Operation monitoring system

Abstract

This system provides a motion monitoring system to appropriately understand the actions of individuals in the restroom. [Solution] An action monitoring system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a system for monitoring the actions of a person in a toilet, and comprises a first time identification unit 31 that identifies the first time t1 from when the person enters the toilet until they sit on the toilet, a second time identification unit 32 that identifies the second time t2 from when the person stands up from the toilet until they leave the toilet, and a storage processing unit 36 ​​that stores the first time t1 and the second time t2 in a storage device 11 in association with the number of times the toilet is used for each use of the toilet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a motion monitoring system, and particularly to a motion monitoring system for monitoring the motion of a subject in a toilet.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when evaluating a subject's activities of daily living (ADL) to grasp the subject's physical condition, experts in the medical or rehabilitation field have observed the subject's motion at a verification facility or the like, or the subject has answered questions on an ADL questionnaire. However, since the above method can be employed only after the subject notices a change in their physical condition and visits a medical institution or the like, the method cannot evaluate the subject's ADL and physical condition before the subject visits the medical institution or the like.

[0003] Therefore, in recent years, techniques for monitoring a subject's ADL in a living space such as the subject's home have been developed, and an example thereof is the invention described in Patent Document 1. In the invention described in Patent Document 1, the staying time of the subject in the toilet is monitored, and when the staying time exceeds a predetermined time, an alert notifying that the subject's physical condition is poor is output.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the invention described in Patent Document 1, the time spent in the toilet that is monitored is typically the time from when the subject enters the toilet until when they leave. In other words, the time spent in the toilet is the sum of the time from when the subject enters the toilet until they sit on the toilet, the time spent urinating or defecating, and the time from when they stand up from the toilet until they leave the toilet. Therefore, simply monitoring the time spent in the toilet makes it difficult to evaluate the net activity time, and it becomes difficult to appropriately evaluate the subject's physical condition from the activity time.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its objective is to provide a motion monitoring system for appropriately understanding the actions of a person in a toilet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above problems are solved by the motion monitoring system of the present invention, which is a motion monitoring system for monitoring the movements of a person in a toilet, comprising: a first time identification unit that identifies the first time from when the person enters the toilet until they sit on the toilet; a second time identification unit that identifies the second time from when the person stands up from the toilet until they leave the toilet; and a storage processing unit that stores the first and second times in a storage device in association with the number of times the toilet is used for each use. The motion monitoring system of the present invention can identify the time a subject spends in the toilet, specifically the first hour from when the subject enters the toilet until they sit on the toilet, and the second hour from when the subject stands up from the toilet until they leave the toilet. Furthermore, by storing the first and second hours in a memory device in association with each toilet use, it is possible to grasp the trend of changes in the subject's activities of daily living (ADL) in the toilet, and to evaluate the subject's physical condition based on this.

[0008] Furthermore, in the operation monitoring system of the present invention, if multiple unit periods are set and the subject uses the toilet multiple times within a unit period, the memory processing unit may store the first and second hours in the memory device in association with the number of uses for each unit period. According to the above configuration, it is possible to store the first and second hours for each of multiple unit periods, thereby allowing for a more accurate understanding of the changing trends in the subject's behavior in the restroom.

[0009] Furthermore, the motion monitoring system of the present invention may include a first calculation unit that calculates the time a subject spends using the toilet based on a first time and a second time. Also, if the first time is t1, the second time is t2, and the time spent using the toilet is T, the first calculation unit may calculate the time spent using the following formula (1). T={(t1) 2 +(t2) 2} 0.5 (1) According to the above configuration, the time T spent by the subject in the toilet can be calculated from the first time t1 and the second time t2, and this time T can be used as an indicator for evaluating the subject's physical condition.

[0010] Furthermore, the operation monitoring system of the present invention may include a second calculation unit that calculates the ratio of the second time to the first time, and the second calculation unit may calculate the ratio for each use. According to the above configuration, the ratio of the second hour to the first hour can be calculated, and this ratio can be used as an indicator for evaluating the physical condition of the subject.

[0011] Furthermore, the motion monitoring system of the present invention may include a group of sensors for detecting the movements of a subject, and the group of sensors may detect the subject entering the toilet, the subject sitting on the toilet, the subject standing up from the toilet, and the subject leaving the toilet. In this case, the first time determination unit may determine the first time based on the time when the subject's entry into the toilet is detected and the time when the subject sitting on the toilet is detected. The second time determination unit may determine the second time based on the time when the subject standing up from the toilet is detected and the time when the subject leaving the toilet is detected. With the above configuration, the first and second time periods can be identified more accurately based on the various detection results from the sensor group.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the sensor group may include a millimeter-wave sensor installed in the toilet, and the millimeter-wave sensor may detect the subject's movements by receiving the reflected wave when the irradiated wave directed towards the subject is reflected by the subject while it is moving, and output a signal corresponding to the movement. In this case, the first time determination unit may determine the first time based on the output signal from the millimeter-wave sensor, by determining the time when the subject enters the toilet and the time when the subject sits on the toilet. Furthermore, the second time determination unit may determine the second time based on the output signal from the millimeter-wave sensor, by determining the time when the subject stands up from the toilet and the time when the subject leaves the toilet. With the above configuration, the first and second time periods can be determined more accurately based on the output signals from the millimeter-wave sensor.

[0013] Furthermore, the motion monitoring system of the present invention may further include a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information based on an output signal from a millimeter-wave sensor that changes according to the biometric information of the subject. With the above configuration, it is possible to acquire the subject's biological information using the output signal from the millimeter-wave sensor, and to manage the subject's condition from multiple perspectives.

