Emissions determination method, emission determination device, and emission determination program

Abstract

According to this excrement determination method, sensing data detected by a first gas sensor 1 is acquired, image data captured by a camera 2 is acquired, a first determination to determine whether a gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is higher than a first reference concentration is performed, a second determination to perform image processing on the image data and determine whether the image data contains an image showing defecation is performed, a third determination to determine that at least one of defecation and flatus has been done is performed on the basis of the determination result by the first determination and the determination result by the second determination, and the determination result by the third determination is outputted.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for determining excreta emitted from a person. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, nursing facilities and the like are required to objectively manage waste from care recipients. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for determining whether waste discharged in a bowl section corresponds to defecation, urination, or urination, depending on a combination of a determination result of whether or not temperature data measured by a temperature measuring section exceeds a temperature threshold and a determination result of whether or not odor data measured by an odor measuring section exceeds an odor threshold.

[0003] However, there are people who do not produce a sufficient odor when defecating or passing flatus. Therefore, the technology of Patent Document 1 using temperature data and odor data has a problem in that it is not possible to accurately determine whether at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred for such a person. Furthermore, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not mention detecting defecation accompanied by flatus. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-178764 A Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide technology that can accurately determine that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred, even for a person who does not produce a sufficient odor when defecation or flatulence occurs.

[0006] An excretion determination method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an excretion determination method in an excretion determination device that determines excretion, which acquires sensing data detected by a gas sensor installed in a toilet, acquires image data captured by a camera installed on the toilet so as to be able to photograph the bowl portion of the toilet in the toilet, makes a first determination to determine whether the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration, performs image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes an image indicating defecation, makes a third determination to determine that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred based on the result of the first determination and the result of the second determination, and outputs the result of the third determination.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to accurately determine whether at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred even for a person who does not produce a sufficient odor when defecation or flatus is occurring. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a discharge management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement positions of a sensor unit and an emission determining device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart of an emission determination process according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a discharge management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart of an emission determination process according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a discharge management system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart of a constipation determination process according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart of a medication state determination process according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9]10 is a flowchart of an emission determination process according to a modified example of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiment is an example of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0010] (Background to this disclosure) Excretion history information indicating the number and time of excretion actions such as urination, defecation, and flatus is important information for understanding a person's health risk. In particular, in nursing homes that accommodate many elderly people with a constitution that is prone to constipation, it is required to objectively record the excretion history information of the care recipients and have them take medicines such as laxatives appropriately. However, since there are many care recipients in nursing homes, it is not easy to impose the task of recording such excretion history information on care staff because it increases the burden on the care staff. Therefore, the present inventors are conducting research into technology to automatically manage such excretion history information without human intervention.

[0011] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is a prior art document related to such technology. In Patent Document 1, if the temperature data indicating the temperature of the bowl part of the toilet is greater than the temperature threshold, and if the first odor data measured by the hydrogen sulfide sensor or the second odor data measured by the ammonia sensor is greater than the odor threshold, it is determined that defecation has occurred, and if both the first odor data and the second odor data are equal to or less than the odor threshold, it is determined that urination has occurred. In addition, in Patent Document 1, if the temperature data is equal to or less than the temperature threshold, and if the first odor data or the second odor data is greater than the odor threshold, it is determined that flatulence has occurred.

[0012] However, some people who take medicines such as laxatives and antibiotics on a daily basis do not produce a sufficient odor when defecating or passing flatus. In particular, people who are cared for tend to take large amounts of such medicines, and are likely to not produce a sufficient odor when defecating. In addition, some people do not produce a sufficient odor when defecating or passing flatus depending on the food they have eaten. Therefore, Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it cannot accurately determine whether such people have defecated.

[0013] Specifically, if the technology of Patent Document 1 is applied to such a person, no temperature change in the bowl portion occurs during flatus, and first and second odor data below the odor threshold are measured, so flatus is not determined. Also, although a temperature change in the bowl portion occurs during defecation, first and second odor data below the odor threshold are measured, so defecation is not determined. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 does not mention anything about determining defecation accompanied by flatus.

[0014] Therefore, the present inventor has found that even a person who does not produce a sufficient odor when defecation or passing flatus produces gas without odor from within the body.The inventor has found that by combining the analysis results of the image data capturing the state inside the bowl section with the analysis results of the sensing data measured by the gas sensor, it is possible to accurately determine that at least one of defecation and passing flatus has occurred even for a person who does not produce a sufficient odor when defecation or passing flatus.The inventor has found that, based on this finding, the present inventor has come up with the following aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] An excretion determination method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an excretion determination method in an excretion determination device that determines excretion, which acquires sensing data detected by a gas sensor installed in a toilet, acquires image data captured by a camera installed on the toilet so as to be able to photograph the bowl portion of the toilet in the toilet, makes a first determination to determine whether the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration, performs image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes an image indicating defecation, makes a third determination to determine that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred based on the result of the first determination and the result of the second determination, and outputs the result of the third determination.

[0016] According to this configuration, it is determined that at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred based on the result of the first determination that determines whether or not the gas concentration detected by the gas sensor is greater than the reference concentration, and the result of the second determination that determines whether or not an image showing defecation is included in the image data captured by the camera. Therefore, even if a person does not produce a sufficient odor when defecation or flatus, it can be accurately determined that at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred.

[0017] In the above-mentioned excrement determination method, the third determination may determine that the defecation and flatulence have occurred if the determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration is greater than a reference concentration and the determination result of the second determination indicates that the image data includes an image showing the defecation.

[0018] According to this configuration, if the judgment result of the first judgment indicates that the image data does not contain an image showing defecation and the judgment result of the second judgment indicates that the gas concentration detected by the gas sensor is greater than the reference concentration, it is judged that defecation and flatulence have occurred, so that it can be accurately determined that defecation accompanied by flatulence has occurred.

[0019] In the above-mentioned excrement determination method, the third determination may determine that only flatulence has occurred if the determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration is greater than the reference concentration and the determination result of the second determination indicates that the image data does not include an image showing the defecation.

