Safety confirmation system

Abstract

We provide a safety confirmation system that can improve the accuracy of safety confirmation. [Solution] The safety confirmation system 1 confirms the safety of multiple residents living in multiple dwelling units of an apartment building, and includes a storage unit 57 that stores information of predetermined single residents among the residents of multiple dwelling units, determination units 51 to 53 that determine whether or not an instruction to unlock the entrance door installed in the entrance of the apartment building or the front door of the single resident's dwelling unit has been given by a single resident stored in the storage unit 57, and a safety determination unit 55 that determines that the safety of the single resident is questionable if a predetermined period has elapsed since the most recent unlocking instruction determined by the determination units 51 to 53.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety confirmation system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a safety confirmation system for confirming the safety of residents has been proposed. This system includes sensors provided on doors of toilets, refrigerators, etc. for checking the use or non-use of toilets, refrigerators, etc. necessary for the daily life of residents, and a safety confirmation center for estimating the safety of residents based on the number of operation signals of the sensors. The safety confirmation center has proposed a safety confirmation system for estimating the safety of residents based on the number of operation signals of the sensors within a unit time (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the system described in Patent Document 1 confirms safety based on whether or not things necessary for daily life are used by residents, if a resident accidentally does not use such things, it may be determined that the safety of the resident is suspicious, and there is a possibility of errors in safety confirmation.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a safety confirmation system capable of improving the accuracy of safety confirmation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The safety confirmation system according to the present invention is a safety confirmation system for confirming the safety of multiple residents living in multiple dwelling units of an apartment building, and comprises: a storage means that stores information of a predetermined number of solitary residents among the residents of the multiple dwelling units; an unlocking determination means that determines whether or not an unlocking instruction has been made by a solitary resident stored in the storage means to the entrance door installed at the entrance of the apartment building or the front door of the solitary resident's dwelling unit; and a safety determination means that determines that the safety of the solitary resident is questionable if a predetermined period has elapsed since the most recent unlocking instruction determined by the unlocking determination means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a safety confirmation system that can improve the accuracy of safety confirmation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing a safety confirmation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a partial configuration of the safety confirmation system. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the confirmation display via the door phone. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing how external calls are made using the external communication unit. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the safety confirmation method using the safety confirmation system according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The present invention will be described below in accordance with preferred embodiments. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, in the embodiments shown below, some illustrations and descriptions of certain components are omitted. It goes without saying that, regarding the details of the omitted technologies, publicly known or well-known technologies are applied as appropriate, to the extent that they do not contradict the content described below.

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a safety confirmation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a partial configuration of the safety confirmation system shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the safety confirmation system 1 confirms the safety of residents R living in multiple dwelling units H of an apartment building CH. This safety confirmation system 1 is composed of a key device 10, an external receiving device 20, an entrance receiving device 30, an internal receiving device 40, a control device 50, a user terminal 60, a door phone (indoor device) 70, and an external communication device 80.

[0011] The key device 10 is owned by the resident R and is composed of, for example, a mechanical key that can be inserted into a cylinder. The key device 10 also incorporates a storage unit 11, which is composed of, for example, an IC chip. However, the key device 10 may not be a mechanical key and may be composed of a simple IC card or the like.

[0012] The memory unit 11 stores first unlocking information, second unlocking information, and resident information. The first unlocking information is information for unlocking the entrance door E shown in Figure 2. The entrance door E is a door used by multiple residents R who live in multiple dwelling units H of the apartment building CH to enter and exit. The second unlocking information is information for unlocking the front door D of each dwelling unit H shown in Figure 2, and is specific to each dwelling unit H. The resident information is information for identifying the residents R of multiple dwelling units H. This resident information is information for identifying a predetermined single resident R (hereinafter, the code R will be used for both residents and single resident). Specifically, the resident information is assumed to be ID information linked to resident R, but it is not limited to this and can take various forms as long as it can identify the single resident R. In particular, if possible, the resident information may be used in conjunction with the second unlocking information, or it may be room number information, etc.

