Information processing system and information processing method

Abstract

To notify a caregiver of a toilet using state of a care recipient according to a care state of the caregiver.SOLUTION: An information processing system 1 comprises an authentication unit 1d, a storage unit 1e, and an output unit 1f. The authentication unit 1d authenticates a person who enters / exits a toilet; and determines whether the person is a care recipient as a user of the toilet or a caregiver assisting the user. The output unit 1f outputs notification information to a notification destination based on a detection event and a notification condition indicated based on an authentication result in the authentication unit 1d. The storage unit 1e stores, as the notification condition, for each detection event, necessity / unnecessity of notification, and the notification information and the notification destination when notification is necessary.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Caregivers who provide toileting assistance in nursing care settings are expected to maintain the dignity of the care recipient, while reducing incontinence and encouraging independence. Because toileting assistance in nursing care settings can sometimes damage the dignity of the care recipient, it places a heavy burden on caregivers, and support is needed to reduce the workload.

[0003] The caregiver's duties also include creating a toilet diary when assisting the person requiring care with toileting. Therefore, caregivers obtain information to record in the toilet diary by either entering the toilet with the care recipient and observing the care recipient's excretory behavior, or by interviewing the care recipient. However, because being observed while excreting is humiliating for the care recipient, it can be said that situations that violate the care recipient's dignity easily arise, and observing in such situations also places a burden on the caregiver.

[0004] Additionally, if a care recipient has dementia, they may mistake diapers or urinary pads for toilet paper when using the toilet, or they may intentionally try to hide evidence of incontinence (fecal or urinary incontinence) out of embarrassment. In such cases, diapers or urinary pads may be flushed down the toilet. In such cases, or on a regular basis, nursing care facilities will hire a contractor to clean the drains, including removing foreign objects, and unclog the drains.

[0005] In addition, there are cases where assistance is required when getting off the toilet seat or when leaving the toilet, and in order to prevent unforeseen incidents in the toilet, caregivers must be present before and after excretion, which increases the burden on caregivers. Also, it is difficult to identify constipation and urinary disorders, which can lead to delayed detection or symptomatic treatment, resulting in unnecessary medication.

[0006] Regarding defecation records, Patent Document 1 describes a toilet sensor device that automatically records the defecation of care recipients and reliably records the time and number of times the toilet is used, even when elderly people with dementia or children defecate alone in facilities such as hospitals or nursing homes. The toilet sensor device described in Patent Document 1 includes a detection means that outputs a detection signal to a data processing means when it detects that a user is sitting on the toilet seat, and a data processing means connected to the detection means. The data processing means stores the number of times the user has used the toilet and a preset reference time T1 that serves as an indication of the user's toilet usage time, determines whether the user is sitting on the toilet seat based on the detection signal from the detection means, and measures the usage time T2 that the user has been sitting on the toilet seat. If the measured usage time T2 exceeds the reference time T1, the data processing means adds 1 to the stored number of usages, stores this as a new number of usages, and displays the new number of usages.

[0007] Regarding abnormality notifications, Patent Document 2 describes a monitoring device that switches the notification destination and notification content for the first notification and subsequent notifications depending on the type of abnormality occurring in the care recipient. The monitoring device described in Patent Document 2 is a device that can be connected to multiple communication terminal devices via a network and includes an imaging means, a detection means for detecting abnormalities, a receiving means for receiving information from the multiple communication terminal devices, and a transmitting means. When an abnormality is detected by the detection means, the transmitting means transmits first transmission information generated for each communication terminal device based on the transmission control file to the multiple communication terminal devices described in the transmission control file. Furthermore, when the receiving means receives information from one of the multiple communication terminal devices that transmitted the first transmission information, the transmitting means transmits second transmission information generated based on the transmission control file to the communication terminal device described in the transmission control file.

[0008] Regarding the detection of toilet user movements, Patent Document 3 describes a toilet seat device that aims to accurately detect various human body movements such as entering and leaving the toilet, sitting on the toilet seat, and leaving the toilet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-237098 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-066632 [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2015 / 087541 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] As mentioned above, caregivers manage and assist the excretion of those they care for, but they face the following challenges when performing this work.

[0011] First, caregivers monitor the toilet usage of care recipients in order to provide toilet management and assistance. A single caregiver is responsible for multiple care recipients, and while priorities vary depending on the level of care required, they monitor the toilet to understand toilet usage and provide assistance. Therefore, caregivers wait in a location where they can monitor the care recipient's status and, when the care recipient moves, go to check whether they are using the toilet. If the care recipient's destination is the toilet, they accompany them to provide assistance, but if it is not the toilet, they must return to check on the status of other care recipients, which is time-consuming. Furthermore, if a care recipient who requires assistance before or after defecation is using the toilet, the caregiver must wait in or near the toilet until the care recipient finishes using the toilet, providing the necessary assistance for each care recipient. Therefore, since they cannot monitor the movements of other care recipients under their care, they must check on the status of the other care recipients after providing assistance, and if they are not in the room, go to check whether they have used the toilet. As a result, caregivers spend a lot of time monitoring the toilet of the person they are caring for, which leaves them with no time to do other tasks.

[0012] Second, care recipients who have difficulty using the toilet independently require assistance from a caregiver, but if the caregiver is not nearby, they may go to the toilet alone. If a care recipient enters the toilet alone, they must wait for the caregiver to arrive before using the toilet. However, if the caregiver is assisting another caregiver and does not notice the care recipient entering the toilet, or if they are searching for the toilet and do not know which toilet the care recipient entered, they may not be able to immediately assist. This poses the risk of the caregiver having to wait for the caregiver to arrive and potentially leaking in the toilet. Another issue is that if a care recipient attempts to use the toilet on their own before the caregiver arrives, they may fall and injure themselves while moving to the toilet seat, or lose their balance when standing up to undress and fall, resulting in injury. Another issue is that if assistance is not provided during use, the care recipient may end up not being able to finish using the toilet. Furthermore, if the caregiver provides assistance before excretion but is not present in the toilet during excretion, if the care recipient does not inform the caregiver that they have finished excreting, the caregiver will not notice that they have finished and will not provide assistance, resulting in the care recipient remaining seated. Furthermore, if an abnormality occurs during excretion and the caregiver is not informed, the caregiver will not notice the care recipient's condition and will not be able to respond immediately. Furthermore, if a care recipient with walking difficulty leaves the toilet seat or the toilet, they will need the caregiver's assistance to move, but if the caregiver is not nearby, the care recipient will have to wait near the toilet. Thus, issues arise when the care recipient is unable to receive assistance in the toilet, such as when the care recipient enters the toilet alone or when the caregiver does not notice the care recipient's condition.

[0013] The third issue is that when a caregiver notices that a care recipient has used the toilet and rushes to assist, other caregivers may already be assisting the person, or more caregivers may rush to the scene than necessary, resulting in a waste of time without knowing the other caregivers' situations.Another issue is when multiple caregivers are needed and no one is available, resulting in a long time required for assistance. In this way, issues arise when caregivers are unable to share information about the situation with each other.

[0014] Fourth, caregivers record the excretion status of the care recipient, but as mentioned above, in order to record the excretion status, they must either accompany the care recipient to the toilet when they use the toilet and directly confirm the excretion behavior, or they must interview the care recipient later, which is an issue that places a burden on the caregiver. Also, because some care recipients do not feel the urge to urinate or defecate, caregivers need to encourage them to excrete regularly, but interviewing the care recipient about the excretion status or checking the excretion log is time-consuming and places a burden on the caregiver. In this way, there are issues with caregivers checking the excretion status of the care recipient.

[0015] Fifth, as mentioned above, care recipients may mistake diapers or urinary pads for toilet paper and flush them down the toilet when they defecate, or flush diapers or urinary pads down the toilet to hide an accident. As a result, care facilities must regularly call in plumbers to remove foreign objects, which poses a problem as drainage facilities may not be able to function during this work.

[0016] To improve the situation described above, it is desirable to install a toilet sensor that notifies the caregiver of the care recipient's toilet usage status as needed. However, the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 cannot solve the above-mentioned problems because they cannot obtain information on whether the caregiver is assisting the care recipient in the toilet.

[0017] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an information processing system, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can notify a caregiver of the toilet usage status of a care recipient depending on the care status provided by the caregiver. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] An information processing system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit, a first sensor, a second sensor, an authentication unit, a memory unit, and an output unit. The acquisition unit acquires excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on image data captured by an imaging device installed so as to include the excretion area on the toilet bowl in its imaging range. The first sensor detects people entering and leaving the toilet. The second sensor detects people leaving or sitting on a toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl. The authentication unit authenticates people who have entered and left the toilet and determines whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet or a caregiver assisting the user. The memory unit stores notification conditions. The output unit outputs notification information to a notification destination based on the excretion information acquired by the acquisition unit, entry and exit information detected by the first sensor, sitting and leaving information detected by the second sensor, and a detected event indicated by the authentication result of the authentication unit, as well as the notification conditions. The storage unit stores, as the notification condition, for each of the detected events, whether or not notification is necessary, and the notification information and the notification destination when notification is necessary.

[0019] An information processing device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device that includes an imaging device and is installed on a toilet bowl such that the imaging device is positioned so that the imaging range includes the excrement excretion range on the toilet bowl. The information processing device includes an acquisition unit, a first sensor, a second sensor, an authentication unit, a memory unit, and an output unit. The acquisition unit obtains excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on imaging data captured by the imaging device. The first sensor detects people entering and leaving the toilet. The second sensor detects people sitting on or leaving a toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl. The authentication unit authenticates people who have entered and left the toilet, and determines whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet, or a caregiver assisting the user. The memory unit stores notification conditions. The output unit outputs notification information to a notification destination based on the detection event indicated by the excretion information acquired by the acquisition unit, the entry / exit information detected by the first sensor, the seating / leaving information detected by the second sensor, and the authentication result by the authentication unit, and the notification condition. The storage unit stores, as the notification condition, whether a notification is necessary, and the notification information and the notification destination when a notification is necessary, for each of the detection events.