[0020] According to this configuration, when the judgment result of the first judgment indicates that the gas concentration detected by the gas sensor is greater than the reference concentration and the judgment result of the second judgment indicates that the image data does not contain an image showing defecation, it is determined that only flatulence has occurred, so that it can be accurately determined that only flatulence has occurred.

[0021] In the above emission determination method, the gas sensor may be a first gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen.

[0022] It has been found that even people who do not produce odors during defecation or flatus expel hydrogen from their bodies. In this configuration, since the gas sensor includes the first gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen, it is possible to accurately determine that at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred, even in people who do not produce odors during defecation or flatus.

[0023] In the above emission determination method, the second determination may be performed when the first determination is positive.

[0024] According to this configuration, since the camera can be started when the first determination is positive, it is not necessary to keep the camera running all the time, and power consumption can be reduced.

[0025] In the above-mentioned emission determination method, the gas sensors may include a first gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen, a second gas sensor sensitive to ammonia, and a third gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen sulfide, and further, when the determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is equal to or lower than the reference concentration, a fourth determination may be executed to determine whether or not defecation or urination has occurred based on the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor and the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor.

[0026] According to this configuration, if the first gas sensor cannot detect a hydrogen concentration equal to or higher than the reference concentration, it is determined whether or not either defecation or urination has occurred based on the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor and the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor, making it possible to detect urination, which is difficult to detect using the first gas sensor.

[0027] In the above-mentioned excretion determination method, a fourth determination may be further performed to determine whether or not defecation or urination has occurred based on the image data when the determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is equal to or lower than the reference concentration.

[0028] According to this configuration, if the first gas sensor does not detect hydrogen at a concentration equal to or greater than the reference concentration, it is determined whether or not defecation or urination has occurred based on the image data, making it possible to detect urination, which is difficult to detect with the first gas sensor.

[0029] In the above-mentioned excreta determination method, the first determination, the second determination, and the third determination may be performed when a seating sensor that detects that the excretor is seated on the toilet bowl detects the seating.

[0030] According to this configuration, the first determination, the second determination, and the third determination are performed only while the user is seated, thereby reducing the processing load on the emission determination device.

[0031] In the above-mentioned discharge determination method, the output may include generating discharge history information including the determination result, date and time information indicating the date and time when the discharge act was performed, and the gas concentration, storing the discharge history information in a memory, and further, if the discharge history information stored in the memory indicates that the defecation interval is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and that the flatus has occurred continuously within the defecation interval, determining whether the degree of increase in the gas concentration indicated by the discharge history information is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and if it is determined that the degree of increase is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, determining that the person who discharges gas is constipated, and further outputting the constipation determination result.

[0032] During constipation, the interval between defecations increases and the frequency of flatus increases. Furthermore, during constipation, the concentration of gas discharged from the body through flatus increases. With this configuration, it is determined from the discharge history information that the defecation interval is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and that flatus has occurred consecutively within the defecation interval, and further, if the degree of increase in gas concentration has changed by equal to or greater than a second threshold value, constipation is determined. Therefore, constipation can be accurately determined.

[0033] In the above-mentioned emission determination method, the output may include generating emission history information including the determination result, date and time information indicating the date and time when the emission act was performed, and the gas concentration, storing the emission history information in a memory, calculating a degree of increase in the gas concentration based on the emission history information stored in the memory, determining the medication status of the emitter based on whether the degree of increase is equal to or greater than a third threshold value, and outputting the determination result of the medication status.

[0034] It has been found that when a person who emits gas stops taking the prescribed medicine, the concentration of gas discharged from the body increases when at least one of defecation and flatus occurs. According to this configuration, the degree of increase in gas concentration is calculated based on the emission history information, and the state of the person who is taking the medicine is determined based on whether or not the degree of increase is equal to or greater than the third threshold. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the person who is taking the medicine is taking the medicine.

[0035] An excretion determination device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is an excretion determination device that determines excretion, and includes a sensing data acquisition unit that acquires sensing data from a gas sensor installed in the toilet, an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data from a camera installed on the toilet in the toilet so that the bowl portion of the toilet can be photographed, an excretion determination unit that makes a first determination to determine whether the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration, performs image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes an image indicating defecation, and makes a third determination to determine that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred based on the determination result of the first determination and the determination result of the second determination, and a determination result output unit that outputs the determination result of the third determination.

[0036] An excretion determination program according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure causes a computer to function as follows: acquire sensing data from a gas sensor installed in a toilet; acquire image data from a camera installed on the toilet so as to be able to photograph the bowl portion of the toilet in the toilet; perform a first determination to determine whether the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration; perform image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes an image indicating defecation; perform a third determination to determine that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred based on a result of the first determination and a result of the second determination; and output a result of the third determination.

[0037] According to these configurations, the same effects as those of the above-mentioned emission determination method can be obtained.

[0038] The present disclosure can also be realized as an emission determination program that causes a computer to execute each of the characteristic configurations included in such an emission determination method, or as an emission determination device that includes each of the characteristic configurations. Furthermore, it goes without saying that such a computer program can be distributed on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0039] Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, components, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim showing the highest concept are described as optional components. Furthermore, in all of the embodiments, the respective contents can be combined.

[0040] (Embodiment 1) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an excretion management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement positions of a sensor unit 105 and an excretion determination device 3 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following description, excretion includes defecation, urination, and flatus.