[0014] Furthermore, the operation monitoring system of the present invention may include a third calculation unit that calculates a first statistic, which is a statistic for the first hour, and a second statistic, which is a statistic for the second hour. Alternatively, the third calculation unit may calculate a first statistic for a target period based on the first hour, which is stored in association with the number of uses within the target period, with each of the predetermined periods repeated multiple times as the target period. Similarly, the third calculation unit may calculate a second statistic for a target period based on the second hour, which is stored in association with the number of uses within the target period. Furthermore, the storage processing unit may store a predetermined number of first and second statistics for predetermined periods in the storage device. According to the above configuration, by storing a predetermined number of first and second statistical quantities for a set period, it becomes possible to evaluate the trend of changes in a subject's actions in the toilet over a longer period of time.

[0015] Furthermore, in a more preferable configuration, the third calculation unit may calculate new first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period while a predetermined number of first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period are stored in the storage device. In this case, the storage processing unit may delete the oldest first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period from the predetermined number of first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period from the storage device. Alternatively, the storage processing unit may store the new first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period in the storage device as the most recent first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period from the predetermined number of first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period. According to the above configuration, by storing a predetermined number of first and second statistical quantities for a specified period in a memory device, including the most recent first and second statistical quantities, it is possible to grasp the current state of the subject's physical condition.

[0016] Further preferably, the motion monitoring system of the present invention further comprises: an information generating unit that generates time information indicating a first time and a second time for each toilet use by a subject, for each use; and an analyzing unit that performs statistical analysis on a time information group consisting of time information generated for each of two or more uses within a predetermined period. According to the above configuration, statistical analysis can be performed on the time information group consisting of time information generated for each toilet use within a predetermined period, and the physical condition of the subject can be evaluated based on the analysis results.

[0017] Further, the motion monitoring system of the present invention may further comprise a determining unit. In this case, if the result of the statistical analysis shows that there are a plurality of clusters each containing more than a predetermined number of pieces of time information in the time information group, the determining unit may preferably take the cluster containing a smaller number of pieces of time information among the plurality of clusters as a target cluster, and determine whether the time information included in the target cluster is the time information when the subject is in a normal state. According to the above configuration, when a plurality of clusters each containing more than a predetermined number of pieces of time information exist in the time information group, the physical condition of the subject can be evaluated based on the target cluster containing a smaller number of pieces of time information. Effects of the Invention

[0018] According to the motion monitoring system of the present invention, for a subject using the toilet, a first time that is the first half of the toilet use period and a second time that is the second half of the toilet use period are specified and stored in a storage device, whereby the motion (ADL) and physical condition of the subject can be appropriately grasped. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the configuration of a motion monitoring system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the arrangement positions of respective sensors in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]This diagram shows the state transitions of each part of the operation monitoring system when a person uses the toilet. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the functions of the operation monitoring system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figures 5(a) to (c) show examples of statistics calculated by the operation monitoring system. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the analysis results when statistical analysis (cluster analysis) is performed on a set of time-based information. [Figure 7] This figure illustrates another example of statistical analysis of time-based information sets (analysis using frequency distribution tables). [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram of the cluster-based decision process. [Figure 9] This figure shows the configuration of an operation monitoring system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the functions of the operation monitoring system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] <<Regarding the operation monitoring system according to the first embodiment of the present invention>> The first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the "first embodiment") will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 8. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. That is, the present invention can be modified or improved without departing from its spirit. Furthermore, the present invention may include equivalents thereof.

[0021] In this specification, the concept of "device" includes not only a single device that performs a specific function on its own, but also a combination of multiple devices that exist independently and in a distributed manner, yet cooperate (work together) to perform a specific function.

[0022] Furthermore, the fundamental data processing technologies for carrying out the present invention (communication / transmission technologies, sensing technologies, data acquisition technologies, data recording technologies, data processing / analysis technologies, image processing technologies, and visualization technologies, etc.) are known technologies, so their explanation will be omitted. Furthermore, the equipment and apparatus used to apply the above-mentioned prior art should be appropriately selected from those available at the time of implementing the present invention.

[0023] (Overview of the operation monitoring system) The purpose of use of the motion monitoring system (hereinafter referred to as the motion monitoring system 100) according to the first embodiment will be explained. The motion monitoring system 100 is an information processing system for monitoring the actions of a person in the toilet L.

[0024] In the first embodiment, the "subject" is a person whose movements are to be monitored, particularly the elderly or those requiring care. The "movements" are activities of daily living (ADL) performed in toilet L, specifically including dressing and undressing, walking, changing direction, changing posture, sitting on toilet bowl B, and standing up (leaving) toilet bowl B. These are movements that involve the subject's upper limbs, lower limbs, trunk, and sense of balance, and are movements that are frequently performed in daily life and require the minimum necessary motor function. Toilet L is the place where all of the above series of movements are performed.

[0025] "Toilet L" is a private, single-person room located in the building where the subject resides (e.g., a house or facility), and contains one Western-style toilet (hereinafter referred to as toilet B). Monitoring the subject's actions in Toilet L is necessary because their actions in Toilet L are generally consistent, and the series of actions and the time required when using Toilet L reflect the subject's physical condition at that time. By regularly observing these, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the trends in changes in ADL and physical condition. Furthermore, since only one person can be in Toilet L at a time, Toilet L is suitable as a place to monitor the ADL of a single subject.

[0026] In the first embodiment, the motion monitoring system 100 identifies a first time t1 from when the subject enters the toilet L until they sit on the toilet bowl B, and a second time t2 from when the subject stands up from the toilet bowl B until they leave the toilet L. The motion monitoring system 100 also calculates the subject's activity time T in the toilet L using the following formula (1) based on the first time t1 and the second time t2. T={(t1) 2 +(t2) 2} 0.5 (1)

[0027] The first time interval t1, the second time interval t2, and the action time T reflect the subject's ADL in the toilet L. By identifying the trends in changes in these times, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate changes in the subject's physical condition and motor ability without using expert knowledge. Furthermore, by using the action monitoring system 100, changes in the subject's ADL can be grasped before the subject becomes aware of the change (specifically, a decline in motor ability).