[0020] An information processing method according to a third aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition step, a first detection step, a second detection step, an authentication step, a storage step, and an output step. The acquisition step obtains excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on image data captured by an imaging device installed so as to include the excretion area on the toilet bowl in its imaging range. The first detection step involves a first sensor detecting a person entering or leaving the toilet. The second detection step involves a second sensor detecting a person sitting on or leaving a toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl. The authentication step authenticates a person entering or leaving the toilet, and determines whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet or a caregiver assisting the user. The storage step stores notification conditions. The output step outputs notification information to a notification destination based on the excretion information acquired in the acquisition step, entry / exit information detected by the first sensor, seating / leaving information detected by the second sensor, and a detection event indicated by the authentication result in the authentication step, and the notification conditions. The storage step stores, as the notification conditions, for each detection event, whether notification is necessary, and the notification information and notification destination when notification is necessary.

[0021] A program according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute processing including an acquisition step, a first detection step, a second detection step, an authentication step, a storage step, and an output step. The acquisition step obtains excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on image data captured by an imaging device installed so as to include the excretion range on the toilet bowl in its imaging range. The first detection step detects a person entering or leaving the toilet using a first sensor. The second detection step detects a person sitting or leaving a toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl using a second sensor. The authentication step authenticates a person who has entered or left the toilet, and determines whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet, or a caregiver assisting the user. The storage step stores notification conditions. The output step outputs notification information to a notification destination based on the excretion information acquired in the acquisition step, entry / exit information detected by the first sensor, seating / leaving information detected by the second sensor, and a detection event indicated by an authentication result in the authentication step, and the notification condition. The storage step stores, as the notification condition, whether a notification is necessary and, when a notification is necessary, the notification information and the notification destination for each detection event. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] The present disclosure provides an information processing system, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can notify a caregiver of the toilet usage status of a care recipient depending on the care status provided by the caregiver. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 3] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device in the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a notification made by a terminal device in the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flow of notifications in the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a notification condition in the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a diagram showing an example of notification types and setting contents in the notification conditions of FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the purpose of the notification types in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a notification process in the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 10] This is a flow chart continuing from FIG. [Figure 11] This is a flow chart continuing from FIG. [Figure 12] This is a flow chart continuing from FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the notification process in the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the notification process in the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of the apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments, the same or equivalent elements may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0025] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can include an acquisition unit 1a, a first sensor 1b, a second sensor 1c, an authentication unit 1d, a storage unit 1e, and an output unit 1f.

[0026] The acquisition unit 1a acquires excretion information based on image data captured by an imaging device (hereinafter, exemplified as a camera) installed so as to include the excretion area in the toilet bowl within its imaging range. Therefore, a camera installed in this manner is connected to or included in the information processing system 1. This camera is not limited to a visible light camera, but may also be an infrared camera or the like, or may be a video camera as long as it can extract still images.

[0027] The excretion range can be an area including the water-logged portion of the toilet bowl, and can also be referred to as the expected excretion range. By installing the camera so that this excretion range is included in the imaging range, the captured imaging data will include excrement and the like as subjects. Of course, it is preferable that the excretion range be an area that does not capture the toilet user, and it is also preferable that the camera be installed so that the camera lens is not visible to the user. Furthermore, when the information processing system 1 is used in a hospital or nursing home, for example, the user is mainly a patient or other person requiring care.

[0028] Excretion information is information that indicates at least the start and end of excretion. The excretion information preferably includes information indicating the content of the excretion, or in a simpler example, information indicating whether the excretion is feces (feces) or urine (urine). The excretion information may also include other information, such as information indicating the color of the excretion or, if it is solid, its shape.

[0029] The acquisition unit 1a can obtain the excretion information, for example, by using a trained model or by performing a comparison using image matching or the like. This trained model may be any model that outputs excretion information based on image data captured by a camera, and may be stored in the storage unit 1e or another storage unit (not shown). For example, the trained model may be a model that inputs the image data or inputs data obtained by performing preprocessing on the image data, and outputs excretion information (which may be multiple types of information). Note that the algorithm (machine learning algorithm) and hyperparameters such as the number of layers are not important, as long as the trained model is generated by machine learning. In this way, the acquisition unit 1a can obtain excretion information using the trained model based on the image data.

[0030] On the other hand, in a configuration in which the acquisition unit 1a performs comparison such as image matching, various image data to be compared or their feature data may be associated with excretion information indicating the content of excretion and stored in a storage unit (not shown).The acquisition unit 1a then inputs image data from the camera, extracts its features, and then compares it with the data stored in the storage unit, and outputs excretion information indicated by the data to be compared that matches or has the highest matching rate.

[0031] In addition, this imaging data can include additional information such as the imaging date and time, imaging conditions, etc., and this trained model can also be a model in which not only imaging data but also other information is input as parameters. For example, imaging conditions can include the resolution if the camera has a configurable resolution, and the zoom magnification if the camera has a zoom function.

[0032] Furthermore, the imaging data used to acquire excretion information can be data when an object is detected as a subject in the excretion area or when a change such as a change in the color of the accumulated water is detected, and the time when the change occurs can be determined as the time when excretion started or ended. These detections can be performed, for example, by using a camera to take images continuously or at regular intervals, and then using the image data obtained from this. Furthermore, imaging can also be started based on the result of user detection from a separately provided user detection sensor (such as a load sensor provided on the toilet seat or other human presence sensor), and the image data obtained at that time can be used to acquire excretion information.

[0033] The first sensor 1b detects whether a person enters or leaves the toilet. The first sensor 1b can be, for example, the human presence sensor described above.

[0034] The second sensor 1c detects sitting and leaving (sitting down and leaving) the toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl. The second sensor 1c can be, for example, the load sensor (pressure-sensitive sensor) described above, but can also be a camera or a human sensor disposed outside the toilet seat. The toilet seat can be a device with a toilet cleaning function (for example, a warm-water cleaning toilet seat such as a Washlet (registered trademark) that has the function of flushing the toilet). The information processing system 1 can also include such a device or a toilet bowl integrated with a warm-water cleaning toilet seat.

[0035] The authentication unit 1d authenticates people who enter and leave the restroom, and determines whether the person is a person being assisted (a person being cared for) as a user of the restroom, or a caregiver who is assisting the user. Note that a person receiving care as a toilet user refers to the person who is the care recipient. In other words, a person receiving care as a toilet user (user) is referred to as a "person receiving care" because they require assistance when using the toilet. A person receiving care is also referred to as a "person requiring care." Caregivers such as caregivers and doctors are also referred to as "caregivers" because they provide assistance to the person receiving care while using the toilet.

[0036] For the above-described authentication, the authentication unit 1d may include a human recognition sensor having a camera and a face recognition processor, or a human recognition sensor that recognizes a person by recognizing a tag carried by the person as part of clothing, an IC card, or the like. Based on the recognition results from such a human recognition sensor, the authentication unit 1d determines whether a person entering or leaving the restroom is a care recipient or a caregiver. This determination itself can be made by referring to information indicating a care recipient (a person who may become a care recipient) or a caregiver that is pre-associated with the recognized person. Note that toilet users may also include people who do not fall into the category of either a care recipient or a caregiver (for example, a family member visiting a patient), and in such cases, the authentication unit 1d may determine that the person is neither a care recipient nor a caregiver. In this case, the event does not fall into any of the detection events described below.

[0037] The output unit 1f outputs notification information to a notification destination based on the excretion information acquired by the acquisition unit 1a, the entry / exit information detected by the first sensor 1b, the seating / leaving information detected by the second sensor 1c, the detected event indicated by the authentication result by the authentication unit 1d, and the notification conditions. The output unit 1f can also be a communication unit configured with, for example, a wired or wireless communication interface. The output unit 1f can transmit the notification information to a terminal device (not shown) of the notification destination via the communication unit. The output unit 1f can transmit the notification information to, for example, an external server (not shown) via the communication unit, so that the server can transfer the notification information to the terminal device of the notification destination.

[0038] The storage unit 1e stores notification conditions referenced by the output unit 1f. The storage unit 1e stores, as notification conditions, for each detected event, whether notification is necessary, and notification information and notification destinations when notification is necessary. The number of notification destinations for a certain detected event may be one or multiple.

[0039] The information processing system 1 may have a control unit (not shown), which may include the above-mentioned acquisition unit 1a, authentication unit 1d, storage unit 1e, and output unit 1f (or parts thereof). This control unit may be realized, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a working memory, and a non-volatile storage device storing a program. This program may be a program that causes the CPU to execute the processes of the acquisition unit 1a, authentication unit 1d, storage unit 1e, and output unit 1f and the detection processes by the first sensor 1b and the second sensor 1c. Furthermore, the control unit provided in the information processing system 1 may also be realized, for example, by an integrated circuit.

[0040] Furthermore, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can be configured as a single information processing device, or as multiple devices with distributed functions. In the latter case, each device is provided with a control unit, a communication unit, and, if necessary, a storage unit, etc., and these multiple devices can be connected via wireless or wired communication as necessary to cooperate and realize the functions of the information processing system 1.

[0041] Furthermore, the information processing system 1 can be configured to include the above-mentioned imaging device (camera), and when configured as a standalone information processing device, the camera will be included in the information processing device. In this way, when the information processing system 1 is configured as a standalone information processing device, the information processing device preferably includes the above-mentioned camera and is installed on the toilet bowl so that the camera is positioned so that the imaging range includes the excrement excretion range in the toilet bowl. In this case, the information processing device can also be called a notification device or an excretion information acquisition device.

[0042] As described above, in this embodiment, in response to a detected event, it is possible to obtain, as notification information, information as to whether a caregiver such as a care worker is assisting a care recipient in the toilet. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to notify the caregiver of the toilet usage status of the care recipient according to the care status provided by the caregiver.

[0043] <Embodiment 2> 2 to 14, the second embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment, but the various examples described in the first embodiment can also be applied. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the second embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device in the information processing system of Fig. 2.

[0044] An information processing system according to this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the present system) can be a system in which a part of it is installed in a toilet and which notifies a caregiver or the like, and will be specifically described below.

[0045] This system can include an information processing device 10 attached to the toilet bowl 20, a server 40 wirelessly connected to the information processing device 10, and a terminal device 50 wirelessly connected to the server 40. These connections can be made, for example, within a single wireless local area network (LAN). In the following description, the information processing device 10 is described as being installed in the toilet bowl 20, but it is sufficient if at least a portion of it, such as a camera for capturing image data to obtain excretion information, is installed in the toilet bowl 20. The toilet bowl 20 can be provided with a toilet seat 22 on its main body 21, which is equipped with, for example, a warm water flushing function for washing by the user, and a toilet seat cover 23 for covering the toilet seat 22.