[0041] The emission management system shown in FIG. 1 includes a first gas sensor 1, a camera 2, an emission determination device 3, a seating sensor 4, and a server 6. The first gas sensor 1 is disposed in a toilet bowl 101 and has sensitivity to hydrogen. The first gas sensor 1 is disposed in a sensor unit 105 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the toilet bowl 101 includes a bowl portion 101a and a rim portion 101b. The rim portion 101b is disposed at the upper end of the toilet bowl 101 and is a member that defines an opening. The bowl portion 101a is disposed below the rim portion 101b and is a member that receives feces and urine. The sensor unit 105 is hung on the rim portion 101b. The first gas sensor 1 detects the hydrogen concentration in the space within the toilet bowl 101. The first gas sensor 1 is connected to the emission determination device 3 by wire or wirelessly so that they can communicate with each other. The first gas sensor 1 transmits sensing data indicating the detected hydrogen concentration to the emission determination device 3. The location of the first gas sensor 1 is not limited to inside the sensor unit 105, and may be outside the sensor unit 105. For example, the first gas sensor 1 may be provided on a wall surrounding the toilet bowl 101, or may be provided anywhere inside the toilet space.

[0042] A drainage channel (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the bowl portion 101a. Feces and urine discharged into the bowl portion 101a are flushed through the drainage channel. A toilet seat 102 on which a person sits is provided at the top of the toilet bowl 101. The toilet seat 102 rotates up and down. The person sits with the toilet seat 102 lowered over the toilet bowl 101. A water storage tank 103 is provided behind the toilet bowl 101 to store water for flushing feces and urine.

[0043] The first gas sensor 1 may transmit sensing data indicating the hydrogen concentration detected during the period from when the emitter sits on the toilet seat 102 to when the emitter leaves the toilet seat 102 to the emission determination device 3. However, this is just one example, and the first gas sensor 1 may transmit sensing data indicating the detected hydrogen concentration to the emission determination device 3 at all times.

[0044] The camera 2 is installed on the toilet 101 so that the bowl portion 101a can be photographed. Here, the camera 2 is disposed in the sensor unit 105. The camera 2 is, for example, a high-sensitivity, wide-angle camera that can capture color images having R (red), G (green), and B (blue) components. In the field of object detection, cameras that illuminate an object with an infrared light-emitting diode and a white light-emitting diode and photograph the object are widely used. However, with such conventional cameras, it is difficult to detect objects that have a large amount of red color components, and therefore it is difficult to distinguish between defecation and urination. Therefore, in this embodiment, a high-sensitivity, wide-angle camera is adopted as the camera 2. Specifically, the camera 2 is a high-sensitivity camera having a 1 / 4-inch CMOS. The camera 2 is also a wide-angle camera with a horizontal angle of view of 120 degrees and a vertical angle of view of 45 degrees. Note that these numerical values ​​of inches and angle of view are merely examples, and other values ​​may be adopted. The camera 2 is connected to the excretion determination device 3 by wire or wirelessly so that they can communicate with each other. The camera 2 captures an image of the inside of the bowl portion 101a at a predetermined frame rate and transmits the obtained image data. Here, the camera 2 may transmit to the excretion determination device 3 image data captured during the period from when the emitter sits on the toilet seat 102 to when the emitter leaves the toilet seat 102. However, this is just one example, and the camera 2 may constantly transmit the captured image data to the excretion determination device 3.

[0045] The seating sensor 4 is disposed in the sensor unit 105 and detects whether or not the person is sitting on the toilet seat 102. The seating sensor 4 includes an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance around the bowl portion 101a and a distance sensor that detects the distance of an object around the bowl portion 101a. When the person sits on the toilet seat 102, the opening is blocked by the buttocks, so that the area around the bowl portion 101a becomes dark and an object is present in the vicinity of the sensor unit 105. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether or not the person sits on the toilet seat 102 using the illuminance sensor and the distance sensor. The seating sensor 4 may be configured with a pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the person sitting on the toilet seat 102 instead of the illuminance sensor and the distance sensor. The seating sensor 4 may also be configured with either the illuminance sensor or the distance sensor.

[0046] The discharge determination device 3 is disposed, for example, on the side surface of the water tank 103. The location of the discharge determination device 3 is not limited to the above, and may be anywhere in the toilet. In addition, when the sensor unit 105 and the discharge determination device 3 are connected wirelessly, the discharge determination device 3 does not have to be disposed in the toilet, and may be disposed in a place where it can wirelessly communicate with the sensor unit 105.

[0047] The emission determination device 3 includes a processor 31, a memory 32, and a communication unit 33. The memory 32 is configured with a storage device capable of storing various information, such as a random access memory (RAM), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory. The memory 32 stores the sensing data transmitted by the first gas sensor 1.

[0048] The processor 31 is configured by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). The processor 31 includes a sensing data acquisition unit 311, an image data acquisition unit 312, an emission determination unit 313, a determination result output unit 314, and a seating determination unit 315.

[0049] The sensing data acquisition unit 311 acquires sensing data indicating the hydrogen concentration around the toilet bowl 101 detected by the first gas sensor 1. The sensing data acquisition unit 311 reads out the sensing data stored in the memory 32.

[0050] The image data acquisition unit 312 acquires image data captured by the camera 2 .

[0051] The emission determination unit 313 determines whether the hydrogen concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than the first reference concentration (first determination). It has been found that the hydrogen concentration discharged during flatus is greater than the hydrogen concentration released when only defecation occurs. Therefore, if the first reference concentration is set based on the detection result of the hydrogen concentration when the emitter only defecates, it can be determined that the emitter has at least defecate or flatus if the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration. Therefore, a value preset based on the detection result of the hydrogen concentration when the emitter only defecates is adopted as the first reference concentration. However, this is only one example, and a value preset based on the detection result of the hydrogen concentration when the emitter only defecates may be adopted as the first reference concentration.

[0052] The excrement determination unit 313 performs image processing on the image data to determine whether or not the image data includes a defecation image showing defecation (second determination). The details of the image processing will be described later. The excrement determination unit 313 determines that at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred based on the determination result of the first determination and the determination result of the second determination (third determination).

[0053] Here, in the third judgment, if the judgment result of the first judgment indicates that the hydrogen concentration is greater than the first reference concentration and the judgment result of the second judgment indicates that the image data contains a defecation image, it is judged that defecation and flatus have occurred. Also, in the third judgment, if the judgment result of the first judgment indicates that the hydrogen concentration is greater than the first reference concentration and the judgment result of the second judgment indicates that the image data does not contain a defecation image, it is judged that only flatus has occurred.

