Monitoring systems, wiring devices, load systems, monitoring methods, and programs

Abstract

The present invention provides a monitoring system, wiring device, load system, monitoring method, and program capable of reducing false detections. [Solution] The monitoring system 1 comprises a radio wave sensor 10, a processing unit 20, and an abnormality determination unit 24. The radio wave sensor 10 transmits a frequency-modulated radio wave, which is a transmission wave, to the detection target space. When it receives a reflected wave from each of the one or more reflection points of a person present in the detection target space, it outputs an output signal based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave. The processing unit 20 obtains the distribution of one or more reflection points from the output signal output by the radio wave sensor 10 and calculates the person's height information from the distribution of one or more reflection points. The processing unit 20 calculates the person's respiratory cycle from the time change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor 10. In the abnormality determination process, the abnormality determination unit 24 determines whether the person is in an abnormal state based on the time change of the height information and the respiratory cycle calculated by the processing unit 20.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a monitoring system, a wiring device, a load system, a monitoring method, and a program. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a monitoring system, a wiring device, a load system, a monitoring method, and a program that monitor a target (person) using a radio wave sensor. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a fall detection device. The fall detection device of Patent Document 1 includes an acquisition unit and a determination unit. The acquisition unit acquires radar reflection point information belonging to a detection target in a first predetermined number of consecutive frames. The reflection point information includes at least two of reflection point position information, line-of-sight direction velocity information, and reflected signal intensity information. The determination unit determines whether the detection target has fallen based on a temporal change relationship of the radar reflection point information in the first predetermined number of consecutive frames. [[Prior Art Literature]] [[Patent Literature]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-71226 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] The fall detection device (monitoring system) with the above configuration determines whether a target has fallen, for example, based on temporal changes in position information (height information) of the target's reflection points. However, it is difficult to distinguish from a temporal change in height information whether a fall has actually occurred or the target is simply lying down. For this reason, there is a possibility that unnecessary responses such as urgent visits may occur due to false detection.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring system, a wiring device, a load system, a monitoring method, and a program that can reduce false detections. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A monitoring system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a radio wave sensor, a processing unit, and an abnormality determination unit. The radio wave sensor transmits a transmission wave, which is a frequency-modulated radio wave, to the detection target space, and when it receives a reflected wave from each of the one or more reflection points of a person present in the detection target space, it outputs an output signal based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave. The processing unit performs processing based on the output signal from the radio wave sensor. The abnormality determination unit performs abnormality determination processing. The processing unit obtains the distribution of the one or more reflection points from the output signal output by the radio wave sensor and calculates the person's height information from the distribution of the one or more reflection points. The processing unit calculates the person's respiratory cycle from the time change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor. In the abnormality determination processing, the abnormality determination unit determines whether the person is in an abnormal state based on the time change of the height information calculated by the processing unit and the respiratory cycle.

[0007] A wiring device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a monitoring system and a control unit that controls the load according to the processing result of the processing unit of the monitoring system.

[0008] A load system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a monitoring system, a load, and a control unit that controls the load according to the processing result of the processing unit of the monitoring system.

[0009] A monitoring method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition process, a height calculation process, a respiratory cycle calculation process, and an abnormality determination process. In the acquisition process, a transmission wave, which is a frequency-modulated radio wave, is transmitted to the detection target space, and when a reflected wave is received from each of the one or more reflection points of a person present in the detection target space, the output signal is acquired from a radio wave sensor that outputs an output signal based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave. In the height calculation process, the distribution of the one or more reflection points is acquired from the output signal output by the radio wave sensor, and the height information of the person is calculated from the distribution of the one or more reflection points. In the respiratory cycle calculation process, the respiratory cycle of the person is calculated from the time change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor. In the abnormality determination process, it is determined whether the person is in an abnormal state based on the time change of the height information calculated by the processing unit and the respiratory cycle.

[0010] A program according to one aspect of this disclosure is a program for causing one or more processors to perform the method described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a monitoring system, wiring device, load system, monitoring method, and program capable of reducing false detections. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a wiring device and load system equipped with a monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of the speaker device that communicates with the monitoring system mentioned above. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram of a room to which the wiring device equipped with the above-mentioned monitoring system is applied. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a graph showing the changes in the frequencies of the transmitted and received waves transmitted by the radio wave sensor equipped in the monitoring system described above. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a distribution diagram showing the distribution of points representing moving objects detected by the aforementioned monitoring system. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of how a reflected signal received by the aforementioned radio sensor changes in accordance with the movement of a person's crown. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of a temporal change when a reflected signal received by the aforementioned radio sensor changes in accordance with the respiration of a person after a fall. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the aforementioned monitoring system. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram explaining an example of inquiry processing of the aforementioned speaker device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a wiring device provided with a monitoring system according to a modified example. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, a monitoring system, a wiring device, a load system, and a monitoring method according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, each drawing described in the following embodiment is a schematic diagram, and dimensional ratios such as the size of each component do not necessarily reflect actual dimensional ratios. Further, the configuration described in the following embodiment is merely an example of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications can be made according to design and the like as long as the effects of the present disclosure can be achieved.

[0014] Embodiment (1) Overview The monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a radio sensor 10, a processing unit 20, and an abnormality determination unit 24, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0015] The radio sensor 10 transmits a transmission wave, which is a frequency-modulated radio wave, to a detection target space SP1 (see FIG. 3), and when receiving a reflected wave obtained by reflecting the transmission wave at each of one or more reflection points of a person present in the detection target space SP1, outputs an output signal based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave.

[0016] The processing unit 20 executes processing based on output signals from the radio wave sensor 10. The processing unit 20 detects a moving object (hereinafter may be simply referred to as a "moving object"). The processing unit 20 detects a time difference which is an intensity difference between two output signals respectively output by the radio wave sensor 10 in mutually different detection periods, and detects a moving object based on a comparison result obtained by comparing the magnitude of the time difference with a threshold value. A detection target space SP1 in which the monitoring system 1 detects the presence or absence of an object is a space where a person can exist, for example, an internal space of a residential or non-residential building used by a person. When the monitoring system 1 detects a moving object in the detection target space SP1, it determines that the object is a person. Note that the monitoring system 1 may determine that the object existing in the detection target space SP1 is a person based on the size or height (stature) of the object detected in the detection target space SP1.

[0017] The magnitude (intensity) of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor 10 is proportional to the distance from the radio wave sensor 10 to the object. Therefore, the time difference between the two output signal intensities respectively output by the radio wave sensor 10 in the two detection periods has a magnitude proportional to the amount of movement of the object during the interval between the two detection periods.

[0018] Here, the monitoring system 1 of the present embodiment is a system that monitors a target person using the radio wave sensor 10. Since the monitoring system 1 of the present embodiment uses the radio wave sensor 10 instead of a video camera, it is advantageous from the viewpoint of protecting the privacy of the target person. The target person is, for example, an elderly person living alone, or a care receiver using a nursing care facility, service-assisted elderly housing, or the like. Therefore, the detection target of the monitoring system of the present embodiment is a person. Hereinafter, the detection target or the target person may be simply referred to as a "person".

[0019] The processing unit 20 acquires the distribution of one or more reflection points of a person from the output signal output by the radio wave sensor 10, and calculates height information of the person from the distribution of the one or more reflection points.

[0020] The processing unit 20 calculates the respiration cycle of a person from the temporal change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor 10.

[0021] The abnormality detection unit 24 performs abnormality detection processing. In the abnormality detection processing, the abnormality detection unit 24 determines whether or not a person is in an abnormal state based on the temporal change in height information calculated by the processing unit 20 and the respiratory cycle.

[0022] In this disclosure, "person height information" refers to the vertical distance from the reference plane to the top of the person's head in the detection target space SP1. The reference plane is the plane that supports the center of gravity of the person in the detection target space SP1. Typically, the reference plane corresponds to the surface of the floor on which the person is located in the detection target space SP1. When a person is standing upright on the floor in the detection target space SP1, the height information will be approximately equal to the person's height.

[0023] Normally, people assume various postures in their daily lives, making it difficult to determine from the temporal changes in a person's height information whether a fall has occurred or if the person is simply lying down.