[0028] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the first time t1 and the second time t2, that is, the time for the first half (entering the toilet and sitting down) and the second half (standing up from the toilet and leaving the toilet) of the subject's toilet use are specified. This is because, as shown below, the content of the actions differs between the first and second halves of the toilet use, and generally, the second half of the toilet use period is longer than the first half. Actions taken during the first and second halves of using the toilet. [Table 1]

[0029] Furthermore, by identifying the first hour t1 and the second hour t2, it is possible to closely monitor the subject's changing trends in ADL. To explain in more detail, when identifying the total time spent using the toilet (i.e., the sum of the time spent in the first half and the time spent in the second half), it is possible to grasp the time progression required for the subject's continuous basic actions in the toilet, but the trend in changes in ADL remains an overall estimate, or a simplified estimate. In contrast, in the first embodiment, by identifying the time spent in the first and second halves of the toilet use process, it is possible to understand whether the time required for sitting / standing (i.e., flexion and extension function of the knee joint and lower limb muscles), dressing / undressing (i.e., function of the hands and upper limbs), and changing direction (sense of balance) tends to increase. This allows for the estimation of trends in changes in ADL in the toilet for both the first and second halves of the toilet use process, enabling a more appropriate and accurate evaluation of changes in the subject's physical condition.

[0030] Furthermore, for each instance of a person using the toilet multiple times within a unit period, the operation monitoring system 100 identifies the first time t1 and the second time t2, calculates the operation time T, and stores these times in association with the number of times the toilet was used (hereinafter also simply referred to as the number of uses). The unit period is not particularly limited and may be 1 hour, half a day, 1 day, 1 week, several days, 1 month, 6 months, or 1 year, etc. In the following explanation, we will use the case where the unit period is 1 day as an example.

[0031] Furthermore, the operation monitoring system 100 calculates statistical quantities for the first time interval t1, the second time interval t2, and the operating time T for each predetermined period. Specifically, statistical processing is performed on the first time interval t1, which is associated with the number of uses within the predetermined period, to calculate the statistical quantity for the first time interval t1 during that predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as the first statistical quantity). Statistical processing is also performed on the second time interval t2, which is associated with the number of uses within the predetermined period, to calculate the statistical quantity for the second time interval t2 during that predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as the second statistical quantity). Finally, statistical processing is performed on the operating time T, which is associated with the number of uses within the predetermined period, to calculate the statistical quantity for the operating time T during that predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as the third statistical quantity). The statistical measure may be any of the following: mean (arithmetic mean), variance, standard deviation, maximum value, minimum value, quartiles, outliers, median, or mode over a specified period.

[0032] The specified period is a period in which one or more unit periods are set, and which is repeated multiple times in chronological order. The specified period is not particularly limited as long as it is longer than the unit period, and may be half a day, one day, one week, several days, one month, six months, or one year, etc. In the following explanation, we will use the case where the specified period is one year as an example. Furthermore, there is no particular limit to the number of times the specified period (one year) is repeated, but it is preferable to set it within the range of several times (i.e., several years) to several dozen times (i.e., several decades).

[0033] The motion monitoring system 100 then stores a predetermined number of first to third statistical quantities for a set period to build a database. Based on this database, it is possible to identify the trend of changes in the subject's ADL in the toilet L, and further, based on the results of this identification, it is possible to evaluate the trend of changes in the subject's physical condition (particularly the condition of the upper limbs, lower limbs, and trunk), specifically whether or not their motor skills are declining. Furthermore, the "predetermined number of periods" are not particularly limited and can be determined arbitrarily.

[0034] (Example of a system configuration for monitoring operations) Next, an example configuration of the operation monitoring system 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. In the first embodiment, the operation monitoring system 100 is composed of a processing unit 10, a storage device 11, and a sensor group 12, as shown in Figure 1.

[0035] The processing unit 10 is a device that performs a series of data processing to monitor the actions of a person in a toilet, and is composed of a computer, specifically a PC (Personal Computer), workstation, or server computer. The processing unit 10 may be composed of a single computer, or it may be composed of multiple computers in a parallel distributed configuration. Furthermore, if the processing unit 10 is composed of a server computer, that server computer may be a server computer for ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, when the necessary information is entered on the client terminal, the server computer performs various processing and calculations based on the input information, and the calculation results are output on the client terminal side. In other words, the functions of the server computer, which is the processing unit 10, can be used on the client terminal side.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1, the computer comprising the processing unit 10 includes a processor 21, memory 22, storage 23, and a communication interface 24. The processor 21 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), an NPU (Neural Network Processing Unit), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The memory 22 is composed of semiconductor memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0037] The storage 23 consists of, for example, flash memory, HDD (Hard Disc Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), FD (Flexible Disc), MO disk (Magneto-Optical disc), CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), SD card (Secure Digital card), or USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory). The storage 23 may be built into the computer body that constitutes the processing unit 10, or it may be attached to the computer body as an external device.

[0038] The communication interface 24 may be configured, for example, by a network interface card or a communication interface board. The processing unit 10 can communicate data with other devices connected to the Internet or a mobile communication line, etc., via the communication interface 24. For example, the processing unit 10 can communicate with an external terminal or output device (not shown) and display predetermined information on a display mounted on such a device. The processing unit 10 can also communicate with a notification device (not shown) and control the notification device to execute notification processing to notify of an abnormality.

[0039] Furthermore, the computer constituting the processing unit 10 has software installed, including an operating system (OS) program and an application program for operation monitoring (hereinafter referred to as the operation monitoring app). When these programs are read and executed by the processor 21, the computer constituting the processing unit 10 performs its function as the processing unit 10, specifically by executing a series of data processing related to operation monitoring. The operation monitoring application may be obtained by reading it from a computer-readable storage medium (media), or by receiving (downloading) it via a network such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0040] The storage device 11 stores information about the user's actions in the toilet, specifically the first hour t1, the second hour t2, and the action time T for each use, and also stores the first to third statistical quantities for 11 years (a predetermined number of minutes within a set period). As shown in Figure 1, the processing device 10 is connected to the storage device 11 via the network N in a communicative manner, and can store information in the storage device 11 and can freely read the information stored in the storage device 11. In the first embodiment, the storage device 11 is configured, for example, by a cloud-type database server provided by the operating company of the operation monitoring system 100. Here, the storage device 11 may consist of one server or multiple servers. However, it is not limited to this, and the storage device 11 may consist of the storage 23 provided by the processing unit 10, or a NAS (Network Attached Storage) connected to the processing unit 10 in a manner that enables communication with it.