[0054] If the result of the first judgment indicates that the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is equal to or lower than the first standard concentration, the excretion judgment unit 313 judges whether urination or defecation has occurred based on the image data (fourth judgment).

[0055] The judgment result output unit 314 generates discharge history information including the judgment result of the third judgment or the judgment result of the fourth judgment, transmits the discharge history information to the server 6 via the communication unit 33, and stores the discharge history information in the memory 32. The discharge history information may include date and time information indicating the date and time when the discharge act (defecation, flatus, urination, and defecation and flatus) was performed. Furthermore, the discharge history information may include identification information of the discharger. Furthermore, the discharge history information may include the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1. Furthermore, the discharge history information may include image data captured by the camera 2. For example, if the toilet 101 is placed in a private room of the care recipient, the care recipient can be identified from the room number of the care recipient. In this case, the identification information of the discharger is adopted as the identification information of the room in which the discharge judgment device 3 is installed.

[0056] The seating determination unit 315 determines whether or not a person has sat on the toilet seat 102 based on the detection result of the seating sensor 4. For example, the seating determination unit 315 may determine that a person has sat on the toilet seat 102 when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor of the seating sensor 4 is less than a predetermined reference illuminance and the distance of an object detected by the distance measurement sensor of the seating sensor 4 is less than the reference distance. However, this is only one example, and the seating determination unit 315 may determine that a person has sat on the toilet seat 102 using the detection result of either the illuminance sensor or the distance measurement sensor, or may determine that a person has sat on the toilet seat 102 when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than the reference pressure.

[0057] The communication unit 33 is configured with a communication circuit that connects the emission determination device 3 to the network 5. The communication unit 33 transmits the emission history information to the server 6. The emission determination device 3 is connected to the server 6 via the network 5 so that they can communicate with each other. The network 5 is, for example, the Internet.

[0058] The server 6 receives the emission history information transmitted by the emission determining device 3. The server 6 includes a database that stores the emission history information.

[0059] For example, the caregiver uses the database of the server 6 when creating monitoring data for the care recipient. That is, the terminal device used by the caregiver acquires excretion history information and date and time information corresponding to the identification information of the care recipient from the server 6, and creates monitoring data for the care recipient. For example, the terminal device may create the number of times of flatus in a predetermined period, the number of times of defecation in a predetermined period, the number of times of urination in a predetermined period, the number of times of urination in a predetermined period, and the number of times of defecation and flatus in a predetermined period as monitoring data. The predetermined period for which the monitoring data is created may be one day, one week, or one month. Also, for example, the terminal device may create the time of flatus, defecation, urination, and defecation and flatus in a predetermined period as monitoring data.

[0060] Next, an excretion determination process related to the excretion determination device 3 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the excretion determination process according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In step S101, the seating determination unit 315 determines whether or not the emitter is seated on the toilet bowl 101 based on the detection result of the seating sensor 4. If it is not determined that the emitter is seated (NO in step S101), the process waits in step S101. On the other hand, if it is determined that the emitter is seated (YES in step S101), the process proceeds to step S102.

[0061] In step S102, the sensing data acquisition unit 311 acquires sensing data indicating the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 from the first gas sensor 1. In step S103, the image data acquisition unit 312 acquires image data captured by the camera 2 from the camera 2.

[0062] In step S104, emission determination unit 313 determines whether the hydrogen concentration indicated by the sensing data acquired in step S102 is equal to or greater than a first reference concentration (first determination). If it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration (YES in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105, and if it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is less than the first reference concentration (NO in step S104), the process proceeds to step S109.

[0063] In step S105, the excrement determining unit 313 determines whether or not a defecation image is included in the image data acquired in step S103 (second determination).

[0064] Here, the excretion determination unit 313 may determine whether or not the image data includes a defecation image, for example, as follows. First, the excretion determination unit 313 calculates differential image data indicating the difference between the image data acquired in step S103 and the base image data. Here, the base image data is image data generated by calibration performed when the sensor unit 105 is installed in the toilet bowl 101. The base image data is generated, for example, based on a plurality of color image data obtained by the camera 2 capturing an image of the bowl portion 101a in a state in which no defecation or urination has occurred a plurality of times. That is, the base image data is color image data of the bowl portion 101a in a default state in which no defecation or urination has occurred. Therefore, image data indicating defecation or urination can be extracted by taking the difference between the image data captured during defecation or urination and the base image data.

[0065] Next, the discharge determination unit 313 calculates the RGB ratio of the R component, the G component, and the B component contained in the calculated difference image data. Next, the discharge determination unit 313 calculates the distance between the calculated RGB ratio and a predetermined defecation standard ratio. Here, the RGB ratio is, for example, the ratio of the total brightness value of the R component, the total brightness value of the G component, and the total brightness value of the B component in the difference image data. The defecation standard ratio is a typical RGB ratio of defecation calculated by analyzing multiple image data including various defecation images. For example, the Euclidean distance is adopted as the distance. Finally, if the calculated distance is equal to or less than the standard distance, the discharge determination unit 313 determines that the image data captured by the camera 2 includes defecation.

[0066] In step S105, when it is determined that the image data includes a defecation image (YES in step S105), the excrement determining unit 313 determines that both defecation and flatus have occurred (step S106).

[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S105 that the image data does not include a defecation image (NO in step S105), the excrement determining unit 313 determines that only flatulence has occurred (step S107).

[0068] In step S109, the excretion determination unit 313 determines whether or not the image data includes a defecation image (fourth determination). If it is determined that the image data includes a defecation image (YES in step S109), the excretion determination unit 313 determines that only defecation has occurred (step S110). Here, the details of the process of determining whether or not the image data includes a defecation image are the same as those in step S105 described above.

[0069] On the other hand, if it is determined that the image data does not include a defecation image (NO in step S109), the excrement determining unit 313 determines whether or not the image data includes a urination image showing urination (fourth determination).

