of the monitor of the measuring device at that time can be saved. The user can compare the measurement value converted into character string data with the still image on the monitor to confirm whether the measurement value converted into character string data is correct, so that reliable action can be taken against the object being measured that may be in a state that requires immediate attention.

[0069] Furthermore, when the alarm sound detection means 20 identifies the measuring instrument that is emitting an alarm sound, the measurement value recognition means 10 acquires still image data of the monitor of the measuring instrument that is emitting the alarm sound, thereby preventing the omission of acquiring a still image of the measuring instrument's monitor. By acquiring a still image of the measuring instrument's monitor every time an alarm sound is detected, it becomes possible to convert the measurement value at the time the alarm sound is detected into character string data. This is particularly effective when video images of the measuring instrument's monitor are not constantly acquired and saved.

[0070] The system 100 can also be connected to a monitoring terminal 30 that can display information obtained by the measurement value recognition means 10 and the alarm sound detection means 20. The monitoring terminal 30 is a terminal that can be used by a user of the system, and can display information obtained by the measurement value recognition means 10 and the alarm sound detection means 20 on the monitor of the monitoring terminal or a monitor connected to the monitoring terminal (hereinafter collectively referred to as the monitor of the monitoring terminal).

[0071] The monitoring terminal 30 may include a communication unit, a storage unit, a processing unit, and a monitor. The monitoring terminal 30 may be a conventional mobile terminal or information terminal such as a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet.

[0072] The system 100 and the monitoring terminal 30 are preferably connected via a wired or wireless network. The monitoring terminal 30 can connect to the system 100 and display on its monitor one or more measurement value data converted into character string data by the measurement value recognition means 10, and data on the identification number of the measuring device identified by the alarm sound detection means 20.

[0073] Preferably, the monitoring terminal 30 can log in to the system 100 from the monitoring terminal 30 without the need to install a dedicated app, access the information stored in the memory unit of the system 100, and display the measurement values ​​converted into character string data and the identification numbers of the measuring devices on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30. This allows the system to be introduced and utilized more easily and at lower cost.

[0074] Alternatively, the system 100 can transmit data of one or more measurement values ​​converted into character string data by the measurement value recognition means 10 and data of the identification number of the measuring device identified by the alarm sound detection means 20 to the monitoring terminal 30, and the monitoring terminal 30 can display the data transmitted and received from the system 100 on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30. In this case, a dedicated app capable of displaying information about the system can be installed on the monitoring terminal 30.

[0075] The information acquired by the measurement value recognition means 10 and the alarm sound detection means 20 includes the measurement value converted into character string data obtained by the measurement value recognition means 10 and the alarm sound detection means 20, and the identification number of the measuring device emitting the alarm sound. The monitoring terminal 30 can display the information by connecting to the system 100. The information can also include monitoring information such as measuring device information such as the position, identification number, and name of the measuring device to be monitored, measuring object information such as the position, ID, and name of the measuring object, and information on the type of processing or treatment to be performed on the measuring object.

[0076] The information that can be displayed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30 can be the latest information that has been updated by the measurement value recognition means 10 and alarm sound detection means 20 of the present system. A monitoring screen that displays the latest information can be displayed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30. The user can check the latest information from the monitoring screen.

[0077] FIG. 6 shows an example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30. The monitoring screen can be the home screen of the system. FIG. 6 shows an example of a monitoring screen when the measurement device to be monitored is a medical device. The monitoring screen can display the patient's location (such as ward, room, and bed number), patient information (such as the patient's ID and name), information on the type of artificial respiratory therapy treatment administered to the patient (such as NPPV (non-invasive positive pressure ventilation) and IPPV (invasive positive pressure ventilation)), medical device information (such as the identification number of the medical device to be monitored, the identification number of the medical device emitting the alarm, the name of the medical device, and the location of the medical device), measurement values ​​converted into character string data, and the date and time when the measurement values ​​converted into character string data were obtained. This allows the user (a medical professional) to easily remotely check the patient's location within the medical facility, their condition, and the like.