[0013] The external receiving device 20 is installed on the outside of the entrance door E. When the key device 10 is held over the external receiving device 20, it uses narrow-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) to receive the first unlocking information and resident information stored in the storage unit 11 of the key device 10. In this case, the entrance door E is basically locked, and when the external receiving device 20 receives the first unlocking information, the entrance door E is unlocked for a predetermined period of time. This allows resident R to pass through the entrance door E and enter the apartment building CH.

[0014] The entrance receiving device 30 is installed on the outside of the entrance door D of each dwelling unit H. When the key device 10 is held up to this entrance receiving device 30, it also receives the second unlocking information stored in the memory unit 11 of the key device 10 using, for example, narrow-range wireless communication such as NFC. When the entrance receiving device 30 receives the second unlocking information corresponding to dwelling unit H, the entrance door D is left unlocked for a predetermined period of time. This allows the resident R to enter the dwelling unit H. The entrance receiving device 30 may also receive resident information.

[0015] The internal receiving device 40 is installed on the inside of the entrance door E. Similar to the above, when the key device 10 is held near the internal receiving device 40, it uses narrow-range wireless communication, such as NFC, to receive the first unlocking information and resident information stored in the storage unit 11 of the key device 10. When the internal receiving device 40 receives the first unlocking information, the entrance door E is unlocked for a predetermined period of time. This allows resident R to pass through the entrance door E and leave the premises.

[0016] The control device 50 is a device that stores a safety confirmation program for confirming the safety of the resident R. The safety confirmation program is stored in the storage unit (storage means) 57. By executing the safety confirmation program stored in the storage unit 57, the control device 50 causes the return-to-home unlocking determination unit (unlocking determination means) 51, the entry-to-room unlocking determination unit (unlocking determination means) 52, the remote unlocking determination unit (unlocking determination means) 53, the departure-to-home unlocking determination unit (second unlocking determination means) 54, the safety determination unit (safety determination means) 55, and the output unit 56 to function.

[0017] Furthermore, the memory unit 57 stores information about the solitary resident R among the residents R of the apartment building CH. This memory unit 57 stores ID information as information about the solitary resident R. The memory unit 57 may also store information indicating the second unlocking information and room number as information about the solitary resident R. The ID information and other information indicating information about the solitary resident R are stored in the memory unit 57 by the administrator based on predetermined conditions (for example, being above a certain age, being asked to be monitored by family or relatives, having a physical disability, etc.).

[0018] The home arrival / unlock determination unit 51 determines whether resident R has returned home (entered the apartment building CH). Based on the resident information received by the external receiving device 20 along with the first unlocking information, the home arrival / unlock determination unit 51 determines whether resident R has issued an instruction to unlock the entrance door E.

[0019] In addition, the safety determination unit 55 has a timer inside. When the return unlocking determination unit 51 determines that there is an unlocking instruction for the entrance door E by the sole resident R, the safety determination unit 55 resets the timer related to the sole resident R.

[0020] The entrance unlocking determination unit 52 determines the entrance of the sole resident R (entry into each dwelling unit H). When the entrance receiving device 30 receives the second unlocking information, the entrance unlocking determination unit 52 determines whether there is an unlocking instruction for the entrance door D of the dwelling unit H by the sole resident R based on which dwelling unit H has been unlocked. Note that the entrance receiving device 30 is configured to be able to receive resident information as well, and the entrance unlocking determination unit 52 may determine the entrance of the sole resident R based on the resident information. When the entrance unlocking determination unit 52 determines that there is an unlocking instruction for the entrance door D of the dwelling unit H by the sole resident R, the safety determination unit 55 resets the timer related to the sole resident R.