[0041] The sensor group 12 is provided to detect a series of actions of a person when using the toilet, specifically detecting the person entering the toilet L, the person sitting on the toilet bowl B, the person standing up from the toilet bowl B, and the person leaving the toilet L. In the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the sensor group 12 includes a door opening / closing sensor 13, an occupancy sensor 14, a seating sensor 15, and a biometric authentication sensor 16.

[0042] The door open / close sensor 13 is a known door sensor installed on the door D of the toilet L, as shown in Figure 2, and outputs a signal according to the open / closed state of door D. The occupancy sensor 14 is a known human presence sensor installed inside the toilet L, as shown in Figure 2, and outputs a signal according to the presence or absence of a person inside the toilet L. The seating sensor 15 is a known weight sensor installed on the toilet seat of the toilet B, as shown in Figure 2, and outputs a signal according to the state of a person sitting on the toilet B (i.e., the state of contact between the toilet seat and the person's buttocks). The output signals from each sensor are transmitted to the processing unit 10 and received by the processing unit 10.

[0043] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the door open / close sensor 13, the occupancy sensor 14, and the seated sensor 15 each have a timestamp function, and can incorporate information about the time when each sensor detected the target object and the time when each sensor stopped detecting the target object into the output signal. As a result, when the processing unit 10 receives an output signal from each sensor, it can analyze the output signal to identify the time when each sensor detected the target object and the time when each sensor stopped detecting the target object. However, the processing unit 10 may, upon receiving an output signal from each sensor, specify the time of reception as the time when each sensor detected the target object, or the time when each sensor stopped detecting the target object. Alternatively, if the output signals from each sensor are transmitted to the processing unit 10 via a data logger (not shown), the data logger may incorporate information about the time when each sensor detected the target object and information about the time when each sensor stopped detecting the target object into the output signal from each sensor.

[0044] The biometric authentication sensor 16 is a known palm print authentication sensor attached to the surface of the door knob or handle (hereinafter referred to as "door knob, etc.") of toilet L, and acquires the subject's palm print information (specifically, palm print image information) when the subject grasps the door knob, etc. The acquired palm print information is used for the authentication and identification of the subject, and specifically is compared with the subject's palm print information that has been registered in advance. The biometric authentication sensor 16 is not limited to the above configuration, and for example, it may be a known fingerprint authentication sensor attached to the surface of the unlock button of toilet L, and acquires the subject's fingerprint information (specifically, fingerprint image information) when the subject presses the unlock button. The acquired fingerprint information is used for the authentication and identification of the subject, and specifically is compared with the subject's fingerprint information that has been registered in advance. It should be noted that the biometric authentication sensor 16 is not necessarily required. For example, if only one person uses the toilet L, the installation of the biometric authentication sensor 16 may be omitted.

[0045] (Example of operation of the operation monitoring system) Next, as an example of the operation of the motion monitoring system 100, the procedure for monitoring a person's movements in a toilet using the motion monitoring system 100 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. When the monitoring of the subject's movements by the motion monitoring system 100 begins, the processing unit 10 initializes the first time t1 and the second time t2, specifically setting these times to 0 (S001).

[0046] Subsequently, when the occupancy sensor 14 does not detect a person inside toilet L, i.e., is in standby mode (S002), the subject opens the toilet door D to use toilet L (S003). In response, the door opening / closing sensor 13 outputs a signal corresponding to the opening of door D. At the same time, the biometric authentication sensor 16 outputs authentication information (specifically, palm print or fingerprint information), and the subject's authentication process is executed based on this authentication information. If the result of authentication is that the toilet user is not the subject, the system returns to state S001.

[0047] On the other hand, if the target person is a toilet user, the processing unit 10 determines that the target person is in toilet L (more precisely, before sitting on toilet bowl B) (S004) and starts timing the first hour t1. Here, the point in time when the target person enters toilet L is when the door D of toilet L is opened while there is no one inside toilet L (i.e., while waiting).

[0048] Subsequently, when the subject closes door D (S005), the occupancy sensor 14 detects the subject inside toilet L at that time and outputs a signal corresponding to the detection result. Based on the output signal from the occupancy sensor 14, the processing unit 10 determines that the subject is inside toilet L and proceeds to S006. On the other hand, if the occupancy sensor 14 does not detect the subject inside toilet L, the processing unit 10 determines that the subject is not inside toilet L and returns to the state of S001.

[0049] Then, when the subject inside toilet L sits on toilet bowl B, the seating sensor 15 detects the subject sitting on toilet bowl B and outputs a signal corresponding to the detection result. When the processing unit 10 receives the output signal from the seating sensor 15, it determines based on the output signal that the subject is in toilet L and sitting on toilet bowl B (S006), and terminates the timing of the first time t1. Here, the moment the subject sits on toilet bowl B is when the pressure acting on the toilet seat of toilet bowl B due to the subject sitting on it (seating pressure) exceeds a certain value, and the seating sensor 15 outputs a signal corresponding to the change in that seating pressure.

[0050] When a person sitting on toilet bowl B finishes urinating or defecating and stands up from toilet bowl B, the seating sensor 15 detects the person standing up from toilet bowl B and outputs a signal corresponding to the detection result. When the processing unit 10 receives the output signal from the seating sensor 15, it determines, based on the output signal, that the person is in the toilet L and has stood up from toilet bowl B (S007), and starts timing the second time t2. Here, the point at which the person stands up from toilet bowl B is when the person's buttocks lift off the toilet seat and the seating pressure on toilet bowl B changes from above a certain value to below a certain value, and the seating sensor 15 outputs a signal corresponding to the change in seating pressure.

