Notification system and method

Abstract

To provide a notification system and a notification method capable of notifying of a behavior of a person in a room by correctly monitoring the behavior.SOLUTION: A notification system includes: an acquisition section for acquiring measurement results of sensors to measure a carbon dioxide concentration; a storage section for storing a history of the measurement results acquired by the acquisition section; a monitoring section for performing first monitoring to monitor a behavior of a person in a room based on the measurement results and a measurement time newly acquired by the acquisition section and the history preserved in the storage section; and a notification section for notifying of the monitoring results by the monitoring section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification system and a notification method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technologies for monitoring elderly people or children in buildings such as houses have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication 2012-73989A) discloses a life crisis detection device that monitors whether a person or a pet is in a life-threatening state. That is, the life crisis detection device determines that a person or a pet is present when there is a change in the amount of change detected by a sensor that detects the amount of change in infrared light, monitors the elapsed time until the amount of infrared light detected by the sensor that detects the amount of infrared light falls below a predetermined value, and determines that the person or pet is in a life-threatening state when the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-73989 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when monitoring the condition of a person being monitored based on the amount of change in infrared light detected by an infrared sensor, as in the life-threat detection device described in Patent Document 1, there may be areas in the room where the infrared light does not reach, i.e. blind spots, and there is a risk that the condition of the person being monitored cannot be accurately determined.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a notification system and notification method that can more accurately monitor and notify people's behavior in a room. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) In order to solve the above problems, a notification system relating to a certain aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires measurement results of a sensor that measures a concentration of carbon dioxide, a memory unit that stores a history of the measurement results acquired by the acquisition unit, a monitoring unit that performs a first monitoring to monitor human behavior in a room based on the measurement result and measurement time newly acquired by the acquisition unit and the history stored in the memory unit, and a notification unit that notifies the monitoring result by the monitoring unit.

[0007] Here, when using an infrared sensor to monitor the condition of a person to be monitored, there is a possibility that there are blind spots in the room, and that it is not possible to distinguish between people and animals, and there is a risk that the condition of the person to be monitored cannot be accurately determined. Also, when using images captured by a camera to monitor the condition of a person to be monitored, there are problems, such as the possibility of blind spots being present and resistance in terms of privacy, just like with infrared rays.

[0008] In contrast, by using the results of measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide to monitor the behavior of the person being monitored, false positives can be prevented and objections to privacy concerns can be reduced.In addition, compared to infrared sensors and cameras, there is a high degree of freedom in where the sensor can be installed, making it easy to build a notification system that is not affected by the shape of the room, etc.

[0009] In addition, by using the history of the carbon dioxide concentration measurement results, it is possible to more accurately detect differences between the monitored person's usual behavior and the monitored person's daily behavior. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately monitor and notify the behavior of the person in the room.

[0010] (2) Preferably, the monitoring unit performs the first monitoring based on the newly acquired measurement result and measurement time of a specific room and the history of the specific room.

[0011] With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not a person currently being monitored is in a particular room, and further, it is possible to identify the person's usual behavior in a particular room, making it possible to easily and accurately determine whether or not the person's current behavior is different from usual.

[0012] (3) Preferably, the monitoring unit performs the first monitoring based on the history of a specific room and the newly acquired measurement results and measurement times of other rooms.

[0013] With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the person currently being monitored is in a room other than the specific room, and further, it is possible to identify the person's usual behavior in the specific room, making it possible to easily and accurately determine whether or not the person's current behavior is different from usual.

[0014] (4) Preferably, the monitoring unit performs the first monitoring based on the histories of a plurality of rooms and the newly acquired measurement results and measurement times of the plurality of rooms.

[0015] With such a configuration, it is possible to monitor human behavior in multiple rooms, making it possible to determine, for example, whether or not people are present in a building.

[0016] (5) Preferably, the monitoring unit performs the first monitoring based on at least the history of the bedroom.

[0017] With this configuration, it is possible to determine the times when the person being monitored is usually in the bedroom, and by monitoring the person's current behavior, it is possible to determine whether the person is in poor health or is in a state where they are likely to become ill.