[0070] Here, the discharge determination unit 313 may determine whether or not the image data includes a urination image, for example, as follows. First, the discharge determination unit 313 calculates differential image data from the image data acquired in step S103 and the base image data. Next, the discharge determination unit 313 calculates an RGB ratio of the differential image data. Next, the discharge determination unit 313 calculates a distance between the calculated RGB ratio and a predetermined urination standard ratio. Here, the predetermined urination standard ratio is a typical RGB ratio of urination calculated by analyzing a plurality of image data including various urination images. Finally, the discharge determination unit 313 may determine that the image data acquired in step S103 includes a urination image if the calculated distance is equal to or less than the standard distance.

[0071] In step S111, if it is determined that the image data acquired in step S103 includes a urination image (YES in step S111), the excreta determination unit 313 determines that only urination has occurred (step S112). On the other hand, if it is determined that the image data acquired in step S103 does not include a urination image (NO in step S111), no excretion action has occurred, so the process returns to step S101.

[0072] When steps S106, S107, S110, and S112 are completed, the process proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the determination result output unit 314 transmits the discharge history information including the determination result of step S105, S109, or S111 to the server 6 via the communication unit 33.

[0073] For example, when a result of flatus determination is obtained (step S107), discharge history information is generated in which the result of flatus determination, date and time information indicating the date and time when flatus was performed, hydrogen concentration at the time of determination, and identification information are associated with each other. For example, when a result of defecation and flatus determination is obtained (step S108), discharge history information is generated in which the result of defecation and flatus determination, date and time information indicating the date and time when defecation and flatus were performed, hydrogen concentration at the time of determination, and identification information are associated with each other. For example, when it is determined that only defecation was performed (step S110), discharge history information is generated in which the result of defecation determination, date and time information indicating the date and time when defecation was performed, hydrogen concentration at the time of determination, and identification information are associated with each other. For example, when it is determined that urination was performed (step S112), discharge history information is generated in which the result of urination determination, date and time information indicating the date and time when urination was performed, hydrogen concentration at the time of determination, and identification information are associated with each other.

[0074] When step S108 ends, the process returns to step S101. The server 6 that has received the discharge history information stores the discharge history information in the database as discharge history information.

[0075] Thus, according to this embodiment, if the judgment result of the first judgment indicates that the image data does not contain a defecation image and the judgment result of the second judgment indicates that the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is greater than the first reference concentration, it is judged that defecation and flatulence have occurred, so that it can be accurately determined that defecation accompanied by flatulence has occurred.

[0076] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, if the judgment result of the first judgment indicates that the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is greater than the first reference concentration and the judgment result of the second judgment indicates that the image data does not contain a defecation image, it is determined that only flatulence has occurred, so it can be accurately determined that only flatulence has occurred.

[0077] Furthermore, in this configuration, since the first gas sensor 1 is a gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen, it is possible to accurately determine that at least one of defecation and flatulence has occurred even for a person who does not produce odor when defecation or flatulence.

[0078] Furthermore, if the first gas sensor 1 does not detect hydrogen at or above the first reference concentration, it is determined whether or not the person has urinated based on the image data. Therefore, it is possible to detect urination, which is difficult to detect with the first gas sensor 1.

[0079] (Embodiment 2) Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of an emission management system in a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The second embodiment is characterized in that the emission management system further includes a second gas sensor 7 and a third gas sensor 8. In the second embodiment, the same components as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof are omitted. In Fig. 4, blocks whose functions differ from those in the first embodiment are given the suffix A.

[0080] The second gas sensor 7 is a gas sensor sensitive to ammonia. The second gas sensor 7 may transmit sensing data indicating the ammonia concentration detected during the period from when the emitter sits on the toilet seat 102 to when the emitter leaves the toilet seat 102 to the emission determination device 3. However, this is just one example, and the second gas sensor 7 may constantly transmit sensing data indicating the detected ammonia to the emission determination device 3.

[0081] The third gas sensor 8 is a gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen sulfide. The third gas sensor 8 may transmit sensing data indicating the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected during the period from when the emitter sits on the toilet seat 102 to when the emitter leaves the toilet seat 102 to the emission determination device 3. However, this is just one example, and the second gas sensor 7 may constantly transmit sensing data indicating the detected hydrogen sulfide concentration to the emission determination device 3.

[0082] The second gas sensor 7 and the third gas sensor 8 are each disposed, for example, in a sensor unit 105. The second gas sensor 7 and the third gas sensor 8 are each connected to the emission determining device 3A in a wired or wireless manner so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0083] The sensing data acquisition unit 311A ​​acquires, in addition to the sensing data of the first gas sensor 1, sensing data indicating the ammonia concentration around the toilet bowl 101 detected by the second gas sensor 7, and also acquires sensing data indicating the hydrogen sulfide concentration around the toilet bowl 101 detected by the third gas sensor 8.

[0084] The emission determining unit 313A differs from the first embodiment in the fourth determination. That is, when the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is equal to or lower than the first reference concentration, the emission determining unit 313A determines whether or not only urination has occurred based on the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor 7 (fourth determination). Furthermore, when the hydrogen concentration detected by the first gas sensor 1 is equal to or lower than the first reference concentration, the emission determining unit 313A determines whether or not only defecation has occurred based on the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor 8.

[0085] Next, an emission determination process according to the emission determination device 3A according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the emission determination process according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In this flowchart, the same processes as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0086] In step S102A, the sensing data acquisition unit 311A ​​acquires sensing data from the first gas sensor 1, the second gas sensor 7, and the third gas sensor 8, respectively.

[0087] In step S201 following step S104, the emission determination unit 313 determines whether or not the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor 8 is equal to or greater than a third reference concentration. The third reference concentration is, for example, a value that is set in advance based on the detection result of the hydrogen sulfide concentration when the emitter only defecates.

