Output device, method, and program

Abstract

This output device acquires a plurality of images that have been captured in a time series by a camera installed so as to be capable of imaging the inside of a toilet bowl, extracts an excreta image showing excreta from the plurality of acquired images, extracts a blood image showing blood from the plurality of acquired images, determines a discharge start timing on the basis of time information corresponding to the excreta image, determines a bleeding start timing on the basis of time information corresponding to the blood image, uses the blood image to determine a blood size indicating the size of the blood, generates information including the discharge start timing, the bleeding start timing, and the blood size as excreta information, and outputs the generated excreta information.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for outputting excretion information. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that uses multiple color cameras attached to a toilet seat to photograph stool excreted from a living body before it falls into the water seal, detects the color of the surface of the stool from the photographed image, and monitors the detected color change to identify areas of occult blood in the stool and perform early detection of colon cancer.

[0003] However, in Patent Document 1, since only the change in color of the stool is monitored, it is not possible to distinguish whether the bleeding during excretion is due to trauma such as hemorrhoids, bleeding due to an abnormality in the digestive system such as the large intestine or small intestine, or bleeding due to an abnormality in the bladder or urinary tract. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-4005 A Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide technology that is capable of outputting information necessary to determine whether bleeding during excretion is due to trauma to the anus, etc., or due to an abnormality in the bladder, urinary tract, or digestive system.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the output device is an output device that outputs excretion information, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of images taken in chronological order by a camera installed so as to be able to capture the inside of a toilet bowl, each image including time information indicating the time it was taken, a first extraction unit that extracts an excretion image indicating excretion from the plurality of acquired images, a second extraction unit that extracts a blood image indicating blood from the plurality of acquired images, a first determination unit that, when an excretion image is extracted by the first extraction unit, determines an excretion start timing based on time information corresponding to the excretion image, and a second determination unit that, when a blood image is extracted by the second extraction unit, determines a bleeding start timing based on time information corresponding to the blood image and determines a blood size indicating the size of the blood based on the blood image, and an output unit that generates information including the excretion start timing, the bleeding start timing, and the blood size as the excretion information, and outputs the generated excretion information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an overall configuration of an excrement management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the arrangement positions of a sensor unit and an output device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an output device and a sensor unit shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a server. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a display device. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed by an output device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process performed when the display terminal displays a display screen of excretion information. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a specific area. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a bowl portion with excrement therein; [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display screen displayed on a display terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] (Foundational knowledge of this disclosure) In nursing homes, hospitals, and other facilities, managing the condition of the excrement of users is important for maintaining the health of the users. In particular, early detection of bleeding during excretion is important because it may indicate abnormalities in the digestive system, such as the large intestine, small intestine, and duodenum.

[0009] However, bleeding during excretion may be due to trauma near the anus, such as hemorrhoids, and is not necessarily due to an abnormality in the digestive system. Also, bleeding due to trauma is not as serious as bleeding due to an abnormality in the digestive system. Therefore, if bleeding is uniformly assumed to be due to an abnormality in the digestive system, appropriate treatment cannot be performed and the user's anxiety will be unnecessarily aroused. To prevent such a situation, it is necessary to distinguish the types of bleeding during excretion.

[0010] When there is an abnormality in the digestive system, a large amount of blood that has accumulated in the digestive system is excreted all at once before the feces is excreted from the anus. On the other hand, when there is an injury such as hemorrhoids, blood is excreted after the feces is excreted from the anus, and the amount of blood is not as large as in the case of an abnormality in the digestive system. This is because bleeding due to an injury is caused by the feces damaging the anus as it passes through it.

[0011] Furthermore, if there is an abnormality in the bladder or urinary tract, it may lead to heavy bleeding when urinating.

[0012] In Patent Document 1, the change in stool color is monitored, but the timing of the start of excretion, the timing of the start of bleeding, and the size of blood are not monitored. Therefore, it is not possible to distinguish whether bleeding during excretion is due to trauma such as hemorrhoids or due to an abnormality in the digestive system.

[0013] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide technology that is capable of outputting information necessary to determine whether bleeding during excretion is due to trauma to the anus, etc., or due to an abnormality in the bladder, urinary tract, or digestive system.

[0014] An output device in one aspect of the present disclosure is an output device that outputs excretion information, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of images taken in chronological order by a camera installed so as to be able to capture the inside of a toilet bowl, each image including time information indicating the time it was taken, a first extraction unit that extracts an excretion image indicating excretion from the plurality of acquired images, a second extraction unit that extracts a blood image indicating blood from the plurality of acquired images, a first determination unit that, when an excretion image is extracted by the first extraction unit, determines an excretion start timing based on time information corresponding to the excretion image, and a second determination unit that, when a blood image is extracted by the second extraction unit, determines a bleeding start timing based on time information corresponding to the blood image and determines a blood size indicating the size of the blood based on the blood image, and an output unit that generates information including the excretion start timing, the bleeding start timing, and the blood size as the excretion information, and outputs the generated excretion information.