[0046] The information processing device 10 can be a device installed in a toilet (installed in a toilet in this example), and issues notifications in response to detected events in cooperation with a server 40 and a terminal device 50. Although not described in detail, the information processing device 10 can also be configured to record excrement, present excrement information (notification, etc.), and predict excretion in cooperation with the server 40 and the terminal device 50. The information processing device 10 and the toilet 20 can, for example, constitute a toilet 30 with a function to output excretion information.

[0047] 2, the shape of the information processing device 10 is not limited to the shape shown in Fig. 2, and it may be configured such that all or part of its functions are embedded in the toilet seat 22, etc. Also, part of the functions of the information processing device 10 may be provided on the toilet seat 22 side.

[0048] Before describing a detailed example of the information processing device 10, a brief description will be given of the configuration corresponding to each unit of the information processing system 1 in FIG.

[0049] As an example of an imaging device (camera) used in the acquisition unit 1a in FIG. 1, the information processing device 10 may be provided with a first camera 16b (described later). Alternatively, a camera may be provided on the toilet seat 22 side, and the information processing device 10 may receive image data from the camera via wireless or wired communication. As an example of the first sensor 1b in FIG. 1, the information processing device 10 may be provided with a human presence sensor 15a and / or a second camera 15b (described later). The second camera 15b may be used as part of the authentication unit 1d in FIG. 1. In this case, the authentication unit 1d may perform face authentication processing using face image data captured by the second camera 15b.

[0050] 1, a distance sensor 16a (described later) can be provided in the information processing device 10. Alternatively, as the second sensor 1c, a load sensor (a pressure-sensitive sensor such as a weight sensor) can be provided inside the toilet seat 22 or in the information processing device 10 at a position where it abuts against the underside of the toilet seat 22. When a load sensor is provided inside the toilet seat 22, the information processing device 10 can receive information from the load sensor via wireless or wired communication.

[0051] Other processes, such as the acquisition process of image data by the camera in the acquisition unit 1a, the face authentication process in the authentication unit 1d, the storage process in the memory unit 1e, the output process in the output unit 1f, etc., can be executed by the control unit of the information processing device 10 in cooperation with the server 40 and the terminal device 50 as necessary.

[0052] The server 40 may include a control unit 41 that controls the entire server, and a storage unit 42 that stores notification conditions and various acquired information (and information generated based on the same). The control unit 41 can be realized by, for example, a CPU, a working memory, and a non-volatile storage device storing a program. The control unit 41 can also be realized by, for example, an integrated circuit. This storage device can also serve as the storage unit 42, and this program can be a program for causing the CPU to realize the functions of the server 40.

[0053] Furthermore, it is preferable that the storage unit 42 stores, as notification conditions, whether notification is necessary and notification information and notification destinations when notification is necessary for each detected event and for each person being assisted as a user.

[0054] The terminal device 50 is a terminal device held by a caregiver who assists (will assist) a person being assisted as a toilet user, and can be a portable information processing device, but it can also be a stationary device. In the former case, the terminal device 50 can be a mobile phone (including what is called a smartphone), a tablet, a mobile PC, or the like. Although not shown, the terminal device 50 can also include a control unit that performs overall control and a storage unit, and this control unit, like the control unit 41, can be realized by, for example, a CPU, a working memory, a storage device, etc. Furthermore, the program stored in this storage device can be a program that causes the CPU to realize the functions of the terminal device 50.

[0055] Next, a detailed example of the information processing device 10 will be described. The information processing device 10 can be configured with two devices, for example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. More specifically, the information processing device 10 can include two boxes, for example, a first external box 13 and a second external box 11, as its housing. The information processing device 10 can also include an inter-box connector (inter-box connection structure) 12 that connects the first external box 13 and the second external box 11. In this example, the information processing device 10 can be installed in the main body 21 of the toilet 20, for example, as follows. That is, the information processing device 10 can be installed in the toilet 20 by placing the inter-box connector 12 on the edge of the main body 21 so that the first external box 13 is located inside the main body 21 (the side where excrement is excreted) and the second external box 11 is located outside the main body 21. The information processing device 10 can also be referred to as a "toilet sensor" or a "toilet sensor device" because it includes various sensors to be installed in the toilet. The toilet sensor corresponds to a so-called edge in this system, which monitors the use of the toilet by the care recipient via a communication network.

[0056] The first external box 13 can house, for example, a distance sensor 16a that functions as a seating sensor that detects when the toilet seat 22 is sat on, and a first camera 16b that photographs excrement. The second external box 11 can house, for example, a CPU 11a, a connector 11b, USB I / Fs 11c and 11d, a WiFi module 14a, a Bluetooth module 14b, a human presence sensor 15a, and a second camera 15b. Note that USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus, and USB, WiFi, and Bluetooth are all registered trademarks (the same applies below).

[0057] The second external box 11 may not be provided with various I / Fs or connectors and may be directly connected to the CPU 11a. The information processing device 10 may not be provided with the CPU 11a and may simply be provided with sensors and cameras that obtain various data and a function for transmitting various data to the server 40.

[0058] As shown in Figure 3, the first external box 13 and the second external box 11 are connected by an interface exemplified by connector 11b and USB I / F 11c, and the connection line is provided inside the box-to-box connection unit 12 to form a single information processing device 10.

[0059] The first external box 13 will now be described. Distance sensor 16a is a sensor that measures the distance to an object (the buttocks of the user of toilet bowl 20) and detects that the user has sat on toilet seat 22, and detects that the object has sat on toilet seat 22 when a certain period of time has passed after the threshold value has been exceeded. Furthermore, distance sensor 16a detects that the user has left toilet seat 22 when the distance to the object changes after sitting down.

[0060] The distance sensor 16a may be, for example, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or an optical sensor. If an optical sensor is used as the distance sensor 16a, a transmitting / receiving element may be disposed so as to transmit and receive light (not limited to visible light) through a hole provided in the first external box 13. The transmitting / receiving element may be configured as a separate transmitting element and a receiving element, or may be integrated. The distance sensor 16a is connected to the CPU 11a via the connector 11b and is capable of transmitting detection results to the CPU 11a. Based on the detection results, the CPU 11a can obtain seating / non-seating data indicating information on whether a person is seated or not, and can transmit the data to the server 40 via the WiFi module 14a.

[0061] The first camera 16b is an example of a camera that captures image data that is the basis for acquiring excretion information in the acquisition unit 1a in Fig. 1, and can be an optical camera with a lens portion disposed in a hole provided in the first external box 13. As described in the first embodiment, the first camera 16b is installed so that the imaging range includes the excrement excretion range on the toilet bowl 20. The first camera 16b is connected to the CPU 11a via the USB I / F 11c, and transmits the imaging data to the CPU 11a.

[0062] The second external box 11 will now be described. The CPU 11a is an example of a main control unit of the information processing device 10 and controls the entire information processing device 10. The connector 11b connects the human presence sensor 15a and the distance sensor 16a to the CPU 11a. The USB I / F 11c connects the first camera 16b to the CPU 11a, and the USB I / F 11d connects the second camera 15b to the CPU 11a.

[0063] The human presence sensor 15a is a sensor that detects the presence of a person (entry or exit) in a specific area (measurement area range of the human presence sensor 15a) that is part of the toilet room, and can be called an entry / exit sensor. The human presence sensor 15a can employ any detection method, such as an infrared sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or optical sensor. The human presence sensor 15a is connected to the CPU 11a via the connector 11b, and when it detects a person in the specific area, it transmits the detection result to the CPU 11a. The detection result can be transmitted by the CPU 11a to the server 40 via the WiFi module 14a.

[0064] The second camera 15b may be an optical camera with a lens portion disposed in a hole provided in the second external box 11, and is an example of a camera that captures a facial image of a user to obtain facial image data in order to identify the user of the toilet. The second camera 15b may be installed on the toilet 20 so that the user's face is included in the imaging range, or may be installed in the toilet room in which the toilet 20 is installed. As described above, the second camera 15b may be used as part of the authentication unit 1d in FIG. 1, and facial image data captured by the second camera 15b may be used to perform facial recognition processing, thereby enabling person authentication. Note that in this system, when the human presence sensor 15a detects a person, the second camera 15b may be configured to capture an image of the subject entering the toilet. This allows facial recognition to be performed only when a person is detected.

[0065] The Bluetooth module 14b is an example of a receiver that receives identification data for identifying a user from a Bluetooth tag held by the user, and can be replaced with a module based on other short-range communication standards. The Bluetooth tag held by the user can have a unique ID for each user and can be embedded in a wristband or the like and carried by the user. In this way, the Bluetooth module 14b can be used as part of the authentication unit 1d in FIG. 1, enabling person authentication based on the received identification data. In this way, the configuration example of FIG. 3 is provided with two functions for acquiring information for person authentication: the second camera 15b and the Bluetooth module 14b.

[0066] The WiFi module 14a is an example of a communication device that transmits various acquired data to the server 40, and can be replaced with a module that employs other communication standards. The facial image data acquired by the second camera 15b and the identification data obtained by the Bluetooth module 14b can be transmitted by the CPU 11a to the server 40 via the WiFi module 14a.

[0067] The CPU 11a, USB I / F 11c, WiFi module 14a, and server 40 may be an example of the acquisition unit 1a in FIG. 1, and obtain excretion information based on image data captured by the first camera 16b. In this case, the server 40 may be responsible for the main process of obtaining excretion information from the image data. In the example of FIG. 2, the server 40 inputs the image data into a trained model, for example, to obtain the excretion information. Preferably, the server 40 primarily obtains, as part of the excretion information, information indicating whether the image data contains a foreign object, i.e., an object other than feces and urine, as a subject other than the toilet bowl and its flushing liquid. The foreign object may be liquid or solid, other than feces and urine, and may include, for example, one or more of vomit, bloody stool, vomited blood (hematemesis), diapers, urine pads, toilet paper rolls, etc. Furthermore, if the excretion is not a foreign object but excretion, the server 40 may be configured to obtain the shape, color, and amount of the excretion as excretion information.