[0018] (6) Preferably, the monitoring unit further performs a second monitoring of monitoring human behavior based on the number of times that the measurement result in a specific room satisfies a predetermined condition and a history of the number of times.

[0019] With this configuration, for example, it is possible to monitor changes in the number of times the person being monitored uses the toilet, making it possible to determine the progress of aging in that person due to aging, etc.

[0020] (7) Preferably, the notification system further includes a ventilation device for ventilating one or more rooms monitored by the monitoring unit.

[0021] Here, if a ventilation device is not provided, even if a person leaves the room, the carbon dioxide concentration in the room remains high, and it may not be possible to accurately determine whether or not a person is in the room. In contrast, if the notification system is configured to include a ventilation device, it is possible to observe changes in the carbon dioxide concentration in a room that is ventilated depending on whether or not a person is in the room, and therefore it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not a person is in the room.

[0022] Furthermore, by configuring the notification system to include both a ventilation device and a sensor that measures the concentration of carbon dioxide, for example, when the ventilation device ventilates a room based on the measurement results of the sensor, the room can be ventilated well, and human behavior can be monitored by reusing the sensor for providing good ventilation.

[0023] (8) In order to solve the above problems, a notification method according to a certain aspect of the present invention is a notification method in a notification system, which includes the steps of acquiring measurement results from a sensor that measures a carbon dioxide concentration, storing the acquired measurement results, monitoring human behavior in a room based on the newly acquired measurement results and measurement time and the stored history of the measurement results, and notifying the results of the monitoring.

[0024] Here, when using an infrared sensor to monitor the condition of a person to be monitored, there is a possibility that there are blind spots in the room, and that it is not possible to distinguish between people and animals, and there is a risk that the condition of the person to be monitored cannot be accurately determined. Also, when using images captured by a camera to monitor the condition of a person to be monitored, there are problems, such as the possibility of blind spots being present and resistance in terms of privacy, just like with infrared rays.

[0025] In contrast, by using the results of measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide to monitor the behavior of the person being monitored, false positives can be prevented and objections from privacy concerns can be reduced.In addition, compared to infrared sensors and cameras, there is a high degree of freedom in where the sensor can be installed, making it easy to build a notification system that is not affected by the shape of the room, etc.

[0026] In addition, by using the history of the carbon dioxide concentration measurement results, it is possible to more accurately detect differences from the usual behavior of the person being monitored, and therefore it is possible to more accurately monitor and notify the behavior of people in the room. Effect of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, human behavior in a room can be monitored and notified more accurately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a history created by a history creating section in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a history created by a history creating section in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a first monitoring by a monitoring section in a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of the first monitoring by the monitoring section in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a history created by a history creating section in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining another example of the first monitoring by the monitoring section in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining another example of the first monitoring by the monitoring section in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the second monitoring by the monitoring section in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a count value of the number of times the toilet is used, which is stored in the storage unit of the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen of a terminal device that receives monitoring information from a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of a monitoring device in a notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated. In addition, at least some of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0030] <Configuration and basic operation> [Overall configuration of the notification system] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] With reference to FIG. 1, a notification system 201 includes a monitoring device 101 and one or more sensors 151 provided in a room R in a building such as a house.

[0032] 1 shows, as an example, eight rooms R included in a building, rooms R1 to R8, and eight sensors 151A to 151H provided in the eight rooms R1 to R8, respectively. The rooms R include not only living rooms such as a living room and a bedroom, but also toilets, bathrooms, etc.

[0033] Each sensor 151 measures the carbon dioxide concentration (hereinafter simply referred to as "CO2 concentration") in the room R in which it is installed, and transmits measurement information indicating the measurement result to the monitoring device 101 via the external network 161. More specifically, each sensor 151 transmits, for example, its own identification information, the measurement result of the CO2 concentration, and measurement information indicating the measurement time and measurement date to the monitoring device 101 via the external network 161 at one-minute intervals.

[0034] The monitoring device 101 may be installed inside a building. In this case, each sensor 151 transmits measurement information to the monitoring device 101 by wireless communication or wired communication in the building, without going through the external network 161.