[0015] According to this configuration, a camera installed so as to be able to capture the inside of the toilet bowl captures multiple images in chronological order, excrement images showing excrement are extracted from the multiple acquired images, blood images showing blood are extracted from the multiple acquired images, the excretion start timing is determined based on the extracted excretion images, the bleeding start timing and blood size are determined from the extracted blood images, and excretion information including the excretion start timing, bleeding start timing, and blood size is output.

[0016] This allows the person in charge of excreting to check the relationship between the start of excretion and the start of bleeding, as well as the blood size, from the excretion information, and to distinguish the type of bleeding from the check results. Therefore, this configuration can output information required to determine whether bleeding during excretion is due to trauma to the anus, etc., or due to an abnormality in the bladder, urinary tract, or digestive system.

[0017] In the above output device, the second determination section may further determine a color of the blood based on the blood image, and the excretion information may include color information indicating the determined color of the blood.

[0018] According to this configuration, the color of the excrement is displayed, so that it is possible to output not only the type of bleeding but also information that is useful for understanding the illness of the excrement person.

[0019] In the above output device, the first determination unit may determine the type of excrement based on a color of the blood and a size of the blood, and the excretion information may include the determined type of excrement.

[0020] According to this configuration, the type of excrement determined based on the color and size of the blood is output, so that it is possible to present the type of excrement that is useful in understanding the illness of the excrement person.

[0021] In the above output device, the types of excrement may include red stool and black stool.

[0022] For example, in the case of a large intestine abnormality, red stool containing bright red blood is excreted, while in the case of an abnormality in the digestive system, such as the small intestine and duodenum, which are located further back than the large intestine, black stool containing dark blood is excreted. With this configuration, whether the excretion is red or black is displayed, making it possible to output information that is useful in identifying the location of bleeding.

[0023] In the above output device, the second extraction section may extract, as the blood image, a region in the plurality of images in which a predetermined number or more of pixels each having a predetermined pixel value indicating blood are consecutive.

[0024] With this configuration, an area where a predetermined number or more of consecutive pixels having a predetermined pixel value indicating blood are extracted as a blood image, thereby preventing, for example, small objects or noise that have a similar color to blood but are unlikely to be blood from being extracted as a blood image.

[0025] In the above output device, the second determination unit may determine a shape of the blood based on the blood image, and the excretion information may include shape information indicating a shape of the blood.

[0026] According to this configuration, the shape of the blood is displayed, and useful information for the manager to determine whether the excretor has an illness can be output.

[0027] In the above output device, the shape of the blood may include a line shape and a dot shape.

[0028] For example, if there is a polyp in the digestive system, stool containing blood in stripes may be excreted, whereas if there is hemorrhoids, stool with blood spots may be excreted. With this configuration, shape information indicating whether the shape of the excrement is linear or spot-like is output, so that information useful for accurately determining whether there is a polyp or hemorrhoid can be output.

[0029] In the above output device, the first extraction unit may extract a specific area, which is a predetermined area including a drain outlet of the toilet, from each of the plurality of images, and extract the excrement image from the specific area.

[0030] According to this configuration, it is possible to extract excrement images by focusing on a specific area including a drain outlet where excrement is likely to be present, thereby making it possible to improve the efficiency of processing.

[0031] In the above output device, the second extraction unit may extract a specific area, which is a predetermined area including a drain outlet of the toilet, in each of the plurality of images, and extract the blood image in the specific area.

[0032] According to this configuration, it is possible to extract blood images by focusing on a specific area including the drain outlet where blood is likely to be present, thereby making it possible to improve the efficiency of processing.

[0033] In the above output device, the output unit may output the excretion information to a server when it determines that the excretor has left the seat based on seating data output from a seating sensor that detects the excretor sitting on the toilet bowl.

[0034] According to this configuration, when leaving the seat is detected, the excretion information is output, so that the communication load can be reduced and the excretion information can be output efficiently compared to a mode in which the excretion information is output for each image. Also, it is possible to have the server manage the excretion information, which saves memory resources of the output device.

[0035] A method in another aspect of the present disclosure is a method in an output device that outputs excretion information, which acquires a plurality of images taken sequentially by a camera installed so as to be able to capture the inside of a toilet bowl, each image including time information indicating the time it was taken, extracts an excretion image indicating excretion from the plurality of acquired images, extracts a blood image indicating blood from the plurality of acquired images, and when an excretion image is extracted, determines an excretion start timing based on the time information corresponding to the excretion image, and when a blood image is extracted, determines a bleeding start timing based on the time information corresponding to the blood image and determines a blood size indicating the size of the blood based on the blood image, and outputs information including the excretion start timing, the bleeding start timing, and the blood size as the excretion information.