[0078] The measurement values ​​displayed on the monitoring screen can reflect the latest updated information on the measurement values ​​measured by the measurement device being monitored. This allows users to easily grasp the status of each measurement object remotely and in virtually real time. The system can update the monitoring screen to display the latest information at predetermined intervals. The monitoring screen update frequency can be every 1 to 60 seconds, every 2 to 50 seconds, every 3 to 40 seconds, every 5 to 30 seconds, or every 10 to 20 seconds, etc. The timing at which the latest measurement values ​​are converted into text data varies depending on the measurement device, but by updating the information on the monitoring screen at the above frequency, it is possible to display substantially the latest measurement values ​​on the monitoring screen. In addition to the above update frequency, if the measurement values ​​of a measurement device that emits an alarm when an alarm is sounded are converted into text data, the latest measurement values ​​at the time the alarm was sounded can be confirmed.

[0079] Preferably, the measurement value recognition means 10 creates a trend graph of the measurement values ​​over time from one or more measurement values ​​that have been converted into character string data (digitized data). Based on the visualized trend graph, the user can check the operating status of the measuring device over time.

[0080] As mentioned above, the latest measurement values ​​can be displayed in Figure 6, but by pressing the graph mark displayed on the screen of Figure 6, a screen displaying a trend graph of measurement values ​​can be displayed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal. Figure 8 shows an example of a display screen for a trend graph of measurement values. The trend graph can display date and time, etc. on the horizontal axis and measurement values ​​on the vertical axis, and the time axis can be selected from any time axis, such as a 6-hour display, a 12-hour display, or a 24-hour display. Figure 8 shows an example of displaying trend graphs of VT (tidal volume), MV (minute ventilation) and LEAK (leak rate), PIP (peak airway pressure) and PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure), RR (respiratory rate), and SpO2.

[0081] This system can also create a trend graph of the date and time (timing) of rounds that the user checks directly using the measuring device or at the location of the measurement target, and display it on the monitor of the monitoring terminal. The round trend graph can be created based on data indicating the timing, such as the date and time of the round, that is input and transmitted from the monitoring terminal. An example of a round trend graph is shown at the bottom of Figure 8. The timing of the rounds can be displayed with a mark.

[0082] Preferably, the alarm sound detection means 20 creates a trend graph of the timing, such as the date and time, at which the alarm sound was obtained over time. Based on the visualized trend graph, the user can easily check the timing, such as the date and time, at which the measuring device emitted the alarm sound. An example of a trend graph of the alarm sound (buzzer) is shown at the bottom of Figure 8. The timing of the alarm sound (buzzer) can be displayed with a mark.

[0083] This system can digitally display the latest measurement value obtained by the measurement value recognition means 10 on the home screen, the trend graph display screen, or on a separate screen. Figure 9 shows an example of a digital display screen of the latest measurement value displayed on the trend graph display screen. This allows the user to easily check the latest measurement value.

[0084] The system may display past measurement value history in tabular format on the trend graph display screen or on a separate screen. FIG. 10 shows an example of a display screen for measurement value history displayed in tabular format. The measurement value history displayed in tabular format may display the date and time when the character string data was acquired and the measurement value. The measurement value history displayed in tabular format may also display an alarm sound (buzzer) detection mark in the column for the date and time when the alarm sound (buzzer) was detected. The measurement value history displayed in tabular format may also display an alarm sound (buzzer) detection mark in the column for the date and time when the round was played.

[0085] The measurement value history displayed in tabular form may also display "Normal operation" or the like when the measurement value is within a preset range, meaning that the measurement value is normal, and may display a message indicating that the measurement value is abnormal, such as "SpO2 value is too low," when the measurement value is outside the preset range. The preset range is stored in the memory unit of the system, the processing unit determines whether the measurement value is within the preset range, and the output unit outputs the determination result.