[0068] The CPU 11a, the WiFi module 14a, the server 40, and the terminal device 50 can be an example of the output unit 1f in Fig. 1. In this case, the server 40 can be mainly responsible for the process of detecting the excretion information, the entry / exit information, the seating / leaving information, and the detection events indicated by these from the authentication results. In addition, in this case, the terminal device 50 can be mainly responsible for the process of outputting the notification information, and the terminal device 50 receives the notification information transmitted from the server 40 and notifies the user by displaying and / or outputting audio.

[0069] Furthermore, the server 40 can store information such as excretion information, entry / exit information, seating / leaving information, and authentication results in the storage unit 42 or the like, and can output the information in response to access from the terminal device 50, for example. In particular, it is desirable for the server 40 to have a function for generating an excretion diary. In this case, if the generated excretion diary is stored in the storage unit 42, the caregiver who is the user of the terminal device 50 can view the excretion diary whenever desired from the terminal device 50. The excretion diary will include the date and time of excretion behavior, and this date and time can be obtained from any of the imaging date and time of the imaging data, the identification date and time of the subject, the entry / exit date and time, the sitting date and time, the leaving date and time, the date and time between sitting and leaving, and the like.

[0070] The server 40 receives the facial image data acquired by the second camera 15b via the WiFi module 14a, compares the facial image data with pre-stored authentication data, for example, by comparing its feature points, and obtains identification data associated with the matching authentication data. In this way, the server 40 can obtain identification data (identification data that identifies the user), that is, identify the user.

[0071] The server 40 can then obtain facial image data of the user (person being assisted) of the toilet 20 or the assistant at the time the imaging data was acquired, along with the imaging data, from the information processing device 10. Therefore, the control unit 41 of the server 40 can identify the person who has entered based on the facial image data, and can use the person's identification information as a key to determine whether or not the person matches the notification conditions stored in the storage unit 42. Note that it is preferable not to store the facial image data captured by the second camera 15b, in consideration of privacy.

[0072] Furthermore, the server 40 receives the identification data (personal authentication data) obtained by the Bluetooth module 14b via the WiFi module 14a and compares it with pre-stored identification data for authentication to authenticate the user. For example, even if a caregiver carrying his / her own Bluetooth tag and a care recipient carrying his / her own Bluetooth tag enter the restroom together, the server 40 can distinguish and recognize the two. In this way, the server 40 can obtain the identification data of the person who entered the restroom. The control unit 41 of the server 40 can then use this identification data as a key to determine whether the notification conditions stored in the storage unit 42 are met.

[0073] In this example, the person being assisted and the caregiver are identified from two types of data, face image data and identification data, and it can be said that the system has two identification functions, but it is of course possible to identify the person being assisted and the caregiver using either one. For example, this system can be equipped with both identification functions, and one of them can be selected during operation. Alternatively, this system can be equipped with only one of the identification functions.

[0074] As described above, the detection result of the human presence sensor 15a can be transmitted to the server 40. This detection result can be used to determine entry and exit into the toilet, and therefore, the server 40 is able to obtain this information even when detection is no longer present. When the server 40 receives the detection result from the information processing device 10, it associates it with the user's identification data, identified as described above, and stores data indicating entry and exit into the toilet where the toilet 20 is installed (entry and exit data) in the storage unit 42 or the like. Note that the entry and exit data can also include the identification data.

[0075] Then, the control unit 41 of the server 40 compares the person authentication result indicated by the received identification data, the entry / exit information indicated by the entry / exit data, the seating / leaving information indicated by the seating / leaving data, and the excretion information indicating the start and end of excretion with the notification conditions stored in the storage unit 42. If the comparison results in a matching notification condition, the control unit 41 outputs the notification information indicated by the notification condition to the notification destination indicated by the notification condition.

[0076] The notification destination can be the terminal device 50 held by one or more of the caregivers, and the caregiver to be the notification destination is included in the notification conditions. Note that the notification destination may be, in addition to or instead of the terminal device 50, a notification device of a nurse call system, another terminal device (e.g., PHS: Personal Handy-phone System) held by the caregiver other than the terminal device 50, an intercom, etc.

[0077] Furthermore, the notification conditions preferably include importance information indicating the importance of the notification. In this case, the control unit 41 of the server 40 can transmit the notification information to the notification destination with the importance information included, or with the importance information indicated. This allows the server 40 to detect the care recipient's toilet use, such as entering the toilet, sitting on the toilet seat 22, starting to defecate, finishing defecation, leaving the toilet seat 22, and leaving the toilet, and notify the caregiver who will assist them based on the notification status and importance level set for each care recipient for the detected events. Furthermore, if the notification conditions include importance information, it is also possible to determine whether or not to notify based on the importance level. Furthermore, the notification conditions include notification information indicating the content of the notification in addition to whether or not to notify (yes / no) and the importance level, and notifications are issued based on such notification conditions for detected events.

[0078] Furthermore, the detection event preferably includes a first event, which is an event in which the person being assisted as the user sits on the toilet seat 22 for a certain period of time (for example, a long period of time such as 10 minutes) or more. The first event corresponds to an abnormal event that requires assistance from the care recipient. Therefore, as notification conditions for the first event, the notification destination includes contact information for the caregiver who will assist the care recipient as the user, and the notification information includes an alert requesting assistance. One or more caregivers may be pre-defined to assist the care recipient. The alert also includes information specifying the location of the toilet.

[0079] Furthermore, the detection event preferably includes a second event, which is an event in which a foreign object is detected in the imaging data. The second event corresponds to an abnormal event that requires cleaning of the toilet. Therefore, as a notification condition for the second event, the notification destination includes contact information for the caregiver assisting the user, and the notification information includes an alert requesting removal of the foreign object. This alert also includes information identifying the location of the toilet. In this case, the notification destination may include contact information for the cleaner, but by including contact information for the caregiver as described above, it is possible to grasp actions such as the user's dropping a diaper or the like into the toilet bowl 22.

[0080] Furthermore, the detection event preferably includes a third event, which is an event in which dirt is detected by at least one of the first camera 16b, the first sensor (the human presence sensor 15a and / or the second camera 15b), and the distance sensor 16a. The third event is an abnormal event that requires cleaning as part of the maintenance of the system. Therefore, as a notification condition for the third event, the notification destination includes contact information for a potential caregiver, and the notification information includes an alert requesting removal of the dirt. This alert also includes information identifying the location of the toilet. In this case, the notification destination may include contact information for a maintenance company or a cleaner, but by including the contact information for the caregiver as described above, it is possible to identify the soiling behavior of the person being assisted.

[0081] Furthermore, the detection events preferably include a fourth event, which is an event in which it is detected that a caregiver has entered the toilet while the person being assisted as a user is in the toilet. The fourth event is a notification event indicating that the person being assisted is being assisted by a caregiver. Therefore, as notification conditions for the fourth event, the notification destination includes contact information for potential caregivers other than the caregiver involved in the fourth event, and the notification information includes information indicating that the person being assisted as a user is being assisted. Furthermore, when the fourth event occurs, there may be other detection events for which notification is not to be made, at least until the state indicated by the fourth event is no longer present. Such events (other specific detection events) that are not notified when the fourth event occurs may be events that require assistance. On the other hand, if a notification event can be handled by, for example, a cleaner or maintenance person, it is preferable to notify the event without including it in the other specific detection events.

[0082] The server 40 also preferably includes a receiving unit (not shown) that receives emergency information from a potential caregiver, notifying other potential caregivers that they will arrive to assist the care recipient. In this case, the detection event preferably includes a fifth event indicating that the receiving unit has received the emergency information. The fifth event is a notification event indicating that an emergency is currently occurring. Therefore, the notification conditions for the fifth event include the contact information of the other potential caregivers as the notification destination, and the notification information includes information indicating that an emergency will be dispatched to assist the care recipient. This alert also includes information identifying the location of the toilet. Such emergency notification can prevent caregivers from rushing to the toilet of the same care recipient in vain.

[0083] The receiving unit can also be configured to receive emergency response cancellation information from the destination of the emergency response information, notifying that the caregiver is no longer able to respond. In this case, the detection event preferably includes a sixth event indicating that the receiving unit has received the emergency response cancellation information. The sixth event is a notification event indicating that the caregiver had planned to respond but has now canceled the response. Therefore, the notification conditions for the sixth event are that the notification destination is the same as the notification destination for the fifth event, and the notification information includes information indicating that the caregiver has canceled the response to assist the care recipient. This alert also includes information identifying the location of the toilet. This emergency response cancellation notification can prevent the care recipient from being left unattended if the caregiver is unable to respond to the care recipient's toilet after the emergency response notification.

[0084] The server 40 may also include a setting unit (not shown) that sets notification conditions from the terminal device 50, etc. This setting unit may be installed as a part of the functions of the control unit 41, and accepts change operations such as addition, modification, and deletion of notification conditions from the terminal device 50, etc., and changes the notification conditions stored in the storage unit 42 in accordance with the change operations.

[0085] Next, a display example of notification information on the terminal device 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining a notification example on the terminal device in the information processing system of Fig. 2.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 50 can timely notify notification information 52 to 54 on its display screen 51. Notification information 52 is an example of information that, when a person is detected by the motion sensor 15a, identifies the user and notifies the user (care recipient PA in this example) of their entry into the restroom. The user's identification can be obtained by performing face recognition processing based on facial image data acquired by the second camera 15b or identification processing received by the Bluetooth module 14b when the motion sensor 15a detects a person. By recording care recipients who require care from multiple people in the face recognition person list or the identification person list, if the person corresponds to such a person, the notification information 52 can include information indicating that the person is a recipient of care from multiple people next to the name (PA in this example). Furthermore, the notification information 52 preferably includes information 52a including a mark (here, a star mark) indicating the level of importance, and can also include a button 52b for selecting to notify the care recipient of assistance.