[0036] According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a method that can achieve the same effects as those of the above-mentioned output device.

[0037] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a program is provided in an output device that outputs excretion information, causing a processor of the output device to execute a process of acquiring a plurality of images taken sequentially by a camera installed so as to be able to capture the inside of a toilet bowl, each image including time information indicating the time the image was taken, extracting an excretion image indicating excretion from the plurality of acquired images, extracting a blood image indicating blood from the plurality of acquired images, when an excretion image is extracted, determining an excretion start timing based on the time information corresponding to the excretion image, when a blood image is extracted, determining a bleeding start timing based on the time information corresponding to the blood image and determining a blood size indicating the size of the blood based on the blood image, and outputting information including the excretion start timing, the bleeding start timing, and the blood size as the excretion information.

[0038] According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a program that can achieve the same effects as those of the above-mentioned output device.

[0039] Needless to say, this disclosure allows such a program to be distributed via a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a communication network such as the Internet.

[0040] 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.

[0041] (Embodiment) 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an excrement management system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The excrement management system 1 is a system introduced into facilities such as elderly care facilities and hospitals, and manages the state of excrement of users who use the facilities. The users are, for example, care recipients receiving care in elderly care facilities and patients receiving treatment in hospitals.

[0042] The excrement management system 1 includes an output device 2, a server 3, a display device 4, and a sensor unit 5. The output device 2, the server 3, and the display device 4 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network NT. The network NT is a wide area communication network including, for example, the Internet communication network and a mobile phone communication network. The output device 2 and the sensor unit 5 are installed on the toilet bowl and connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a communication path 6. The communication path 6 is, for example, a short-range wireless communication path such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, and NFC. Note that the communication path 6 may be a wired communication path.

[0043] The output device 2 acquires the sensing data acquired by the sensor unit 5 via the communication path 6. The output device 2 analyzes the sensing data to generate excretion information described later, and transmits the generated excretion information to the server 3. The server 3 generates excretion history information including the received excretion information, and stores the information in an excretion history database described later. The display device 4 acquires the excretion history information from the server 3 via the network NT as necessary, generates a display image described later from the excretion history information, and displays the generated display image on the display. The sensing data includes image and seating data described later.

[0044] The server 3 is, for example, a cloud server including one or more computers. The display device 4 is, for example, a computer owned by an administrator. The display device 4 may be, for example, a stationary computer, a smartphone, or a tablet computer. The administrator is, for example, a caregiver for the person being cared for, a care manager, or a doctor in charge of the treatment of the patient.

[0045] Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement positions of the sensor unit 5 and the output device 2 in the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 2, the toilet 101 includes a bowl portion 101a and an edge portion 101b. The edge portion 101b is disposed at the upper end of the toilet 101 and is a member that defines the opening of the toilet 101. The bowl portion 101a is disposed below the edge portion 101b and is a member that receives excrement. The sensor unit 5 is hung on the edge portion 101b.

[0046] A drain port (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the bowl portion 101a. Excrement discharged into the bowl portion 101a is flushed through the drain port into a sewer pipe. In other words, the toilet 101 is a flush toilet. A toilet seat 102 on which a user sits is provided at the top of the toilet 101. The toilet seat 102 rotates up and down. The user sits with the toilet seat 102 lowered over the toilet 101. A water storage tank 103 is provided behind the toilet 101 to store flush water for flushing excrement into the sewer system.

[0047] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the output device 2 and the sensor unit 5 shown in FIG. 1. The sensor unit 5 includes a camera 51 and a seating sensor 52. The camera 51 is installed on the toilet 101 so that the bowl portion 101a can be photographed. The camera 51 is, for example, a high-sensitivity, wide-angle camera that can capture a color image having three color components of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). However, this is only one example, and the camera 51 may be a monochrome camera. 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 51. Specifically, the camera 51 is composed of a high-sensitivity camera having a 1 / 4-inch CMOS. The camera 51 is configured as a wide-angle camera with a horizontal angle of view of 120 degrees and a vertical angle of view of 100 degrees. Note that these numerical values ​​of the number of inches and the number of angles of view are merely examples, and other values ​​may be adopted. The camera 51 captures the inside of the bowl section 101a at a predetermined frame rate, includes time information indicating the time of capture in the obtained image, and transmits the image including the time information to the output device 2. The time information is information including the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second, such as, for example, April 1, 2021, 15:00:00. However, this is only an example, and the time information may be information including the hour, minute, and second.