[0086] By checking the measurement history displayed in the table format above, users can see a list of past measurement history, whether an alarm (buzzer) sounded and when, whether a round was played and when, whether the measurement values ​​were normal or abnormal and the time of the sound, etc. In addition, the display screen of the measurement history displayed in the table format may display a confirm / edit button that allows users to confirm and correct the measurement values. By pressing the confirm / edit button from the monitoring terminal, a detailed measurement value screen (actual measurement value input screen) can be displayed. The actual measurement value input screen displays the captured still image and the measurement values ​​converted into text data, and if there are any reading errors in the text data, the user can correct them on the actual measurement value input screen.

[0087] As described above, the present system can display the latest measurement values ​​on the monitoring screen shown in FIG. 6. However, the measurement values ​​displayed on the monitoring screen through automatic updates may be information from several tens of seconds ago, depending on the settings. By pressing the camera mark shown in FIG. 6, the present system can display a live camera display screen. FIG. 11 shows an example of the live camera display screen. The live camera display can display live streaming images from each camera installed for each medical device. For example, if two medical devices are used on a patient and the monitors of the two medical devices are captured by two cameras, streaming images from each of the two cameras can be displayed.

[0088] Figure 12 shows an example of a screen that can be displayed on a monitoring terminal for the system to recognize characters at specific coordinates within a rectangle and convert them into character string data. The screen in Figure 12 can have a coordinate field that displays, by coordinates, a range selected in an image captured by a camera. For the selected range displayed by coordinates in the coordinate field, the name of the measurement value read data and the read type (e.g., numerical value or text) can be entered or selected and registered in the memory unit.

[0089] For example, if the SpO2 measurement value is displayed in the area labeled "Selected Range" shown for illustrative purposes in Figure 12, the read data name should be set to SpO2 and the read type should be set to "Numeric." Also, if the message displayed when the measuring device emits an alarm is displayed in the area labeled "Selected Range," the read type should be set to "Text." By recognizing the characters in the selected range and converting them into character string data in this way, the measurement value recognition means 10 can recognize characters from images on the monitors of various measuring devices and convert them into character string data, and can recognize characters from not only 7-segment displays but also commonly used displays and convert them into character string data.

[0090] Fig. 13 is an example of a display screen for a reading test that can be displayed by this system on the monitoring terminal 30. The display screen for the reading test can display one or more sets, each set consisting of the data name, reading type, and coordinates of the selected range registered in Fig. 12.

[0091] The display screen for the reading test may include a brightness selection section that allows the user to select the brightness of the screen captured by the camera. The brightness of the captured screen may be displayed, for example, in a text scale such as bright, dim, or dark, or in a numerical scale such as 3, 2, or 1 from bright to dark. The brightness of the captured screen is preferably automatically measured by the measurement value recognition means 10, and the automatically measured brightness may be displayed in the brightness selection section or other section of the display screen for the reading test. Automatic brightness measurement may be performed by utilizing a brightness correction function of a conventional digital camera. The user can correct the brightness by selecting the brightness in the brightness selection section displayed on the monitoring terminal. Correcting the brightness of the captured screen may further improve the accuracy of character recognition.

[0092] Preferably, the method includes recognizing characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring device from the recorded image data and converting the characters into character string data. A specific coordinate that surrounds a predetermined range in an image of the monitor captured by the camera and the type of characters included in the range of the specific coordinate are registered in advance; This involves using OCR to recognize characters in measurement values ​​within a specific coordinate range based on pre-registered specific coordinates and character types, and converting them into character string data.

[0093] The characters registered in association with the specific coordinates can be numbers, alphabets, hiragana, katakana, kanji, symbols, etc. that are displayed at the specific coordinates. By registering the specific coordinates and the types of characters associated with the specific coordinates in advance, the accuracy of reading characters using the OCR function of the measurement value recognition unit 13 can be improved.