[0021] The remote unlocking determination unit 53 determines whether there is an unlocking instruction for the entrance door E by remote operation. In the present embodiment, the outer receiving device 20 has an intercom function and can communicate with the door phone 70 by inputting the room number by a delivery person or the like. Further, the control device 50 has a function of transmitting information (including images and videos) to the user terminal 60 when the room number is input to the outer receiving device 20. The user terminal 60 can perform a remote unlocking operation so that a delivery person or the like can pass through the entrance door E upon receiving such information transmission. The remote unlocking determination unit 53 determines whether there is an unlocking instruction for the entrance door E by the sole resident R using the user terminal 60. When the remote unlocking determination unit 53 determines that there is an unlocking instruction for the entrance door E by the sole resident R, the safety determination unit 55 resets the timer related to the sole resident R.

[0022] The departure / unlock determination unit 54 determines whether the solitary resident R has left the building (left the apartment building CH). Based on the resident information received by the inside receiving device 40 along with the first unlocking information, the departure / unlock determination unit 54 determines whether the solitary resident R has issued a second unlocking instruction to unlock the entrance door E from the inside. If the departure / unlock determination unit 54 determines that the solitary resident R has issued a second unlocking instruction to the entrance door E from the inside, the safety determination unit 55 resets the timer related to that solitary resident R.

[0023] The safety determination unit 55 determines whether or not the safety of the solitary resident R is questionable. This safety determination unit 55 makes a safety determination based on a timer. As described above, the timer is reset by an unlocking instruction or a second unlocking instruction. Here, since the solitary resident R lives alone, it is necessary to go out for shopping or to eat within a predetermined period of time, and in such cases an unlocking instruction or a second unlocking instruction is issued. On the other hand, if a certain period of time has passed without an unlocking instruction or a second unlocking instruction, it can be said that the safety of the solitary resident R is questionable. Therefore, the safety determination unit 55 determines that the safety of the solitary resident R is questionable if a predetermined period of time has passed since the most recent unlocking instruction or second unlocking instruction.

[0024] Here, the external communication device 80 transmits information to the door phone 70 via the control device 50 periodically or irregularly to cause it to display a specific message. As a result, the control device 50 causes the door phone 70 to display a specific message.

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the confirmation display by the door phone 70 shown in Figure 1. The door phone 70 shown in Figure 3 has a display unit 71 and an operation unit 72. This door phone 70 is installed in the dwelling unit H of a sole resident R and is equipped with an entrance communication unit 73 as shown in Figure 1. The entrance communication unit 73 enables voice communication with the outside of the entrance of each dwelling unit H or with the outside device of the entrance door E. This entrance communication unit 73 is a typical function of a door phone 70.

[0026] Furthermore, as described above, the door phone 70 displays a specific message on the display unit 71. This specific message is a confirmation message prompting operation via the control unit 72. In the example shown in Figure 3, the display unit 71 displays "How are you? YES / NO". The door phone 70 also has a touch panel control unit 72, which can be operated by pressing on the screen of the display unit 71. In the example shown in Figure 3, for example, the "YES" and "NO" sections are operable.

[0027] The safety determination unit 55 described above also resets the timer when the operation unit 72 is operated in response to the confirmation display. Therefore, the safety determination unit 55 according to this embodiment determines that the safety of the solitary resident R is questionable if a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the most recent operation among the unlocking instruction, the second unlocking instruction, and the operation in response to the confirmation display.

[0028] The output unit 56 shown in Figure 1 outputs information to the effect that the safety determination unit 55 has determined that the safety of the person is questionable. The output destination may be, for example, an external communication device 80 or a pre-registered contact such as the family or relatives of the person living alone, R. When the external communication device 80 receives an output from the output unit 56, it attempts to make a voice call by sending a call instruction to the doorphone 70 through an operation by the administrator P or the like.

[0029] Here, the door phone 70 is equipped with an external communication unit (communication unit) 74. The external communication unit 74 enables voice communication with the external communication device 80. Note that the external communication unit 74 may be able to communicate not only with the external communication device 80, but also with other devices (for example, terminals of family members or relatives) excluding devices outside the front door or the entrance door E.