[0035] The notification system 201 further includes a ventilation device (not shown) that ventilates one or more rooms R in the building. The ventilation device includes, for example, a blower such as a fan or an electric fan provided in each room R, an air intake port for introducing air into the room R, an exhaust port for discharging the air in the room R to the outside, and a control unit that controls the rotation speed of each blower, and can ventilate each room R.

[0036] The monitoring device 101 receives the measurement information transmitted from each sensor 151 via the external network 161, and monitors the behavior of people in the room R based on the received plurality of pieces of measurement information. Then, the monitoring device 101 notifies the user of the monitoring result, for example, by transmitting monitoring information indicating the monitoring result to the user's terminal device 171 via the external network 161.

[0037] Each sensor 151 may not have a function of transmitting measurement information to the monitoring device 101. For example, each sensor 151 may transmit measurement information to a communication device (not shown) such as a home gateway installed in a building by wireless communication or wired communication, and the communication device may transmit the measurement information from each sensor 151 to the monitoring device 101 via the external network 161.

[0038] Furthermore, the control unit in the ventilation device may be configured to receive measurement information from the sensor 151 and control the rotation speed of the blower of the room R in which the sensor 151 is provided based on the received measurement information. In this case, for example, when the CO2 concentration in the room R is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the control unit performs control to increase the rotation speed of the corresponding blower.

[0039] Furthermore, the notification system 201 is not limited to a configuration including a ventilation device, and may be a configuration not including a ventilation device.

[0040] [Monitoring device] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] 2, monitoring device 101 includes a receiving unit (acquiring unit) 10, a storage unit 11, a history creating unit 12, a monitoring unit 13, and a notification unit 14. History creating unit 12 and monitoring unit 13 are realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Storage unit 11 is, for example, a non-volatile memory.

[0042] (Receiving and storing measurement information) The receiving unit 10 receives the measurement information transmitted from each sensor 151 via the external network 161, and for example, stores the received measurement information in the memory unit 11 in association with the day of the week on which the measurement was performed. As a result, the memory unit 11 stores the identification information of the sensor 151, the measurement result of the CO2 concentration by the sensor 151, the measurement time, the measurement date, and the day of the week on which the measurement was performed in association with each other.

[0043] In addition, the storage unit 11 stores a correspondence table indicating the correspondence between the identification information of each room R and the identification information of the sensor 151 provided in each room R.

[0044] (Creating and updating history) The history creation unit 12 refers to the correspondence table, the plurality of pieces of measurement information, and the days of the week corresponding to each piece of measurement information stored in the storage unit 11, and creates a history of time-series changes in the measurement results of the CO2 concentration (hereinafter also simply referred to as "history Mh") for each room R. Then, the history creation unit 12 stores the created history Mh for each room R in the storage unit 11.

[0045] Furthermore, the history creating unit 12 updates the history Mh of each room R based on one or more pieces of measurement information newly stored in the storage unit 11, either periodically or irregularly.

[0046] 3 and 4 are diagrams showing an example of a history created by a history creating unit in a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates CO2 concentration.

[0047] 3, the history creation unit 12 calculates, for example, an average value of a plurality of measurement results corresponding to the same measurement time from Monday to Friday (hereinafter referred to as "weekdays"), which are measurement results by the same sensor 151, for each measurement time. In this way, the history creation unit 12 creates a weekday history Mh1 of the room R corresponding to the sensor 151.

[0048] Graph X61 shown in FIG. 3 is an example of the history Mh1 in room R6, and shows the time series change in one day of the average value of a plurality of measurement results corresponding to the same measurement time on weekdays.

[0049] 4, the history creation unit 12 calculates, for each measurement time, an average value of a plurality of measurement results corresponding to the same measurement time on Saturdays and Sundays (hereinafter referred to as "holidays"), which are measurement results by the same sensor 151. In this way, the history creation unit 12 creates a holiday history Mh2 for the room R corresponding to the sensor 151.

[0050] Graph X62 shown in FIG. 4 is an example of the history Mh2 in room R6, and shows the time series change in one day of the average value of a plurality of measurement results corresponding to the same measurement time on a holiday.

[0051] In addition, the history creation unit 12 is not limited to a configuration in which it creates histories Mh1, Mh2 for each room R divided into weekdays and holidays as shown in Figures 3 and 4, but may also be configured to create history Mh for each room R divided by day of the week, for example.

