Supporting system, terminal device, toilet device, support method, support program

Abstract

To improve convenience for a toilet device user.SOLUTION: A control apparatus comprises a use detection part that detects use of a toilet device 100 by a user, and a measurement control part that makes body information measured by a measurement part for measuring the body information on the user, when the use of the toilet device 100 by the user is detected by the use detection part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an assistance system, a terminal device, a toilet device, an assistance method, and an assistance program that assist a user of a toilet device. [Background technology]

[0002] Mobile information terminals have become widespread, and many people own them. Home appliances such as toilets are becoming more multifunctional, and various services are being provided that link home appliances and mobile information terminals. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, when a person carrying a mobile information terminal enters a toilet room, the usage setting conditions stored in the mobile information terminal are transmitted to a warm-water washing toilet seat. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-159553 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present inventors recognized that providing users with a more convenient and beneficial service that links toilets with mobile terminal devices was an issue, and came up with the technology of the present disclosure.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to improve the convenience of users of toilet devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a use detection unit that detects the use of the toilet device by a user, and a measurement control unit that causes a measurement unit that measures the user's physical information to measure the physical information when the use detection unit detects the use of the toilet device by the user.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a control method, comprising the steps of detecting use of a toilet device by a user, and causing a measurement unit that measures physical information of the user to measure physical information when use of the toilet device by the user is detected.

[0008] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is an assistance system. This assistance system includes a toilet apparatus and a terminal device carried by a user of the toilet apparatus. The terminal device includes a measurement unit that measures physical information of the user and a physical information transmission unit that transmits the physical information of the user measured by the measurement unit to the toilet apparatus. The toilet apparatus includes a physical information receiving unit that receives the user's physical information from the terminal apparatus, and a control unit that controls the toilet apparatus based on the user's physical information received by the physical information receiving unit.

[0009] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a terminal device including a measurement unit that measures physical information of a user, and a physical information transmission unit that transmits the physical information of the user measured by the measurement unit to a toilet device used by the user.

[0010] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is an assistance method, comprising the steps of measuring physical information of a user and transmitting the measured physical information of the user to a toilet device used by the user.

[0011] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a toilet apparatus including a physical information receiving unit that receives physical information of a user from a terminal device carried by the user of the toilet apparatus, and a control unit that controls the toilet apparatus based on the physical information of the user received by the physical information receiving unit.

[0012] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is an assistance method, comprising the steps of receiving physical information of a user of a toilet device from a terminal device carried by the user, and controlling the toilet device based on the received physical information of the user.

[0013] Any combination of the above components, and any transformation of the expression of the present disclosure into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc., are also valid aspects of the present disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a support system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of a support method according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a toilet apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. In each drawing, components are omitted, enlarged, or reduced in size as appropriate for the sake of convenience.

[0016] The overall configuration of the support system 1 will be described with reference to Figure 1. The support system 1 provides services to support users of a toilet apparatus 100. The support system 1 includes the toilet apparatus 100, a mobile information terminal 200, a wearable terminal 300, a support server 400, and the Internet 2, which is an example of a communication network connecting these devices.

[0017] The mobile information terminal 200 is an example of a terminal device carried by a user of the toilet apparatus 100. The mobile information terminal 200 may be a mobile phone terminal, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like.

[0018] The wearable terminal 300 is also an example of a terminal device carried by the user of the toilet apparatus 100. The wearable terminal 300 is configured to be wearable on the body of the user. The wearable terminal 300 may have a function to measure physical information such as the user's heart rate, number of steps, distance traveled, calories burned, exercise time, and sleep time.

[0019] The toilet apparatus 100, the mobile information terminal 200, and the wearable terminal 300 have the function of wirelessly communicating with each other using communication methods such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), near field communication (NFC), etc. The toilet apparatus 100, the mobile information terminal 200, and the wearable terminal 300 also have the function of connecting to the Internet 2 via an access point or the like, and communicating with the support server 400 or the like via the Internet 2.