[0030] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an external call using the external communication unit 74 shown in Figure 1. The door phone 70 is further equipped with a speaker 70a and a microphone 70b. The speaker 70a outputs external audio when making a call with the outside. The microphone 70b acquires voice information from the resident R when making a call with the outside. In this embodiment, if the safety determination unit 55 determines that the safety of the resident is questionable, the door phone 70 attempts to make a call, for example, from an external communication device 80. In this case, it is preferable that the call is automatically initiated without requiring any action from the resident R to accept the call (an action to start the call). This is because it is possible to confirm the safety of the resident R whose safety is questionable.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the door phone 70 is equipped with a temperature image acquisition unit (temperature image acquisition means) 75. This temperature image acquisition unit 75 has a thermographic camera 70c as shown in Figure 4 and acquires temperature images in response to instructions from the administrator P (for example, an external communication device 80). The acquired temperature images are displayed, for example, on the control device 50 side or the external communication device 80 side. The temperature images may also be displayed on the terminals of registered users such as family members.

[0032] If the safety of resident R is questionable, administrator P attempts to communicate with resident R using, for example, the external communication unit 74. If resident R responds, their safety is confirmed. On the other hand, if resident R does not respond, it is possible that resident R is deceased, or that they are simply in a deep sleep (see Figure 4). In this case, the temperature image acquisition unit 75 is used. If no heat equivalent to that of a human body is detected in the temperature image acquired by the temperature image acquisition unit 75, administrator P can determine that resident R is likely deceased.

[0033] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the acquisition of temperature images is performed by administrator P, but this is not limited to this. If no voice is received from the sole resident R for a predetermined period of time while the external communication unit 74 is in use, an instruction to acquire temperature images may be automatically issued and temperature images may be acquired.

[0034] In addition, while the above assumes that the temperature image will be displayed, it is not limited to display; it may also be printed out, and information obtained from the temperature image, such as the analysis results of the temperature image, may also be displayed or printed out.

[0035] Next, the safety confirmation method using the safety confirmation system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the safety confirmation method using the safety confirmation system 1 according to this embodiment. Note that the flowchart shown in Figure 5 is executed for each individual resident R.

[0036] First, the control device 50 determines whether there has been an unlocking instruction from the solitary resident R (S1). That is, the process of determining whether to unlock the entrance door E by the return-home unlocking determination unit 51 and the remote unlocking determination unit 53, and the process of determining whether to unlock the front door D by the entry-to-room unlocking determination unit 52 are executed. If it is determined that there has been an unlocking instruction from the solitary resident R (S1: YES), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0037] On the other hand, if it is determined that there was no unlocking instruction from the resident R (S1: NO), the control device 50 determines whether an operation was performed in response to the confirmation display on the door phone 70 (S2). If it is determined that an operation was performed in response to the confirmation display (S2: YES), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0038] On the other hand, if it is determined that no operation corresponding to the confirmation display was performed (S2: NO), the control device 50 determines whether a second unlocking instruction was given by the solitary resident R (S3). That is, the process of determining whether the entrance door E is unlocked by the exit unlocking determination unit 54 is executed. If it is determined that a second unlocking instruction was given by the solitary resident R (S3: YES), the process proceeds to step S4. If it is determined that a second unlocking instruction was not given by the solitary resident R (S3: NO), the process proceeds to step S5.

[0039] In step S4, the safety determination unit 55 resets the timer (S4). Then, based on the timer, the safety determination unit 55 determines whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the most recent operation corresponding to the unlock instruction, the second unlock instruction, and the confirmation display (S5). If the predetermined period has not elapsed (S5: NO), the process proceeds to step S1.

