Notification device and notification system

Abstract

To provide a notification device which allows service providers to easily create excretion records of service users.SOLUTION: A notification device (1) provided herein is a device for notifying a service provide (Ub) of excretion of a service user (Ua). The notification device (1) has at least one processor (11). The processor (11) displays an input screen (S12) for the service provider (Ub) to input excretion information indicative of the excretion mode of the service user (Ua).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification device and a notification system for notifying a service provider of an excretion of a service user. [Background technology]

[0002] In facilities that aim to provide nursing care services and / or medical services, it is necessary for service providers to be informed of the excretion of service users in a timely manner. However, in such facilities, there are quite a few service users (including service users who are asleep at night) for whom it is impossible or difficult to inform the service provider of their excretion. In order for the service provider to know the excretion of such service users, it is necessary to have the service user remove their underwear to check whether or not they have excreted, which is a heavy burden for the service provider.

[0003] In order to reduce such burdens, there is a demand for utilizing information processing technology in nursing care sites. For example, Patent Document 1 is an example of a document disclosing information processing technology that can be utilized in nursing care sites. Patent Document 1 discloses a biological monitor device that monitors the health condition of a patient based on an output signal from a gas sensor attached to a T-belt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-43182 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The service provider who becomes aware of the service user's excretion must take necessary measures, such as changing underwear, and then create an excretion record that records the excretion pattern (type and amount of excretion, etc.). By applying the technology described in Patent Document 1, it may be possible to detect the service user's excretion without removing the underwear. However, even if this reduces the burden of timely notifying the service user of the excretion, it does not reduce the burden of creating the service user's excretion record.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to realize a notification device that enables a service provider to easily create an excretion record of a service user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A notification device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a notification device that notifies a service provider of a service user's excretion, and has at least one processor that displays an input screen for the service provider to input excretion information indicating the excretion pattern. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a notification device can be realized that enables a service provider to easily create an excretion record of a service user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a notification device included in the notification system shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a flow chart showing the flow of a notification method implemented by the notification device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a plan view showing a specific example of a notification screen and an input screen displayed by the notification device shown in FIG. 2 in the notification method shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 4 is a state transition diagram showing state transition of an input screen in a phase in which a service provider inputs type information in an input process included in the notification method shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 4 is a state transition diagram showing state transition of an input screen in a phase in which a service provider inputs status information in an input process included in the notification method shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a first modified example of the communication system shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a second modified example of the communication system shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] (Configuring the notification system) A notification system S according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the notification system S.

[0011] The notification system S is a system for notifying a service provider Ub of the excretion of a service user Ua in a facility that aims to provide nursing care services and / or medical services. As shown in Fig. 1, the notification system S includes a notification device 1 and a sensor device 2. The notification device 1 and the sensor device 2 perform wireless communication without going through a network.

[0012] The sensor device 2 is attached to the service user Ua. As an example, the sensor device 2 is attached inside the underwear (diaper, pants, etc.) of the service user Ua. The sensor device 2 has an odor sensor and transmits an output signal of the odor sensor to the notification device 1.

[0013] The notification device 1 is placed at the entrance of a room used by the service user Ua, or carried by the service provider Ub. The notification device 1 receives an output signal of an odor sensor from the sensor device 2. The notification device 1 detects the excretion of the service user Ua based on the output signal of the odor sensor, and notifies the service provider Ub of the excretion of the service user Ua. The notification device 1 may also determine the type of excretion of the service user Ua based on the output signal of the odor sensor, and notify the service provider Ub of the determination result.

[0014] Conventionally, in order for the service provider Ub to know the excretion of the service user Ua, the service provider Ub needs to remove the underwear of the service user Ua to check whether or not the service user Ua has excreted, which is a heavy burden for the service provider Ub. In addition, the service provider Ub removing the underwear of the service user Ua to check whether or not the service user Ua has excreted can also be a burden for the service user Ua. For example, the regular excretion check task at night can disturb the sleep of the service user Ua.

[0015] In contrast, by using the notification system S according to the present embodiment, the service provider Ub can be notified of the excretion of the service user Ua in a timely manner without having to remove the underwear of the service user Ua, thereby reducing the burden on the service user Ua and the service provider Ub in relation to the excretion confirmation work.

[0016] (Notification device configuration) The configuration of the notification device 1 included in the notification system S will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the notification device 1.