[0087] The present system can be configured, for example, to display notification information 53 on the terminal devices 50 of other caregivers (and the terminal device 50 of the caregiver CA) when the caregiver CA selects button 52b on the terminal device 50 and the server 40 receives this at its receiving unit. The notification information 53 can include information that CA will respond to PA, and is notification information corresponding to the fifth event. In particular, in the case of a person receiving care by multiple people, as in the case of PA, when button 52b is selected, the present system can also be configured to notify the terminal devices 50 used by other potential caregivers of a request to respond to the person requiring care. Furthermore, notification information 54 is an example of information notifying PA to leave the toilet when the state of detection changes from non-detection to detection.

[0088] Next, more specific examples of notification conditions and notification processing based on the notification conditions will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 8. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flow of notifications in the information processing system of Figure 2. Figure 6 is a diagram showing examples of notification conditions in the information processing system of Figure 2, Figure 7 is a diagram showing examples of notification types and setting contents in the notification conditions of Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a diagram showing the purpose of the notification types of Figure 7.

[0089] As shown in Figure 5, when a toilet 30 equipped with an information processing device (toilet sensor) 10 detects that a person has entered the toilet using a human presence sensor 15a and / or a second camera 15b functioning as an entry / exit sensor, it transmits an entry notification and information obtained by the entry / exit sensor to a server 40. Upon receiving the entry notification and information, the server 40 executes a human authentication process to identify the person who has entered, and transmits an entry notification to a terminal device 50 such as a smartphone of a caregiver C who is located away from the toilet.

[0090] Furthermore, when the distance sensor 16a, which functions as a seating sensor, detects that the user has sat on the toilet seat 22, the toilet sensor 10 sends a seating notification to the server 40, and starts capturing images with the first camera 16b, sending the captured image data to the server 40. Upon receiving this seating notification, the server 40 determines that the user is a care recipient from the information obtained by the entry / exit sensor, performs image analysis on the received captured image data, and upon detecting the start of excretion, sends an excretion start notification to the terminal device 50 of the caregiver C.

[0091] Furthermore, when the server 40 detects completion of excretion from the imaging data, it transmits an excretion completion notification to the terminal device 50 of the caregiver C. Based on the detection results of the seating sensor and the entry / exit sensor, the toilet sensor 10 transmits an exit notification to the server 40 when the caregiver leaves the seat and an exit notification when the caregiver leaves the room. When the server 40 receives a notice of leaving the seat or the room, it transmits the notice to the terminal device 50 of the caregiver C. This relieves the caregiver C from having to be constantly present when the care recipient is using the toilet, and also enables the caregiver C to rush to the scene in an emergency if necessary (for example, when there is no notice of leaving the seat for a long time). Caregiver C checks the notification on the terminal device 50, and if he / she wishes to provide assistance, he / she sends a rush notification from the terminal device 50 to the server 40 and rushes to the scene. If caregiver C is unable to rush to the scene, he / she operates the terminal device 50 to send a rush cancellation notification to the server 40. The server 40 forwards the received rush cancellation notification to another caregiver.

[0092] The notification process illustrated in FIG. 5 can be executed by referring to the notification conditions illustrated in FIG. 6. As illustrated in FIG. 6, notifications regarding toilet use include notifications regarding whether or not a notification is required depending on the assistance status of the care recipient, and whether or not a notification is required can be determined by an assistance notification filter. This assistance notification filter corresponds to a filter that determines whether or not the above-mentioned other specific detected event is detected when the fourth event is detected. If a caregiver is present in the toilet being used by the care recipient, the system determines that the assistance status of the care recipient is being assisted, and if the caregiver is absent, the system determines that the assistance status is not being provided. When issuing a notification, the assistance notification filter checks the assistance status of the care recipient, and if the care recipient is being assisted, it stops notifying the caregiver, and if the care recipient is not being assisted, it continues to notify the caregiver.

[0093] Notifications No. 1 to No. 7 and No. 11 to No. 14 in Figure 6 are subject to the assistance notification filter, so whether or not a notification is sent will depend on whether a caregiver is present. Notifications No. 8 to No. 10 are sent to notify caregivers of the status of the toilet sensor 10 (foreign object detection status, dirt status, service recovery status), so they are not subject to the assistance notification filter. Therefore, notifications are sent regardless of the assistance status of the care recipient.

[0094] The notification types and settings for notifications regarding toilet use will be explained with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Because the need for assistance varies from care recipient to care recipient, it is advisable to set different notification conditions with different levels of importance for each notification for each care recipient. Therefore, the notification types are defined as "alert notification," "normal notification," and "no notification," as shown in Figure 8, and can be individually set according to the condition of the care recipient.

[0095] For notifications No. 1 to 6, the notification type is set for each care recipient, and if caregiver assistance is required, the notification type is set to alert notification, and if caregiver assistance is not required, the notification type is set to normal notification. In this way, notification conditions can be set for each care recipient as a user. For notification No. 7, there is a high possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the care recipient, so the notification type is set to alert notification. For notifications No. 8 and 9, there is an abnormality in the toilet sensor, so the notification type is set to alert notification. The settings for No. 7 to 9 are fixed. For notifications No. 10 to 14, the notification type is fixed to normal notification.

[0096] Next, an example of notification processing in this system will be described. Processing in the toilet sensor 10 is mainly executed by the CPU 11a, and processing in the server 40 is mainly executed by the control unit 41.

[0097] First, with reference to Figs. 9 to 12, an example of notification processing triggered by the entry of a care recipient into the toilet will be described as a more specific example of notification processing based on notification conditions. Note that here, the case where the toilet user is a person requiring care (i.e., a person requiring care) will be described. Figs. 9 to 12 are a series of flow diagrams for explaining an example of notification processing in the information processing system of Fig. 2. Note that various notifications made below are made to the terminal device 50 of the contact information described in the notification conditions, such as the contact information of the caregiver in charge of the care recipient.

[0098] First, the toilet sensor 10 checks whether or not the entrance / exit sensor has responded (step S1). When a user enters the toilet, the entrance / exit sensor responds, and step S1 becomes YES. If there is no response, wait until there is a response (until the answer is YES).

[0099] If the answer is YES in step S1, the toilet sensor 10 determines whether the person authentication function setting is ON (step S2). If the answer is YES in step S2, the toilet sensor 10 cooperates with the server 40 to perform person authentication processing (step S3), determines whether the person is a registered person (step S4), and if the person is a registered person, determines whether the person is a care recipient (step S6). If the answer is NO in step S2 (if the person authentication function setting is OFF), the process proceeds to step S5. If the answer is NO in step S4 (if the person authentication result is a non-registered person), the process also proceeds to step S5.

[0100] If the answer is YES in step S6, that is, if the person authentication result indicates that the person is a care recipient, the server 40 sends a toilet entry notification to the terminal device 50 indicating that the care recipient has entered the toilet (step S7). The notification destination can be the caregiver's contact information stored as the notification condition. On the other hand, if the answer is NO in step S6, that is, if the person authentication result indicates that the person is not a care recipient, the server 40 causes the toilet sensor 10 to turn off the seat sensor (step S8) and waits until the person who entered leaves the toilet (proceed to step S24, described below). As explained in step S2 and the subsequent processing, the present system can be configured to allow setting of whether or not to execute the person authentication processing.

[0101] In step S5, the server 40 determines whether the unknown excretion detection setting is ON. This setting indicates whether or not to acquire excretion information about the unknown user. If the answer is NO in step S5, that is, if the unknown excretion detection setting is OFF, the server 40 proceeds to step S8, causes the toilet sensor 10 to turn off the seat sensor, and waits until the person who entered leaves the room (proceeds to step S24, described below). In this way, the present system can be configured to allow the setting of whether or not to acquire excretion information about the unknown user.

[0102] If the answer is YES in step S5, the server 40 determines whether the setting for registering the person as a specific care recipient when the person authentication result is unknown is ON (step S9). This setting indicates whether, even in a situation where a registered specific care recipient is determined to be unknown, the person is ultimately treated as the specific care recipient and notification processing is performed, or whether the person is treated as unknown and notification processing is performed. If the answer is YES in step S9, the server 40 changes the entrant from unknown to a specific care recipient (step S10) and proceeds to step S7 to issue a toilet entry notification. On the other hand, if the answer is NO in step S9, that is, if the setting for registering the person as a specific care recipient when the person authentication result is unknown is OFF, the server 40 proceeds to step S7 to issue a toilet entry notification while leaving the entrant as unknown.

[0103] After issuing the toilet entry notification in step S7, the toilet sensor 10 determines whether there is a reaction from the seat sensor (step S11) and waits until there is a reaction. If the answer is YES in step S11 (if there is a reaction from the seat sensor), the toilet sensor 10 transmits a seat notification to the server 40, and the server 40, upon receiving the notification, transmits a seat notification to the terminal device 50 (step S12).

[0104] Next, the toilet sensor 10 takes an image of the inside of the toilet bowl using the optical camera and transmits the image data to the server 40 (step S13), which then determines whether or not the image data contains an object that can be normally identified (image detectable) (step S13). If the result of step S13 is NO (if an abnormality is detected, such as if no object is captured), the server 40 notifies the terminal device 50 of the abnormality, as there is a possibility that something abnormal has occurred with the care recipient in the toilet (step S14). If the result of step S13 is YES (if the condition allows for normal identification), the server 40 performs image analysis of the image data and determines (identifies or classifies) whether the detected object corresponds to excrement, a foreign object, or dirt on the camera, etc. (step S15).

[0105] If dirt on the camera or the like is detected in step S15, the server 40 notifies the terminal device 50 of dirt on the excretion identification sensor (step S16). If a foreign object is detected in step S15, the server 40 notifies the terminal device 50 of foreign object detection in the toilet bowl (step S17). If excrement is detected in step S15, the server 40 notifies the terminal device 50 of excretion start, indicating that the care recipient has started excretion (step S18).

[0106] Following step S18, the server 40 determines whether or not an identification object (excrement or foreign object) has been detected for a certain period of time based on the image data transmitted from the toilet sensor 10 (step S19). If there is no reaction (YES in step S19), the server 40 sends an excretion completion notification to the terminal device 50 indicating that the care recipient has completed excretion (step S20). If NO in step S19 (if the reaction continues), the server 40 waits until YES in step S19.