[0040] On the other hand, if it is determined that a predetermined period has elapsed (S5: YES), the safety determination unit 55 determines that the safety of the solitary resident R is questionable (S6). The output unit 56 then outputs a message to that effect (S7). The control device 50 then determines whether an external call instruction has been received from the external communication device 80 or the like using the external call unit 74 (S8).

[0041] If it is determined that an external call instruction has been received (S8:YES), the external call unit 74 performs call control (S9). The process then proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, if it is determined that no external call instruction has been received (S8:NO), the process proceeds to step S10 without call control being performed.

[0042] In step S10, the control device 50 determines whether an instruction to acquire a temperature image has been received (S10). The acquisition instruction may be made by the administrator P, or it may be issued automatically. For example, if the control device 50 is equipped with a communication function via the external communication unit 74, the control device 50 may automatically issue an acquisition instruction when it determines that no sound above a predetermined volume is being received from the doorphone 70.

[0043] If it is determined that there was no instruction to acquire a temperature image (S10: NO), the process shown in Figure 5 ends. In this case, for example, administrator P may have used the external communication unit 74 to confirm the safety of resident R. For this reason, if there is no instruction to acquire a temperature image for a specified time after the output of step S7, the safety determination unit 55 may reset the timer. Alternatively, after the reset, the process may be returned to step S1, or, since resident R may be someone who dislikes going out, the predetermined period in step S5 for resident R may be set to a value longer than the current value.

[0044] If it is determined that there is an instruction to acquire a temperature image (S10: YES), the control device 50 sends a signal to that effect and instructs the temperature image acquisition unit 75 of the door phone 70 to take and acquire a temperature image (S11). The control device 50 then transmits the temperature image to the external communication device 80, etc., and the process shown in Figure 5 is then completed.

[0045] If the temperature image indicates that there is no human temperature response inside dwelling unit H, administrator P will take action such as dispatching personnel to dwelling unit H of resident R. On the other hand, if the temperature image indicates that there is a human temperature response inside dwelling unit H of resident R, administrator P will determine that resident R is safe. The temperature image may be continuously transmitted to the control device 50. For example, even if the temperature image indicates a human temperature response inside dwelling unit H, it is possible that resident R is in a situation where they cannot move, such as lying down. Therefore, the temperature image may be continuously acquired so that the external communication device 80 can determine if resident R is in a situation where they cannot move.

[0046] In this way, according to the safety confirmation system 1 of this embodiment, if a predetermined period has elapsed since the most recent unlocking instruction from the solitary resident R, it is determined that the safety of the solitary resident R is questionable. Therefore, even if the resident R has not used items necessary for daily life, it can be determined that the solitary resident R is safe because they have unlocked the entrance door E, etc. This eliminates the need to use many sensors and, for example, attach sensors to various items necessary for daily life, thereby improving the accuracy of safety confirmation.

[0047] Furthermore, since prompts for operation are displayed to the doorphone 70 periodically or irregularly, it can be determined that the solitary resident R is safe even if an operation is performed. Therefore, the accuracy of safety confirmation can be further improved.

[0048] Furthermore, the door phone 70 has an external communication unit 74, and outputs information about the resident R who is deemed to be in a state of distress. For example, it is possible to attempt to communicate with resident R using the external communication unit 74. This reduces the possibility of mistakenly dispatching personnel to resident R's apartment H simply because resident R has not unlocked the door for an extended period of time.

[0049] Furthermore, the system also assesses the safety of resident R, including the second unlocking instruction from R, and can make decisions based on information from when R was out, thus further improving the accuracy of safety confirmation.

[0050] Furthermore, the door phone 70 is equipped with a temperature image acquisition unit 75 that can acquire a temperature image based on the thermal environment inside the dwelling unit H. Therefore, if an attempt is made to make a call using the external communication unit 74 but the call is unsuccessful, the safety of the solitary resident R can be confirmed by acquiring a temperature image, further reducing the possibility of mistakenly dispatching personnel to dwelling unit H.

[0051] Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and if possible, publicly known or well-known technologies may be combined.