[0017] 2, the notification device 1 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a touch panel 13, a wireless communication interface 14, and a bus 15. The processor 11, the memory 12, the touch panel 13, and the wireless communication interface 14 are connected to each other via the bus 15. Examples of devices that can be used as the notification device 1 include a smartphone or a tablet PC (Personal Computer).

[0018] A notification program is stored in the memory 12. The processor 11 executes each process included in a notification method M1 described below according to instructions included in the notification program stored in the memory 12. An example of a device that can be used as the processor 11 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Also, an example of a device that can be used as the memory 12 is a flash memory.

[0019] The touch panel 13 is an integrated unit of a display panel functioning as an output device and a touch sensor functioning as an input device. Information acquired from the service provider Ub in the notification method M1 (e.g., excretion information described later) is input to the notification device 1 via this touch panel 13. Information provided to the service provider Ub in the notification method M1 (e.g., a notification screen S11 and an input screen S12 described later) is output from the notification device 1 via this touch panel 13.

[0020] The wireless communication interface 14 is an interface for wireless communication with other computers. The wireless communication interface 14 may include an interface for wireless communication with other computers without a network, such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface. The wireless communication interface 14 may also include an interface for wireless communication with other computers via a LAN (Local Area Network), such as a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) interface. The wireless communication interface 14 may also include an interface for wireless communication with other computers via a mobile communication network, such as a 5G interface. In this embodiment, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface is used for communication with the sensor device 2.

[0021] (Notification method flow) The flow of the notification method M1 implemented by the notification device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a flow diagram showing the flow of the notification method M1. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a specific example of the notification screen S11 and the input screen S12 displayed on the touch panel 13 by the processor 11.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the notification method M1 includes a notification process M11, an input process M12, and a storage process M13.

[0023] When the processor 11 detects excretion of the service user Ua based on the output signal of the odor sensor, the processor 11 starts a notification process M11.

[0024] The notification process M11 is a process of generating a notification screen S11 for notifying the service provider Ub of the excretion of the service user Ua and displaying it on the touch panel 13. The notification screen S11 includes a notification message S11a for notifying the service provider Ub of the excretion of the service user Ua, as shown in Fig. 4. Executing the notification process M11 makes it easy for the service provider Ub to learn of the excretion of the service user Ua.

[0025] The notification screen S11 further includes a confirmation button S11b as shown in Fig. 4. When the service provider Ub who has confirmed the notification message S11 taps the confirmation button S11b, the processor 11 ends the notification process M11 and starts the input process M12.

[0026] The input process M12 is a process of generating an input screen S12 for the service provider Ub to input excretion information indicating the excretion state of the service user Ua and displaying it on the touch panel 13. As shown in Fig. 4, the input screen S12 includes an input field S12a for the service provider Ub to input excretion information indicating the excretion state of the service user Ua. By executing the input process M12, it becomes easy for the service provider Ub to create an excretion record of the service user Ua. A specific example of the input process M12 will be described later with reference to different drawings.

[0027] The input screen S12 further includes a registration button S12b as shown in Fig. 4. When the service provider Ub who has completed inputting the excretion information taps the registration button S12b, the processor 11 ends the input process M12 and starts the storage process M13.

[0028] The storage process M13 is a process for storing the excretion information input by the service provider Ub in the input process M12 in the memory 12. Instead of or together with the storage process M13, the processor 11 may execute a transmission process for transmitting the excretion information input by the service provider Ub in the input process M12 to another computer. In this case, the excretion information input by the service provider Ub in the input process M12 is stored in a memory provided in the other computer. Executing the storage process M13 or the transmission process makes it easy for the service provider Ub to store the excretion record of the service user Ua.

[0029] The output signal of the odor sensor to which the excretion information input by the service provider Ub is added as a label can be used as training data for constructing a trained model that estimates the excretion pattern from the output signal of the odor sensor. For this reason, the notification device 1 (or another computer that receives the output signal of the odor sensor and the excretion information from the notification device 1) can function as (1) a training dataset creation device that creates a training dataset consisting of the training data described above, (2) a machine learning device that uses such a training dataset to construct a trained model that estimates the excretion pattern from the output signal of the odor sensor, or (3) an excretion pattern estimation device that estimates the excretion pattern from the output signal of the odor sensor using such a trained model.