[0051] The subject stands up completely from toilet bowl B, walks towards door D, opens door D to exit toilet L, and closes door D (S008). Accordingly, door opening / closing sensor 13 outputs a signal corresponding to the closing operation of door D. At this point, the subject is no longer inside toilet L, and occupancy sensor 14 outputs a signal corresponding to the absence of a person inside toilet L. Based on the output signal from occupancy sensor 14, processing unit 10 determines that the subject has left toilet L and terminates the timing of the second time period t2. Here, the point at which the subject has left toilet L is when the door D of toilet L is closed after there is no one inside toilet L.

[0052] Subsequently, the processing unit 10 identifies the first time t1 and the second time t2 of the subject's toilet use and performs various data processing, such as storing these times in the storage device 11 (S009). Once the various data processing is complete, it returns to the state of S001. The series of steps described above are repeated each time the subject uses toilet L. As a result, the first hour t1 and second hour t2 for each time the subject uses the toilet on each day are stored in the storage device 11 and accumulated as a database.

[0053] (Regarding the functions of the processing apparatus according to the first embodiment) Next, the configuration of the processing unit 10 according to the first embodiment will be described again from a functional standpoint. As shown in Figure 3, the processing unit 10 includes a first time identification unit 31, a second time identification unit 32, a first calculation unit 33, a second calculation unit 34, a third calculation unit 35, a storage processing unit 36, an information generation unit 37, an analysis unit 38, a determination unit 39, and a display control unit 40. These functional units are realized through the cooperation of hardware equipment provided by the computer constituting the processing unit 10 and a program installed on that computer (specifically, an operation monitoring application). The following describes each of the functional parts.

[0054] [1st time specific part] The first time identification unit 31 identifies the first time t1 from the moment the subject enters toilet L until they sit on toilet B. Specifically, it identifies the moment when the subject's entry into toilet L is detected and the moment when the subject's sitting on toilet B is detected, and identifies the first time t1 from these two points in time. In the first embodiment, if the subject uses the toilet multiple times on each day (within a unit period), the first time identification unit 31 identifies the first time t1 for each use. The identified first time t1 is linked to the use (more specifically, the date and time to which the use belongs) and stored in the storage processing unit 36. As mentioned above, the moment when the subject enters toilet L is determined based on the output signals from the door open / close sensor 13 and the occupancy sensor 14, respectively, and the moment when the subject sits on toilet B is determined based on the output signal from the seating sensor 15.

[0055] [Second time specific part] The second time identification unit 32 identifies the second time t2 from the moment the subject stands up from toilet bowl B until they leave toilet L. Specifically, it identifies the moment when the subject stands up from toilet bowl B and the moment when the subject leaves toilet L, and identifies the second time t2 from these two points in time. In the first embodiment, if the subject uses the toilet multiple times on each day (within a unit period), the second time identification unit 32 identifies the second time t2 for each use. The identified second time t2 is linked to the use (more specifically, the date and time to which the use belongs) and stored in the storage processing unit 36. As mentioned above, the moment when the subject stands up from toilet bowl B is determined based on the output signal from the seating sensor 15, and the moment when the subject leaves toilet L is determined based on the output signals from the door opening / closing sensor 13 and the occupancy sensor 14, respectively.

[0056] [First Calculation Unit] The first calculation unit 33 calculates the subject's activity time T in the toilet using the above formula (1) based on the identified first time t1 and second time t2. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, if the subject uses the toilet multiple times on each day (within a unit period), the first calculation unit 33 calculates the operation time T for each use. The calculated operation time T is linked to the number of uses (more specifically, the date and time to which the use belongs) and stored in the storage processing unit 36.

[0057] [Second Calculation Department] The second calculation unit 34 calculates the ratio α (=t2 / t1) of the second time t2 to the first time t1. The ratio α is an index value that reflects changes in the subject's physical condition and motor ability. Specifically, if the ratio when the subject's physical condition is normal and ADL is good is set as the baseline ratio α0, then by comparing the time-series ratio α with the baseline ratio α0, the trend of changes in motor ability and its contributing factors can be estimated.

[0058] To explain in more detail, for example, if the time-series ratio α gradually decreases relative to α0, it can be estimated that the ADL from the time of entering the toilet to the time of sitting on the toilet is poor, and more specifically, that the subject's knee joint flexion and extension function and lower limb muscle strength (ability to perform eccentric contraction) are declining. On the other hand, if the time-series ratio α gradually increases relative to α0, it can be estimated that the ADL from the time of standing up from the toilet to the time of leaving the toilet is poor, and more specifically, that the subject's knee joint extension function, lower limb muscle strength (ability to perform concentric contraction), balance function, and upper limb dexterity are declining. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, if the subject uses the toilet multiple times on each day (within a unit period), the second calculation unit 34 calculates a ratio α for each toilet use. The reference ratio α0 is determined from the first time t1 and second time t2 identified when the subject used toilet L when their ADL was good, and it is preferable to store (register) this in the memory device 11 beforehand.

[0059] [Third calculation section] The third calculation unit 35 calculates a first statistic, which is a statistic for the first time t1, and a second statistic, which is a statistic for the second time t2. Specifically, in the first embodiment, each of a predetermined period that is repeated multiple times (for example, one year) is set as the target period for calculating the statistics. The third calculation unit 35 then calculates the first statistic for the target period based on the first time t1, which is stored in association with each usage instance within the target period (specifically, the date and time to which each usage instance belongs). Similarly, the third calculation unit 35 calculates the second statistic for the target period based on the second time t2, which is stored in association with each usage instance within the target period (specifically, the date and time to which each usage instance belongs).