[0020] The support server 400 acquires and stores information about the user from the toilet apparatus 100, the mobile information terminal 200, and the wearable device 300. The support server 400 may acquire usage information from the toilet apparatus 100, such as the date and time when the user used the toilet apparatus 100, the duration of use, the frequency of use, the properties of stool, the components and amount of urine, weight, blood pressure, and pulse rate. The support server 400 may acquire attribute information and lifestyle information about the user from the mobile information terminal 200. Examples of user attribute information include the user's age, gender, and occupation. Examples of user lifestyle information include the user's schedule, meal contents and times, and exercise contents and times. The support server 400 may acquire physical information about the user from the wearable device 300, such as the user's heart rate, number of steps, distance traveled, amount of stool and urine in the body, and body temperature. The support server 400 may provide the accumulated information to at least one of the user's mobile information terminal 200 and the wearable device 300. The support server 400 may analyze the accumulated information and provide the analysis results to at least one of the mobile information terminal 200 and the wearable terminal 300 of the user.

[0021] If a user carries a terminal device such as a mobile information terminal 200 or a wearable terminal 300 when using the toilet apparatus 100, the toilet apparatus 100 and the terminal device can directly connect wirelessly to send and receive information. For example, the terminal device can send the user's attribute information, lifestyle information, physical information, etc. to the toilet apparatus 100. This allows the toilet apparatus 100 to control the temperature of the toilet seat, the manner in which flush water is sprayed during warm water flushing, lighting, sound, fragrance, etc., according to the user. As another example, the toilet apparatus 100 can send information about the use of the toilet apparatus 100 to the terminal device. This allows the terminal device to record the user's excretion timing and frequency, and manage the user's health condition.

[0022] The assistance system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure causes a measuring unit that measures the user's physical information to measure the user's physical information when the user's use of the toilet device is detected. When a user is seated on the toilet device 100 in a toilet stall, the user is likely to be in a relaxed state both physically and mentally. After the user has completed excretion, the user is expected to be in an even more relaxed state. By measuring the user's physical information using the toilet device 100, the mobile information terminal 200, the wearable device 300, etc. in this state, the user's physical information at rest can be measured more accurately. Because the toilet device 100 is used every day in daily life, automatically measuring the user's physical information when the toilet device 100 is used allows the user's physical information to be measured and accumulated without any user intervention. By measuring and accumulating the user's physical information under consistent measurement conditions, the transition of the user's physical condition can be more accurately understood.

[0023] The timing for measuring the physical information may be predetermined. The timing for measuring the physical information may be, for example, when the user sits down, when the warm water washing toilet seat is operating or stopped, when the toilet apparatus 100 is flushed, when the properties of excreted stool are determined, or when a predetermined time has passed since any of these. The timing for measuring the physical information may be varied depending on the type of physical information to be measured.

[0024] For example, it is said that blood pressure can be measured in the most stable state when it is measured after defecation, before breakfast, after sitting down and resting for 1-2 minutes, etc. Therefore, by measuring blood pressure using a blood pressure monitor or wearable device 300 installed on the surface of the toilet seat of the toilet apparatus 100 at timings such as 1-2 minutes after the user sits down on the toilet apparatus 100 or after defecation, accurate information suitable for observing the user's daily physical condition can be obtained.

[0025] The more the urge to urinate is suppressed, the higher the blood pressure and heart rate before urination. By measuring blood pressure before and after urination using a blood pressure monitor or wearable device 300 installed on the surface of the toilet seat of the toilet device 100, and measuring heart rate using electrodes installed on the surface of the toilet seat of the toilet device 100, the wearable device 300, a Doppler sensor, or the like, and accumulating these measurements, it may be possible to prevent the risks of cerebrovascular disorders, ischemic heart disease, and the like.

[0026] The amount of excretion can be estimated by measuring the weight before and after excretion using a scale or the like attached to the toilet seat of the toilet device 100. By accumulating the estimated amount of excretion, it is possible to detect constipation, urinary disorders, etc.

[0027] The procedure of the support method according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The sequence diagram shown in Fig. 2 includes the procedure of the control method according to the embodiment.

[0028] When a user sits on the toilet apparatus 100 (S10), the terminal device detects the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100 (S12) and establishes a connection with the toilet apparatus 100 (S14). The terminal device may detect the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100 based on information detected by a sensor for detecting the position, posture, and movement of the terminal device, as well as images and sounds around the terminal device. The terminal device may also detect the user's action of putting down their clothes and sitting on the toilet apparatus 100 based on the information detected by the sensor. The terminal device may detect the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100 when the toilet apparatus 100 appears in an image of the terminal device's surroundings captured by an imaging device.