[0052] (Monitoring and notifying people's actions) The monitoring unit 13 performs a first monitoring to monitor the behavior of people in the room R based on the measurement results and measurement times indicated by the measurement information newly stored in the memory unit 11, and the history Mh stored in the memory unit 11.

[0053] More specifically, as a first monitoring, the monitoring unit 13 monitors whether or not the person being monitored is behaving differently from usual. Then, when the monitoring unit 13 determines that the person being monitored is behaving abnormally, i.e., behaving differently from usual, for example, the monitoring unit 13 outputs monitoring information to the notification unit 14 indicating that the person is behaving abnormally.

[0054] In addition, the monitoring unit 13 further performs a second monitoring to monitor human behavior based on the number of times that the measurement result of the CO2 concentration in a specific room R satisfies a predetermined condition and the history of such number of times, based on the correspondence table and multiple measurement information stored in the memory unit 11.

[0055] More specifically, the monitoring unit 13 monitors changes in the number of times the person to be monitored uses the toilet, for example, based on the number of times that the measurement result of the CO2 concentration in the toilet satisfies a predetermined condition and the history of the number of times. Then, when the number of times the person uses the toilet has significantly increased compared to a certain period of time, the monitoring unit 13 outputs monitoring information to the notification unit 14 indicating that the number of times the person uses the toilet has increased.

[0056] The storage unit 11 stores in advance identification information and the like of the terminal device 171 of the user who monitors the person who is the monitoring target.

[0057] When the notification unit 14 receives the monitoring information output from the monitoring unit 13, it checks the identification information of the terminal device 171 stored in the storage unit 11, and performs a notification process to transmit the monitoring information to the terminal device 171 via the external network 161. This makes it possible to notify the user of the monitoring results by the monitoring device 101.

[0058] [Example of the first monitoring] (Example 1) Monitoring whether someone is feeling unwell As a first monitoring, the monitoring unit 13 monitors whether or not the person being monitored is in poor health, for example, based on the measurement result and measurement time of the CO2 concentration in a specific room R newly stored in the memory unit 11, and the history Mh of the room R stored in the memory unit 11. Here, it is assumed that the specific room R is a bedroom, and that it has been registered in advance in the monitoring device 101 that the room R6 is a bedroom.

[0059] 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a first monitoring by a monitoring unit in a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates CO2 concentration.

[0060] Graphs G1, G2, G4, and G6 shown in Fig. 5 show the time series changes in today's CO2 concentration in rooms R1, R2, R4, and R6, respectively. In Fig. 5, in order to make the graph easier to see, the time series changes in today's CO2 concentration are shown in four rooms R1, R2, R4, and R6, which are part of the eight rooms R1 to R8.

[0061] 5, the monitoring unit 13 refers to the correspondence table and the plurality of pieces of measurement information stored in the memory unit 11, and checks the measurement result of today's CO2 concentration in the bedroom, room R6, that is, the graph G6 shown in FIG.

[0062] If today is a weekday, the monitoring unit 13 monitors people's behavior in the bedroom by comparing the weekday history Mh1 of room R6 stored in the memory unit 11, i.e., the graph X61 shown in FIG. 3, with today's CO2 concentration in room R6, i.e., the graph G6 shown in FIG. 5.

[0063] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, on weekdays, the CO2 concentration in room R6 tends to be 700 PPM or higher from midnight to around 6:00, and to be less than 700 PPM from around 6:00 to around 11:00 p.m.

[0064] In contrast, suppose that the CO2 concentration in room R6 today is 700 PPM or more from midnight to around 11:00, as shown in graph G6 in Fig. 5. In this case, the monitoring unit 13 determines that the person being monitored is in the bedroom at around 11:00, which is different from usual, and that the person is possibly in bed due to poor physical condition. Then, the monitoring unit 13 outputs monitoring information to the notification unit 14, for example, indicating that the person is behaving abnormally.