[0060] The target period is not particularly limited; for example, it may be set to one year. In that case, as shown in Figure 5(a), the trends in change of the first time interval t1 and the second time interval t2 can be grasped on an annual basis. Alternatively, the target period may be set to three months (i.e., one season). In that case, as shown in Figure 5(b), the trends in change of the first time interval t1 and the second time interval t2 can be grasped on a seasonal basis, and comparisons can be made between the same seasons within each year. Furthermore, the statistics calculated by the third calculation unit 35 are at least one of the following: mean, variance, standard deviation, maximum value, minimum value, quartiles, outliers, median, and mode for the target period. The statistics may also be those that show the data distribution for the target period, as shown in Figure 5(c), such as a histogram or box plot, or they may be the difference between the previous target period and the current target period.

[0061] Furthermore, the third calculation unit 35 may calculate a third statistic, which is a statistic of the operating time T calculated by the second calculation unit 34. Specifically, the third calculation unit 35 may calculate a third statistic for the target period based on the operating time T stored in association with each usage instance (specifically, the date and time to which each usage instance belongs) within the target period.

[0062] [Memory Processing Unit] The memory processing unit 36 ​​executes the process of storing the first time t1 identified by the first time identification unit 31, the second time t2 identified by the second time identification unit 32, the operation time T calculated by the first calculation unit 33, the ratio α calculated by the second calculation unit 34, and the statistical amount calculated by the third calculation unit 35 in the memory device 11.

[0063] To explain in more detail, if the subject uses the toilet multiple times within a single day (unit period), the memory processing unit 36 ​​stores the first time t1 and the second time t2, which are specified for each use, and the operation time T calculated for each use, in the storage device 11, associating them with each use (more specifically, the date and time to which the use belongs). Furthermore, if the subject uses the toilet multiple times every day (in other words, if multiple unit periods are set, and the subject uses the toilet multiple times within each unit period), the memory processing unit 36 ​​stores the first time t1, the second time t2, and the operation time T for each day in the storage device 11, associating them with the number of uses for each day. In this case, each of the above times t1, t2, and T may be stored in the storage device 11 in association with the subject's identification ID.

[0064] Furthermore, the memory processing unit 36 ​​stores the ratio α calculated for each usage for each day in the storage device 11, associating it with the usage (specifically, the date and time to which the usage belongs). In addition, the memory processing unit 36 ​​stores a predetermined number of first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period in the storage device 11 using a ring buffer method. Here, the predetermined number of predetermined periods can be set arbitrarily, but below we will explain the case where it is "11 years (the most recent year + the past 10 years)" as a specific example.

[0065] As mentioned above, the storage device 11 stores 11 years' worth of data. However, when the latest data is added, the oldest data stored in the storage device 11 is overwritten by the latest data. To explain in more detail, suppose that the storage device 11 has 11 years' worth of first and second statistics stored in it, and the third calculation unit 35 calculates the first and second statistics for a new year (a predetermined period). In that case, the storage processing unit 36 ​​deletes the oldest first and second statistics from the storage device 11. At the same time, the storage processing unit 36 ​​stores the first and second statistics for the new year in the storage device 11 as the most recent first and second statistics from the 11 years' worth of first and second statistics.

[0066] [Information generation section] The information generation unit 37 generates time information based on the first time t1 and second time t2 stored in the storage device 11 in association with the usage cycle. The time information represents the first time t1 and second time t2 in the same usage cycle, and as shown in Figure 6, it can be represented as a single point (plot) in a two-dimensional coordinate system with the first time t1 and second time t2 as the coordinate axes. Note that in Figure 6 and Figure 8 described later, for illustrative purposes, the number of plots representing time information is drawn less than the actual number.

[0067] The information generation unit 37 generates the above-mentioned time information for each use, and more specifically, for each of two or more uses within a one-year period (a predetermined period), it generates time information for each use. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, a group of time information consisting of the time information generated for each use in each year is generated. For example, for a subject who uses the toilet an average of three times a day, a group of time information consisting of approximately 1100 pieces of time information (plots in Figure 6) will be generated.

[0068] [Analysis Department] The analysis unit 38 performs statistical analysis on the time data set for each year. Specifically, the analysis unit 38 performs cluster analysis using known methods such as the k-means method and the elbow method. This allows it to determine whether clusters exist in the time data set, and if clusters exist, to identify the characteristics of those clusters. Clusters contain time data exceeding a predetermined number (specifically, a threshold), and in Figure 6, clusters are represented by solid lines.

[0069] The statistical analysis performed by the analysis unit 38 is not particularly limited as long as it can confirm the presence or absence of clusters and the characteristics of clusters in the time information group, for example, a histogram analysis as shown in Figure 7 may be used. Specifically, a statistical analysis is performed on the time information group to create a histogram, and in that histogram, it is determined whether there are any classes whose relative frequencies exceed a threshold, and if such classes exist, those classes correspond to clusters. Here, multiple classes that are adjacent to each other and each corresponds to a cluster will be called "multiple clusters," and a single class that corresponds to a cluster, while its adjacent class does not correspond to a cluster, will be called a "single cluster." When performing the histogram analysis described above, statistical analysis will be conducted for both the first time interval t1 and the second time interval t2. In other words, histograms will be created for both the first time interval t1 and the second time interval t2, and thresholds for cluster determination (values ​​shown by dashed lines in Figure 7) will be set: threshold d1 for the first time interval t1 and threshold d2 for the second time interval t2. It will then be determined whether or not there are classes corresponding to clusters in each histogram.

[0070] [Judgment section] The determination unit 39 executes a determination process if, as a result of the statistical analysis by the analysis unit 38, there are two or more clusters in the time information group. In the determination process, the cluster containing the fewest number of time information items among the two or more clusters is selected as the target cluster, and it is determined whether the time information included in the target cluster is time information when the subject is normal. If there are three or more clusters, the cluster with the most time information (i.e., plots) should be designated as the reference cluster, and the other clusters should be designated as target clusters. In other words, the target clusters correspond to the group of time information that is outside (far removed from) the reference cluster.