[0094] Alternatively, if the monitor of the measuring instrument is approximately rectangular, the measurement value recognition means 10 may include detecting the brightness of the image of the still image data, binarizing the image within a color range based on the detected brightness in the HSV color space of hue, saturation, and value, extracting objects from the binarized image to remove objects with an area below a threshold, extracting the outline of the image from which the objects have been removed to identify a rectangular region, affine-transforming the inclination of the identified rectangle to transform it into a rectangle with pre-registered side lengths, and recognizing characters at specific coordinates within the rectangle to convert it into character string data. This allows for more stable recognition of characters on the monitor screen of the measuring instrument even when the illuminance changes.

[0095] The monitoring screen of FIG. 6 may also display whether or not the medical devices used for each patient are sounding an alarm, and the number of such medical devices. In one example of the monitoring screen of FIG. 6, a triangular mark (hereinafter also referred to as the INFO mark) may be displayed in a color such as yellow or red in the INFO column. For example, the presence or absence of an INFO mark indicates whether or not an alarm is sounding for a medical device, with a yellow triangular mark indicating that one medical device is sounding an alarm, and a red triangular mark indicating that two or more medical devices are sounding an alarm. In this way, the INFO mark in FIG. 6 can indicate whether or not an alarm is sounding for the monitoring target measuring device by the presence or absence of the mark, and the number of measuring devices sounding an alarm by the color of the mark. The presence or absence of an alarm and the number of measuring devices sounding an alarm may also be indicated using other display methods.

[0096] FIG. 16 shows another example of a monitoring screen displayed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal 30. FIG. 16 is an example of a monitoring screen when the measuring device to be monitored is a medical device. The monitoring screen displays a tab for a list of monitored devices and a tab for an alarm list, and FIG. 16 is an example of the screen when the tab for the list of monitored devices is selected. The other example of the monitoring screen in FIG. 16 also has the same functions as FIG. 6, and by pressing the camera mark displayed in FIG. 16, for example, the system can display a live camera display screen as exemplified in FIG. 11, and can also link to a trend graph display screen, a live camera display screen, etc.

[0097] The list of monitored objects may display information such as the patient's location (ward, room, bed number, etc.), patient information (patient ID, patient name, etc.), information on the type of treatment given to the patient receiving artificial respiratory therapy (NPPV, IPPV, etc.), the identification number of the medical device being monitored, the identification number of the medical device emitting the alarm sound, the name of the medical device, and the location of the medical device.

[0098] In the list of monitored devices, boxes are displayed for each monitored medical device in the order of ward, room, and bed number, starting from the top. The boxes are displayed in bed number order from the left, and each room may be displayed on a new line. For example, in FIG. 16, Ward A is displayed in the upper left, and the first row displays boxes for bed numbers 1, 2, and 4 in room 101. The second row displays boxes for bed numbers 1, 2, and 4 in room 102, and below that, a box for Ward B is displayed. In FIG. 16, the display of Ward B at the bottom of the screen is cut off, but the bottom or the entire screen can be displayed by scrolling the screen or changing the display magnification.

[0099] In the list of monitored objects, the presence or absence of alarms for the medical devices used for each patient and the number of alarms can be displayed using background colors. The background colors can be set arbitrarily. For example, in FIG. 16, a white background indicates that there are no alarms or that there are no unconfirmed alarms among the alarms; a yellow background indicates that there is one alarm; and a red background indicates that there are two or more alarms. The background color turns white when all alarm occurrence statuses associated with each captured image have been confirmed and no new alarms have occurred. For example, if an alarm is detected again after an alarm has been confirmed, a new image with a yellow or red background is added. This allows users, such as medical professionals, to easily determine the number of unconfirmed alarms among the medical devices used for each patient by looking at the background color.

[0100] By displaying on the monitoring screen whether an alarm is sounding and the number of measuring devices that are sounding an alarm, users such as medical professionals can easily determine the level of importance of whether the measuring device's measurement target requires immediate attention. For example, it is relatively common for a single medical device to sound an alarm, such as when the ventilator mask is simply removed while suctioning a patient's phlegm. However, when two or more medical devices sound alarms simultaneously, this often indicates that the patient is in a state requiring immediate attention. The above display makes it easy to determine the level of importance and makes it easier to identify measuring targets that require immediate attention.