[0048] The seating sensor 52 detects whether or not the user is sitting on the toilet seat 102. The seating sensor 52 includes, for example, 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 user 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 user is sitting on the toilet seat 102 using the illuminance sensor and the distance sensor. Note that the seating sensor 52 may be configured with a pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the user sitting on the toilet seat 102, instead of the illuminance sensor and the distance sensor. When the seating sensor 52 is configured with a pressure sensor, the seating sensor 52 is provided on the toilet seat 102. The seating sensor 52 may also be configured with either an illuminance sensor or a distance sensor. The seating sensor 52 detects whether or not the user is seated at a predetermined sampling rate, and constantly outputs seating data indicating the detection result to the output device 2.

[0049] The output device 2 includes a communication circuit 21, a processor 22, and a memory 23. The communication circuit 21 is a communication circuit that connects the output device 2 to the network NT and the communication path 6. The communication circuit 21 receives images transmitted from the camera 51 at a predetermined frame rate. The predetermined frame rate has any value within a range of, for example, 1 to 120 fps. The communication circuit 21 receives seating data transmitted from the seating sensor 52 at a predetermined sampling rate. In addition, the communication circuit 21 transmits excretion information to the server 3.

[0050] The processor 22 is composed of, for example, a central processing unit, and includes an acquisition unit 221, a first extraction unit 222, a second extraction unit 223, a first determination unit 224, a second determination unit 225, and an output unit 226. Note that the acquisition unit 221 to the output unit 226 may be realized by the processor 22 executing a predetermined program, or may be composed of a dedicated hardware circuit.

[0051] The acquisition unit 221 acquires a plurality of images captured in time series by the camera 51 using the communication circuit 21. The acquisition unit 221 also acquires seating data using the communication circuit 21.

[0052] The first extraction unit 222 extracts an excrement image showing excrement from the multiple images acquired by the acquisition unit 221. Here, the first extraction unit 222 may extract, as an excrement image, an area in which a predetermined number or more of pixels having a predetermined pixel value showing excrement are consecutive in each of the multiple images. The excrement includes feces and urine. However, in the following description, for convenience of explanation, the excrement is described as feces. The "pixel having a predetermined pixel value showing excrement" refers to, for example, a pixel having a pixel value within a predetermined range for the pixel value of each color component showing excrement. The color components are, for example, R (red), G (green), and B (blue). The "pixel value of each color component" refers to the pixel value of R, the pixel value of G, and the pixel value of B. Hereinafter, the "pixel value of each color component" is described as the "RGB value". The predetermined range refers to a predetermined range of RGB values ​​that can be considered as excrement. The "predetermined number" refers to the number of pixels that corresponds to the minimum size that can be regarded as excrement.

[0053] The second extraction unit 223 extracts blood images indicative of blood from the multiple images acquired by the acquisition unit 221. Here, the second extraction unit 223 may extract, as a blood image, an area in which a predetermined number or more of pixels having a predetermined RGB value indicative of blood are consecutive in a specific area of ​​the multiple images. "Pixels having a predetermined RGB value indicative of blood" refers to, for example, pixels having an RGB value within a predetermined range for the predetermined RGB value indicative of blood. The predetermined range refers to a predetermined range of RGB values ​​that can be regarded as blood. Note that in an injury such as hemorrhoids, blood is distributed in dots. Therefore, multiple blood images may be extracted from one image.

[0054] When an excrement image is extracted by the first extraction unit 222, the first determination unit 224 determines the excretion start timing based on time information corresponding to the extracted excrement image. "Time information corresponding to the excrement image" refers to time information included in the image from which the excrement image is extracted.

[0055] When a blood image is extracted by the second extraction unit 223, the second determination unit 225 determines the bleeding start timing based on the time information corresponding to the blood image extracted by the first extraction unit 222, and also determines the blood size indicating the size of the blood based on the blood image. "Time information corresponding to the bleeding image" refers to the time information included in the image from which the bleeding image is extracted.

[0056] The output unit 226 generates excretion information including the excretion start timing, the bleeding start timing, and the blood size. The output unit 226 assigns a timestamp and a user ID to the generated excretion information, and outputs the excretion information with the timestamp and the user ID assigned to it to the server 3 using the communication circuit 21. The timestamp includes the excretion start date and time and the excretion end date and time. The user ID is an identifier that identifies the excretor. The user ID may be, for example, data input by the user when sitting down, or may be data predetermined for the toilet 101.

[0057] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 3. The server 3 includes a communication circuit 31, a processor 32, and a memory 33. The communication circuit 31 connects the server 3 to the network NT. The processor 32 is composed of, for example, a CPU, and is responsible for overall control of the server 3. For example, the processor 32 acquires excretion information from the output device 2 using the communication circuit 31, generates excretion history information from the received excretion information, and stores the generated excretion history information in the excretion history database 331. The excretion history information includes a user ID, a timestamp, and excretion information.