[0029] The toilet apparatus 100 may detect a user's use of the toilet apparatus 100 and notify a terminal device. In this case, the toilet apparatus 100 may detect the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100 by detecting at least one of the following: the lights or ventilation fan in the toilet room in which the toilet apparatus 100 is installed are turned on; the door to the toilet room is opened or closed; a person is detected by a motion sensor installed in the toilet room; a person's passage is detected by a passage sensor installed on the door or the like of the toilet room; the toilet lid of the toilet apparatus 100 is opened; a person is seated by a seat sensor of the toilet apparatus 100; or an input to a controller for operating the warm water flushing function of the toilet apparatus 100 is detected. When the toilet apparatus 100 detects the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100, it may establish a connection with the terminal device (S14) and notify the terminal device that it has detected the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100.

[0030] The terminal device reads information about the user from the storage device and transmits it to the toilet device 100 (S16). The toilet device 100 controls the functions, operations, settings, etc. of each component of the toilet device 100 based on the information about the user received from the terminal device (S18). The toilet device 100 may control a performance device that produces performances including light, sound, images, moving images, fragrance, etc. based on the information about the user, to produce a performance that suits the user. This can put the user into a more relaxed state when measuring physical information. These performances may be freely set by the user. The toilet device 100 may also control the temperature, spray intensity, spray position, spray angle, etc. of the warm water sprayed from the warm water washing toilet seat based on the information about the user. This can improve convenience for the user.

[0031] When the user excretes (S19), the terminal device controls the timing of measuring the user's physical information (S20). When a predetermined measurement timing arrives, the terminal device measures the user's physical information (S22). When the toilet device 100 measures the user's physical information, the toilet device 100 controls the timing of measuring the user's physical information (S20). When the predetermined measurement timing arrives, the toilet device 100 measures the user's physical information (S22).

[0032] The terminal device transmits the measured physical information to the toilet apparatus 100 (S24). The toilet apparatus 100 controls the functions, operations, settings, etc. of each component of the toilet apparatus 100 based on the received physical information (S26). The toilet apparatus 100 may control a performance device that produces performances including light, sound, images, moving images, and scents based on the user's physical information, to produce a performance that suits the user. For example, if the user's blood pressure, heart rate, etc. are higher than the reference value, the toilet apparatus 100 may produce a performance that can calm the user's mind. This allows the user to be more relaxed after excretion.

[0033] The toilet apparatus 100 transmits information relating to the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100 to the terminal device (S30). Information relating to the use of the toilet apparatus 100 includes, for example, the date and time of use, the duration of use, the amount of stool, the properties of stool, the amount of urine, and the components of urine. The terminal device records the usage information received from the toilet apparatus 100 in a storage device (S32). The terminal device may transmit the usage information to the assistance server 400. The toilet apparatus 100 may also transmit the usage information to the assistance server 400 without going through the terminal device.

[0034] After the user has used the toilet apparatus 100, the toilet apparatus 100 disconnects from the terminal device (S34). This allows the toilet apparatus 100 and the terminal device to connect to and communicate with another device. This also reduces the power consumption of the toilet apparatus 100 and the terminal device. The toilet apparatus 100 may disconnect from the terminal device when it detects that the user has left the toilet apparatus 100, that the toilet apparatus 100 has been flushed, that the warm water flushing function has been stopped, that the toilet seat has been closed, or that the toilet lid has been closed, or it may disconnect from the terminal device when a predetermined time has passed since these events were detected.

[0035] The functional configuration of a toilet apparatus 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 3. The toilet apparatus 100 includes a communication device 101, a controller 102, a sensor 103, a warm water washing toilet seat 104, a performance device 105, a measurement unit 106, a processing device 120, and a storage device 140.

[0036] The communication device 101 communicates wirelessly with terminal devices such as a mobile information terminal 200 and a wearable terminal 300. The communication device 101 also communicates with other devices via the Internet 2.

[0037] The warm water washing toilet seat 104 has the function of ejecting warm water from a nozzle to clean the private parts of the user.

[0038] The controller 102 receives instructions from the user regarding the temperature, intensity, position, and angle of the hot water sprayed by the warm water washing toilet seat 104, and transmits these to the processing device 120. The controller 102 may also receive instructions from the user regarding other functions of the toilet device 100.