[0101] Figure 17 shows an example of the screen that appears when the alarm list tab is selected on the monitoring screen in Figure 16. In the alarm list, measuring devices that have emitted alarm sounds can be listed on a timeline.

[0102] The alarm list may display a search criteria box for monitored medical devices. The search criteria include a selection box for the alarm (buzzer) status, which indicates whether an alarm (buzzer) is sounding and whether the user acknowledges the alarm (buzzer) sound; a selection box for the monitoring status, which indicates whether the system is waiting to monitor the medical device, monitoring, or monitoring has ended; management information, which includes an input box for the management ID; patient information, which includes input boxes for the ward, room, bed number, patient ID, and patient name; medical device information, which includes input boxes for the names of ventilators and other devices; and measurement information, which includes a box for selecting or inputting the imaging period. The management ID is a unique ID (key) associated with each monitored item and can be used to associate medical devices, patients, and edge devices as a group.

[0103] The alarm list displays the medical devices searched for in the search condition box in a timeline. For example, in FIG. 17, "buzzer (buzzer) status present (unconfirmed)" is selected, so all medical devices that have emitted an alarm (buzzer) but that have not yet been confirmed by the user are displayed on a timeline. The timeline display may display the monitor image of the measuring device, the date and time of the image capture, whether or not an alarm was sounded (status), the patient ID, the patient name, the ward, the room, the bed number, the measuring device ID, the measuring device name, the monitoring status, and a confirmation / correction button. This allows users, such as medical professionals, to easily grasp the progress of measuring devices that have emitted alarms displayed along the timeline and easily determine whether the object being measured by the measuring device is in a state that requires attention.

[0104] The alarm list may also display a clickable icon such as "Check Video" to enable viewing of a video of the medical device monitor at the moment the alarm occurred, as shown in Figure 18. This allows users such as medical professionals to easily view the video of the measuring device monitor at the moment the alarm occurred.

[0105] The INFO mark in the example monitoring screen of FIG. 6 can be associated with information on unconfirmed (unaddressed) or confirmed (addressed). Clicking the INFO mark causes a transition or selection screen to appear, allowing the user to select either unconfirmed (unaddressed) or confirmed (addressed). In another example monitoring screen of FIG. 16, clicking the bell mark displayed in each box causes a transition or selection screen to appear, allowing the user to select either unconfirmed (unaddressed) or confirmed (addressed). The INFO mark and bell mark in the examples of the monitoring screens of FIGS. 6 and 16 are examples of similar functions, and their display formats and names are arbitrary and not limited as long as they have similar functions. The same applies to the other displays and names in FIGS. 6 and 16. FIG. 7 shows an example of a screen allowing the user to select either unconfirmed (unaddressed) or confirmed (addressed). FIG. 7 illustrates a performance value input screen that can be displayed by the present system. When Confirmed (Responded to) is clicked in FIG. 7, the background color of the box of the medical device that has been confirmed (resolved) changes from yellow or red to white on the monitoring screen in FIG.

[0106] The screen of Figure 7 may also include a measurement value (actual measurement value) data ID, monitored object ID, measurement device ID (identification number), name of the measurement device, person in charge ID, person in charge name, a measurement value column for displaying the measurement value converted into character string data, a date and time column for displaying the measurement date and time of the measurement value converted into character string data, a camera column for displaying a monitor image (still image) of the measurement device taken when the alarm sounded, etc.

[0107] A medical professional can compare the measurement value contained in the still image in the camera column with the measurement value displayed in the measurement value column to confirm whether the measurement value displayed in the measurement value column is correct. If the measurement value displayed in the measurement value column differs from the measurement value contained in the still image, the measurement value in the measurement value column can be corrected by input from the monitoring terminal and registered in the memory unit.