[0065] Furthermore, if today is a holiday, the monitoring unit 13 monitors people's behavior in the bedroom by comparing the holiday history Mh2 of room R6 stored in the memory unit 11, i.e., graph X62 shown in FIG. 4, with today's CO2 concentration in room R6, i.e., graph G6 shown in FIG. 5.

[0066] In addition, the monitoring unit 13 may output monitoring information indicating that the person being monitored is behaving abnormally, or instead of outputting that the person is behaving abnormally, that the person is still in the bedroom at 11:00 and may be feeling unwell.

[0067] Furthermore, it is not necessary that the room R6 is a bedroom, which has been registered in advance in the monitoring device 101. In this case, for example, the monitoring unit 13 identifies the room R6 as a bedroom based on the history Mh of each room R.

[0068] (Example 2) Monitoring whether someone is in a state where they are likely to fall ill As a first monitoring, the monitoring unit 13 monitors, for example, whether the person being monitored is in a state in which he or she is likely to become ill, based on the history Mh of a specific room R stored in the memory unit 11, and the measurement results and measurement times of the CO2 concentration of other rooms R newly stored in the memory unit 11.

[0069] Here, it is assumed that it is registered in advance in the monitoring device 101 that a specific room R is a bedroom, the other rooms R are living rooms, the room R4 is a living room, and the room R6 is a bedroom.

[0070] 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of the first monitoring by the monitoring unit in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates CO2 concentration.

[0071] Graphs G1, G2, G4, and G6 shown in Fig. 6 show the time series changes in today's CO2 concentration in rooms R1, R2, R4, and R6, respectively. In Fig. 6, similar to Fig. 5, in order to make the graph easier to see, the time series changes in today's CO2 concentration are shown in four rooms R1, R2, R4, and R6, which are a part of rooms R1 to R8.

[0072] 6, the monitoring unit 13 refers to the correspondence table and the plurality of pieces of measurement information stored in the storage unit 11 to check the present day's CO2 concentration in the room R4, which is the living room, that is, the graph G4 shown in FIG.

[0073] If today is a weekday, the monitoring unit 13 monitors people's behavior in the living room using the weekday history Mh1 of room R6 stored in the memory unit 11, i.e., graph X61 shown in FIG. 3, and today's CO2 concentration in room R4, i.e., graph G4 shown in FIG. 6.

[0074] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, on weekdays, as described above, the CO2 concentration in room R6 tends to be 700 PPM or higher from midnight to around 6:00 a.m. and to be less than 700 PPM from around 6:00 a.m. to around 11:00 p.m.

[0075] In contrast, as shown in graphs G4 and G6 in FIG. 6, from midnight to around 2:00 today, the CO2 concentration in room R6 is less than 500 PPM, while the CO2 concentration in room R4 is 750 PPM or higher.

[0076] In this case, the monitoring unit 13 determines that the person being monitored is in the living room between midnight and 2 a.m., which is different from usual, and therefore may be asleep or staying up late in the living room, making the person susceptible to falling ill. Then, the monitoring unit 13 outputs monitoring information to the notification unit 14, for example, indicating that the person is behaving abnormally.

[0077] Furthermore, if today is a holiday, the monitoring unit 13 monitors people's behavior in the living room by using the holiday history Mh2 of room R6 stored in the memory unit 11, i.e., graph X62 shown in FIG. 4, and the time series change in CO2 concentration in room R4 today, i.e., graph G4 shown in FIG. 6.

[0078] In addition to or instead of indicating that the person being monitored is behaving abnormally, the monitoring unit 13 may output monitoring information indicating that the person being monitored is in the living room between midnight and around 2 a.m. and is therefore likely to be sleeping in the living room or staying up late, making him or her susceptible to falling ill.

[0079] Furthermore, it is not necessary that the room R4 is a living room, which has been registered in advance in the monitoring device 101. In this case, for example, the monitoring unit 13 identifies the room R4 as a living room, based on the history Mh of each room R.

[0080] (Example 3) Monitoring the presence of people As a first monitoring, the monitoring unit 13 monitors the presence or absence of people in room R, for example, based on the history Mh of multiple rooms R stored in the memory unit 11, and the measurement results and measurement times of CO2 concentrations in multiple rooms R that are newly stored in the memory unit 11.