[0039] The sensor 103 detects various types of information related to the use of the toilet apparatus 100. The sensor 103 includes, for example, a seating sensor, a human presence sensor, a drain sensor, a flow rate sensor, and a toilet lid open / close sensor.

[0040] The performance device 105 performs a performance including at least one of light, sound, image, moving image, and scent, and may include a lamp, a speaker, a display device, an aroma diffuser, etc.

[0041] The measurement unit 106 measures the user's physical information. The measurement unit 106 may include a blood pressure monitor, a heart rate monitor, a weight scale, a thermometer, etc. This makes it possible to measure and record the user's physical information even when the user does not carry a terminal device or when the terminal device carried by the user does not have those sensors.

[0042] The storage device 140 stores programs, data, etc. used by the processing device 120. The storage device 140 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage device 140 includes a terminal device information storage unit 141, a user information storage unit 142, and a usage information storage unit 143.

[0043] The terminal device information storage unit 141 stores information about terminal devices such as the mobile information terminal 200 and the wearable terminal 300. The terminal device information storage unit 141 stores information such as identification information of the terminal device, an address, identification information of a user who carries the terminal device, and a connection history.

[0044] The user information storage unit 142 stores information about the user of the toilet apparatus 100. The user information storage unit 142 stores, for example, the user's identification information, attribute information, lifestyle information, physical information, and the like.

[0045] The usage information storage unit 143 stores information relating to the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100. The usage information storage unit 143 stores information such as the usage information of the toilet apparatus 100 and the user identification information in each piece of usage information.

[0046] The processing device 120 includes a usage detection unit 121, a measurement control unit 122, a physical information receiving unit 123, a user information receiving unit 124, a control unit 125, and a usage information transmission unit 126. These components are realized in hardware by circuits such as the CPU, memory, and other LSIs of any computer, and in software by programs loaded into memory. This diagram depicts functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these components. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways, such as hardware only or a combination of hardware and software.

[0047] The use detection unit 121 detects the use of the toilet apparatus 100 by a user.

[0048] The measurement control unit 122 controls the measurement of the user's physical information by the measurement unit 106. The measurement control unit 122 controls the timing of measurement, and when a predetermined measurement timing arrives, instructs the measurement unit 106 to perform measurement.

[0049] The physical information receiving unit 123 receives physical information of the user of the toilet apparatus 100 from the terminal device, and stores the received information in the user information storage unit 142 .

[0050] The user information receiving unit 124 receives information about the user of the toilet apparatus 100 from the terminal device, and stores the received information in the user information storage unit 142 .

[0051] The control unit 125 controls each component of the toilet apparatus 100 based on the information stored in the user information storage unit 142. The control unit 125 controls the temperature, spray intensity, spray position, spray angle, etc. of the hot water sprayed by the warm water shower toilet seat 104 based on the user's attribute information, etc. The control unit 125 controls the content, time, timing, etc. of the performance executed by the performance device 105 based on the user's physical information, etc.

[0052] The usage information transmission unit 126 transmits information relating to the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100 to the terminal device.

[0053] The functional configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The portable information terminal 200 and the wearable terminal 300 each include a communication device 201, a display device 202, an input device 203, a measurement unit 204, a sensor 205, a processing device 220, and a storage device 240.

[0054] The communication device 201 communicates wirelessly with the toilet device 100. The communication device 201 also communicates with other devices via the Internet 2.

[0055] The display device 202 displays a display screen generated by the processing device 220. The input device 203 transmits instruction input received from the user to the processing device 220. The measurement unit 204 measures physical information of the user. The sensor 205 detects the position, posture, speed, acceleration of the terminal device, as well as images and sounds around the terminal device.

[0056] The storage device 240 stores programs, data, etc. used by the processing device 220. The storage device 240 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage device 240 includes a user information storage unit 241, a usage information storage unit 242, and a physical information storage unit 243.

[0057] The user information storage unit 241 stores information about the user of the terminal device, such as the user's identification information, attribute information, and lifestyle information.

[0058] The usage information storage unit 242 stores information relating to the user's use of the toilet apparatus 100. The usage information storage unit 242 stores information such as the usage history of the toilet apparatus 100, for example.

[0059] The physical information storage unit 243 stores physical information of the user, such as the heart rate measured by the measurement unit 204, the sleeping hours, and the like.