[0108] The screen in Fig. 7 may include a comment field in which a record of measurement value corrections, details of actions to be taken when an alarm sounds, etc. can be recorded by text input. The record of measurement value corrections, details of actions to be taken, etc. can be entered by text input into the comment field from the monitoring terminal and registered in the memory unit.

[0109] In addition to the monitoring terminal, the present system may be connected to a terminal other than the monitoring terminal, for example, a computer in a factory, a computer in a medical facility, or a medical record terminal in a medical facility.

[0110] The data recorded in the storage unit of this system may be duplicated (copied) or pasted as image data or text data into another system that may be connected to this system. For example, data recorded in this system may be copied and pasted as image data or text data into a medical record recorded in a medical record system that may be connected to this system. The information displayed on the screen of FIG. 7 may be copied as image data or text data and pasted as image data or text data into a medical record electronically stored in a medical record system that may be connected to this system. This allows medical record records to be managed together with medical device measurement values ​​and treatment details.

[0111] This system can record the details of the countermeasures for each alarm sound input from the monitoring terminal in the memory unit. This allows the user to check the recorded details of the countermeasures from the monitoring terminal. This allows the system to manage the measurement values ​​of the measuring equipment in correspondence with the details of the countermeasures.

[0112] Preferably, the alarm sound detection means 20 continuously acquires alarm sound data for a predetermined period of time. The predetermined period of time is preferably 3 seconds or more, more preferably 10 seconds or more, and even more preferably 20 seconds or more. By having the alarm sound detection means 20 continuously acquire alarm sound for the above-mentioned preferable period of time or more, it is possible to prevent failure to acquire alarm sound.

[0113] Preferably, the alarm sound is a melody with a period, and the predetermined time is preferably at least one time, more preferably at least two times, and even more preferably at least three times the period of the melody. By ensuring that the time for which the alarm sound detection means 20 continuously acquires the alarm sound is at least the above-mentioned preferable time, it is possible to prevent the alarm sound from being missed when it is detected.

[0114] Preferably, the alarm sound detection means 20 identifies the measuring device that is emitting the alarm sound based on the frequency peak of the alarm sound acquired by the alarm sound detection means 20 and the frequency peak of the alarm sound of the measuring device to be monitored that is stored in advance.

[0115] Preferably, the alarm sound detection means 20 includes recording ambient sounds at predetermined time intervals, performing a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the recorded ambient sounds to decompose them into waveforms of volume and frequency, extracting volumes equal to or greater than a pre-stored specific dB from the decomposed volumes, and comparing frequency characteristics of the extracted volumes with pre-stored frequency characteristics of the measuring devices to be monitored to identify the measuring device emitting the alarm sound. The frequency characteristics can be the magnitudes of individual or relative peaks and their frequencies.

[0116] As a result, even if alarm sounds are emitted simultaneously from a plurality of measuring devices, the alarm sound detection means can more accurately identify only the alarm sound from the measuring device being monitored.

[0117] The volume of a specific dB or higher is preferably 50 dB or higher, more preferably 55 dB or higher, and even more preferably 60 dB or higher. Since alarm sounds for medical devices are usually set to about 70 dB and the maximum environmental noise level in medical facilities is about 40 dB, extracting a volume within the above-mentioned preferred range allows for more accurate extraction of alarm sounds.

[0118] The present system preferably includes a server or an edge terminal, and more preferably includes an edge terminal provided for each measuring device and a server connected to the edge terminal. Fig. 14 shows an example of the present system including an edge terminal provided for each measuring device and a server connected to the edge terminal. The example of the present system in Fig. 14 includes a camera, a microphone, and an edge terminal provided for each measuring device, i.e., a ventilator and a vital sign monitor, and a server connected to the edge terminal.

[0119] A user can use the monitoring terminal to configure the operation of the server and / or edge terminal.

[0120] The server can be connected to a monitoring terminal, and the monitoring screen, video, etc. can be viewed on the monitor of the monitoring terminal. There may be one or more servers. The server may include a processing unit, a storage unit, an output unit, and a communication unit.