[0081] 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a history created by a history creating unit in a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates CO2 concentration.

[0082] More specifically, referring to FIG. 7, the history creation unit 12 creates a history Mh3 as shown in FIG. 7 instead of the histories Mh1 and Mh2 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, or in addition to the histories Mh1 and Mh2 shown in FIGS.

[0083] For example, the history creation unit 12 calculates the total value of a plurality of measurement results from the sensors 151A-151H corresponding to the same measurement time for each measurement time. In this way, the history creation unit 12 creates a history Mh3 that indicates a time-series change in the total value of the CO2 concentration in each room R. The history creation unit 12 creates such a history Mh for each day of the week, for example, and stores the created history Mh3 for each day of the week in the storage unit 11.

[0084] A graph Xs shown in FIG. 7 is an example of the history Mh3 on Monday, and shows the time series change in the total value of the CO2 concentration in each room R corresponding to the same measurement time in one day.

[0085] The history creation unit 12 periodically or irregularly refers to a plurality of pieces of measurement information newly stored in the storage unit 11 and updates the history Mh3 for each day of the week stored in the storage unit 11.

[0086] Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining another example of the first monitoring by the monitoring unit in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 8, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates CO2 concentration. The graph shown in Fig. 8 shows the time series change of the total value of CO2 concentration in each room R corresponding to the same measurement time for today.

[0087] The monitoring unit 13 refers to the correspondence table and the multiple pieces of measurement information stored in the memory unit 11 to check the total value of the CO2 concentration for each room R today, i.e., the graph shown in Fig. 8. Then, the monitoring unit 13 determines whether or not a person is present in the building based on the total value of the CO2 concentration for each room R today and the history Mh3 shown in Fig. 7.

[0088] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the total value of the CO2 concentration in each room R is approximately 3600 PPM from approximately 13:00 to approximately 17:40 on Monday. When no one is present in a room R, the CO2 concentration in that room R is 400 PPM to 500 PPM. Therefore, the monitoring unit 13 determines that there is a tendency for no one to be present in the building during the time when the total value of the CO2 concentrations in eight rooms R is approximately 3600 PPM, that is, during the time from approximately 13:00 to approximately 17:40 on Monday.

[0089] In contrast, assume that today is Monday and the total CO2 concentration in each room R today drops to approximately 3,600 PPM at around 1:00 p.m., then starts to rise from around 1:45 p.m., reaching approximately 3,800 PPM at around 2:30 p.m., as shown in FIG. 8.

[0090] In this case, the monitoring unit 13 determines that there is a person in the building, which is different from usual, and outputs monitoring information to the notification unit 14, for example, indicating that the person is behaving abnormally.

[0091] In addition to or instead of indicating that a person is behaving abnormally, the monitoring unit 13 may output monitoring information indicating that a person has been present in the building since about 1:45 p.m. and therefore that the person being monitored has returned home earlier than usual or that a suspicious person may have broken in.

[0092] Moreover, instead of checking the total value of the CO2 concentration in each room R, the monitoring unit 13 may use another method to determine whether or not a person is present in the building.

[0093] 9 is a diagram for explaining another example of the first monitoring by the monitoring unit in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates CO2 concentration.

[0094] Graphs G2, G4, G5, G6, and G8 shown in Fig. 9 show the time series changes in today's CO2 concentration in rooms R2, R4, R5, R6, and R8, respectively. In Fig. 9, similar to Figs. 5 and 6, in order to make the graph easier to see, the time series changes in today's CO2 concentration are shown in five rooms R2, R4, R5, R6, and R8, which are a part of rooms R1 to R8.

[0095] The monitoring unit 13 may determine whether or not a person is present in the building, for example, based on the CO2 concentration for each room R today shown in FIG. 9 and the history Mh3 shown in FIG.

[0096] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the total value of the CO2 concentration in each room R is about 3600 PPM from about 13:00 to about 17:40 on Monday. In this case, the monitoring unit 13 determines that there is a tendency for no one to be present in the building from about 13:00 to about 17:40 on Monday, as described above.