[0024] Therefore, in the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment, in addition to the temporal change in the subject's height information, the system determines whether or not an abnormal condition exists based on the subject's respiratory cycle. In this disclosure, "respiratory cycle" refers to the period of regular movements associated with a person's breathing. Here, regular movements refer to, for example, the movement of the chest or abdomen associated with a person's breathing. People tend to breathe faster when they feel mental stress such as anxiety or tension, or when they have a fever. Therefore, if the respiratory cycle shortens, it can be determined that an abnormal condition has occurred. This makes it easier to determine whether or not an unintentional fall has occurred. Accordingly, the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment makes it possible to reduce false detections.

[0025] Furthermore, the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment operates in cooperation with a speaker device 600 (see Figures 2 and 3). The speaker device 600 has a communication function, an audio output function, and an audio recognition function. The speaker device 600 is an "inquiry device" as referred to in this disclosure, and can receive commands from the monitoring system 1 and execute an inquiry process to check on the safety of the person concerned. The monitoring system 1 can check on the safety status of a person who has fallen through the speaker device 600, thereby reducing the possibility of false detections leading to emergency response. In addition, the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment may also operate in cooperation with a mobile terminal such as a wristwatch-type wearable device, a smartphone, or a tablet-type computer to execute an inquiry process to check on the safety of the person concerned. The speaker device 600 and the inquiry process will be described in detail in "(2.1.2) Speaker Device".

[0026] (2)Details The monitoring system 1 of this embodiment is used to detect abnormalities in the person being monitored, using a radio wave sensor 10.

[0027] The monitoring system 1 is provided in a wiring device 100 installed on the ceiling 401 of a room 400 where a person 300 may be present (see Figure 3). In other words, in this embodiment, the interior space of the room 400 becomes the detection target space SP1 in which the monitoring system 1 detects the presence or absence of a person. The monitoring system 1 includes a housing 2 that houses a radio wave sensor 10, and the housing 2 is placed on a wall 402 next to the detection target space SP1, or on the ceiling 401 above the detection target space SP1. In the following embodiment, the case in which the housing 2 is placed on the ceiling 401 above the detection target space SP1 will be described as an example. In this case, the radio wave sensor 10 is placed on the lower surface of the housing 2 in a state in which it can transmit radio waves to a detection area A1 set in the detection target space SP1 below the ceiling 401.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the monitoring system 1 is installed in the wiring device 100, the housing of the wiring device 100 becomes the housing 2 of the monitoring system 1. The housing 2 of the monitoring system 1 further houses the processing unit 20.

[0029] Furthermore, the wiring device 100 of this embodiment comprises a monitoring system 1, a load connection section 50, and a load control unit 25. A load 3 is connected to the load connection section 50. The load control unit 25 controls the operating state of the load 3 connected to the load connection section 50 based on the object detection results by the monitoring system 1. The load 3 whose operating state is controlled by the load control unit 25 is, for example, a lighting load, but it may also be an air conditioning load such as a ventilation fan, or a load other than a lighting load or air conditioning load.

[0030] (2.1) Configuration The configurations of the monitoring system 1 and the wiring device 100 will be described in more detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 7.

[0031] (2.1.1) Monitoring system The monitoring system 1 is equipped with the radio wave sensor 10 described above. The monitoring system 1 also further includes a processing unit 20, a storage unit 30, and a communication unit 31.

[0032] The radio wave sensor 10 transmits a frequency-modulated radio wave Tr (see Figure 4) from the transmitting antenna, receives a received wave (reflected wave) Re (see Figure 4) which is the transmitted wave Tr reflected by an object, with the receiving antenna, and outputs an intermediate frequency signal (IF signal) obtained by mixing the transmitted wave Tr and the received wave Re.

[0033] The radio wave sensor 10 comprises an oscillator 11, a transmitter 12, a receiver 13, and a mixer 14.

[0034] The oscillator 11 periodically generates a transmission signal modulated using, for example, a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) method. Specifically, the oscillator 11 periodically generates a transmission signal that is frequency-modulated such that the frequency continuously increases from f0 to f1 over a predetermined chirp time Tc.

[0035] The transmitting unit 12 outputs the transmission signal generated by the oscillator 11 to the transmitting antenna, causing the transmitting antenna to transmit a transmission wave Tr (see Figure 4). The frequency of the transmission wave Tr increases continuously from f0 to f1 over a predetermined chirp time Tc.

[0036] The receiving unit 13 receives the received wave Re (see Figure 4) reflected by an object with a receiving antenna, converts the received wave Re into an electrical signal, and outputs the resulting received signal to the mixer 14. The receiving unit 13 also has a function to measure the signal strength of the received wave Re received by the receiving antenna. The radio wave sensor 10 outputs the measurement result of the signal strength of the received wave Re measured by the receiving unit 13 to the processing unit 20.

[0037] Mixer 14 generates an intermediate frequency signal (IF signal) by mixing the transmission signal generated by oscillator 11 and the reception signal output by receiver 13. The IF signal is generated during the period when the transmission wave Tr is being transmitted and the reception wave Re is being received (i.e., from the start of reception of reception wave Re to the end of transmission of transmission wave Tr). The IF signal is a signal that indicates the frequency difference Δf (see Figure 4) between the transmission wave Tr and the reception wave Re. The IF signal is a signal that indicates the difference between the frequency of the transmission wave Tr and the frequency of the reception wave Re at time t, but if the object reflecting the transmission wave Tr is stationary, the IF signal will be a constant value.

[0038] Generally, to determine the three-dimensional position of an object (moving object) to be detected, the radio wave sensor 10 needs to have, for example, one transmitting antenna and three or more receiving antennas. In this embodiment, the radio wave sensor 10 has one transmitting antenna and three receiving antennas. When the radio wave sensor 10 has three receiving antennas, an IF signal is generated by mixing the received signal received by each of the three receiving antennas with the transmitted signal generated by the oscillator 11. Therefore, each time the radio wave sensor 10 performs a transmit / receive operation during each of the multiple detection periods, it outputs three IF signals corresponding to the three receiving antennas. The positions of the one transmitting antenna and the three receiving antennas of the radio wave sensor 10 are known, and the position information of the one transmitting antenna and the three receiving antennas is stored in advance in the storage unit 30. When the radio wave sensor 10 has multiple antennas (including transmitting and receiving antennas), the multiple antennas may be housed in one housing 2 or arranged in multiple locations.

[0039] The processing unit 20 primarily consists of a computer system having one or more processors and memory. The functions of the processing unit 20 are realized when the processor of the computer system executes a program stored in the memory of the computer system. The program may be stored in memory, provided via a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or provided on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

[0040] The processing unit 20 has the functions of the abnormality determination unit 24, height detection unit 22, and respiration detection unit 23 described above. In this embodiment, the processing unit 20 also has the functions of an acquisition unit 21 and a load control unit 25. Note that the acquisition unit 21, height detection unit 22, respiration detection unit 23, abnormality determination unit 24, and load control unit 25 merely represent functions realized by the processing unit 20 and do not necessarily represent an actual physical configuration.

[0041] The storage unit 30 includes, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The storage unit 30 stores, for example, programs executed by the processing unit 20. The storage unit 30 also stores the calculation results of the processing unit 20 (for example, the calculation results of the time difference obtained by the height detection unit 22) and threshold values.

[0042] The communication unit 31 is equipped with a communication interface for wireless communication with the speaker device 600 (see Figures 2 and 3). The communication unit 31 includes an antenna, a communication circuit, etc. The communication unit 31 communicates with the speaker device 600. The communication unit 31 may also communicate with other portable terminals such as a wristwatch-type wearable device, a smartphone, or a tablet-type computer.

[0043] The acquisition unit 21 acquires an output signal from the radio wave sensor 10. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 21 acquires an IF signal as an output signal from the radio wave sensor 10. For example, if the radio wave sensor 10 has three receiving antennas, the acquisition unit 21 acquires three IF signals from the radio wave sensor 10, corresponding to each of the three receiving antennas, for each of the multiple detection periods. The acquisition unit 21 also acquires the measurement results of the signal strength of the received wave Re received by each of the three receiving antennas from the radio wave sensor 10 for each of the multiple detection periods.