[0058] The memory 33 is configured with a non-volatile storage device such as a solid state drive or a hard disk drive, and stores an excretion history database 331. The excretion history database 331 is a database that stores one piece of excretion history information in one record.

[0059] 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the display device 4. The display device 4 includes a communication circuit 41, a processor 42, a memory 43, a display 44, and an operation unit 45. The communication circuit 41 connects the display device 4 to the network NT. The communication circuit 41 receives excretion history information from the server 3.

[0060] The processor 42 is composed of, for example, a CPU, acquires the excretion history information transmitted from the server 3 using the communication circuit 41, generates a display image based on the excretion information included in the acquired excretion history information, and displays the generated display image on the display 44. This allows the administrator to check the excretion information of the user.

[0061] The memory 43 is configured by a non-volatile rewritable storage device such as a flash memory.

[0062] The display 44 is configured with a display device such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL panel.

[0063] The operation unit 45 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc., and receives instructions from the user.

[0064] The above is the configuration of the excrement management system 1. Next, a description will be given of the processing of the excrement management system 1. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the output device 2 in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] In step S1, the acquisition unit 221 determines whether or not the user is seated on the toilet bowl 101 based on the seating data. For example, the seating data includes "ON" data indicating that the user is seated when the user is seated. Also, the seating data includes "OFF" data indicating that the user is not seated when the user is not seated. Therefore, if the seating data includes "ON" data, the acquisition unit 221 may determine that the user is seated, and if the seating data includes "OFF" data, the acquisition unit 221 may determine that the user is not seated.

[0066] If it is determined that the user is seated on the toilet bowl 101 (YES in step S1), the acquisition unit 221 acquires an image from the camera 51 (step S2). On the other hand, if it is determined that the user is not seated on the toilet bowl 101 (NO in step S1), the process waits in step S1.

[0067] In step S3, the first extraction unit 222 extracts a specific area from the image acquired in step S2. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a specific area 80. As shown in Fig. 8, the specific area 80 is a rectangular area in image G1 that includes all or part of the drain outlet 104. In image G1, the coordinates of the specific area 80 are determined in advance based on the mounting position and angle of view of the camera 51. This makes it possible to extract excrement images and blood images by focusing on areas that are likely to contain excrement and blood, thereby improving the efficiency of processing.

[0068] In step S4, the first extraction unit 222 extracts, as an excrement image, a region in the specific area 80 where a predetermined number or more of pixels having a predetermined RGB value indicating excrement appear consecutively. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the bowl portion 101a in a state where excrement 701 is present. In the example of FIG. 9, excrement 701 is excreted near the drain outlet 104. Because the excretor is bleeding, there is blood 702 in approximately the center of the excrement 701. In an image captured in this state, a predetermined number or more of pixels having a predetermined RGB value indicating excrement 701 appear consecutively. Thus, an excrement image showing excrement 701 is extracted from this image.

[0069] Returning to Fig. 6, in step S5, second extraction unit 223 extracts, as a blood image, an area in specific area 80 where a predetermined number or more of pixels having a predetermined RGB value indicating blood are consecutive. In the example of Fig. 9, blood 702 is present in approximately the center of excrement 701, and therefore, in an image captured of this state, a predetermined number or more of pixels having a predetermined RGB value indicating blood 702 appear consecutively. Therefore, a blood image indicating blood 702 is extracted from this image.

[0070] In step S6, the output unit 226 determines whether the user has left the seat based on the seating data. Here, the output unit 226 may determine that the user has left the seat when the data included in the seating data changes from "ON" data to "OFF" data.

[0071] If it is not determined that the passenger has left the seat (NO in step S6), the process returns to step S2, and steps S2 to S5 are executed for the next image. On the other hand, if it is determined that the passenger has left the seat (YES in step S6), the process proceeds to step S7.

[0072] In step S7, the first determination unit 224 determines whether or not an excrement image has been extracted by the process of step S4. If an excrement image has been extracted (YES in step S7), the process proceeds to step S8, and if an excrement image has not been extracted (NO in step S7), the process proceeds to step S9.

[0073] In step S8, the first determination unit 224 determines the excretion start timing based on time information corresponding to excretion images extracted from images acquired during the period from when the user sits down to when the user leaves the seat (hereinafter referred to as the "excretion period"). Here, the first determination unit 224 may determine, as the excretion start timing, the earliest photographing time among the photographing times indicated by the time information corresponding to one or more excretion images extracted during the excretion period.

[0074] In step S9, second determination unit 225 determines whether or not a blood image has been extracted by the process of step S5. If a blood image has been extracted (YES in step S9), the process proceeds to step S10, and if a blood image has not been extracted (NO in step S9), the process proceeds to step S15.