[0030] As described above, in the notification device 1, the processor 11 displays the input screen S12 for the service provider Ub to input excretion information indicating the excretion pattern. Therefore, the notification device 1 has an effect that it becomes easy for the service provider Ub to create an excretion record of the service user Ua.

[0031] Furthermore, in the notification device 1, the processor 11 displays a notification screen S11 for notifying the service provider Ub of the excretion of the service user Ua before displaying the input screen S12. Therefore, the notification device 1 has an effect that it becomes easy for the service provider Ub to know the excretion of the service user Ua.

[0032] Furthermore, in the notification device 1, the processor 11 displays the input screen S12, and then stores or transmits the excretion information input by the service provider Ub using the input screen S12. Therefore, the notification device 1 has an effect that it becomes easy for the service provider Ub to store the excretion record of the service user Ua.

[0033] Furthermore, in the notification device 1, the processor 11 may be configured to store or transmit the excretion information input by the service provider Ub using the input screen S12 after displaying the input screen S12, in association with time information indicating the time when the service user Ua's excretion was detected based on the output signal of the odor sensor. This makes it possible to store an excretion record including the exact time of excretion, which was difficult to identify in the conventional excretion check that involves periodically removing underwear.

[0034] (Example of input processing) A specific example of the input process M12 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0035] In the input process M12 according to this specific example, the notification device 1 accepts the input of excretion information indicating the type of excrement (hereinafter, referred to as "type information"). The types of feces that can be input as type information are "poop", "pee", and "fart". After accepting the input of type information, the notification device 1 also accepts the input of other excretion information selected by the processor 11 according to the accepted type information.

[0036] When the type of excrement is "poop", the processor 11 selects, as other excretion information to be input, status information indicating the status of the stool, stool volume information indicating the volume of the stool, blood mixed amount information indicating the presence or absence or amount of blood mixed in the stool, and urine volume information indicating the presence or absence or amount of urine excreted together with the stool. Here, the status of the stool that can be input as status information is "round stool", "hard stool", "slightly hard stool", "normal stool", "slightly soft stool", "mudgy stool", and "watery stool". The amount of stool that can be input as stool volume information is "very little", "little", "slightly little", "normal", "slightly more", and "very much". The presence or amount of blood that can be input as blood mixed amount information is "none", "small amount", "medium amount", and "large amount". The amount of urine that can be input as urine volume information is "none", "little", "normal", and "large". If the type of excrement is "pee", the processor 11 selects urine volume information indicating the amount of urine as other excrement information to be accepted for input. Here, the amounts of urine that can be input as urine volume information are "none", "small", "normal", and "large". If the type of excrement is "fart", the processor 11 does not accept the input of other excrement information.

[0037] Fig. 5 is a state transition diagram showing state transitions of the input screen S12 when accepting input of category information. When the service provider Ub taps on the field "category" on the input screen S12 as shown on the left side of Fig. 5, the notification device 1 pops up a selection window for allowing the service provider Ub to select category information as shown in the center of Fig. 5. Then, when the service provider Ub taps on the item "poop" on the selection window as shown in the center of Fig. 5, the notification device 1 writes "poop" in the field "category" on the input screen S12 as shown on the right side of Fig. 5. A similar state transition occurs when an item other than "poop" is selected on the selection window.

[0038] Fig. 6 is a state transition diagram showing state transition of the input screen S12 when accepting input of status information. When the service provider Ub taps on the column "Status" on the input screen S12 as shown on the left side of Fig. 6, the notification device 1 pops up a selection window for allowing the service provider Ub to select status information as shown in the center of Fig. 6. Then, when the service provider Ub taps on the item "Watery Stool" in the selection window as shown in the center of Fig. 6, the notification device 1 writes "Watery Stool" in the column "Status" on the input screen S12 as shown on the right side of Fig. 6. A similar state transition occurs when an item other than "Watery Stool" is selected in the selection window.

[0039] When service provider Ub selects the field "stool volume," the field "amount of blood mixed in," and the field "urine volume" on input screen S12, a state transition similar to that when service provider Ub selects the field "type" on input screen S12 occurs.

[0040] As described above, in the notification device 1, the excretion information that can be input using the input screen S12 includes type information indicating the type of excretion and other excretion information selected by the processor 11 in accordance with the type information. Therefore, the notification device 1 has the effect of easily creating an excretion record that includes excretion information according to the type of excretion.