[0044] The height detection unit 22 applies an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) to the IF signal acquired by the acquisition unit 21 from the radio wave sensor 10 to obtain the frequency spectrum, and acquires the frequency spectrum as an FFT result. In this embodiment, since the radio wave sensor 10 is equipped with three receiving antennas, the mixer 14 outputs three IF signals between the transmitting wave Tr and the three receiving waves Re received by the three receiving antennas, respectively. Therefore, each time the radio wave sensor 10 performs a transmit / receive operation, the height detection unit 22 calculates a group of FFT results including three FFT results (frequency spectra) obtained by applying an FFT to each of the three IF signals, and stores the calculated group of FFT results in the storage unit 30. Here, the group of FFT results obtained in one transmit / receive operation of the transmitting wave Tr and the receiving wave Re includes three FFT results (frequency spectra) obtained by applying an FFT to each of the three IF signals corresponding to the three receiving antennas.

[0045] The radio wave sensor 10 repeats transmission and reception operations at a predetermined period. The predetermined period is, for example, 200 ms. The radio wave sensor 10 performs transmission and reception operations once per frame, for example, with one frame being 200 ms. Here, one frame is the detection period in which the radio wave sensor 10 performs one transmission and reception operation, and the radio wave sensor 10 performs transmission and reception operations in each of multiple detection periods (frames). Note that the time of one frame is not limited to 200 ms and can be changed as appropriate.

[0046] The process by which the height detection unit 22 calculates the detection distance between the object and the radio wave sensor 10, and the height information of the object, based on two output signals output from the radio wave sensor 10 in two frames (in other words, two detection periods).

[0047] The height detection unit 22 outputs three IF signals each time the radio wave sensor 10 performs a transmit / receive operation, between the transmitted wave Tr and the three received waves Re received by the three receiving antennas. By performing an FFT on each of the three IF signals, the height detection unit 22 obtains three frequency spectra. The height detection unit 22 then calculates the time difference between the three frequency spectra between two different frames, thereby determining the distance from each of the three receiving antennas to the moving object, and enabling the three-dimensional positioning of the moving object using three-point positioning.

[0048] The height detection unit 22 compares the calculated time difference, which is the difference between the frequency spectrum of the previous frame and the frequency spectrum of the current frame, with a threshold. If the calculated time difference exceeds the threshold, the height detection unit 22 outputs a detection result indicating that an object exists in the detection target space SP1. In this way, the height detection unit 22 can detect the presence or absence of a moving object by calculating the time difference and comparing the calculated time difference with a threshold.

[0049] Furthermore, when the height detection unit 22 detects the presence of an object in the detection target space SP1, it calculates the distance from the three receiving antennas to the object based on the frequency spectrum obtained for each of the three IF signals in the current frame. The height detection unit 22 may then determine the three-dimensional position of the object using the principle of triangulation based on the calculation result of the distance from the three receiving antennas to the object.

[0050] If an object is present in the detection target space SP1, the transmitted wave Tr from the transmitter 12 will be reflected at multiple points (reflection points) on the object. The multiple reflected waves reflected at multiple reflection points are received by the receiver 13, and the mixer 14 outputs an output signal (IF signal) which is a mixture of the multiple reflected waves received by the receiver 13 and the transmitted wave. In other words, the radio wave sensor 10 outputs an output signal based on the reflected waves (received waves Re) reflected at each of the multiple reflection points on the surface of the object and the transmitted wave Tr. When the height detection unit 22 applies FFT processing to the output signal from the radio wave sensor 10, multiple peaks corresponding to the multiple reflection points appear in the FFT result (frequency spectrum) of the output signal. The height detection unit 22 then calculates the time difference for the multiple peaks corresponding to the multiple reflection points, and acquires one or more reflection points for which the calculated time difference is greater than or equal to a threshold as reflection points of a moving object. Hereinafter, points on the surface of an object for which the calculated time difference is greater than or equal to a threshold may be referred to as "moving points". In other words, the height detection unit 22 acquires the distribution of one or more reflection points (moving points) from among a plurality of reflection points, the result of which the time difference calculation is equal to or greater than a threshold. The height detection unit 22 can then detect a moving object corresponding to the distribution of one or more reflection points (moving points).

[0051] Figure 5 shows a plot of multiple moving points DT1 on a three-dimensional space 500 representing the room 400, corresponding to multiple reflection points whose time difference calculation result is above a threshold, when the height detection unit 22 detects a person 300 present in the detection target space SP1. When the radio wave sensor 10 is installed on the ceiling 401, many transmitted waves Tr are reflected from the head, shoulders, hands, and feet of the person 300, while reflection of transmitted waves Tr is less likely to occur from the torso of the person 300. Therefore, multiple moving points DT1 representing multiple reflection points from the head, shoulders, hands, and feet of the person 300 are plotted on the three-dimensional space 500.

[0052] Here, the height detection unit 22 performs clustering on multiple moving points DT1 corresponding to multiple reflection points, thereby grouping the multiple moving points DT1 into one or more clusters. In the example in Figure 5, the multiple moving points DT1 representing multiple reflection points are grouped into two clusters: cluster CL1 corresponding to the head, shoulders, hands, etc., of person 300, and cluster CL2 corresponding to the feet of person 300. As shown in Figure 5, when the multiple moving points DT1 corresponding to person 300 are grouped into two clusters, CL1 and CL2, the height detection unit 22, for example, finds the centroid position of each of clusters CL1 and CL2, and then finds the midpoint of the two centroid positions. This allows the height detection unit 22 to determine the location of person 300. In other words, the height detection unit 22 can determine the location of person 300 based on the distribution of one or more reflection points (moving points) whose time difference calculation result is above a threshold.

[0053] In this way, when multiple moving points DT1 representing person 300 are grouped into multiple clusters, the height detection unit 22 determines the centroid position of each cluster and detects the midpoint of the centroid positions of the clusters as the three-dimensional position of the object. The height detection unit 22 then determines the distance between the midpoint of the centroid positions of the clusters and the radio wave sensor 10 as the detected distance between the object and the radio wave sensor 10. If multiple moving points DT1 representing person 300 are detected as a single cluster, the height detection unit 22 only needs to detect the centroid position of the cluster as the three-dimensional position of the object and determine the distance between the centroid position of the cluster and the radio wave sensor 10 as the detected distance between the object and the radio wave sensor 10.

[0054] In this embodiment, the height detection unit 22 obtains height information h1 of person 300 based on the distribution of one or more reflection points (moving points) whose time difference calculation result is greater than or equal to a threshold. Here, the height information h1 of person is the vertical distance from the surface of the floor of the detection target space SP1 (on the XY plane of the three-dimensional space 500 in Figure 5) to the top of person 300's head.

[0055] First, the height detection unit 22 determines the distance between the top of the person 300's head and the radio wave sensor 10. More specifically, the height detection unit 22 further groups the multiple moving points DT1, which represent multiple reflection points, into clusters corresponding to the head of the person 300, and determines the centroid position of the clusters corresponding to the head. In this embodiment, the multiple moving points DT1 are further grouped into clusters corresponding to the head of the person 300, and the centroid position of the clusters corresponding to the head is set to the position of the top of the person 300's head. Then, the distance d1 between the centroid position of the clusters corresponding to the head and the radio wave sensor 10 is determined.

[0056] In this embodiment, the distance d1 between the top of the head of the person 300 and the radio wave sensor 10 is the distance between the center of gravity of the cluster corresponding to the head and the radio wave sensor 10. However, it may also be the distance between the position of the moving point DT1, which is the largest moving point DT1 from the floor among the multiple moving points DT1 corresponding to the head of the person 300, and the radio wave sensor 10.

[0057] Next, the height detection unit 22 calculates the height information h1 of the person 300 from equation (1). h1 = H1 - d1 × sinθ (1) d1 is the detection distance from the radio wave sensor 10 to the top of the person 300's head. H1 is the installation height of the radio wave sensor 10. Here, the installation height of the radio wave sensor 10 is the vertical distance from the floor to the installation position of the radio wave sensor 10 in the detection target space SP1. The installation height H1 of the radio wave sensor 10 is stored in advance in the storage unit 30. In this embodiment, the installation height H1 of the radio wave sensor 10 is approximately equal to the distance from the floor to the ceiling 401. θ is the angle between the line segment connecting the top of the person 300's head (center of gravity of the head) and the radio wave sensor 10, and the perpendicular line drawn from the top of the person 300's head (center of gravity of the head) to the vertical line passing through the radio wave sensor 10. In this way, the height detection unit 22 can determine the height information h1 of the person 300 based on the distribution of one or more reflection points on the person 300's head.