[0052] The safety confirmation system 1 according to this embodiment performs safety confirmation based on three factors: an unlocking instruction, a second unlocking instruction, and an operation corresponding to a confirmation display. However, it is not limited to these three factors, and safety confirmation may be performed based on only one of them. Furthermore, although an example using a key device 10 was described in the above embodiment, unlocking may be done by facial recognition instead of a key device 10. In this case, the facial information directly becomes information for identifying the solitary resident R, as well as the first and second unlocking information.

[0053] Furthermore, although this embodiment shows one entrance door D for one dwelling unit H, it is not limited to this and may be applied to dwelling units H having multiple entrance doors D. Similarly, there may be multiple entrance doors E.

[0054] Furthermore, the control device 50 may be configured to shorten the predetermined period as the age of the solitary resident R increases. For example, the control device 50 may set the predetermined period to 2 days when the solitary resident R is over 90 years old, and set the predetermined period to 3 days when the solitary resident R is between 70 and 90 years old.

[0055] Furthermore, if the control device 50 attempts to make a call using the external communication unit 74 of the door phone 70, it may be configured such that, during a predetermined time period such as between 11 PM and 6 AM, the lights in the resident's house are turned on by operation on the administrator P before the call is connected to the external communication unit 74.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first unlocking information and the second unlocking information may be the same, if possible. Also, the first unlocking information is not limited to one type of information, but may be multiple types of information. Furthermore, the second unlocking information and the resident information may be the same. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 1: Safety confirmation system 51: Homecoming Unlock Determination Unit (Unlock Determination Means) 52: Entry / Unlock Determination Unit (Unlock Determination Means) 53: Remote unlocking determination unit (unlocking determination means) 54: Determination unit for determining whether to unlock when leaving the premises (second unlocking determination means) 55: Safety determination unit (means for determining safety) 57: Storage unit (storage means) 70: Door phone (indoor unit) 71:Display section 72: Operation section 74: External communication unit (communication unit) 75: Temperature image acquisition unit (temperature image acquisition means) CH:Apartment housing D: Front door E: Entrance door H: Dwelling unit R: Single resident

Claims

1. A safety confirmation system for checking the safety of multiple residents living in multiple units of an apartment building, A memory device that stores information on single residents among the residents of multiple dwelling units, Unlock determination means for determining whether or not the resident who is living alone has given an instruction to unlock the entrance door installed in the entrance of the apartment building or the front door of the resident's apartment, as stored in the storage means, A safety determination means that determines that the safety of the solitary resident is questionable if a predetermined period has elapsed since the most recent unlocking instruction determined by the unlocking determination means, A safety confirmation system characterized by having the following features.

2. The indoor device, which is installed in the dwelling unit of the aforementioned sole occupant and has a display unit and an operating unit, further comprises: When the indoor device receives an instruction to display a confirmation display prompting operation by the control unit, it displays the confirmation display on the display unit. The safety determination means determines that the safety of the solitary resident is questionable if a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the most recent unlocking instruction determined by the unlocking determination means and the operation of the control unit in response to the confirmation display by the indoor device. The safety confirmation system according to feature 1.

3. The indoor device has a communication unit capable of making voice calls to the outside, and when the safety determination means determines that the safety of the resident living alone is questionable and receives a call instruction, it makes a voice call to the outside. The safety confirmation system according to claim 2.

4. The system further includes a second unlocking determination means for determining whether or not a second unlocking instruction for unlocking the entrance door from the inside was issued by the sole resident, as stored in the storage means, The safety determination means determines that the safety of the solitary resident is questionable if a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the most recent unlocking instruction determined by the unlocking determination means and the second unlocking instruction determined by the second unlocking determination means. The safety confirmation system according to feature 1.

5. The indoor device further comprises a thermal image acquisition means capable of acquiring a thermal image based on the thermal environment inside the dwelling of the sole occupant. The safety confirmation system according to claim 3.

Images