[0075] In step S10, the second determination unit 225 determines the bleeding start timing based on the time information corresponding to the blood images extracted from the images acquired during the excretion period. Here, the second determination unit 225 determines the earliest imaging time among the imaging times indicated by the time information corresponding to the blood images extracted during the excretion period as the bleeding start timing.

[0076] In step S11, the second determination unit 225 counts the number of pixels of the blood image extracted from the image acquired during the excretion period, and determines the counted number of pixels as the blood size. Here, when blood images are extracted from multiple images acquired during the excretion period, the second determination unit 225 may determine the blood size for each of the multiple images. Note that, when multiple blood images are extracted from a single target image, the second determination unit 225 may determine the total number of pixels of the multiple blood images as the blood size.

[0077] In step S12, the second determination unit 225 determines the color of blood based on the blood images extracted from the images acquired during the excretion period. Here, when blood images are extracted from a plurality of images acquired during the excretion period, the second determination unit 225 may determine the color of blood for each of the plurality of images.

[0078] In this embodiment, blood colors are divided into a first color group including a plurality of reference colors indicating red stool and a second color group including a plurality of reference colors indicating black stool. The memory 23 stores RGB values ​​of each of the reference colors constituting the first color group. The memory 23 also stores RGB values ​​of each of the reference colors constituting the second color group. The second determination unit 225 may determine the blood color as follows.

[0079] First, the second determination unit 225 calculates an RGB average value, which is the average value of the RGB values ​​of each pixel constituting the blood image extracted from the target image. Here, the RGB average value is composed of the average values ​​of R, G, and B of the pixels constituting the blood image. Next, the second determination unit 225 determines, as the color of blood, a reference color that is closest to the calculated RGB average value among the reference colors stored in the memory 23. For example, the second determination unit 225 may determine, as the color of blood, a reference color that has a minimum distance (e.g., Euclidean distance) between the calculated RGB average value and the RGB values ​​of each reference color stored in the memory 23.

[0080] In step S13, the first determination unit 224 determines the type of excrement based on the size of the blood determined in step S11 and the color of the blood determined in step S12. Here, when blood images are extracted from a plurality of images acquired during the excretion period, the first determination unit 224 may determine the type of excrement for each of the plurality of images.

[0081] There are two types of excrement: red stool and black stool. Red stool is bright red stool excreted due to an abnormality in the large intestine. Black stool is dark red stool excreted due to an abnormality in the digestive system deeper than the large intestine, such as the small intestine and duodenum. Red stool and black stool have a size equal to or larger than a predetermined standard size. Therefore, the first determination unit 224 may determine that the stool is red when the size of the blood is equal to or larger than the standard size and the color of the blood has the standard color of the first color group. The first determination unit 224 may determine that the stool is black when the size of the blood is equal to or larger than the standard size and the color of the blood has the standard color of the second color group.

[0082] In step S14, the second determination unit 225 determines the shape of blood from the blood image extracted during the excretion period. The determined shape of blood includes dots and lines. When there is a polyp in the digestive system, line-shaped blood may appear in the excretion. Also, in the case of an injury such as hemorrhoids, dot-shaped blood may appear in the excretion. Therefore, if at least one blood image extracted during the excretion period has a line-shaped shape, the second determination unit 225 may determine that the shape of blood is line-shaped. Also, if at least one blood image extracted during the excretion period has a dot-shaped shape, the second determination unit 225 may determine that the shape of blood is dot-shaped. For example, the second determination unit 225 may apply a circumscribing rectangle to the blood image, calculate the ratio of the second side to the first side of the circumscribing rectangle, and if the calculated ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio indicating a line-shaped shape, determine that the shape of blood is line-shaped. The first side is a side longer than the second side. Furthermore, when one or more blood images having a predetermined size or smaller are extracted from the target image, the second determination section 225 may determine that the shape of the blood is dot-like.

[0083] In step S15, the output unit 226 generates excretion information including the presence or absence of bleeding, excretion start timing, bleeding start timing, blood color, excretion type, and blood shape. If the determination in step S9 is YES, the output unit 226 may include the presence of bleeding in the excretion information, and if the determination in step S9 is NO, the output unit 226 may include excretion information indicating no bleeding.

[0084] In step S16, the output unit 226 assigns a user ID and a time stamp to the generated excretion information, and transmits the excretion information with the user ID and the time stamp assigned thereto to the server 3 using the communication circuit 21.

[0085] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when the display device 4 displays a display screen of excretion information. In step S20, the processor 42 transmits an acquisition request for excretion history information to the server 3 using the communication circuit 41. Here, the administrator starts a predetermined application to display a predetermined input screen on the display 44, and operates the operation unit 45 to input necessary information on this input screen. The processor 42 generates an acquisition request including the input necessary information and transmits it to the server 3. The necessary information includes, for example, a user ID and a period of the excretion history information to be acquired. The server 3 that receives this acquisition request acquires excretion history information corresponding to the user ID and period included in the acquisition request from the excretion history database 331, and transmits the acquired excretion history information to the display device 4.