[0058] Furthermore, the height detection unit 22 determines the distribution of one or more reflection points (moving points) whose time difference calculation result is greater than or equal to a threshold, and detects the movement of the person 300 corresponding to one or more reflection points (moving points) based on the temporal displacement of this distribution. When the person 300 in the detection target space SP1 moves, the distribution of one or more reflection points whose time difference calculation result is greater than or equal to a threshold also changes in accordance with the movement of the person 300. Therefore, the height detection unit 22 can detect the movement of the person 300 in the detection target space SP1 by detecting the movement of the distribution of one or more reflection points whose time difference calculation result is greater than or equal to a threshold. In this embodiment, the height detection unit 22 can detect the temporal change of height information h1 based on the temporal displacement of the distribution of one or more reflection points corresponding to the head of the person 300 (see equation (1)).

[0059] Here, the temporal change in height information h1 is proportional to the change in the magnitude (intensity) of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor 10. The change in the intensity of the reflected signal from the top of person 300's head is also proportional to the change in distance from the radio wave sensor 10 to person 300.

[0060] Figure 6 is a graph showing an example of how the reflected signal received by the radio wave sensor 10 changes in accordance with the movement of the top of the head of person 300. Figure 6 shows an example where person 300 loses their balance from an upright position and falls over. The level of the reflected signal is proportional to the distance from the radio wave sensor 10 to the top of person 300's head. As shown in Figure 6, in an upright position, the distance from the radio wave sensor 10 to the top of person 300's head is small, and the level of the reflected signal is large. Subsequently, when the person loses their balance and falls over, the distance from the radio wave sensor 10 to the top of person 300's head increases. Therefore, the level of the reflected signal gradually decreases from a high value, and then drops sharply. However, since person 300 usually assumes various postures in daily life, it is difficult to determine from the temporal change in person 300's height information whether a fall has occurred or whether person 300 is simply lying down.

[0061] In this embodiment, the respiration detection unit 23 calculates the respiratory cycle of person 300 from the time change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor 10. "Respiratory cycle" refers to the period of regular movement associated with a person's breathing. Here, regular movement refers to, for example, the movement of the chest or abdomen associated with a person's breathing. More specifically, the respiration detection unit 23 performs a process of calculating the time difference multiple times for one or more moving points where the time difference calculation result DS in the comparison process is greater than or equal to a threshold, using two different detection periods. Then, the respiration detection unit 23 detects a periodic change from the time-series data of the multiple time difference calculation results and calculates the respiratory cycle, which is that periodic change.

[0062] Figure 7 is a graph showing an example of the time change in the reflected signal received by the radio wave sensor 10 as it changes in accordance with a person's breathing after a fall. Figure 7 shows an example where there is no movement other than breathing. As shown in Figure 7, the respiratory cycle t13 is 3 to 5 seconds in the case of normal breathing. In other words, the number of breaths per minute is 12 to 20. In contrast, a person tends to breathe faster when they feel mental stress such as anxiety or tension, or when they have a fever. Rapid breathing refers to a state where the number of breaths per minute is, for example, 25 or more. Therefore, if the respiratory cycle t13 becomes shorter than 2.4 seconds, it can be determined that breathing is irregular.

[0063] Furthermore, when person 300 is lying down in the detection target space SP1, the movement associated with breathing is minute, and the calculated time difference will also be a small value. Therefore, it is also possible to calculate an integrated value by accumulating the results of multiple time difference calculations, and then detect the movement associated with person 300's breathing based on the comparison result obtained by comparing the calculated integrated value with the threshold.

[0064] In the abnormality determination process, the abnormality determination unit 24 determines whether or not the person 300 is in an abnormal state based on the temporal change of height information h1 calculated by the height detection unit 22 and the respiratory cycle t13.

[0065] The load control unit 25 executes control processing for load 3 according to the detection result of the height detection unit 22. If the height detection unit 22 detects that a person is present in the detection target space SP1, the load control unit 25 supplies power to the lighting load, which is load 3, and turns on the lighting load. If the height detection unit 22 detects that no person is present in the detection target space SP1, the load control unit 25 cuts off the power supply to the lighting load, which is load 3, and turns off the lighting load. The load control unit 25 will be explained in more detail in "(2.1.3) Wiring Devices".

[0066] (2.1.2) Speaker equipment In this embodiment, the speaker device 600 is a smart speaker that supports interactive voice operation and has communication, voice output, and voice recognition functions. The speaker device 600 works in conjunction with the monitoring system 1 to check the safety status of a person 300 who has fallen in the detection target space SP1. When the speaker device 600 receives an inquiry signal from the monitoring system 1 (communication unit 31), it performs an inquiry process for the person 300 present in the detection target space SP1.

[0067] As shown in Figure 2, the speaker device 600 includes a microphone 60, a speaker 61, a processing unit 70, a storage unit 80, and a communication unit 81.

[0068] Microphone 60 accepts sound input from the surrounding environment. Microphone 60 also accepts voice input from person 300 present in the detection target space SP1.

[0069] Speaker 61 outputs various sounds. More specifically, during the inquiry process, speaker 61 outputs artificial voices stored in memory to the person 300 present in the detection target space SP1. In this embodiment, as an inquiry process to check on the safety of the person 300, speaker 61 outputs a voice such as "Are you alright?" or a warning sound. The processing unit 70 mainly consists of a computer system having one or more processors and memory. The functions of the processing unit 20 are realized when the processor of the computer system executes a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in memory, provided via a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or provided on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

[0070] The processing unit 70 has the function of a speech recognition unit 71. The speech recognition unit 71 recognizes information contained in the speech input to the microphone 60. In this embodiment, the processing unit 20 also has the function of an automatic response unit (not shown). The automatic response unit performs query processing using the microphone 60 and the speaker 61. The functions of the speech recognition unit 71 and the automatic response unit can be realized using known technologies. Note that the speech recognition unit 71 and the automatic response unit merely represent functions realized by the processing unit 20 and do not necessarily represent an actual configuration.

[0071] The storage unit 80 includes, for example, memory such as RAM, ROM, and EEPROM. The storage unit 30 stores, for example, a program executed by the processing unit 20.

[0072] The communication unit 81 is equipped with a communication interface for wireless communication with the monitoring system 1 (communication unit 31 in Figure 1). The communication unit 81 includes an antenna, a communication circuit, etc. The communication unit 81 transmits the results of the inquiry processing to the monitoring system 1.

[0073] The speaker device 600 is equipped with an operating section (e.g., a power button, volume control buttons, etc.) which is not shown. The operating section allows the speaker device to receive user input. A touch panel that functions as both a display and an operating section may be located on the front of the speaker device 600. For example, the touch panel may display a message asking for safety confirmation, such as "Are you okay?", and accept responses by tapping on parts of the screen that say "I'm okay (YES)" or "I need help (NO)".

[0074] (2.1.3) Wiring devices As described above, the wiring device 100 comprises the monitoring system 1 and the load control unit 25. The wiring device 100 further comprises a load connection unit 50, a drive circuit 40, and a switch element 41. In this embodiment, the housing 2 of the monitoring system 1 houses the radio wave sensor 10, the processing unit 20, the storage unit 30, the communication unit 31, the load connection unit 50, the drive circuit 40, and the switch element 41. In other words, in this embodiment, the functions of the monitoring system 1 and the functions of the wiring device 100 are housed in a single housing 2. Furthermore, the wiring device 100 of this embodiment and the load 3, which is the control target of the load control unit 25, constitute the load system 200.

[0075] The load connection section 50 includes a pair of connection terminals 51 and 52. A series circuit of an AC power supply AC and a load 3 is connected between the pair of connection terminals 51 and 52 via electric wires W1 and W2. The load 3 is, for example, a lighting load. The lighting load 3 has a light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a lighting circuit for turning on the light source.