[0088] If the hydrogen sulfide concentration is determined to be equal to or higher than the third standard concentration (YES in step S201), the discharge determining unit 313A determines that only defecation has occurred (step S202). On the other hand, if the hydrogen sulfide concentration is determined to be lower than the third standard concentration (NO in step S201), the process proceeds to step S203.

[0089] In step S203, the discharge determining unit 313A determines whether the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor 7 is equal to or greater than the second reference concentration. If it is determined that the ammonia concentration is equal to or greater than the second reference concentration (YES in step S203), the discharge determining unit 313A determines that only urination has occurred (step S204). For example, the second reference concentration is a value that is preset based on the detection result of the ammonia concentration when the emitter has only urinated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the ammonia concentration is less than the second reference concentration, no excretion action has been performed, and the process returns to step S101. After steps S202 and S204 are completed, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0090] Thus, according to the second embodiment, when the first gas sensor 1 cannot detect hydrogen at or above the first reference concentration, it is determined whether or not urination has occurred based on the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor 7 that detects ammonia and the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor 8 that detects hydrogen sulfide. Therefore, it is possible to detect urination, which is difficult to detect with the first gas sensor 1.

[0091] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, camera 2 is activated only when the first determination is affirmative (YES in step S104), so that power consumption can be reduced.

[0092] (Embodiment 3) 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an excretion management system according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. Embodiment 3 is based on embodiment 1, and is characterized in that the processor 31 further includes a constipation determination unit 316 and a medication state determination unit 317. In embodiment 3, the same components as those in embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0093] The constipation determination unit 316 reads out excretion history information for each excretor from the memory 32, and if the read excretion history information indicates that the excretor's defecation interval is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and that flatulence has occurred continuously within the defecation interval, it determines whether the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration indicated by the excretion history information is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and if it determines that it is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, it determines that the individual is constipated.

[0094] The medication state determination unit 317 calculates the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration based on the discharge history information stored in the memory 32, and determines the medication state of the emitter based on whether the calculated degree of increase is equal to or greater than a third threshold. The medication state indicates whether the emitter is taking the prescribed medicine appropriately. For example, it has been found that when the emitter stops taking medicine such as an antibiotic or a laxative, the hydrogen concentration discharged from the body increases when at least one of defecation and flatus occurs. Therefore, the medication state of the emitter can be determined by monitoring the hydrogen concentration of the emitter.

[0095] 7 is a flowchart of the constipation determination process according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. This flowchart may be executed periodically (for example, daily, weekly, or monthly), or may be executed when the number of pieces of excretion history information of the corresponding excretor stored in the memory 32 increases by a certain amount since the previous execution. In step S301, the constipation determination unit 316 acquires excretion history information for each excretor from the memory 32 based on the identification information. Here, the constipation determination unit 316 may acquire excretion history information from the present to a certain period in the past. The constipation determination process for one excretor will be described below.

[0096] In step S302, the constipation determination unit 316 calculates the defecation interval of each person based on the excretion history information. Here, the constipation determination unit 316 extracts, from the read excretion history information, excretion history information indicating that the excretion behavior is defecation only and excretion history information indicating that the excretion behavior is defecation and flatus. Then, the constipation determination unit 316 calculates the defecation interval by applying a process of calculating the difference between the date and time indicated by the respective date and time information of two pieces of excretion history information that are successive in chronological order to all the extracted excretion history information. As a result, time series data of the defecation interval is obtained.

[0097] In step S303, the constipation determining unit 316 calculates an average defecation interval, which is an average value of defecation intervals.

[0098] In step S304, the constipation determination unit 316 determines whether the average defecation interval is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. If the average defecation interval is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (YES in step S304), the constipation determination unit 316 determines whether flatus is being passed continuously (step S305).

[0099] For example, the constipation determination unit 316 extracts excretion history information in which the excretion behavior during each defecation interval is only flatus. Then, the constipation determination unit 316 calculates the number of flatus occurrences during each defecation interval based on the extracted excretion history information. Next, the constipation determination unit 316 extracts defecation intervals in which the number of flatus occurrences is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (a predetermined value equal to or greater than 2) from among all defecation intervals. Then, if there are a predetermined number or more of the extracted defecation intervals, the constipation determination unit 316 determines that flatus occurrences are continuous. On the other hand, if there is no defecation interval in which the number of flatus occurrences is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, or if there are less than the predetermined number of defecation intervals in which the number of flatus occurrences is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the constipation determination unit 316 determines that flatus occurrences are not continuous.

[0100] If it is determined that flatus is occurring continuously (YES in step S305), the constipation determination unit 316 determines whether the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than a second threshold value (step S306). For example, the constipation determination unit 316 calculates the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration from the hydrogen concentration indicated in the excretion history information from the present to a certain period in the past read in step S301, and if the calculated degree of increase is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, it may determine that the hydrogen concentration has increased by equal to or greater than the second threshold value. Details of the degree of increase will be explained in the medication state determination process described later.

[0101] When it is determined that the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the second threshold value (YES in step S306), the constipation determining unit 316 determines that the person who emits constipation is constipated (step S307).

[0102] In step S308, the constipation determination unit 316 generates constipation notification information indicating that the discharger is constipated, and outputs the constipation notification information via the communication unit 33. In this case, the constipation determination unit 316 may transmit the constipation notification information to, for example, a terminal device carried by a manager of the discharger. For example, the caregiver and family of the discharger may be employed as the manager of the discharger.

[0103] Next, the determination of the medication state will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the medication state determination process according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. This flowchart may be executed periodically (for example, every day, every week, or every month), or may be executed when the number of pieces of discharge history information of the corresponding user stored in the memory 32 increases by a certain amount since the previous execution.

[0104] In step S401, based on the identification information, excretion history information is obtained for each excretor from the memory 32. Here, the constipation determination unit 316 may obtain excretion history information from the present to a certain period in the past. Hereinafter, the medication state determination process for one excretor will be described.