[0107] Following step S20, the server 40 determines whether there is a response from the seating sensor transmitted from the toilet sensor 10 for a certain period of time (step S21). If a certain period of time has passed since there was a response (YES in step S21), the care recipient may have been sitting on the toilet for a long period of time, which may indicate that something is wrong with the care recipient. Therefore, in this case, the server 40 sends a long-time seating notification to the terminal device 50 (step S22). If there is no response from the seating sensor for a certain period of time (NO in step S21), the server 40 sends a leave-sitting (i.e., stand-up) notification to the terminal device 50 (step S23).

[0108] After step S23, the server 40 determines whether there is a reaction from the entry / exit sensor (step S24), and waits until the result is YES (until there is no reaction). If there is no reaction from the entry / exit sensor, the server 40 sends a toilet exit notification to the terminal device 50 indicating that the care recipient has left the toilet (step S25), and ends the process.

[0109] Figure 13 is a flow chart for explaining another example of notification processing in the information processing system of Figure 2, and is a flow chart for explaining an example of notification processing that is triggered when a caregiver accompanies a care recipient into the toilet.

[0110] First, the toilet sensor 10 checks whether or not there is a reaction from the entrance / exit sensor (step S31). When a person enters the toilet, the entrance / exit sensor reacts, and the answer in step S31 is YES. If there is no response, the toilet sensor 10 waits until there is a response (until the result is YES). If the result is YES in step S31, the toilet sensor 10 cooperates with the server 40 to determine whether the person is a caregiver (i.e., whether the caregiver was detected first) (step S32). However, here, an example is given in which only the caregiver can be detected by the Bluetooth module 14b.

[0111] If the result in step S32 is YES, the toilet sensor 10 does not notify the caregiver that he or she has entered the room, and instead works with the server 40 to perform a person authentication process (step S33) and detect the care recipient (step S34). Next, the toilet sensor 10 transmits a care recipient entry notification and a caregiver entry notification to the server 40 (step S35). However, in this case, the server 40 does not notify the caregiver (does not notify the terminal device 50).

[0112] If the answer is NO in step S32 (if the care recipient is detected first), the server 40 sends a care recipient entry notification to the terminal device 50, indicating that the care recipient has entered the room (step S36). Next, the toilet sensor 10 works in cooperation with the server 40 to detect the caregiver (step S37), and then sends a caregiver entry notification to the terminal device 50 (terminal device 50 used by another caregiver) indicating that the caregiver has entered the room (step S38).

[0113] After the processing of step S35 and the processing of step S38, since a caregiver has entered the room, the server 40 changes the assistance status to assisting (step S39). Next, after the caregiver assists the care recipient in the toilet, the server 40 detects the caregiver's departure based on the detection result of the entry / exit sensor (step S40). The server 40 then determines whether other caregivers are still present in the room based on the detection result of the entry / exit sensor (step S41). If they are present, the assistance status remains assisting, so no notification is sent and the process returns to step S40. If the result in step S41 is NO (all caregivers have left the room), the assistance status is no longer assisting, so the server 40 sends a caregiver exit notification to the terminal device 50 indicating that the caregiver has left the room (step S42) and ends the process.

[0114] Fig. 14 is a flow diagram for explaining another example of notification processing in the information processing system of Fig. 2, which is a flow diagram for explaining an example of notification processing triggered by a caregiver's terminal operation. Note that here, the processing example will be explained together with the caregiver's judgment and operation.

[0115] The terminal device 50 used by the caregiver receives the care recipient entry notification (step S51). In response to this notification, the caregiver confirms whether the care recipient needs assistance (step S52). If the care recipient does not need assistance, the caregiver simply confirms the notification and ends the process.

[0116] On the other hand, if the care recipient requires assistance (YES in step S52), the caregiver operates the terminal device 50 to send a caregiver arrival notification to the server 40 if they are able to provide assistance, and then heads off to provide assistance. This operation causes the caregiver arrival notification to be sent from the terminal device 50 to the server 40 (step S54). If the caregiver is unable to arrive after sending the caregiver arrival notification (YES in step S55), the caregiver operates the terminal device 50 to send a caregiver arrival cancellation notification to the server 40. This operation causes the caregiver arrival cancellation notification to be sent from the terminal device 50 to the server 40. Upon receiving this notification, the server 40 sends caregiver arrival cancellation notifications to the terminal devices 50 of the other caregivers (step S54), and ends the process.

[0117] As described above, in this embodiment, processing begins when the toilet sensor 10 detects that a person has entered the toilet. When the toilet sensor 10 or the server 40 detects that a person has entered the toilet, it performs a person authentication process on the person who has entered and identifies the person. Information on "care recipient" and "caregiver" is pre-registered in the toilet sensor 10 or the server 40 as information to be used in the person authentication process, and if a person not registered in the toilet sensor 10 enters the toilet or if person authentication fails, the person who has entered is designated as "unknown." In this way, the toilet sensor 10 or the server 40 performs a person authentication process by referencing the person information (caregiver information and care recipient information) pre-registered for the person who has entered the toilet, and identifies the person who has entered.

[0118] If the person identified by the person authentication process is a care recipient, the toilet sensor 10 uses the entry / exit sensor, seat sensor, and excretion identification sensor to detect the care recipient's entry and exit from the toilet, sitting on and leaving the toilet seat, and the start and end of excretion. When the toilet sensor 10 detects an event in the toilet involving the care recipient, it notifies the caregiver. Specifically, when the person authentication process detects the care recipient's entry, the toilet sensor 10 issues a toilet entry notification. After the toilet entry notification, the toilet sensor 10 issues a toilet sitting notification when it detects the care recipient sitting on the toilet seat. After the toilet sitting notification, the toilet sensor 10 issues a toilet excretion start notification when it detects the care recipient's start of excretion, and issues a toilet excretion end notification when it detects the excretion end. After the excretion end notification, the toilet sensor 10 issues a toilet leaving notification when it detects the care recipient leaving the toilet seat. After the toilet leaving notification, the toilet sensor 10 monitors the care recipient's departure, and when it detects the care recipient leaving the room, it issues a toilet leaving notification. Furthermore, if the care recipient remains seated on the toilet seat for a long period of time, the toilet sensor 10 notifies the caregiver of an abnormality. In addition to the above, if a foreign object other than excrement is detected in the toilet bowl, the toilet sensor 10 notifies the caregiver of the detection of the foreign object and prevents the foreign object from being flushed away with the excrement.

[0119] These notifications are sent from the toilet sensor 10 to the server 40 via the network, and are ultimately sent to the caregiver. In addition, for these notifications, notification conditions can be set for each care recipient, such as whether to notify them or the level of importance ("alert notification" or "normal notification"). The level of importance can be set according to the condition of the care recipient, and notifications to the caregiver can be sent or stopped. The notification lets the caregiver know that the person being cared for is using the toilet, and can decide whether to rush to assist based on the importance of the notification.

[0120] As described above, by detecting the care recipient's movements in the toilet and issuing notifications, the caregiver can monitor the care recipient's entry and exit into the toilet, sitting and leaving the toilet seat, and the start and end of toileting without having to wait nearby. Furthermore, whether or not a notification is issued depends on the care recipient's assistance status, which can be determined using an assistance notification filter. The toilet sensor 10 checks whether a caregiver is present in the toilet while the care recipient is using it and determines the care recipient's assistance status, such as whether assistance is being provided or not. When the toilet sensor 10 issues a notification, the assistance notification filter checks the assistance status and stops the notification if assistance is being provided. The assistance notification filter in the toilet sensor 10 reduces unnecessary notifications to the caregiver, preventing the caregiver from rushing to assist with toileting when it is not necessary. In addition, each notification can be set as an alert notification, normal notification, or no notification for each care recipient. Settings can be tailored to the care recipient's situation, such as an alert notification for care recipients who require assistance and a normal notification for care recipients who are only being monitored.

[0121] If the person identified by the person authentication process is a caregiver, the toilet sensor 10 detects the caregiver's entry and exit and notifies other caregivers. The caregiver's entry notification is sent to notify other caregivers that the caregiver has rushed to assist the care recipient in the toilet. Therefore, if the caregiver enters a toilet while the care recipient is in the toilet, the notification is sent to other caregivers. If the care recipient is not in the toilet, the caregiver's entry information is retained and no notification is sent. This notification notifies other caregivers that a caregiver has rushed to assist the care recipient. Furthermore, in response to a notification that the care recipient has entered the toilet, the caregiver can notify other caregivers that they will rush to assist the care recipient, and if they are unable to rush after notifying other caregivers that they will cancel their rush. The rush notification prevents caregivers from rushing to the same care recipient's toilet in vain, and the rush cancellation notification prevents the care recipient from being left unattended if the caregiver is unable to rush to the care recipient's toilet after the rush notification.

[0122] These notifications are also sent from the toilet sensor 10 to the server 40 via the network, and are ultimately sent to the caregiver. In addition, for these notifications, notification conditions such as whether or not to notify and the level of importance ("alert notification" or "normal notification") can be set for each care recipient. Although not explained in detail, notification conditions can also be set for each caregiver depending on the caregiver's level of expertise. For example, such settings are useful when a skilled caregiver can handle the task alone, but an inexperienced caregiver requires two people to handle the task.

[0123] The above explanation of this system is based on the assumption that there is only one toilet 20 (only one toilet room). However, it is preferable that this system obtains excretion information, entry / exit information, seating / leaving information, and authentication results for detecting detection events for multiple toilets. This makes it possible to apply this system even when a person receiving care may use more than one toilet.

[0124] In addition, the server 40 can be installed within a facility such as a hospital, or can be installed in a private home or apartment complex for personal use. In either case, the server 40 can be a cloud server.

[0125] Furthermore, the program of the terminal device 50 can be executable and embedded in the terminal device 50 as care software including a notification function of notification information. In addition to notification information, the terminal device 50 can also directly (or directly and automatically) receive and store information obtained on the toilet side, such as the toilet sensor 10, and similarly can receive and store various information recorded by the server 40.

[0126] Of course, in this embodiment, it is also possible to configure the toilet sensor 10 alone to notify the terminal device 50 without using the server 40, by providing the functions described as the functions of the server 40 on the toilet sensor 10 side.