[0076] The switching element 41 is, for example, a semiconductor switching element such as a triac, thyristor, FET (Field effect transistor), or bipolar transistor, or a relay. The switching element 41 is connected between a pair of connection terminals 51 and 52. In other words, a series circuit of the AC power supply AC and the load 3 is connected between both ends of the switching element 41. When the switching element 41 becomes conductive and power is supplied to the load 3, the lighting load 3 lights up. Conversely, when the switching element 41 becomes non-conductive and the power supply to the load 3 is cut off, the lighting load 3 turns off.

[0077] The drive circuit 40 controls the switch element 41 to a conductive or non-conductive state in accordance with the control signal input from the load control unit 25.

[0078] When the height detection unit 22 detects the presence of a person, the load control unit 25 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 40, controlling the switch element 41 to a conductive state, thereby turning on the load 3, which is a lighting load. Conversely, when the height detection unit 22 detects the absence of a person, the load control unit 25 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 40, controlling the switch element 41 to a non-conductive state, thereby turning off the load 3, which is a lighting load.

[0079] Furthermore, if the lighting load, which is load 3, has a dimming function, the load control unit 25 may dim the lighting load, which is load 3, according to the detection result of the height detection unit 22. That is, when the height detection unit 22 detects the presence of a person, the load control unit 25 may turn on the lighting load, which is load 3, at a first brightness level, and when the height detection unit 22 detects the absence of a person, the load control unit 25 may turn on the lighting load, which is load 3, at a second brightness level that is dimmer than the first brightness level. As a result, when there is no person in the detection target space SP1, the brightness of the lighting load, which is load 3, can be controlled to be dimmer than when there is a person, and the power consumption of the lighting load can be reduced.

[0080] For example, the load control unit 25 may output a control signal to the drive circuit 40 for phase control of the switch element 41. The drive circuit 40 controls the switch element 41 to a conductive state for a conduction period corresponding to the control signal during each half-cycle of the AC voltage input from the AC power supply, thereby adjusting the power supplied to the load 3, which is a lighting load, and enabling dimming of the lighting load.

[0081] (2.2) Operation Instructions The operation of the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 8 and the like. Note that the flowchart shown in Figure 8 is merely one example of the monitoring method according to this embodiment, and the order of processing may be changed as appropriate, or processing may be added or omitted as appropriate.

[0082] The radio wave sensor 10 performs transmission and reception operations in each of the multiple detection periods (frames) and outputs an output signal (IF signal), and the acquisition unit 21 acquires the output signal output from the radio wave sensor 10 in each detection period (S1).

[0083] The height detection unit 22 obtains the distribution of one or more reflection points of a person from the output signal (IF signal) output by the radio wave sensor 10, and calculates the person's height information h1 from the distribution of one or more reflection points (S2). Here, the distribution of one or more reflection points is the distribution of one or more reflection points (moving points) where the time difference calculation result, which is the difference between the FFT result calculated in the current frame and the FFT result calculated in the previous frame, is greater than or equal to a threshold, obtained by applying FFT processing to the output signal (IF signal) of the radio wave sensor 10 to calculate the FFT result (frequency spectrum).

[0084] The respiration detection unit 23 calculates the person's respiratory cycle t13 from the time change of the output signal (IF signal) output by the radio wave sensor 10 (S3). More specifically, the respiration detection unit 23 performs a process to calculate the time difference multiple times for one or more moving points of a person whose time difference calculation result DS is greater than or equal to a threshold, using two different detection periods. Then, the respiration detection unit 23 detects a periodic change from the time-series data of the multiple time difference calculation results and calculates the respiratory cycle t13, which is that periodic change. In this embodiment, if the respiratory cycle t13 is not detected, i.e., if the respiratory cycle t13 is considered to be zero, the system proceeds to the next step.

[0085] The abnormality determination unit 24 performs abnormality determination processing (S4). More specifically, the abnormality determination unit 24 determines whether a person is in an abnormal state based on the temporal change of height information h1 calculated by the height detection unit 22 and the respiratory cycle t13. In this embodiment, the abnormality determination unit 24 determines that a person is in an abnormal state if the following three conditions are met.

[0086] The first condition is that the height information h1 calculated by the height detection unit 22 changes from a first state where the height information h1 is greater than or equal to a first threshold L1 to a second state where the height information h1 is less than the first threshold L1. The first state corresponds to the state in which person 300 is standing. The second state corresponds to the state in which person 300 is lying down or sitting. The first threshold L1 is set based on the physical information of person 300. The first threshold may be set, for example, to the height of person 300's waist or to the height of person 300's knees. This is because when person 300 is standing, the top of person 300's head is higher than their waist. This is because when person 300 is lying down, the top of person 300's head is lower than their knees.

[0087] The second condition is that the respiratory cycle t13 of the person in the second state is shorter than the second threshold L2. The second threshold L2 is set based on the physical information of person 300. The second threshold L2 may be set to, for example, 2.5 seconds. Generally, the respiratory cycle t13 is 3 to 5 seconds in the case of normal breathing. In contrast, the respiratory cycle t13 becomes faster when experiencing mental stress such as anxiety or tension, or when experiencing fever. In this embodiment, even if the respiratory cycle t13 is zero (when the respiratory cycle t13 is not detected), it is considered that the respiratory cycle t13 is shorter than the second threshold L2, and the second condition is satisfied. This is because a situation in which the person is unconscious and breathing has stopped is also conceivable.

[0088] The third condition is that the change in the height information h1 of the person in the second state remains below the third threshold L3 for a certain period of time. The third threshold L3 can be set to a range of, for example, 0 to several centimeters. If person 300 falls and, for example, injures their leg, they will remain unable to get up. This is because the pain in the leg may significantly restrict the movement of person 300 (top of the head). The duration can be predetermined, for example, taking into account the age, medical history, or health condition of the person 300. The duration can be, for example, 1 minute. This is because the risk of fractures due to falls tends to be higher in elderly people. In addition, situations where recovery from a fall is not possible due to factors other than trauma (such as poor physical condition) can also be considered.

[0089] In this embodiment, the monitoring system 1, when the abnormality detection unit 24 determines that an abnormal state exists (YES in step S4 of Figure 4), works in cooperation with the speaker device 600 to check the safety status of the person 300 who has fallen in the detection target space SP1. Specifically, when the abnormality detection unit 24 determines that an abnormal state exists (YES in step S4 of Figure 4), the processing unit 20 sends an inquiry signal to the speaker device 600 (S5). The inquiry signal is a command to the speaker device 600 to perform voice inquiry processing to the person 300.

[0090] The inquiry processing of the speaker device 600 will now be described. As mentioned above, the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment may perform safety confirmation inquiry processing to the target person in cooperation with other mobile terminals in addition to the speaker device 600. Furthermore, the other mobile terminals may have communication functions, voice output functions and voice recognition functions, similar to the speaker device 600.

[0091] Person 300 in the detection target space SP1 is in a state where they have changed their posture from standing to lying down and have not gotten up. When speaker device 600 receives an inquiry signal from monitoring system 1, it performs an audible inquiry to person 300 in the detection target space SP1. More specifically, speaker device 600 outputs a voice or warning sound to person 300 from speaker 61, for example, "An abnormality has been detected. Are you alright?". Speaker device 600 may also display a message asking for confirmation of safety, such as "Are you alright?", through a touch panel located on the front.

[0092] Furthermore, if the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment is linked to, for example, a wristwatch-type wearable device or a smartphone, the process of inquiring about the safety of the person being monitored may be done by voice questioning, or by sending a notification or warning sound to check on the person's safety. For example, a message asking for safety confirmation, such as "Are you okay?", may be displayed on the screen of the smartphone or wristwatch-type wearable device.

[0093] The speaker device 600 then receives responses from person 300 through the microphone 60 for a predetermined period. If voice is input to the microphone 60 within the predetermined period, the voice recognition unit 71 recognizes the information contained in the voice. If, for example, person 300's voice saying "I'm fine" is input to the microphone 60 within the predetermined period, the voice recognition unit 71 recognizes the information contained in the voice and generates a positive result for the query processing, indicating that person 300 is in a normal state. In this case, it is assumed that person 300, who is in the detection target space SP1, has changed their posture from standing to lying down, and is reading a book while lying down without getting up.