[0105] In step S402, the medication state determination unit 317 determines whether the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than a third threshold value. Here, the medication state determination unit 317 may calculate the degree of increase by subtracting the hydrogen concentration indicated by the oldest discharge history information from the hydrogen concentration indicated by the latest discharge history information among the discharge history information acquired in step S401.

[0106] Alternatively, the medication state determination unit 317 may calculate the degree of increase by subtracting the average hydrogen concentration indicated by the discharge history information in a second period including the oldest from the average hydrogen concentration indicated by the discharge history information in a first period including the latest. The first period corresponds to, for example, a period from the latest date and time to a certain period (e.g., one week, two weeks, one month) ago. The second period corresponds to a period from the oldest date and time to a certain period (e.g., one week, two weeks, one month) after the present.

[0107] Alternatively, the medication state determination unit 317 calculates the increase in hydrogen concentration by subtracting the hydrogen concentration indicated by the previous discharge history information from the hydrogen concentration indicated by the subsequent discharge history information in the extracted discharge history information in chronological order. The medication state determination unit 317 may then apply this process of calculating the increase in hydrogen concentration to all of the discharge history information acquired in step S401, calculate an integrated value by integrating the multiple calculated increase values, and calculate the calculated integrated value as the degree of increase. Note that the increase value takes a negative value when the hydrogen concentration indicated by the subsequent discharge history information in the chronological order is lower than the hydrogen concentration indicated by the previous discharge history information.

[0108] If it is determined that the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the third threshold value (YES in step S402), the medication state determination unit 317 determines that the medication state of the corresponding discharger is a state in which no medication is being taken (non-medication) (step S403).

[0109] In step S404, the medication state determination unit 317 generates medication state information indicating that the discharger has not taken the medicine, and outputs the generated medication state information. Here, the medication state determination unit 317 may transmit the generated medication state information to a terminal device held by the manager of the corresponding discharger via the communication unit 33. This allows the manager to recognize that the discharger has not taken the medicine, and can take appropriate measures to encourage the discharger to take the medicine.

[0110] On the other hand, if it is determined that the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is less than the third threshold value (NO in step S402), the medication status determination unit 317 determines that the medication status of the corresponding discharger is currently taking medication (step S405). If it is determined that the discharger is currently taking medication, the medication status information is not generated and the process ends since the discharger is taking medication without any problems. Note that this is just one example. The medication status determination unit 317 may generate medication status information indicating that the discharger is currently taking medication even when the medication status is currently taking medication, and transmit the information to the terminal device. This allows the administrator of the corresponding discharger to confirm that the discharger is taking medication.

[0111] In this way, according to this embodiment, if it is determined from the excretion history information that the defecation interval is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and flatus has occurred consecutively within the defecation interval, and further, if the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration has changed by equal to or greater than the second threshold value, it is determined that the patient is constipated. Therefore, constipation can be accurately determined.

[0112] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration is calculated based on the discharge history information, and the discharger's medication state is determined based on whether or not this degree of increase is equal to or greater than the third threshold value. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the discharger is taking medication.

[0113] The present disclosure can employ the following modifications.

[0114] (1) The constipation determination unit 316 and the medication state determination unit 317 may be provided in the server 6. In this case, the constipation determination unit 316 provided in the server 6 may determine the presence or absence of constipation using the excretion history information stored in the database of the server 6. In addition, the medication state determination unit 317 provided in the server 6 may determine the medication state using the excretion history information stored in the database of the server 6.

[0115] (2) Although the medication status determination unit 317 has determined the medication status based on the hydrogen concentration, this is only one example, and the medication status may be determined based on the hydrogen sulfide concentration or the ammonia concentration. Details of the process for determining the medication status based on the hydrogen sulfide concentration or the ammonia concentration are the same as the process for determining the medication status based on the hydrogen concentration described above. Furthermore, the medication status determination unit 317 may determine the medication status for each of the hydrogen concentration, the hydrogen sulfide concentration, and the ammonia concentration, and if at least one of the determination results is non-medication, determine that the medication status of the corresponding discharger is non-medication.

[0116] (3) The first threshold used by the constipation determination unit 316 to determine the constipation interval may be a different value for each excretor. In this case, the manager may set the first threshold by determining an appropriate value for the first threshold from the past defecation interval of the corresponding excretor and inputting the determined first threshold into the excretion determination device 3 using an operation device (not shown). Alternatively, the constipation determination unit 316 may calculate the defecation interval of the corresponding excretor in a certain past period based on the excretion history information and set the first threshold based on the calculated defecation interval.

[0117] (4) The second threshold used by the constipation determination unit 316 to determine the degree of increase may be a different value for each emitter. In this case, the manager may determine the value of the second threshold based on the past increasing trend (e.g., rate of increase) of the hydrogen concentration of the emitter, and set the second threshold by inputting the determined second threshold into the emission determination device 3 using an operation device (not shown). Alternatively, the constipation determination unit 316 may calculate the rate of increase of the hydrogen concentration of the emitter over a certain period of time in the past based on the emission history information, and set the second threshold based on the calculated rate of increase. Alternatively, the first reference concentration may be used as the second threshold.

[0118] (5) The third threshold used by the medication state determination unit 317 to determine the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration may be a different value for each emitter. In this case, the manager may determine the value of the third threshold based on the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration of the emitter who is taking medication, and set the third threshold by inputting the determined third threshold to the emission determination device 3 using an operation device (not shown). Alternatively, the medication state determination unit 317 may calculate the degree of increase in hydrogen concentration of the emitter who is taking medication based on the emission history information, and set the third threshold based on the calculated degree of increase. This is the same when hydrogen sulfide or ammonia is used instead of hydrogen in the medication state determination process.

[0119] (6) In the flowcharts of Figures 3 and 5, the processes of steps S102 to S107 and steps S109 to S112 are executed, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the processes of steps S102 to S107 and steps S109 to S112 may be executed regardless of whether or not a person is seated. In this case, the processes of steps S102 to S107 and steps S109 to S112 may be executed at a predetermined control cycle.