[0127] As described above, in this embodiment, an entry / exit sensor, a seat sensor, a toilet excretion identification sensor, and a communication device are attached to the toilet seat to monitor the status of the care recipient inside the toilet and send the information to the caregiver via the communication device. The system identifies individuals through person authentication processing and notifies the caregiver of entry, exit, sitting, leaving, toilet start, and toilet completion notifications. Notifications can be set for each care recipient, and their priority can be adjusted to match the status of the care recipient, allowing the caregiver to decide when to rush to the toilet to assist. When a caregiver rushes to assist the care recipient with toileting, they notify other caregivers that they are on their way. If they are unable to rush to assist after notifying them, they notify the other caregivers that they will no longer be on their way. Furthermore, when a caregiver rushes to assist the care recipient with toileting, the system notifies them of the caregiver's entry and enters the assisting state. When in the assisting state, events detected by the sensors in the system can be set not to be notified to other caregivers. Caregivers can check the excretion status of the care recipient from the notification and use it to encourage the care recipient to excrete. This system also has a function that notifies the caregiver with an alarm when something other than excrement is detected.

[0128] In this embodiment, these functions reduce the burden on the caregiver of monitoring the toilet and enable thorough support for the care recipient. Specifically, the first to fifth problems related to excretion management and excretion assistance can be solved as follows.

[0129] First, the first problem can be solved as follows. By receiving a toilet entry notification, the caregiver can confirm that the care recipient they are responsible for has entered the toilet, eliminating the need to check each time the care recipient moves to see if they are going to the toilet. Even if the care recipient heads to the toilet without the caregiver being watching, the caregiver can be aware of the toilet's entry and rush to provide assistance. In addition, by receiving notifications when the care recipient sits on or leaves the toilet seat, and when excretion begins or ends, the caregiver can understand what is happening inside the toilet with the care recipient. This allows the caregiver to leave the toilet while the care recipient who needs assistance is using the toilet before or after excretion and go to check on the other care recipients. In this way, receiving notifications from the toilet sensor 10 reduces the time and effort required for caregivers to monitor the toilet.

[0130] The second problem can be solved as follows. When a care recipient who is unable to maintain a sitting or standing position enters the toilet alone, the toilet sensor 10 notifies the caregiver. The toilet entry notification, toilet seating notification, and toilet excretion start notification contain information identifying the toilet sensor 10 that sent the notification, the care recipient using the toilet, and information such as the date and time. Therefore, by checking the toilet entry notification, toilet seating notification, and toilet excretion start notification, the caregiver can understand information about the care recipient and the toilet they entered and rush to provide assistance. This allows the caregiver to quickly arrive at the care recipient's side, preventing the care recipient from leaking in the toilet and preventing them from moving or standing up unnecessarily on their own, thereby preventing injuries from falls. It also prevents the caregiver from failing to arrive to assist during excretion. Furthermore, for care recipients who are unable to wipe themselves or undress or dress themselves, the toilet excretion completion notification allows the caregiver to know when excretion has finished even when they are outside the toilet. This prevents the care recipient from remaining seated even if they are unable to inform the caregiver that excretion has finished. Furthermore, when a care recipient sits down, a long-time sitting timer is set for each care recipient, and if the care recipient remains seated for a long time, a long-time sitting notification is sent to the caregiver. This allows the caregiver to rush to their aid immediately if an abnormality occurs in the care recipient and they remain seated. If a care recipient who has difficulty walking or cannot maintain an upright position leaves the toilet seat or the toilet, the toilet leaving notification allows the caregiver to rush to their aid immediately, preventing the care recipient from having to wait near the toilet. In this way, the notification notifies the caregiver of the care recipient's situation, so there is no situation where they cannot receive assistance, solving the problem.

[0131] The third problem can be solved as follows: The toilet sensor 10 notifies other caregivers that the caregiver has entered the toilet when the caregiver enters the toilet while the care recipient is still in the toilet, and notifies them that the caregiver has left the toilet when the caregiver leaves the toilet while the care recipient is still in the toilet. This notification lets other caregivers know that the care recipient is being assisted with toileting, eliminating the need for the caregiver to rush to the toilet unnecessarily. In addition, caregivers can notify other caregivers that they will rush to assist the care recipient with toileting by using a caregiver toilet rush notification. This prevents more caregivers than necessary from rushing to the care recipient while they are providing assistance. If a caregiver is unable to rush to the toilet after issuing a caregiver toilet rush notification, the caregiver can notify other caregivers by issuing a caregiver toilet rush cancellation notification. This prevents situations where other caregivers do not rush to the care recipient's toilet when a caregiver is unable to rush to the toilet. Caregivers can check the number of caregivers currently providing toileting assistance or who have rushed to assist, so they can rush to assist care recipients who require assistance from multiple people. In this way, notifications allow caregivers to share the assistance status with each other, solving the problem.

[0132] The fourth problem can be solved as follows. The toilet entry and exit notifications issued by the toilet sensor 10 include information such as the time the care recipient entered and left the toilet, and the toilet sitting and exit notifications include information such as the time the care recipient sat on and left the toilet bowl. Furthermore, the toilet excretion start notification issued by the toilet sensor 10 includes information such as the time the excretion started and the type of excretion, and the toilet excretion completion notification includes information such as the time the excretion ended and the results of excretion identification. Because this information contains the information necessary for recording the care recipient's excretion, with notifications from the toilet sensor 10, the caregiver no longer needs to directly check the care recipient's excretion or ask the care recipient for permission to record the excretion. This reduces the caregiver's burden in recording excretion. Furthermore, the toilet entry and excretion start notifications allow the caregiver to understand the care recipient's toilet usage status. Therefore, the caregiver can easily identify care recipients who are not using the toilet, reducing the effort required to check the excretion status and making it easier to encourage excretion. In this way, the problem of checking the excretion status using notifications from the toilet sensor 10 can be solved.

[0133] The fifth problem can be solved as follows: If the toilet sensor 10 detects a foreign object other than excrement in the toilet bowl while the care recipient is using the toilet, it issues a foreign object detection notification, informing the caregiver that a foreign object is in the toilet bowl. This notification lets the caregiver know that the care recipient has dropped a diaper or urine absorption pad in the toilet, allowing them to take action before the foreign object is flushed. This eliminates the need for the care facility to request plumbing contractors to remove the foreign object, preventing situations where drainage-related facilities are unable to function.

[0134] In addition to the function of solving these problems, this embodiment also notifies the caregiver of sensor contamination when it detects sensor contamination, in order to prevent the care recipient from using the toilet in a state where the toilet sensor 10 is soiled by droplets of excrement or dust and is no longer able to detect the start and end of excretion. Furthermore, when the abnormality in the toilet sensor 10 is resolved, a service recovery notification is sent to notify the caregiver of the recovery. The service recovery notification allows the caregiver to immediately know that the abnormality in the toilet sensor 10 has been resolved, thereby saving the caregiver the trouble of checking whether the abnormality has been resolved and shortening the time the toilet sensor 10 is out of service.

[0135] As described above, the present system can achieve the effects described in embodiment 1. In particular, the present system achieves the following effects.

[0136] The first effect is that the toilet sensor 10 detects events from the time the care recipient enters the toilet until they leave (enter, sit down, start to defecate, finish defecation, leave, leave) and notifies the caregiver, thereby reducing the burden on the caregiver of monitoring the toilet.

[0137] The second effect is that the toilet usage notification sent by the toilet sensor 10 can be set to either true or false and the level of importance can be set for each care recipient, allowing the caregiver to check whether assistance is required based on the level of importance of the notification, thereby enabling toilet assistance work to be carried out efficiently.

[0138] The third effect is that when a person requiring assistance enters the toilet alone, the toilet sensor 10 notifies the caregiver when an action requiring assistance is performed, preventing the person being cared for from having to wait for the caregiver or from getting injured by moving too forcefully.

[0139] The fourth effect is that if the person being cared for becomes in a dangerous situation in the toilet while defecating, the caregiver will be notified that the person being cared for has remained seated for a long time or has not left the toilet, allowing them to respond quickly to the person being cared for who is experiencing an abnormality in the toilet.

[0140] The fifth effect is that when a caregiver enters the toilet where a care recipient is present, the toilet sensor 10 notifies the caregiver that the care recipient has entered, and the care recipient is placed in an assistance state. When the care recipient is in an assistance state, no notification is sent to other caregivers, which prevents caregivers from rushing to the toilet unnecessarily, and improves the efficiency of toilet assistance work.

[0141] The sixth effect is that when a caregiver confirms that a care recipient who requires assistance has used the toilet, the caregiver can notify other caregivers by sending a caregiver emergency notification that they will rush to assist the care recipient. This notification prevents more caregivers than necessary from rushing to assist the care recipient in the toilet, thereby improving the efficiency of toilet assistance work.

[0142] The seventh effect is that the caregiver can grasp the excretion status of the care recipient without having to ask the care recipient whether or not they have excreted, thereby reducing the burden on the caregiver of asking them. Also, since the excretion status can be grasped, it is easy to encourage the care recipient who has not excreted to excrete.

[0143] The eighth effect is that by notifying the caregiver of an alarm when anything other than excrement is detected in the toilet bowl, it is possible to prevent accidents in which solid objects such as diapers or urine pads are flushed down the toilet drain, eliminating the need for drainage pipe construction work by contractors, as has been done in the past, and reducing maintenance costs.

[0144] <Other embodiments> [a] In each embodiment, the functions of the information processing system and each device included in the system have been described, but each device is not limited to the configuration example shown in the figure, and it is sufficient if each device can realize these functions.

[0145] [b] Each of the devices according to the first and second embodiments may have the following hardware configuration. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device. The same applies to the other embodiment [a].

[0146] The device 100 shown in FIG. 15 may have a processor 101, a memory 102, and a communication interface (I / F) 103. The processor 101 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or a CPU. The processor 101 may include multiple processors. The memory 102 is configured, for example, by a combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The functions of each device described in the first and second embodiments are realized by the processor 101 reading and executing a program stored in the memory 102. In this case, information can be sent and received with other devices via the communication interface 103 or an input / output interface (not shown).