[0094] On the other hand, if no sound is input to the microphone 60 within a predetermined period, or if, even if sound is input to the microphone 60, the information contained in the sound is recognized as meaningless and negative regarding the normal state of person 300, then a negative result of the query process indicating that person 300 is in an abnormal state is generated. In this case, as shown in Figure 9, it is assumed that person 300, who is in the detection target space SP1, has fallen from a standing position and has not gotten up, and is experiencing irregular breathing and breathing faster than usual. The speaker device 600 transmits either a positive or negative result of the query process to the monitoring system 1.

[0095] In this embodiment, the response from person 300 is a voice input response, but it may also be a response via operation input to the control panel of speaker device 600. In this case, for example, the response from person 300 can be recognized by touching the controller or a button. Alternatively, the response may be received by tapping the "I'm OK (YES)" or "I need help (NO)" section displayed on the touch panel screen of speaker device 600. In addition, the response from person 300 may also be a gesture response. In this case, for example, the response from person 300 can be recognized by analyzing the movements of person 300, such as body language or hand gestures, using the radio wave sensor 10.

[0096] Furthermore, if the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment is linked with a wristwatch-type wearable device or a smartphone, it may accept responses via voice input. It may also accept responses via operation input to the control panel. In addition, it may accept responses via tap operations on parts of the screen that say "I'm OK (YES)" or "I need help (NO)".

[0097] If the monitoring system 1's communication unit 31 receives the result of an inquiry from the speaker device 600 or other mobile terminal, it performs a predetermined process according to the result of the inquiry. If the result of the inquiry is negative, it is assumed that the person 300 in the detection target space SP1 is in a fallen position, with irregular breathing and a faster-than-usual breathing rate, and the system notifies an external management company.

[0098] On the other hand, if the query processing result is positive, it is assumed that person 300 in the detection target space SP1 is lying down and reading a book, so the monitoring system 1 can continue normal processing.

[0099] As described above, according to the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment, in cooperation with the speaker device 600, it is possible to confirm the safety status of a person 300 who has fallen in the detection target space SP1.

[0100] In this embodiment, the abnormality detection unit 24 determines that a person is in an abnormal state based on three conditions. The second condition is that the respiratory cycle t13 of the person in the second state is shorter than the second threshold L2. The second condition may also be that the respiratory cycle t13 of the person in the second state is equal to or greater than the second threshold L2. For example, if a person falls and injures their leg, making them unable to get up, it is expected that the fallen state will continue despite a normal breathing state. This allows for the detection of such abnormal states of the person.

[0101] Although the monitoring system 1 in this embodiment does not include a speaker device 600, the monitoring system 1 may include a speaker device 600.

[0102] (3) Variant The above embodiments are merely one of many embodiments of this disclosure. The above embodiments can be modified in various ways depending on the design, etc., as long as the objectives of this disclosure are achieved. Furthermore, functions similar to those of the monitoring system 1 may be embodied in a monitoring method, a computer program, a non-temporary recording medium on which the program is recorded, or a computer program product including the program. One embodiment of the monitoring method includes an acquisition process, a height calculation process, a respiratory cycle calculation process, and an abnormality determination process. In the acquisition process, a transmission wave, which is a frequency-modulated radio wave, is transmitted to the detection target space SP1. When the reflected wave, which is the transmission wave reflected at each of the one or more reflection points of the person 300 present in the detection target space SP1, is received, an output signal is acquired from the radio wave sensor 10, which outputs an output signal based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave. In the height calculation process, the distribution of one or more reflection points of the person 300 is acquired from the output signal output by the radio wave sensor 10, and the height information h1 of the person 300 is calculated from the distribution of one or more reflection points. In the respiratory cycle calculation process, the respiratory cycle t13 of the person 300 is calculated from the time change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor 10. In the abnormality detection process, the processing unit 20 determines whether or not the person 300 is in an abnormal state based on the temporal change of height information h1 and the respiratory cycle t13. The (computer) program according to one embodiment is a program for causing a computer system to execute the above monitoring method.

[0103] The following lists some modifications of the above embodiment. The modifications described below can be combined and applied as appropriate.

[0104] The entity that executes the monitoring system 1 or monitoring method in this disclosure includes a computer system. The computer system mainly consists of a processor and memory as hardware. The function of the entity that executes the monitoring system 1 or monitoring method in this disclosure is realized by the processor executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system, provided via a telecommunications line, or provided on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card, optical disk, or hard disk drive that can be read by the computer system. The processor of the computer system consists of one or more electronic circuits including semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) or large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs). The integrated circuits such as ICs or LSIs referred to here are named differently depending on the degree of integration, and include integrated circuits called system LSIs, VLSIs (Very Large Scale Integration), or ULSIs (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Furthermore, FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) that are programmed after the manufacture of LSIs, or logic devices that allow for the reconfiguration of junction relationships or circuit compartments within LSIs, can also be used as processors. Multiple electronic circuits may be integrated onto a single chip or distributed across multiple chips. Multiple chips may be integrated onto a single device or distributed across multiple devices. The computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Therefore, the microcontroller also consists of one or more electronic circuits, including semiconductor integrated circuits or large-scale integrated circuits.

[0105] Furthermore, it is not essential for the monitoring system 1 to have multiple functions integrated into a single housing 2, and the components of the monitoring system 1 may be distributed across multiple housings. Similarly, it is not essential for the wiring device 100 to have multiple functions integrated into a single housing 2, and the components of the wiring device 100 may be distributed across multiple housings.

[0106] In the above embodiment, where "greater than or equal to" is used in the comparison of the magnitude relationship between two values, it may also be used as "greater than." In other words, whether or not the case where the two values ​​are equal is included in the comparison of two values ​​can be arbitrarily changed depending on the setting of the reference value, etc., so there is no technical difference between "greater than or equal to" and "greater than." Similarly, where "less than or equal to" is used, it may also be used as "less than" or "smaller than."

[0107] In the above embodiment, the housing 2 of the wiring device 100 is located on the underside of the ceiling 401, but the housing 2 of the wiring device 100 may also be located on the wall 402 of the room 400. In this case, the radio wave sensor 10 only needs to be mounted on the housing 2 so as to transmit radio waves in the direction normal to the wall 402 on which the housing 2 is located, and it can detect objects present in the interior space of the room 400.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the monitoring system 1 is provided in the wiring device 100, but it may also be provided in a load system 200 such as a lighting device. The lighting device includes a main body that houses a light source and a lighting circuit for the light source, and the monitoring system 1 is housed inside the main body. The lighting circuit controls the operating state of the light source (e.g., on, off, dimming, etc.) according to the detection result of the monitoring system 1. Note that the load system 200 is not limited to a lighting device, but may also be an air conditioning device such as a ventilation fan or an air conditioner.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the radio wave sensor 10 is equipped with one transmitting antenna and three receiving antennas, but the number of receiving antennas may be two or four or more.

[0110] Furthermore, in the radio wave sensor 10, the antenna used for transmitting the transmitting wave Tr and the antenna used for receiving the receiving wave Re may be the same antenna (hereinafter referred to as the "common antenna"). In other words, the transmitting wave Tr may be transmitted from the common antenna, and the receiving wave Re corresponding to the transmitting wave Tr may be received by the same common antenna.

[0111] In the above embodiment, one transmission / reception operation is performed in one frame Fr, but multiple transmission / reception operations may be performed in one frame Fr. In that case, the height detection unit 22 can detect the presence or absence of a moving object based on a representative value (e.g., an average value) of the IF signal output from the radio wave sensor 10 during multiple transmission / reception operations.

[0112] Furthermore, the monitoring system 1 may be housed in an individual enclosure and output the motion detection results to a wiring device 100 or a load system 200 (for example, a lighting device).

[0113] (3.1) Variation 1 In the above embodiment, the monitoring system 1 determines whether or not person 300 is in an abnormal state in the detection target space SP1 (see Figure 3, etc.). Alternatively, the system may use an action history model that has learned the action history of person 300 for each of the multiple areas in the detection target space SP1 to obtain the action judgment result of person 300, and if the action judgment result of person 300 is abnormal, an abnormality determination process may be performed.

[0114] The behavioral history model is learned for each of multiple areas in the detection target space SP1 using at least one of the time-series data of the intensity of the output signal from the radio wave sensor 10 and the time-series data of the distribution of one or more reflection points of people 300. The behavioral history model is stored, for example, in the memory unit 30.