[0071] An example of the judgment process procedure will be explained with reference to Figure 8. First, the target cluster is identified, and its centroid is determined. The centroid of the target cluster represents the average values ​​for the first time t1 and the second time t2, respectively, as shown by the time information included in the target cluster, i.e., the first mean value ta1 and the second mean value ta2. The first mean value ta1 and the second mean value ta2 can be calculated using the following formulas (2) or (3), respectively. ta1 = Σt1 / n (2) ta² = Σt² / n (3) In equations (2) and (3) above, the variable n is the number of time information (i.e., plots) included in the target cluster.

[0072] Subsequently, the ratio of the second mean value ta2 to the first mean value ta1 (i.e., the slope of the line passing through the origin of the coordinate system and the centroid of the target cluster in Figure 8) is calculated, and it is determined whether this ratio falls within a predetermined range. Here, the predetermined range should ideally be set based on the ratio when the subject is normal (more precisely, when ADL in the toilet is good). If the ratio (=ta2 / ta1) calculated from the centroid of the target cluster falls within a predetermined range, the time information included in the target cluster is determined to be time information when the subject is normal. On the other hand, if the calculated ratio falls outside the predetermined range, the time information included in the target cluster is determined to be time information when the subject is not normal.

[0073] Furthermore, the judgment process described above may be performed not only on the target cluster but also on the reference cluster. The majority of the time information for each year is included in the reference cluster. Therefore, by performing the judgment process described above on the reference cluster, and specifically by determining whether the ratio obtained from the centroid of the reference cluster falls within a predetermined range, it is possible to roughly evaluate whether the ADL (especially ADL in the toilet) of the subjects in each year is normal or not.

[0074] Furthermore, the determination process is not limited to the above, and other processing methods are also possible. For example, if the analysis unit 38 performs the statistical analysis using the histogram described above, the target cluster is set based on the relative frequency of each cluster. Specifically, for each cluster, the difference is calculated by subtracting the thresholds d1 and d2 for cluster determination from the relative frequency. Here, for a single cluster, the difference is calculated by subtracting the thresholds d1 and d2 from the relative frequency. For multiple clusters, the difference is calculated by subtracting the thresholds d1 and d2 from the relative frequency of each of the multiple clusters, and the sum of the values ​​obtained for each cluster is used as the difference. The cluster with the largest difference is then designated as the reference cluster, and the other clusters are designated as target clusters. When setting the target clusters, you may also use the relative frequencies of each cluster themselves, rather than calculating the difference between the relative frequencies and thresholds d1 and d2.

[0075] After the target cluster is set using the procedure described above, it is determined whether the first time t1 and second time t2, indicated by the time information included in the target cluster, are below the threshold value. The threshold values ​​are td1 and td2 shown in Figure 6, and these two threshold values ​​should be set based on the first time t1 and second time t2 when the subject is normal (more precisely, when ADL in the toilet is good). Furthermore, if the first time t1 and second time t2 indicated by each time information within the target cluster are both below the reference values ​​td1 and td2, the time information included in the target cluster is determined to be time information when the subject is normal. On the other hand, if either the first time t1 or second time t2 indicated by each time information within the target cluster exceeds the corresponding reference values ​​td1 and td2, the time information included in the target cluster is determined to be time information when the subject's physical condition is deteriorating. Also, if both the first time t1 and second time t2 indicated by each time information within the target cluster exceed the corresponding reference values ​​td1 and td2, the time information included in the target cluster is determined to be time information when the subject's physical condition has deteriorated considerably.

[0076] [Display Control Unit] The display control unit 40 controls an external display (not shown) to display the processing results from the processing unit 10. The display targets of the display control unit 40 include information stored in the memory processing unit 36, namely the first time t1 identified by the first time identification unit 31, the second time t2 identified by the second time identification unit 32, the operation time T calculated by the first calculation unit 33, the ratio α calculated by the second calculation unit 34, and the statistical amount calculated by the third calculation unit 35. In addition, the analysis results from the analysis unit 38 and the determination results from the determination unit 39 may also be displayed on the external display by the display control unit 40.

[0077] <<Regarding the operation monitoring system according to the second embodiment of the present invention>> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the second embodiment) will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 10. In the following description, we will primarily focus on the configurations of the second embodiment that differ from those of the first embodiment, while omitting descriptions of configurations common to both embodiments unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, in the operation monitoring system 100X according to the second embodiment, the same names and reference numerals will be used for components and functions similar to those in the operation monitoring system 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0078] In the second embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, the sensor group 12 of the operation monitoring system 100X includes a first millimeter-wave sensor 17 and a second millimeter-wave sensor 18 as millimeter-wave sensors, instead of the door opening / closing sensor 13, the room occupancy sensor 14, and the seating sensor 15. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the processing unit 10X of the operation monitoring system 100X has a biological information acquisition unit 41 in addition to the functions of the processing unit 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0079] The first millimeter-wave sensor 17 is a wide-area millimeter-wave radar installed inside the toilet L. It emits electromagnetic waves toward a target person and detects the target person's movements by receiving the reflected waves when the emitted waves are reflected by the moving target person, and outputs a signal corresponding to the movement. In the second embodiment, the first millimeter-wave sensor 17 replaces the door opening / closing sensor 13, the occupancy sensor 14, and the seating sensor 15 in the first embodiment. In other words, the first millimeter-wave sensor 17 detects the target person entering the toilet L, the target person sitting on the toilet bowl B, the target person standing up from the toilet bowl B, and the target person leaving the toilet L, and outputs a signal at the time each movement is detected.

[0080] In the second embodiment, the first time determination unit 31 identifies the time when the subject enters the toilet L and the time when the subject sits on the toilet B, based on the output signal from the first millimeter-wave sensor 17, and determines the first time t1 from these two detection points. In the second embodiment, the second time determination unit 32 identifies the time when the subject stands up from the toilet B and the time when the subject leaves the toilet L, based on the output signal from the first millimeter-wave sensor 17, and determines the second time t2 from these two detection points.

[0081] In addition to the actions described above, the first millimeter-wave sensor 17 may also detect the subject's movements in the toilet L, such as changing direction, undressing, dressing, and changes in posture from standing to sitting.