[0086] In step S21, the processor 42 acquires excretion history information using the communication circuit 41. This allows the processor 42 to acquire excretion information for a corresponding period of a user having a corresponding user ID. Here, it is assumed that excretion information corresponding to a certain one excretion is acquired.

[0087] In step S22, the processor 42 generates a display screen based on the excretion information, and in step S23, the processor 42 displays the display screen on the display 44.

[0088] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display screen 900 displayed on the display 44 of the display device 4. The display screen 900 includes display fields 901 to 909. The display field 901 displays the name of the corresponding user. The display field 902 displays the excretion date and time. The display field 903 displays the presence or absence of bleeding. Here, since the excretion information includes information on the presence of bleeding, "bleeding" is written. The display field 904 displays the timing of the start of bleeding. The display field 905 displays the timing of the start of excretion. The display field 906 displays the color of the stool (excrement). Here, when blood images are extracted from a plurality of images during the excretion period, the display field 906 may display the reference color with the highest frequency among the reference colors indicating the color of blood corresponding to the plurality of images. In addition, the display field 906 may switch the color of blood to be displayed among the colors of blood corresponding to the plurality of images according to an operation from an administrator. Furthermore, the display field 906 may automatically switch the color of blood to be displayed among the colors of blood corresponding to the plurality of images. Here, a panel showing the color of the excrement is displayed, allowing the user to easily check the color of the excrement.

[0089] Display field 907 displays the type of excrement (feces). In this case, the type of stool was red, so "red stool" is displayed. When blood images are extracted from a plurality of images during the excretion period, display field 907 may display the type of excrement that appears most frequently among the types of excrement corresponding to the plurality of images. In addition, when a mode of switching the color of the stool displayed in display field 906 is adopted, display field 907 may switch the type of stool to be displayed in conjunction with the switching.

[0090] The shape of the blood is displayed in a display field 908. In this example, since the shape of the blood does not correspond to either a line or a dot, the display field 908 is blank.

[0091] The display field 909 displays the blood size. When blood images are extracted from a plurality of images during the excretion period, the display field 909 may display the average value of the blood sizes corresponding to the plurality of images as the blood size. In addition, when a mode of switching the color of the stool displayed in the display field 906 is adopted, the display field 909 may switch the color of the blood to be displayed in conjunction with the switching.

[0092] The display screen 900 displays the bleeding start timing and the excretion start timing. Therefore, if the bleeding start timing is before the excretion start timing and the blood size is large, the administrator can determine that the bleeding is caused by an abnormality in the digestive system. Furthermore, in this case, the administrator can determine whether the bleeding is occurring in the large intestine or deeper than the large intestine by referring to the type of excretion (feces) displayed in the display field 907 and the color of the excretion (feces) displayed in the display field 906.

[0093] On the other hand, if the bleeding start timing is after the excretion start timing and the blood size is small, the administrator can determine that the bleeding is caused by an injury such as hemorrhoids.

[0094] Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to present to the administrator information necessary to determine whether bleeding during excretion is due to trauma or due to an abnormality in the digestive system.

[0095] The present disclosure can employ the following modifications.

[0096] (1) In the above embodiment, red and black feces are shown as types of excrement, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the types of excrement may include green and white feces. In this case, the first determination unit 224 may determine that the type of excrement is green feces when the distance between the color of the excrement image extracted by the first extraction unit 222 and the predetermined reference color indicating green feces stored in the memory 23 is equal to or less than a threshold value. Also, the first determination unit 224 may determine that the type of excrement is white feces when the distance between the color of the excrement image extracted by the first extraction unit 222 and the predetermined reference color indicating white feces stored in the memory 23 is equal to or less than a threshold value. White feces may be excreted when infected with rotavirus. Green feces may be excreted when infected with colon virus.

[0097] (2) In the above embodiment, when the server 3 receives excretion information including a blood size equal to or larger than a predetermined size indicating an abnormality in the digestive system, the server 3 may transmit alert information to the display device 4 of the administrator who manages the corresponding user. The alert information may be transmitted by push notification. The display device 4 that receives the alert information transmits the alert information by push notification. This allows the administrator to quickly grasp the abnormality of the corresponding user and take appropriate measures.

[0098] (3) In the above embodiment, the output unit 226 may include an image of the specific area 80 acquired during the excretion period in the excretion information. In this case, the display device 4 that receives this excretion information may display the images of the specific area 80 included in the received excretion information by switching them in chronological order on the display screen 900. Furthermore, in this case, the display device 4 may vary the color of the stool displayed in the display field 906 in conjunction with the switching of the images of the specific area 80 displayed on the display screen 900.