[0115] In Modification 1, the processing unit 20 acquires the behavioral judgment results for person 300 using a behavioral history model that has learned the behavioral history of person 300 for each of multiple areas. More specifically, in Modification 1, the processing unit 20 acquires the behavioral judgment results for person 300 output from the learned behavioral history model by inputting time-series data of the intensity of the output signal of the radio wave sensor 10 and time-series data of the distribution of one or more reflection points to the learned behavioral history model.

[0116] In Modification 1, the abnormality detection unit 24 calculates the height information h1 of person 300 (S2 in Figure 8), calculates the respiratory cycle t13 (S3 in Figure 8), and performs abnormality detection processing (S4 in Figure 8) if the behavioral detection result of person 300 is abnormal. On the other hand, in Modification 2, the abnormality detection unit 24 does not calculate the height information h1 of person 300, calculate the respiratory cycle t13, or perform abnormality detection processing if the behavioral detection result of person 300 is normal.

[0117] In the modified version 1 of the monitoring system 1, by using a behavior history model that has learned the behavior history of person 300 for each of multiple areas, an abnormality detection process is performed when person 300 behaves in a way that is different from normal (for example, staggering, holding their head, etc.), thereby improving the accuracy of abnormality detection.

[0118] Furthermore, in the monitoring system 1 of the modified example 1, if person 300 is behaving in the same way as usual, the abnormality detection process is not performed, thus reducing unnecessary processing in the processing unit 20.

[0119] (3.2) Variation 2 In the above embodiment, the monitoring system 1 determines whether or not a person 300 is in an abnormal state in the detection target space SP1 (see Figure 3, etc.). Alternatively, in the detection target space SP1, a detection-disabled area where abnormality determination is not performed and a detection-enabled area where abnormality determination is performed may be set, and an abnormality determination may be performed only when the person 300 is in the detection-enabled area.

[0120] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a wiring device 100A equipped with the monitoring system 1A of the modified example 2. As shown in Figure 10, the monitoring system 1A of the modified example 2 differs from the monitoring system 1 of the above embodiment (see Figure 1) in that it further includes a reception unit 32 and an area determination unit 26.

[0121] In the modified example 2, the monitoring system 1A has a detection target space SP1 that includes multiple areas. The reception unit 32 receives setting information from the user. The reception unit 32 is equipped with various devices that receive input operations from the user of the monitoring system 1A (e.g., the facility's contractor or manager). The reception unit 32 is equipped with various switches, a touch panel display integrated with a display, and the like.

[0122] The configuration information is used to set the detection target space SP1 as either a detection-enabled area or a detection-disabled area. The detection-enabled area is set as a space where a person would not normally lie down. For example, a detection-enabled area would be a changing room in a bathroom. The detection-disabled area is set as a space where a person would normally lie down. For example, a detection-disabled area would be the space on a bed or sofa.

[0123] The area determination unit 26 determines, based on the distribution of one or more reflection points, whether the person 300 is in the detection-enabled area or the detection-invalid area of ​​the detection target space SP1. If the abnormality determination unit 24A determines that the person 300 is in the detection-enabled area, it calculates the height information h1 of the person 300 (S2 in Figure 8), calculates the respiratory cycle t13 (S3 in Figure 8), and performs abnormality determination processing (S4 in Figure 8). On the other hand, if the abnormality determination unit 24A determines that the person 300 is in the detection-invalid area, it does not calculate the height information h1 of the person 300, calculate the respiratory cycle t13, or perform abnormality determination processing.

[0124] In the monitoring system 1A of the modified example 2, if person 300 is in a detection-disabled area where person 300 would normally lie down, the abnormality determination process is not performed, thus reducing unnecessary processing in the processing unit 20A.

[0125] (summary) Based on the embodiments described above, the following aspects are disclosed.

[0126] The first embodiment of the monitoring system (1, 1A) comprises a radio wave sensor (10), a processing unit (20), and an abnormality detection unit (24). The radio wave sensor (10) transmits a frequency-modulated radio wave, which is a transmission wave, to the detection target space (SP1). When it receives a reflected wave from one or more reflection points of a person (300) present in the detection target space (SP1), it outputs an output signal based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave. The processing unit (20) performs processing based on the output signal from the radio wave sensor (10). The abnormality detection unit (24) performs abnormality detection processing. The processing unit (20) obtains the distribution of one or more reflection points from the output signal output by the radio wave sensor (10) and calculates the height information (h1) of the person (300) from the distribution of one or more reflection points. The processing unit (20) calculates the respiratory cycle (t13) of the person (300) from the time change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor (10). The abnormality determination unit (24) determines whether the person (300) is in an abnormal state based on the temporal change of height information (h1) calculated by the processing unit (20) and the respiratory cycle (t13) during the abnormality determination process.

[0127] This configuration makes it easier to determine whether or not an unintentional fall occurred in the person (300). This reduces the need for emergency response due to false detections.

[0128] In the second embodiment of the monitoring system (1, 1A), in the first embodiment, the abnormality determination unit (24) changes from a first state in which the height information (h1) calculated by the processing unit (20) is equal to or greater than the first threshold (L1) to a second state in which the height information (h1) is less than the first threshold (L1) during the abnormality determination process. In the second state, the respiratory cycle (t13) calculated by the processing unit (20) becomes shorter than the second threshold (L2). Then, in the second state, if the change in height information (h1) remains below the third threshold (L3) for a certain period of time, the unit determines that the person (300) is in an abnormal state.

[0129] According to this embodiment, for example, if a person (300) falls and is unable to get up, the person's (300) breathing may become irregular. Such an abnormal state of the person (300) can be detected.

[0130] In the third embodiment of the monitoring system (1, 1A), in the first embodiment, the abnormality determination unit (24) changes from a first state in which the height information (h1) calculated by the processing unit (20) is equal to or greater than the first threshold (L1) to a second state in which the height information (h1) is less than the first threshold (L1) during the abnormality determination process. In the second state, the person's respiratory cycle (t13) calculated by the processing unit (20) is equal to or greater than the second threshold (L2). If the change in height information (h1) remains below the third threshold (L3) for a certain period of time in the second state, the unit determines that the person (300) is in an abnormal state.

[0131] According to this embodiment, for example, if a person (300) falls and is unable to get up, the fallen state may persist despite normal breathing. Such an abnormal state of the person (300) can be detected.

[0132] The fourth aspect of the monitoring system (1) is such that, in any one of the first to third aspects, the detection target space (SP1) includes multiple areas. The processing unit (20) acquires the behavioral judgment result of a person (300) using a behavioral history model that has learned the behavioral history of a person (300) for each of the multiple areas. The abnormality judgment unit (24) performs abnormality judgment processing if the behavioral judgment result of the person (300) is abnormal. The behavioral history model is learned for each of the multiple areas from time-series data of the intensity of the output signal of the radio wave sensor (10) and time-series data of the distribution of one or more reflection points.

[0133] According to this embodiment, by using a learning model (behavioral history model) that has learned the behavioral history of a person (300) for each of multiple areas, an anomaly detection process is performed when the person (300) behaves in a manner different from normal (for example, staggering, holding their head, etc.), thereby improving the accuracy of anomaly detection.

[0134] The fifth embodiment of the monitoring system (1A) further comprises a reception unit (32) in any one of the first to fourth embodiments. The reception unit (32) receives setting information input from the user. The detection target space (SP1) includes multiple areas. The setting information is information for setting multiple areas of the detection target space (SP1) as either detection-enabled areas or detection-disabled areas. The processing unit (20A) determines from the distribution of one or more reflection points whether a person (300) is in the detection-enabled area or the detection-disabled area. The abnormality determination unit (24A) performs abnormality determination processing if it determines that a person (300) is in the detection-enabled area.

[0135] According to this embodiment, if a person (300) is present in a detection invalid area where a person (300) would normally lie down (for example, the space above a bed or sofa), the abnormality determination process is not performed. This reduces unnecessary processing in the processing unit (20A).