[0041] Furthermore, in the notification device 1, when the type information indicates stool, the processor 11 selects at least one of (in this embodiment, all of) status information indicating the state of the stool, stool volume information indicating the amount of stool, blood volume information indicating the presence or absence or amount of blood mixed in the stool, and urine volume information indicating the presence or absence or amount of urine excreted together with the stool, as other excretion information to be input. Therefore, according to the notification device 1, when the service user Ua defecates, it is possible to easily create an excretion record including at least one of the state of the stool, the amount of stool, the presence or absence or amount of blood mixed in the stool, and the presence or absence or amount of urine excreted together with the stool.

[0042] Furthermore, in the notification device 1, when the type information indicates urine, the processor 11 selects the urine volume information indicating the volume of urine as other excretion information to be input. Therefore, the notification device 1 has an effect that when the service user Ua urinates, it is possible to easily create an excretion record including the volume of urine.

[0043] (Modifications of the notification system) In the present embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the notification device 1 detects the excretion of the service user Ua based on the output signal of the odor sensor, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the detection of the excretion of the service user Ua based on the output signal of the odor sensor may be performed by another computer configured to be able to communicate with the notification device 1 and the sensor device 2. Such a modified example will be described below.

[0044] 7 is a schematic diagram showing a first modified example of the notification system S (hereinafter, referred to as notification system S'). The notification system S' according to this modified example includes a notification device 1, a sensor device 2, a relay device 3, a cloud server 4, and a PC 5. In the notification system S' according to this modified example, the cloud server 4 corresponds to the "detection device" in the claims.

[0045] The notification device 1 is carried by, for example, the service provider Ub. The sensor device 2 is attached to, for example, the service user Ua. The relay device 3 is placed in, for example, the room of the service user Ua. The PC 5 is placed in a room (for example, a nurse's station) other than the room of the service user Ua. While these devices are placed in a facility, the cloud server 4 is placed outside the facility (for example, a data center). The sensor device 2 and the relay device 3 perform wireless communication without going through a network. Furthermore, the relay device 3 and the cloud server 4 perform wireless communication via a public line (for example, a mobile communication network). The cloud server 4 and the notification device 1 perform wireless communication via a public line (for example, a mobile communication network). Furthermore, the cloud server 4 and the PC 5 perform communication via the Internet. Furthermore, the PC 5 and the notification device 1 perform wireless communication via a LAN. In this modified example, one relay device 3 is wirelessly connected to one sensor device 2. An example of the relay device 3 suitable for such a connection form (1:1 connection form) is a smartphone.

[0046] The sensor device 2 has an odor sensor and transmits an output signal of the odor sensor to the relay device 3. The relay device 3 transfers the received output signal of the odor sensor to the cloud server 4. When the cloud server 4 detects excretion of the service user Ua based on the received output signal of the odor sensor, it notifies the notification device 1 of that fact. When the notification device 1 is notified of the excretion of the service user Ua by the cloud server 4, it executes the notification process M11, input process M12, and storage process M13 described above.

[0047] The notification system S' according to this modified example also makes it easy for the service provider Ub to learn of the excretion of the service user Ua and for the service provider Ub to create and store the excretion record of the service user Ua. Moreover, in the notification system S' according to this modified example, the process of detecting the excretion of the service user Ua based on the output signal of the odor sensor is executed in the cloud server 4, which has a higher processing capacity than the notification device 1. Therefore, it is possible to increase the accuracy and / or speed of excretion detection.

[0048] The cloud server 4 may notify the service user Ua that he / she has excreted to a PC 5 installed in the facility, instead of to the notification device 1 carried by the service provider Ub. In this case, the PC 5 transfers the notification received from the cloud server 4 to the notification device 1 via the LAN in the facility. This eliminates the need to connect the notification device 1 to a public line. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in costs (mainly line usage fees) that may occur when the number of notification devices 1 is increased.

[0049] In addition, in this modified example, the cloud server 4 detects the excretion of the service user Ua based on the output signal of the odor sensor, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the relay device 3 detects the excretion of the service user Ua based on the output signal of the odor sensor. In this case, the relay device 3 notifies the notification device 1 of the detection result via the cloud server 4. In this case, the relay device 3 corresponds to the "detection device" in the claims. Note that the relay device 3 may be a smartphone as described above, or may be a local server configured by a PC or the like.

