Automatic weight measuring system for pets

Abstract

To provide an automatic body weight measuring system for a pet, to which a function for estimating the behavior of the pet during sleep interruption is added.SOLUTION: The automatic body weight measurement system 1 for pets includes a weight measurement part 2, a body weight calculation part 3, and a behavior estimation part 4. The weight measurement part 2 is installed under the sleeping place for the pet, and measures the weight of the sleeping place in a state that the pet gets on the sleeping place and in a state that the pet does not get on the sleeping place. A body weight calculation part 3 calculates the body weight of the pet from the difference of the weight of the sleeping place measured by the weight measurement part 2 and displays and outputs it. The behavior estimation unit 4 estimates, based on a change in the weight of the sleeping place measured by the weight measurement unit 2, that the pet has performed a traffic behavior of stopping sleeping, leaving the sleeping place, and then returning.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic pet weight measurement system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known systems for measuring the weight of pets such as dogs. For example, in the automatic pet weight measuring system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the weight of a pet is automatically measured in a place for the pet (such as a toilet or a sleeping place) based on the weight difference between when the pet is sitting and when the pet is not sitting. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-330200 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Let us consider a case where the pet's place in the automatic pet weight measurement system of Patent Document 1 is a "sleeping place." For example, a dog will sleep on a favorite cushion, rug, or the like, and will always sleep in a fixed place with peace of mind. Automatically measuring the weight in this state is suitable for continuous weight management of a pet.

[0005] However, if the automatic pet weight measurement system of Patent Document 1 is to be used, there is room for consideration of application methods beyond weight measurement to estimate the behavior of pets when their sleep is interrupted. Pet owners cannot keep an eye on their sleeping pets while they are out or asleep. Therefore, they are concerned about whether their pets are sleeping peacefully when their owners are not watching them.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pet weight measurement system that has an added function of estimating the behavior of a pet when its sleep is interrupted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The automatic pet weight measurement system according to the present invention comprises a weight measurement unit 2, a weight calculation unit 3, and a behavior estimation unit 4. The weight measurement unit is installed under the pet sleeping area and measures the weight of the sleeping area when the pet is resting on it and when it is not resting on it. The weight calculation unit calculates the pet's weight from the difference between the weights of the sleeping area measured by the weight measurement unit and the weight of the pet's sleeping area, and displays the result.

[0008] The behavior estimation unit estimates, based on the change in weight of the sleeping area measured by the weight measurement unit, that the pet has interrupted its sleep and has taken a movement behavior of leaving the sleeping area and returning thereafter. In other words, the behavior estimation unit estimates that the pet has gone from the sleeping area to another location and returned thereafter during the period from the time when the weight of the sleeping area suddenly decreased to the time when it increased and returned to its original value.

[0009] Common behaviors include going to the toilet, drinking water, going toward a noise and barking at suspicious people, etc. While it is possible to install a surveillance camera to monitor footage of a pet's behavior, this requires installation costs and the effort of reviewing the footage. In contrast, the present invention can easily estimate a pet's behavior by slightly expanding the functionality of an automatic pet weight measurement system. Furthermore, by outputting weight changes at the pet's sleeping area as a graph over time, owners can check their pet's behavior at a glance.

[0010] Preferably, the automatic pet weight measuring system of the present invention further comprises a sound sensor (5) for detecting sounds heard in the sleeping area. The behavior estimation unit estimates the causal relationship between the generation of the sound and the pet's coming and going behavior.

[0011] Preferably, the automatic pet weight measuring system of the present invention further comprises a vibration sensor (6) for detecting vibrations transmitted to the sleeping place. The behavior estimation unit estimates the causal relationship between the occurrence of vibrations and the pet's coming and going behavior. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an automatic pet weight measurement system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram illustrating a situation in which a pet interrupts its sleep and moves around. [Figure 3] A time chart showing the weight change of the sleeping area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] An automatic pet weight measurement system according to one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. A typical pet is assumed to be a dog (especially a small dog) that sleeps inside the owner's house. A pet's sleeping area is made up of cushions or rugs placed in a corner of the living room, for example, and towels or blankets folded in half or quarters.

[0014] 1, an automatic pet weight measurement system 1 according to one embodiment includes a weight measurement unit 2, a weight calculation unit 3, a behavior estimation unit 4, a sound sensor 5, and a vibration sensor 6. The weight measurement unit 2 and the weight calculation unit 3 correspond to the "weight measurement means" and the "weight calculation means" in the cited document 1 (JP 2007-330200 A), and perform the basic function of measuring the weight of a pet.

[0015] The weight measurement unit 2 is installed under the pet sleeping area and measures the weight of the sleeping area when the pet is resting on it and when it is not. The weight calculation unit 3 calculates the pet's weight from the difference in the weight of the sleeping area measured by the weight measurement unit 2 and displays it. As described in Cited Document 1, with the general weight measurement method of placing the pet on a pet scale and reading the scale, there is a risk that the pet may move and the weight may not be measured accurately. In contrast, this system can measure the weight accurately.

[0016] The behavior estimation unit 4, sound sensor 5, and vibration sensor 6 are used to estimate the pet's commuting behavior as an applied function of the automatic pet weight measurement system 1. Here, "commuting behavior" refers to the behavior of a pet leaving its sleeping place and returning. The behavior estimation unit 4 estimates that the pet has interrupted its sleep and made a commuting behavior based on the change in weight of the sleeping place measured by the weight measurement unit 2. Going to the toilet or going to drink water is a commuting behavior that is performed on a daily basis.