[0121] The server's communication unit is a data transmission / reception unit and can be implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination of these. The server's communication unit can be a wireless communication unit or a wired communication unit. The server's communication unit may receive data via serial communication using a USB cable. The server's communication unit may have an interface circuit for performing short-range wireless communication according to a communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The server's communication unit may have a receiving circuit for receiving various signals via infrared communication or the like. The server's communication unit may also have a wired LAN communication interface circuit.

[0122] The server's storage unit is, for example, a semiconductor memory device such as a ROM or RAM. The server's storage unit may also be, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or any other storage device capable of storing data. The server's storage unit stores an operating system program, a driver program, an application program, data, the program, and the like used for processing in the server's processing unit. The computer programs stored in the server's storage unit may be installed into the storage unit using a known setup program or the like from a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or may be installed into the storage unit via a network.

[0123] The server's processing unit has one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The server's processing unit controls the overall operation of the server, and is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The server's processing unit can control the operation of the server's communication unit and storage unit.

[0124] The processing unit of the server executes various processes based on the programs (driver programs, operating system programs, application programs, this program, etc.) stored in the storage unit. The processing unit of the server can also execute multiple programs (application programs, etc.) in parallel.

[0125] The server can perform the processes performed by the measurement value recognition means 10 and the alarm sound detection means 20. For example, the server can perform still image analysis, data accumulation, monitoring screen generation, etc. The server can also register, change, and delete the measuring devices to be monitored.

[0126] The edge terminal may include a processing unit, a storage unit, an output unit, and a communication unit. The edge terminal can perform the processes performed by the measurement value recognition means 10 and the alarm sound detection means 20. The edge terminal can, for example, detect alarm sounds from the measuring equipment being monitored, and acquire and distribute moving and still images. The edge terminal includes a control computer.

[0127] 14, the edge terminals may perform the functions of the server without including a server, in which case at least one of the edge terminals may be connected to the monitoring terminal.

[0128] The monitor image captured by the camera 11 can be stored in the memory of the edge terminal or the server, and can be displayed on a monitoring terminal that can be connected to this system. The video display on the monitoring terminal can be performed in real time or with a delay of a few seconds relative to the timing of the image capture by the camera of the edge terminal.

[0129] The image data recording unit 12 and the measurement value recognizing unit 13 in the measurement value recognizing means 10 can preferably be provided in an edge terminal arranged for each measuring device and connected to the camera, a server connected to the camera 11 or the edge terminal, or a combination thereof. The edge terminal has a control computer and can store image data captured by the camera 11 in a memory unit of the edge terminal, and / or can recognize the characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring device from the recorded image data and convert them into character string data. The server is connected to the camera 11 or the edge terminal and can receive image data transmitted from the camera 11 or the edge terminal and record it in the memory unit of the server, and / or can recognize the characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring device from the recorded image data and convert them into character string data.

[0130] The measurement value recognition unit can be provided on a server or an edge terminal, and can perform image data collection, image processing, character string recognition, dynamic generation of monitoring screens, etc.

[0131] The alarm sound data recording unit 22 and alarm sound identification unit 23 in the alarm sound detection means 20 are provided in an edge terminal arranged for each measuring device and connected to the microphone 21, in a server connected to the microphone 21 or the edge terminal, or in a combination of these. The edge terminal has a control computer and can store alarm sound data acquired by the microphone 21 in a memory unit of the edge terminal, and / or can identify the measuring device that is emitting an alarm sound based on the volume and frequency of the recorded alarm sound. The server is connected to the microphone 21 or the edge terminal, and can receive alarm sound data transmitted from the microphone 21 or the edge terminal and record it in the memory unit of the server, and / or can identify the measuring device that is emitting an alarm sound based on the volume and frequency of the recorded alarm sound.