[0050] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a second variant of the notification system S (hereinafter referred to as notification system S"). Similar to the notification system S' of the previous variant, the notification system S" of this variant includes a notification device 1, a sensor device 2, a relay device 3, a cloud server 4, and a PC 5. In the notification system S" of this variant, the cloud server 4 corresponds to the "detection device" in the claims.

[0051] The arrangement and connection form of the notification device 1, sensor device 2, relay device 3, cloud server 4, and PC 5 in the communication system S" of this modified example is the same as the arrangement and connection form of the notification device 1, sensor device 2, relay device 3, cloud server 4, and PC 5 in the communication system S' of the previous modified example. However, in this modified example, one relay device 3 is wirelessly connected to multiple sensor devices 2. An example of a relay device 3 suitable for such a connection form (1:n connection form) is a relay (dedicated relay device).

[0052] The arrangement and operation of the notification device 1, sensor device 2, relay device 3, cloud server 4, and PC 5 in the communication system S″ of this modified example are similar to the operation of the notification device 1, sensor device 2, relay device 3, cloud server 4, and PC 5 in the communication system S′ of the previous modified example, respectively.

[0053] The notification system S" of this modified example also makes it easy for the service provider Ub to learn of the excretion of the service user Ua and for the service provider Ub to create and store the excretion record of the service user Ua. Moreover, in the notification system S" of this modified example, the process of detecting the excretion of the service user Ua based on the output signal of the odor sensor is executed in the cloud server 4, which has a higher processing power than the notification device 1. Therefore, it is possible to achieve high accuracy and / or high speed excretion detection. Furthermore, the notification system S" of this modified example can suppress the increase in cost that may occur when the number of sensor devices 2 is increased. This is because, whereas the notification system S' of the previous modified example requires that the same number of relay devices 3 as the number of sensor devices 2 be connected to the public line, this is not necessary in the notification system S" of this modified example.

[0054] The cloud server 4 may notify the service user Ua that he / she has excreted to a PC 5 installed in the facility, instead of to the notification device 1 carried by the service provider Ub. In this case, the PC 5 transfers the notification received from the cloud server 4 to the notification device 1 via the LAN in the facility. This eliminates the need to connect the notification device 1 to a public line. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in costs (mainly line usage fees) that may occur when the number of notification devices 1 is increased.

[0055] [Additional Notes] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the above-described embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1 Notification device 11 Processors 12. Memory 13 Touch Panel 14 Wireless communication interface 15 Bus S Notification System 2. Sensor device

Claims

1. A notification device for notifying a service provider of a service user's excretion, At least one processor; The processor, notifying the service provider of the excretion of the service user and displaying a notification screen prompting the service provider to input a confirmation of the notification; When the service provider inputs the confirmation, an input screen is displayed for the service provider to input excretion information indicating an excretion mode; When the service provider inputs the confirmation, an input screen is displayed for the service provider to input excretion information indicating an excretion mode; The excretion information that can be input using the input screen includes type information indicating a type of excretion and other excretion information selected by the processor in accordance with the type information, The type information includes a fart, The processor does not accept input of the other excretion information in response to input of a fart. A notification device comprising:

2. The processor, after displaying the input screen, stores or transmits the excretion information input by the service provider using the input screen.

2. The notification device according to claim 1.

3. After displaying the input screen, the processor stores or transmits the excretion information input by the service provider using the input screen in association with time information indicating the time when the excretion of the service user was detected based on the output signal of the odor sensor.

3. The notification device according to claim 2.

4. When the type information indicates stool, the processor selects, as the other excretion information, at least one of status information indicating a stool status, stool volume information indicating the volume of stool, blood volume information indicating the presence or absence or the amount of blood mixed in the stool, and urine volume information indicating the presence or absence or the amount of urine excreted together with the stool.

2. The notification device according to claim 1.

5. When the type information indicates urine, the processor selects urine volume information indicating an amount of urine as the other excretion information.

5. The notification device according to claim 4.

6. A sensor device having an odor sensor and transmitting an output signal of the odor sensor; The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a notification device that detects the excretion of the service user based on an output signal of the odor sensor transmitted from the sensor device, and notifies the service provider of the excretion of the service user. A notification system comprising:

7. A sensor device having an odor sensor and transmitting an output signal of the odor sensor; a detection device that detects excretion of the service user based on an output signal of the odor sensor transmitted from the sensor device; The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a notification device that notifies the service provider of the excretion of the service user. A notification system comprising:

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