[0147] In the above examples, the program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives) and magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks). Further examples include CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, and CD-R / Ws. Further examples include semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to a computer by various types of transitory computer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer-readable media can be supplied to a computer via wired communication paths such as electrical wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

[0148] [c] Furthermore, just as the above-described embodiments illustrate the steps of an information processing method in an information processing system, the present disclosure may also be embodied as an information processing method. This information processing method includes the following acquisition step, first detection step, second detection step, authentication step, storage step, and output step. The acquisition step obtains excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on image data captured by an imaging device installed so as to include the excretion range on the toilet bowl in its imaging range. In the first detection step, a first sensor detects a person entering or leaving the toilet. In the second detection step, a second sensor detects a person sitting on or leaving a toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl. The authentication step authenticates the person entering or leaving the toilet, and determines whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet, or a caregiver assisting the user. The storage step stores notification conditions. The output step outputs notification information to a notification destination based on the excretion information acquired in the acquisition step, entry / exit information detected by the first sensor, seating / leaving information detected by the second sensor, and a detection event indicated by the authentication result in the authentication step, and the notification condition. The storage step stores, as the notification condition, for each detection event, whether or not notification is necessary, and the notification information and notification destination when notification is necessary. Other examples are as described in the above-mentioned embodiments. Furthermore, the program can be said to be a program for causing a computer to execute processing including the acquisition step, the first detection step, the second detection step, the authentication step, the storage step, and the output step.

[0149] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the present disclosure may be implemented by appropriately combining the respective embodiments.

[0150] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes. <Appendix> (Appendix 1) an acquisition unit that acquires excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on image data captured by an imaging device installed so as to include the excretion area in the toilet bowl within its imaging range; a first sensor that detects whether a person enters or leaves the toilet; a second sensor that detects whether the user sits on or leaves the toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl; an authentication unit that authenticates a person who enters or leaves the toilet and determines whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet or a caregiver assisting the user; a storage unit that stores notification conditions; an output unit that outputs notification information to a notification destination based on the excretion information acquired by the acquisition unit, the entry / exit information detected by the first sensor, the seating / leaving information detected by the second sensor, and a detection event indicated by an authentication result by the authentication unit, and the notification condition; Equipped with The storage unit stores, as the notification condition, for each of the detected events, whether or not a notification is necessary, and the notification information and the notification destination when a notification is necessary. Information processing system. (Appendix 2) the notification condition includes importance information indicating the importance of the notification; The output unit outputs the notification information in a state including the importance information or in a state indicating the importance information. 10. The information processing system of claim 1. (Appendix 3) The storage unit stores, as the notification condition, whether or not a notification is necessary for each of the detected events and for each of the users being assisted, and the notification information and the notification destination when a notification is necessary. 3. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 4) the detected event includes a first event in which the person being assisted as the user is seated on the toilet seat for a certain period of time or longer; As the notification condition for the first event, the notification destination includes contact information of a caregiver who assists the user, and the notification information includes an alert requesting assistance. An information processing system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3. (Appendix 5) the acquisition unit acquires, as at least a part of the excretion information, information indicating whether the imaging data captured by the imaging device includes a foreign object other than feces and urine as a subject other than the toilet bowl and a cleaning liquid for the toilet bowl; the detection event includes a second event that is an event in which the foreign object is detected; As the notification condition for the second event, the notification destination includes contact information of a caregiver who assists the user as the user, and the notification information includes an alert requesting removal of the foreign object. An information processing system according to any one of appendices 1 to 4. (Appendix 6) the detection event includes a third event in which dirt is detected by at least one of the imaging device, the first sensor, and the second sensor; As the notification condition for the third event, the notification destination includes contact information of the potential caregiver, and the notification information includes an alert requesting removal of the stain. An information processing system according to any one of appendices 1 to 5. (Appendix 7) the detected events include a fourth event that is an event in which it is detected that the caregiver has entered the toilet while the person being assisted as the user is entering the toilet; As the notification condition for the fourth event, the notification destination includes contact information of a person who can become the caregiver other than the caregiver involved in the fourth event, and the notification information includes information notifying that the user is currently assisting the person being assisted, When the fourth event occurs, the output unit does not issue a notification regarding the other specific detection event even if the other specific detection event occurs until at least the state indicated by the fourth event disappears. An information processing system according to any one of appendices 1 to 6. (Appendix 8) a receiving unit for receiving emergency information from the potential caregiver notifying other potential caregivers that they will rush to assist the user; the detection event includes a fifth event indicating that the receiving unit has received the emergency information; As the notification condition for the fifth event, the notification destination includes contact information of the other potential caregiver, and the notification information includes information informing the user that the user will rush to assist the person being assisted. An information processing system according to any one of appendices 1 to 7. (Appendix 9) A setting unit for setting the notification conditions is provided. An information processing system according to any one of appendices 1 to 8. (Appendix 10) An information processing device that includes an imaging device and is installed on a toilet bowl such that the imaging device is positioned so that an imaging range of the toilet bowl includes an excrement excretion range, an acquisition unit that acquires excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on the image data captured by the imaging device; a first sensor that detects whether a person enters or leaves the toilet; a second sensor that detects whether the user sits on or leaves the toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl; an authentication unit that authenticates a person who enters or leaves the toilet and determines whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet or a caregiver assisting the user; a storage unit that stores notification conditions; an output unit that outputs notification information to a notification destination based on the excretion information acquired by the acquisition unit, the entry / exit information detected by the first sensor, the seating / leaving information detected by the second sensor, and a detection event indicated by an authentication result by the authentication unit, and the notification condition; Equipped with The storage unit stores, as the notification condition, for each of the detected events, whether or not a notification is necessary, and the notification information and the notification destination when a notification is necessary. Information processing device. (Appendix 11) an acquisition step of acquiring excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on image data captured by an imaging device installed so as to include the excretion area in the toilet bowl within an imaging range; a first detection step in which a first sensor detects a person entering or leaving the toilet; a second detection step in which a second sensor detects whether a person sits on or leaves a toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl; an authentication step of authenticating a person who has entered or left the toilet and determining whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet or a caregiver assisting the user; a storage step of storing the notification conditions; an output step of outputting notification information to a notification destination based on the excretion information acquired in the acquisition step, entry / exit information detected by the first sensor, seating / leaving information detected by the second sensor, and a detection event indicated by an authentication result in the authentication step, and the notification condition; Equipped with The storing step stores, as the notification condition, for each of the detected events, whether or not a notification is required, and the notification information and the notification destination when a notification is required. Information processing methods. (Appendix 12) On the computer, an acquisition step of acquiring excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on image data captured by an imaging device installed so as to include the excretion area in the toilet bowl within an imaging range; a first detection step of detecting a person entering or leaving the toilet with a first sensor; a second detection step of detecting, by a second sensor, whether a person sits on or leaves a toilet seat installed on the toilet bowl; an authentication step of authenticating a person who has entered or left the toilet and determining whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet or a caregiver assisting the user; a storage step of storing the notification conditions; an output step of outputting notification information to a notification destination based on the excretion information acquired in the acquisition step, entry / exit information detected by the first sensor, seating / leaving information detected by the second sensor, and a detection event indicated by an authentication result in the authentication step, and the notification condition; A process comprising: The storing step stores, as the notification condition, for each of the detected events, whether or not a notification is required, and the notification information and the notification destination when a notification is required. A program for executing a process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0151] 1. Information Processing Systems 1a Acquisition part 1b First sensor 1c Second sensor 1d Authentication section 1e storage section 1f Output section 10. Information processing device (toilet sensor) 11 Second external box 11a CPU 11b connector 11c, 11d USB I / F 12 Box-to-box connection 13 First external box 14a WiFi module 14b Bluetooth module 15a Human sensor 15b Second Camera 16a Distance sensor 16b First Camera 20 Toilet 21 Main Unit 22 toilet seat 23 Toilet seat cover 30 Toilet with information processing device 40 servers 41 Control Unit 42 Storage section 50 Terminal Equipment 51 Display screen 52, 53, 54 Notification Information 52a Information indicating importance 52b button 100 devices 101 processors 102 memory 103 Communication Interface

Claims

1. an authentication unit that authenticates a person who enters or leaves the toilet and determines whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet or a caregiver assisting the user; a storage unit that stores notification conditions; an output unit that outputs notification information to a notification destination based on a detected event indicated based on an authentication result by the authentication unit and the notification condition; Equipped with the storage unit stores, as the notification condition, for each of the detected events, whether or not a notification is necessary, and the notification information and the notification destination when a notification is necessary; The notification information includes information on the assistance status of the care recipient by the caregiver. Information processing system.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification information further includes information on whether the person being assisted needs assistance from a caregiver.

3. Further, the apparatus includes an acquisition unit, 3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires excretion information indicating at least the start and end of excretion based on imaging data captured by an imaging device installed so as to include the excretion range in the toilet bowl within its imaging range.

4. The detection event is indicated based on the excretion information acquired by the acquisition unit and the authentication result by the authentication unit, and includes at least one selected from the following: assistance by the caregiver of the person being assisted in the toilet; the caregiver rushing to the toilet to assist the person being assisted; the caregiver ceasing to rush to the toilet to assist the person being assisted; the care recipient entering the toilet; the care recipient leaving the toilet; the care recipient starting to excrete; the care recipient finishing excreting; and the detection of a foreign object in the imaging data; The notification information includes: If the detected event is any of assistance by an assistant to an assisted person in the toilet, the assistant rushing to the toilet to assist the assisted person, and the assistant stopping the rushing to the toilet to assist the assisted person, the information includes information on the assistance situation by the assistant to the assisted person, If the detected event is the care recipient entering the toilet and / or the care recipient leaving the toilet, the detected event includes information on the care recipient entering and leaving the toilet, If the detection event is the start of excretion by the care recipient and / or the end of excretion by the care recipient, the detection event includes excretion information of the care recipient, and if the detection event is the detection of a foreign object in image data, the detection event includes foreign object information in the image data. The information processing system according to claim 3 .

5. An information processing method in an information processing device having a storage unit that stores notification conditions, an authentication step of authenticating a person who enters or leaves the toilet and determining whether the person is a person being assisted as a user of the toilet or a caregiver assisting the user; an output step of outputting notification information to a notification destination based on the detection event indicated based on the authentication result in the authentication step and the notification condition; Equipped with the storage unit stores, as the notification condition, for each of the detected events, whether or not a notification is necessary, and the notification information and the notification destination when a notification is necessary; The notification information includes information on the assistance status of the care recipient by the caregiver. Information processing methods.

Images