[0082] The second millimeter-wave sensor 18 is a high-precision millimeter-wave radar installed in toilet L. It emits electromagnetic waves towards the vicinity of the subject's heart and receives the reflected waves when the emitted waves are reflected near the subject's heart. By receiving these reflected waves, it detects changes in the subject's biological information, specifically respiratory rate, heart rate, pulse, blood flow, and blood pressure, and outputs a signal corresponding to the detected biological information. In other words, the characteristics of the output signal from the second millimeter-wave sensor 18 (e.g., frequency and amplitude) change according to the biological information of the subject detected by the second millimeter-wave sensor 18.

[0083] The biometric information acquisition unit 41 receives the output signal from the second millimeter-wave sensor 18 and acquires the subject's biometric information while they are in the toilet L based on that output signal. The acquired biometric information should be stored in the storage device 11 in association with the number of times the subject used the toilet, similar to the first time t1 and the second time t2. As described above, in the second embodiment, it is possible to monitor the subject's ADL in the toilet L, as well as the subject's biometric information while they are in the toilet, and to manage the subject's condition from multiple perspectives. Furthermore, as a method for acquiring the subject's biological information based on the output signal from the millimeter-wave sensor, known signal analysis methods (for example, the methods described in the IEICE Journal vol.105 No.6 (2022 / 6) pp.477-482 Special Issue 1, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-37552) can be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 10,10X processing unit 11 Storage device 12 sensor group 13. Door Open / Close Sensor 14. Occupancy Sensor 15. Seat occupancy sensor 16. Biometric authentication sensors 17. First millimeter-wave sensor (millimeter-wave sensor) 18. Second millimeter-wave sensor (millimeter-wave sensor) 21 processors 22 memory 23 Storage 24 Communication Interfaces 31 1st Time Specific Department 32 2nd Time Specific Department 33. First Calculation Unit 34 Second Calculation Unit 35 Third Calculation Section 36 Memory Processing Unit 37 Information generation section 38 Analysis Department 39 Judgment section 40 Display Control Unit 41. Biological Information Acquisition Unit 100,100X Operation Monitoring System B Toilet D Door L Toilet N Network

Claims

1. A motion monitoring system for monitoring the actions of a person in a toilet, A first-hour identification unit that identifies the first hour from when the subject enters the toilet until when they sit on the toilet, A second-hour identification unit that identifies the second hour from when the subject stands up from the toilet and leaves the toilet, An operation monitoring system comprising a storage processing unit that stores the first and second hours in a storage device in association with each use of the toilet.

2. The operation monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein multiple unit periods are set, and the subject uses the toilet multiple times within the unit period, the memory processing unit stores the first time and the second time in the memory storage device in association with the number of uses for each unit period.

3. The system includes a first calculation unit that calculates the time the subject spends using the toilet based on the first and second hours, The operation monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein, when the first time is t1, the second time is t2, and the operation time is T, the first calculation unit calculates the operation time using the following formula (1). T={(t1) ２ +(t2) ２ } ０．５ (1)

4. The system includes a second calculation unit that calculates the ratio of the second time to the first time, The operation monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the second calculation unit calculates the ratio for each use.

5. The system includes a group of sensors for detecting the movements of the subject, The sensor group detects the subject entering the toilet, the subject sitting on the toilet, the subject standing up from the toilet, and the subject leaving the toilet. The first time identification unit identifies the first time based on the time when the subject's entry into the toilet is detected and the time when the subject's sitting on the toilet is detected. The operation monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the second time determination unit determines the second time based on the time when the subject stands up from the toilet and the time when the subject leaves the toilet.

6. The sensor group includes a millimeter-wave sensor installed inside the toilet. The millimeter-wave sensor detects the movement of the subject by receiving the reflected wave when the irradiation wave directed towards the subject is reflected by the subject while it is moving, and outputs a signal corresponding to the movement. The first time determination unit determines the first time based on the output signal from the millimeter-wave sensor, by determining the time when the subject's entry into the toilet is detected and the time when the subject's sitting on the toilet is detected. The operation monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein the second time determination unit determines the second time based on the output signal from the millimeter-wave sensor by determining the time when the subject stands up from the toilet and the time when the subject leaves the toilet.

7. The operation monitoring system according to claim 6, further comprising a biological information acquisition unit that acquires the biological information based on an output signal from the millimeter-wave sensor that changes according to the biological information of the subject.

8. The system includes a third calculation unit that calculates a first statistic, which is a statistic for the first time, and a second statistic, which is a statistic for the second time, respectively. The third calculation unit uses each of the predetermined periods that are repeated multiple times as the target period, Based on the first time stored in association with the number of uses within the target period, the first statistic for the target period is calculated. Based on the second time stored in association with the number of uses within the target period, the second statistic for the target period is calculated. The operation monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the memory processing unit stores a predetermined number of the first statistical quantities and the second statistical quantities for the predetermined period in the memory device.

9. When a predetermined number of first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period are stored in the storage device, the third calculation unit calculates new first and second statistical quantities for a predetermined period, and the storage processing unit then performs the following: From a predetermined number of the first and second statistical quantities for the predetermined period, the oldest first and second statistical quantities for the predetermined period are deleted from the storage device. The operation monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the new first and second statistical quantities for the predetermined period are stored in the storage device as the most recent first and second statistical quantities for the predetermined period from a predetermined number of first and second statistical quantities for the predetermined period.

10. An information generation unit generates time information indicating the first and second hours for each use of the toilet by the subject, for each use. The operation monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising: an analysis unit that performs statistical analysis on a group of time information consisting of time information generated for each of the two or more usages during a predetermined period.

11. The operation monitoring system according to claim 10, further comprising a determination unit that, in the results of the statistical analysis, if there are multiple clusters in the time information group that contain more than a predetermined number of the time information, selects the cluster containing the fewer number of the time information from among the multiple clusters as a target cluster and determines whether or not the time information included in the target cluster is the time information when the target person is normal.

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