[0017] It is also possible that a sleeping pet may sense a sound or vibration, wake up, and go to check on the pet. If the noise or vibration does not stop immediately and continues, the pet (dog) may bark. In such cases, the automatic pet weight measuring system 1 is equipped with a sound sensor 5 that detects sounds heard in the sleeping area and a vibration sensor 6 that detects vibrations transmitted to the sleeping area as a means for estimating the cause of the pet's coming and going behavior. The automatic pet weight measuring system 1 estimates the causal relationship between the sound detected by the sound sensor 5 or the vibration detected by the vibration sensor 6 and the pet's coming and going behavior.

[0018] Next, a specific example of the operation of the automatic pet weight measurement system 1 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. In Figure 2(a), the pet is sleeping on sleeping place B, that is, asleep. This corresponds to the period before time tn in the time chart of Figure 3. The "weight of sleeping place B with the pet on it" measured by the weight measurement unit 2 is W1.

[0019] When a sound (such as the appearance of a suspicious person, the passing of a vehicle, thunder, rain, or wind) occurs at time tn, the sound sensor 5 detects the sound and notifies the behavior estimation unit 4. As shown in (b) and (c) of Figure 2, the pet wakes up and leaves sleeping place B to go and check on the situation. At time t1 when the pet leaves sleeping place B, the weight of sleeping place B measured by the weight measurement unit 2 decreases from W1 to W0. The weight calculation unit 3 calculates the weight difference ΔW between W1 and W0 as the pet's weight and outputs it for display.

[0020] The behavior estimation unit 4 estimates that the pet has left sleeping place B based on the change in weight of sleeping place B. The behavior estimation unit 4 also estimates the causal relationship between the occurrence of the sound detected by the sound sensor 5 and the pet's coming and going behavior. In other words, it estimates that the sound caused the pet to leave sleeping place B.

[0021] The noise is heard temporarily and then disappears. The pet goes to check on the situation and returns to sleeping place B at time t2, where it goes to sleep again as shown in (a) of Figure 2. At time t2, the weight of sleeping place B measured by weight measurement unit 2 increases from W0 to W1. Weight calculation unit 3 recalculates the weight difference ΔW between W1 and W0 as the pet's weight. In the example shown in Figure 3, W1 is assumed to be the same as the value before time t1. However, if the pet goes to the toilet or eats or drinks while moving around, W1 may increase or decrease slightly. The behavior estimation unit 4 estimates that the pet has returned to sleeping place B based on the change in weight of sleeping place B.

[0022] After time t2, the weight of sleeping place B while the pet is sleeping is maintained at W1. After that, when a minor earthquake occurs at time tv, the vibration sensor 6 detects the vibration and notifies the behavior estimation unit 4. The pet wakes up again and leaves sleeping place B to check on the situation. At time t3 when the pet leaves sleeping place B, the weight of sleeping place B measured by the weight measurement unit 2 decreases from W1 to W0.

[0023] The behavior estimation unit 4 estimates that the pet has left sleeping place B based on the change in weight of sleeping place B. The behavior estimation unit 4 also estimates the causal relationship between the occurrence of vibration detected by the vibration sensor 6 and the pet's coming and going behavior. In other words, it estimates that the pet has left sleeping place B due to the vibration.

[0024] Thereafter, at time t4 when the pet returns to sleeping place B, the weight of sleeping place B measured by weight measurement unit 2 increases from W0 to W1. Based on the change in weight of sleeping place B, behavior estimation unit 4 estimates that the pet has returned to sleeping place B.

[0025] The owner can know the behavior of their pet after returning home from an outing or after waking up by checking the data stored in the behavior estimation unit 4, which improves the sense of security. For example, the behavior estimation unit 4 outputs the weight change in sleeping place B as a graph on a time axis, so that the owner can check the comings and goings of their pet at a glance.

[0026] For example, it is possible to install a surveillance camera and monitor the movement of pets, but this requires installation costs and the effort of reviewing the images. In contrast, in this embodiment, the movement of pets can be estimated simply by slightly expanding the functions of a conventional automatic pet weight measurement system.

[0027] As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1. Automatic pet weight measurement system, 2. Weight measurement unit, 3. Weight calculation unit, 4. Behavior estimation unit, 5. Sound sensor, 6. Vibration sensor.

Claims

1. a weight measuring unit (2) that is installed under the pet sleeping place and measures the weight of the sleeping place when the pet is sleeping on the sleeping place and when the pet is not sleeping on the sleeping place; a weight calculation unit (3) that calculates the weight of the pet from the difference between the weight of the sleeping place measured by the weight measurement unit and the weight of the pet, and displays the calculated weight; a behavior estimation unit (4) that estimates, based on the change in weight of the sleeping place measured by the weight measurement unit, that the pet has interrupted its sleep and performed a movement behavior of leaving the sleeping place and then returning; An automatic pet weight measurement system.

2. Further provided is a sound sensor (5) for detecting sounds heard in the sleeping area, The automatic pet weight measuring system according to claim 1 , wherein the behavior estimation unit estimates a causal relationship between the generation of a sound and the movement behavior of the pet.

3. Further provided is a vibration sensor (6) for detecting vibrations transmitted to the sleeping place, The automatic pet weight measuring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the behavior estimation unit estimates a causal relationship between the occurrence of vibration and the coming and going behavior of the pet.

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