[0136] The sixth embodiment of the monitoring system (1, 1A) further comprises a communication unit (31) in any one of the first to fifth embodiments. The communication unit (31) communicates with an inquiry device (600). If the processing unit (20, 20A) determines that an abnormal state exists in the abnormality determination process, it sends an inquiry signal to the inquiry device (600) to cause the inquiry device (600) to perform voice inquiry processing to the person (300). When the processing unit (20, 20A) receives the result of the inquiry processing from the inquiry device (600), it performs predetermined processing according to the result of the inquiry processing.

[0137] In this embodiment, the inquiry device (600) can be, for example, an interactive speaker device, to make voice inquiries to a person (300). This makes it possible to reliably understand the person's (300) situation. For example, if no response is received from the person (300) within a predetermined period, appropriate measures can be taken, such as notifying an external management company.

[0138] The seventh embodiment of the monitoring system (1, 1A) further comprises a housing (2) for housing a radio wave sensor (10) in any one of the first to sixth embodiments. The housing (2) is positioned on a wall (402) next to the space to be detected (SP1), or on the ceiling (401) above the space to be detected (SP1).

[0139] According to this embodiment, a radio wave sensor (10) housed in a housing (2) positioned on a wall (402) or ceiling (401) can be used to monitor a person (300) in a target space (SP1).

[0140] The wiring device (100, 100A) of the eighth embodiment comprises a monitoring system (1, 1A) of any one of the first to seventh embodiments, and a control unit (25) that controls the load according to the processing result of the processing unit (20, 20A) of the monitoring system (1, 1A).

[0141] According to this embodiment, a wiring device (100, 100A) equipped with a monitoring system (1, 1A) can monitor a person (300) in a detection target space (SP1).

[0142] The ninth embodiment of the load system (200) comprises one of the first to eighth embodiments of the monitoring system, a load (3), and a control unit (25) that controls the load according to the processing results of the processing units (20, 20A) of the monitoring system (1, 1A).

[0143] The tenth aspect of the monitoring method includes an acquisition process, a height calculation process, a respiratory cycle calculation process, and an abnormality determination process. In the acquisition process, a frequency-modulated radio wave is transmitted to the detection target space (SP1), and when the reflected waves are received from each of the one or more reflection points of a person (300) present in the detection target space (SP1), an output signal is acquired from a radio wave sensor (10) that outputs an output signal based on the transmitted wave and the reflected wave. In the height calculation process, the distribution of one or more reflection points is acquired from the output signal output by the radio wave sensor (10), and the height information (h1) of the person (300) is calculated from the distribution of one or more reflection points. In the respiratory cycle calculation process, the respiratory cycle (t13) of the person (300) is calculated from the time change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor (10). In the abnormality determination process, the processing unit (20) determines whether or not the person (300) is in an abnormal state based on the time change of the height information (h1) and the respiratory cycle (t13) calculated by the processing unit (20).

[0144] According to this embodiment, it becomes easier to determine in the monitoring system (1) whether or not an unintentional fall has occurred in the person (300). It becomes possible to reduce the number of times a person (300) is falsely detected and prompt emergency response is made.

[0145] The eleventh embodiment of the program is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the monitoring method of the tenth embodiment.

[0146] According to this embodiment, it becomes easier to determine in the monitoring system (1) whether or not an unintentional fall has occurred in the person (300). It becomes possible to reduce the number of times a person (300) is falsely detected and prompt emergency response is made.

[0147] Not limited to the above embodiments, various configurations of the monitoring system 1 according to the embodiment (including modified examples 1 and 2) can be realized by a control method for the monitoring system 1, a (computer) program, or a non-temporary recording medium on which the program is recorded.

[0148] The configurations relating to the second to seventh aspects are not essential to the monitoring system (1) and can be omitted as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0149] 1.1A Monitoring System 2 cabinets 3 load 10 Radio wave sensors 21 Acquisition Department 22 Height detection unit 23. Respiration detection unit 24, 24A Abnormality judgment section 26 Area determination unit 31 Communications Department 32 Reception Department 100 Wiring Devices 200 load system 300 people 301 desk 401 Ceiling 402 Wall 600 Speaker System (Inquiry System) SP1 Detection Target Space L1 First threshold L2 Second threshold L3 Third threshold t13 respiratory cycle h1 Height information H1 Installation height of radio wave sensor d1 Detection distance between person (head) and radio wave sensor

Claims

1. A radio wave sensor that transmits a frequency-modulated radio wave, which is a transmission wave, to a target space, and when it receives reflected waves from one or more reflection points of a person present in the target space, outputs an output signal based on the transmission wave and the reflected waves, A processing unit that performs processing based on the output signal from the aforementioned radio wave sensor, It comprises an abnormality determination unit that performs abnormality determination processing, The processing unit obtains the distribution of the one or more reflection points from the output signal output by the radio wave sensor, calculates the height information of the person from the distribution of the one or more reflection points, The processing unit calculates the person's respiratory cycle from the time change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor, The abnormality determination unit determines, in the abnormality determination process, whether the person is in an abnormal state based on the temporal change of the height information calculated by the processing unit and the respiratory cycle. A monitoring system.

2. The abnormality determination unit determines that a person is in an abnormal state if, in the abnormality determination process, the height information calculated by the processing unit changes from a first state where the height information is equal to or greater than a first threshold to a second state where the height information is less than the first threshold, and in the second state, the respiratory cycle calculated by the processing unit is shorter than the second threshold, and in the second state, the change in the height information remains below the third threshold for a certain period of time. The monitoring system according to claim 1.

3. The abnormality determination unit determines that a person is in an abnormal state if, in the abnormality determination process, the height information calculated by the processing unit changes from a first state where the height information is equal to or greater than a first threshold to a second state where the height information is less than the first threshold, and in the second state, the person's respiratory cycle calculated by the processing unit is equal to or greater than a second threshold, and in the second state, the amount of change in the height information remains below a third threshold for a certain period of time. The monitoring system according to claim 1.

4. The detection target space includes multiple areas, The processing unit uses an action history model that has learned the action history of the person for each of the multiple areas to obtain the action determination result of the person. The abnormality determination unit performs the abnormality determination process if the result of the human behavior determination is abnormal. The behavioral history model is learned for each of the multiple areas using time-series data of the intensity of the output signal of the radio wave sensor and time-series data of the distribution of one or more reflection points. The monitoring system according to claim 1.

5. It also includes a reception section that accepts configuration information input from the user, The detection target space includes multiple areas, The aforementioned setting information is information for setting the plurality of areas of the detection target space to either a detection-enabled area or a detection-disabled area. The processing unit determines from the distribution of the one or more reflection points whether the person is in the detection effective area or the detection invalid area, The abnormality determination unit performs the abnormality determination process when it determines that the person is present in the detection effective area. The monitoring system according to claim 1.

6. It further includes a communication unit that communicates with the inquiry device, The aforementioned processing unit, If the abnormality determination process determines that an abnormal state exists, the inquiry device sends an inquiry signal to the person to initiate the inquiry process. When the result of the query processing is received from the query device, a predetermined process is performed according to the result of the query processing. A monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The system further comprises a housing for the radio wave sensor, which is positioned on a wall adjacent to the space to be detected, or on the ceiling above the space to be detected. The monitoring system according to claim 1.

8. The monitoring system according to claim 1, The monitoring system includes a control unit that controls the load according to the processing result of the processing unit of the monitoring system, Wiring devices.

9. The monitoring system according to claim 1, Load and The monitoring system includes a control unit that controls the load according to the processing result of the processing unit of the monitoring system, Load system.

10. The process involves transmitting a frequency-modulated radio wave, which is a transmitted wave, into a detection target space, and receiving reflected waves from each of the one or more reflection points of a person present in the detection target space, and then acquiring the output signal from a radio wave sensor that outputs an output signal based on the transmitted wave and the reflected wave. A height calculation process that obtains the distribution of the one or more reflection points of the person from the output signal output by the radio wave sensor, and calculates the person's height information from the distribution of the one or more reflection points, A respiratory cycle calculation process that calculates the person's respiratory cycle from the time change of the output signal output by the radio wave sensor, Including abnormality detection processing, In the abnormality determination process, the processing unit determines whether the person is in an abnormal state based on the temporal change in the height information and the respiratory cycle calculated by the processing unit. Methods of monitoring.

11. One or more processors are used to perform the method according to claim 10, program.

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