[0132] The server in which the image data recording unit and the measurement value recognition unit may be provided and the server in which the alarm sound data recording unit and the alarm sound identification unit may be provided are preferably a common server. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 1 Measuring equipment 2 Measuring equipment 100-piece measuring equipment monitoring system 10 Measurement Recognition Means 11 Camera 12 Image data recording unit 13 Measurement value recognition unit 20 Alarm sound detection means 21. Mike 22 Alarm sound data recording section 23 Alarm sound recognition unit 30 Monitoring terminal

Claims

1. 1. A measurement device monitoring system for monitoring one or more measurement devices, comprising: a measurement value recognition means capable of recognizing a measurement value displayed on a monitor of the measuring device; and an alarm sound detection means capable of detecting an alarm sound emitted by the measuring device; Equipped with The measurement value recognition means a camera disposed for each of the measuring devices and configured to be able to photograph the monitor of the measuring device; an image data recording unit capable of recording image data of the monitor captured by the camera; and a measurement value recognition unit that recognizes the characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring instrument from the recorded image data and converts them into character string data; Including, The alarm sound detection means a microphone arranged for each of the measuring devices and configured to be able to capture the alarm sound of the measuring device; an alarm sound data recording unit configured to be able to record alarm sound data acquired by the microphone; and an alarm sound identification unit that can identify the measuring instrument that is emitting the alarm sound based on the volume and frequency of the recorded alarm sound; Including, a monitor terminal that can display information including the measurement values ​​converted into character string data by the measurement value recognition means and the alarm sound detection means and the identified measuring device; Measuring equipment monitoring system.

2. 2. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein an image of the image data can be displayed on a monitor of the monitoring terminal.

3. 2. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement value recognition means associates the measurement value converted into character string data with a still image of the monitor of the measuring instrument at the time the measurement value was converted into character string data and records the associated measurement value.

4. 2. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said measurement value recognition means acquires still image data of a monitor of said measuring instrument at predetermined time intervals.

5. 5. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein when the alarm sound detection means identifies the measuring instrument that is emitting the alarm sound, the measurement value recognition means acquires the still image data of the monitor of the measuring instrument that is emitting the alarm sound.

6. 5. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement value recognition means creates a trend graph of the measurement values ​​over time from the one or more measurement values ​​converted into character string data.

7. Recognizing characters of one or more measurement values ​​displayed by the measuring instrument from the recorded image data and converting them into character string data, A specific coordinate that surrounds a predetermined range in the image of the monitor captured by the camera is associated with the type of characters included in the range of the specific coordinate and registered in advance; Recognizing the characters of the measurement values ​​within the range of the specific coordinates based on the pre-registered specific coordinates and character types using OCR and converting them into character string data. The measuring device monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:

8. 5. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm sound detection means continuously acquires the alarm sound data for a predetermined period of time.

9. the alarm sound is a melody having a period, The predetermined time is equal to or longer than the period of the melody.

9. The measuring instrument monitoring system of claim 8.

10. The measuring device monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the alarm sound detection means identifies the measuring device emitting the alarm sound based on the frequency peak of the alarm sound acquired by the alarm sound detection means and the frequency peak of the alarm sound of the measuring device to be monitored that is stored in advance.

11. The alarm sound detection means Recording ambient sounds at predetermined time intervals; performing a fast Fourier transform on the recorded ambient sound to decompose it into a waveform of volume and frequency; extracting a volume equal to or greater than a pre-stored specific dB from the decomposed volume; comparing the frequency characteristics of the extracted volume with frequency characteristics stored in advance for the measuring device to be monitored, and identifying the measuring device that is emitting the alarm sound; Including, The measuring device monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

12. 5. The measuring device monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device is a medical device.

13. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image data recording unit and the measurement value recognition unit are provided in an edge terminal arranged for each measuring instrument and connected to the camera, a server connected to the camera or the edge terminal, or a combination thereof.

14. The measuring instrument monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the alarm sound data recording unit and the alarm sound identification unit are provided in an edge terminal arranged for each measuring instrument and connected to the microphone, a server connected to the microphone or the edge terminal, or a combination thereof.

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