[0120] (7) In the flowcharts of Figures 3 and 5, when the determination process of whether the first hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration is affirmative (YES in step S104), a determination process of whether the image data includes a defecation image is performed (step S105), but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the flowchart of Figure 9 may be adopted. Figure 9 is a flowchart of an emission determination process according to a modified example of the present disclosure. This flowchart is characterized in that a determination process of the image data is performed before the determination process of the hydrogen concentration. Note that in this flowchart, the same processes as those in Figures 3 and 5 are denoted by the same reference symbols and will not be described.

[0121] In step S501 following step S103, the discharge determination unit 313 determines whether or not a defecation image is included in the image data. If it is determined that the image data includes a defecation image (YES in step S501), the discharge determination unit 313 determines whether or not the hydrogen concentration is equal to or higher than the first reference concentration (step S502). If it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is equal to or higher than the first reference concentration (YES in step S502), the discharge determination unit 313 determines that defecation and flatulence have occurred (step S503). The first reference concentration set here is a value that is preset based on the detection result of the hydrogen concentration when the person flatulences. On the other hand, if it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is lower than the first reference concentration (NO in step S502), the discharge determination unit 313 determines that only defecation has occurred (step S506).

[0122] If it is determined in step S501 that the image data does not include a defecation image (NO in step S501), the excrement determining unit 313 determines whether the image data includes a urination image (step S504).

[0123] If it is determined that the image data includes a urination image (YES in step S504), the excretion determination unit 313 determines that only urination has occurred (step S508). On the other hand, if it is determined that the image data does not include a urination image (NO in step S504), the excretion determination unit 313 determines whether or not the hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration (step S505). If it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is equal to or greater than the first reference concentration (YES in step S505), the excretion determination unit 313 determines that only flatus has occurred (step S507). On the other hand, if it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is less than the first reference concentration (NO in step S505), the process returns to step S101.

[0124] (8) Although the third embodiment was based on the first embodiment, it may also be based on the second embodiment. [Industrial Applicability]

[0125] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The technology according to the present disclosure is useful as a technology for determining excrement, since it can accurately determine whether or not a person has emitted at least one of flatus and defecation.

Claims

1. An emission determination method for an emission determination device that determines emissions, comprising: The system acquires sensing data detected by a gas sensor installed in the toilet, Acquire image data captured by a camera installed on the toilet bowl so as to be able to photograph a bowl portion of the toilet bowl in the toilet; performing a first determination as to whether or not the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration; performing image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes an image showing defecation; and making a third determination based on a result of the first determination and a result of the second determination to determine that at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred; outputting a determination result of the third determination; Emission determination method.

2. In the third determination, when a determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration is greater than a reference concentration and a determination result of the second determination indicates that the image data includes an image showing the defecation, it is determined that the defecation and the flatus have occurred. The method for determining emissions according to claim 1.

3. In the third determination, when the determination result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration is greater than the reference concentration and the determination result of the second determination indicates that the image data does not include an image showing the defecation, it is determined that only flatulence has occurred. The method for determining emissions according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the gas sensor is a first gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen; The method for determining emissions according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The second determination is performed when the first determination is affirmative. The method for determining emissions according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. the gas sensor includes a first gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen, a second gas sensor sensitive to ammonia, and a third gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen sulfide; and when a result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is equal to or lower than the reference concentration, a fourth determination is executed to determine whether or not defecation or urination has occurred based on the ammonia concentration detected by the second gas sensor and the hydrogen sulfide concentration detected by the third gas sensor. The method for determining emissions according to claim 5.

7. and when a result of the first determination indicates that the gas concentration detected by the gas sensor is equal to or lower than the reference concentration, a fourth determination is executed to determine whether or not defecation or urination has occurred based on the image data. The method for determining emissions according to claim 5.

8. the first determination, the second determination, and the third determination are performed when a seating sensor that detects that the discharger is seated on the toilet bowl detects the seating. The method for determining emissions according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. In the output, emission history information including the determination result, date and time information indicating the date and time when the emission act was performed, and the gas concentration is generated, and the emission history information is stored in a memory; Furthermore, when the discharge history information stored in the memory indicates that the defecation interval is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and that the flatus has been continuously released within the defecation interval, it is determined whether or not the degree of increase in the gas concentration indicated by the discharge history information is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and when it is determined that the degree of increase is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, it is determined that the person who discharges flatus is constipated; and outputting the constipation determination result. The method for determining emissions according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. In the output, emission history information is generated, the emission history information including the determination result of the third determination, date and time information indicating the date and time when the emission act was performed, and the gas concentration, and the emission history information is stored in a memory. Furthermore, the method calculates a degree of increase in the gas concentration based on the discharge history information stored in the memory, and determines a medication state of the discharger based on whether the degree of increase is equal to or greater than a third threshold value; Furthermore, the determination result of the medication state is output. The method for determining emissions according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. An emission determination device for determining emissions, a sensing data acquisition unit that acquires sensing data from a gas sensor installed in the toilet; an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data from a camera installed on the toilet bowl so as to be able to capture an image of a bowl portion of the toilet bowl in the toilet; an excreta determination unit that performs a first determination of whether or not the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration, performs a second determination of whether or not the image data includes an image showing defecation by executing image processing on the image data, and performs a third determination of whether at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred based on a result of the first determination and a result of the second determination; a determination result output unit that outputs a determination result of the third determination, Emission determination device.

12. Sensing data is collected from a gas sensor installed in the toilet. acquiring image data from a camera installed on the toilet bowl so as to be able to photograph a bowl portion of the toilet bowl in the toilet; A first determination is performed to determine whether or not the gas concentration indicated by the sensing data is greater than a reference concentration; performing a second determination by performing image processing on the image data to determine whether the image data includes an image showing defecation; performing a third determination based on a result of the first determination and a result of the second determination to determine that at least one of defecation and flatus has occurred; causing the computer to function to output a determination result of the third determination; Emissions determination program.

Images