[0060] The processing device 220 includes a usage detection unit 221, a measurement control unit 222, a user information transmission unit 223, a usage information recording unit 224, and a physical information acquisition unit 225. These components are realized in hardware by circuits such as the CPU, memory, and other LSIs of any computer, and in software by programs loaded into memory. This diagram depicts functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these components. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways, such as hardware only or a combination of hardware and software.

[0061] The use detection unit 221 detects the use of the toilet apparatus 100 by a user.

[0062] The measurement control unit 222 controls the measurement of the user's physical information by the measurement unit 204. The measurement control unit 222 controls the timing of measurement, and instructs the measurement unit 204 to perform measurement when a predetermined measurement timing arrives.

[0063] The user information transmission unit 223 transmits the user information stored in the user information storage unit 241 to the toilet apparatus 100. The user information may include information acquired by other functions of the terminal device. For example, the user information may include user schedule information managed by an application such as a scheduler executed on the mobile information terminal 200, or meal history information acquired by an application that manages the meals the user has eaten.

[0064] The usage information recording unit 224 receives usage information from the toilet apparatus 100 when the user uses the toilet apparatus 100 , and records the received information in the usage information holding unit 242 .

[0065] Physical information acquisition unit 225 acquires the physical information measured by measurement unit 204 from measurement unit 204 and records the acquired information in physical information storage unit 243.

[0066] The above-described embodiments and variations are merely examples. The abstract technical ideas should not be interpreted as being limited to the contents of the embodiments and variations. Many design changes are possible in the contents of the embodiments and variations, such as changing, adding, or deleting components. In the above-described embodiments, the contents that allow such design changes are emphasized by adding the notation "embodiment." However, design changes are also permitted even in contents that do not have such notation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1...support system, 100...toilet device, 101...communication device, 102...controller, 103...sensor, 104...warm water washlet toilet seat, 105...performance device, 106...measurement unit, 121...usage detection unit, 122...measurement control unit, 123...physical information receiving unit, 124...user information receiving unit, 125...control unit, 126...usage information transmitting unit, 200...mobile information terminal, 201...communication device, 204...measurement unit, 205...sensor, 221...usage detection unit, 222...measurement control unit, 223...user information transmitting unit, 224...usage information recording unit, 225...physical information acquisition unit, 300...wearable terminal, 400...support server.

Claims

1. a toilet bowl device; a terminal device carried by a user of the toilet device; Equipped with The terminal device a measurement unit for measuring physical information of the user; a physical information transmitting unit that transmits the physical information of the user measured by the measuring unit to the toilet device; Equipped with The toilet device comprises: a physical information receiving unit that receives physical information of the user from the terminal device; a control unit that controls the toilet device based on the physical information of the user received by the physical information receiving unit; Equipped with Support system.

2. The terminal device includes a measurement control unit that causes the measurement unit to measure the physical information when the user uses the toilet device. The assistance system according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit controls the toilet device based on the physical information of the user measured by the measurement unit when the user uses the toilet device. The assistance system according to claim 2 .

4. The control unit controls the toilet device based on the physical information of the user at least either before the measurement unit measures the physical information of the user or during the measurement. The assistance system according to any one of claims 2 to 3.

5. the toilet device includes a performance device that performs a performance including at least one of light, sound, image, moving image, and scent; The control unit controls the performance based on physical information of the user. The assistance system according to any one of claims 3 to 4.

6. a measurement unit for measuring physical information of a user; a physical information transmitting unit that transmits the physical information of the user measured by the measuring unit to a toilet device used by the user; A terminal device comprising:

7. Measuring physical information of a user; transmitting the measured physical information of the user to a toilet device used by the user; A support method that includes:

8. On the computer, Measuring physical information of a user; transmitting the measured physical information of the user to a toilet device used by the user; A support program to help implement this.

9. a physical information receiving unit that receives physical information of a user from a terminal device carried by the user of the toilet device; a control unit that controls the toilet device based on the physical information of the user received by the physical information receiving unit; A toilet device comprising:

10. receiving physical information of a user from a terminal device carried by the user of the toilet device; controlling the toilet device based on the received physical information of the user; A support method that includes:

11. On the computer, receiving physical information of a user from a terminal device carried by the user of the toilet device; controlling the toilet device based on the received physical information of the user; A support program to help implement this.

Images