[0099] (4) In the above embodiment, the excrement may be urine. In this case, the excretion start timing may be the excretion start timing of urine. Furthermore, when the excretion includes urine and feces, the first determination unit 224 may determine the excretion start timing of each of the urine and feces. The first extraction unit 222 extracts, as a urine image, an area in which a predetermined number of pixels having a predetermined RGB value indicating urine are present consecutively in the image acquired by the camera 51. When a urine image is extracted, the first determination unit 224 may determine, as the urination start timing, the earliest shooting time among the shooting times indicated by the corresponding time information among the urine images extracted during the excretion period.

[0100] (5) The output unit 226 may generate information indicating which of the excretion start timing and the bleeding start timing occurs first, and include the information in the excretion information. In this case, the output unit 226 may generate information indicating how much earlier each timing is, and include the information in the excretion information.

[0101] (6) In the flowchart of Fig. 6, if an excrement image is not detected (NO in step S7) and a blood image is extracted (step S9), the second determination unit 225 may determine that there is a high possibility of hematuria. In this case, the output unit 226 may include information indicating that there is a high possibility of hematuria in the excretion information. This makes it possible to output information required to determine an abnormality in the bladder or urinary tract.

Claims

1. An output device that outputs excretion information, an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of images taken in time series by a camera installed so as to be able to capture the inside of the toilet bowl, each image including time information indicating the time of the image being taken; a first extraction unit that extracts an excrement image showing excrement from the plurality of acquired images; a second extraction unit that extracts a blood image showing blood from the plurality of acquired images; a first determination unit that, when an excretion image is extracted by the first extraction unit, determines an excretion start timing based on time information corresponding to the excretion image; a second determination unit that, when a blood image is extracted by the second extraction unit, determines a bleeding start timing based on time information corresponding to the blood image and determines a blood size indicating a size of the blood based on the blood image; an output unit that generates information including the excretion start timing, the bleeding start timing, and the blood size as the excretion information and outputs the generated excretion information. Output device.

2. The second determination unit further determines a color of the blood based on the blood image, The excretion information includes color information indicating the determined color of the blood.

2. The output device according to claim 1.

3. The first determination unit determines the type of the excrement based on the color and the size of the blood, The excretion information includes the determined type of excretion.

3. The output device according to claim 2.

4. The types of excrement include red stool and black stool; 4. The output device according to claim 3.

5. The second extraction unit extracts, from the plurality of images, an area in which a predetermined number or more of pixels having a predetermined pixel value indicating blood are consecutive, as the blood image.

5. The output device according to claim 1.

6. The second determination unit determines a shape of the blood based on the blood image, The excretion information includes shape information indicating a shape of the blood.

6. The output device according to claim 1.

7. The shape of the blood includes lines and dots.

7. The output device according to claim 6.

8. the first extraction unit extracts a specific area, which is a predetermined area including a drain outlet of the toilet, from each of the plurality of images, and extracts the excrement image from the specific area; 8. The output device according to claim 1.

9. the second extraction unit extracts a specific area, which is a predetermined area including a drain outlet of the toilet, from each of the plurality of images, and extracts the blood image from the specific area; 9. The output device according to claim 1.

10. the output unit outputs the excretion information to a server when it is determined that the excretor has left the seat based on seating data output from a seating sensor that detects the excretor sitting on the toilet bowl.

10. The output device according to claim 1.

11. A method for an output device that outputs excretion information, comprising: A camera is installed so as to be able to photograph the inside of the toilet bowl, and sequentially captures a plurality of images, each of which includes time information indicating the time of photographing; extracting excrement images showing excrement from the plurality of acquired images; extracting blood images showing blood from the plurality of acquired images; When the excretion image is extracted, an excretion start timing is determined based on time information corresponding to the excretion image; When the blood image is extracted, a bleeding start timing is determined based on time information corresponding to the blood image, and a blood size indicating a size of the blood is determined based on the blood image; outputting information including the excretion start timing, the bleeding start timing, and the blood size as the excretion information; method.

12. A program in an output device that outputs excretion information, a processor of the output device, A camera is installed so as to be able to photograph the inside of the toilet bowl, and sequentially captures a plurality of images, each of which includes time information indicating the time of photographing; extracting excrement images showing excrement from the plurality of acquired images; extracting blood images showing blood from the plurality of acquired images; When the excretion image is extracted, an excretion start timing is determined based on time information corresponding to the excretion image; When the blood image is extracted, a bleeding start timing is determined based on time information corresponding to the blood image, and a blood size indicating a size of the blood is determined based on the blood image; outputting information including the excretion start timing, the bleeding start timing, and the blood size as the excretion information; program.

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