[0097] In contrast, assume that today is Monday, and the CO2 concentrations in rooms R2, R4, R5, R6, and R8 are all approximately 450 PPM at around 1:00 p.m., as shown in Figure 9. Also assume that the CO2 concentration in room R4 begins to rise from approximately 1:45 p.m., reaching approximately 520 PPM at around 2:30 p.m.

[0098] In this case, the monitoring unit 13 determines that a person is present in the room R4, which is different from usual, and outputs monitoring information to the notification unit 14, for example, indicating that the person is behaving abnormally.

[0099] In addition to or instead of indicating that a person is behaving abnormally, the monitoring unit 13 may output monitoring information indicating that a person has been present in room R4 since about 1:45 p.m., and therefore that the person being monitored has returned home earlier than usual or that a suspicious person may have broken in.

[0100] Moreover, the monitoring unit 13 is not limited to a configuration in which all of the first monitoring in Examples 1 to 3 are performed, and may be a configuration in which the first monitoring in any one or two of Examples 1 to 3 is performed.

[0101] Furthermore, the monitoring unit 13 may monitor the behavior of people in the room R using a method other than the methods described in Examples 1 to 3.

[0102] Furthermore, the monitoring unit 13 may determine that there are multiple people in the building when the CO2 concentrations in multiple rooms R are equal to or higher than a predetermined value Th1, or when the CO2 concentration in one room R is equal to or higher than a predetermined value Th2. In this case, even if the monitoring unit 13 determines that the person being monitored is behaving abnormally through at least one of the first monitoring in Examples 1 to 3, for example, since there is another person in the building other than the person being monitored, it determines that there is no need to notify the user of the monitoring result, and does not output monitoring information to the notification unit 14.

[0103] Furthermore, when associating the day of the week on which the measurement information was received with the day of the week, if the day on which the measurement information was received is a holiday, the receiving unit 10 may further associate the fact that the day on which the measurement information was received is a holiday with the measurement information. In this case, the history creating unit 12 and the monitoring unit 13 process the measurement information associated with the day on which the measurement information was received being a holiday in the same way as measurement information received on a holiday, for example.

[0104] [Second Surveillance Details] As described above, the monitoring unit 13 performs a second monitoring to monitor changes in the number of times the person being monitored uses the toilet, for example, based on the number of times that the measurement results of the CO2 concentration in the toilet satisfy a predetermined condition and the history of such number of times.

[0105] 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the second monitoring by the monitoring unit in the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates CO2 concentration.

[0106] 10, it is assumed that room R1 is registered in advance as a toilet in monitoring device 101. In this case, monitoring unit 13 refers to the correspondence table and the plurality of pieces of measurement information stored in memory unit 11, counts the number of times the toilet is used in, for example, one month, and stores the count value in memory unit 11.

[0107] For example, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 10, when the CO2 concentration in the toilet becomes equal to or greater than 550 PPM and then falls below 550 PPM, the monitoring unit 13 increments the count value.

[0108] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a count value of the number of times the toilet is used, which is stored in the storage unit of the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0109] 11, storage unit 11 stores a count value table T indicating the count values ​​counted by monitoring unit 13 for each month from January to December in 2022 onward, for example.

[0110] The monitoring unit 13 updates the count value table T stored in the storage unit 11, for example, monthly, by referring to a plurality of pieces of measurement information from the sensor 151A corresponding to the room R1 that are newly stored in the storage unit 11.

[0111] In addition, the monitoring unit 13 periodically or irregularly refers to the count value table T, and if the number of times the toilet is used increases significantly compared to a certain period, it outputs monitoring information to the notification unit 14 indicating, for example, that the number of times the monitored person uses the toilet has increased.

[0112] Specifically, it is assumed that it has been registered in advance in the monitoring device 101 that the person will start living alone in the house from 2023. In this case, the monitoring unit 13, for example, compares the number of times the toilet was used this month with the number of times the toilet was used in the same month as this month in 2023, when the person started living alone.

[0113] Here, the count value for October 2027 is assumed to be the latest count value. In other words, October 2027 is assumed to be "this month". The monitoring unit 13 checks whether the count value for this month is greater than the count value for October 2023 by a predetermined value Th3 or more. The predetermined value Th3 is, for example, 70.

[0114] As shown in Fig. 11, the count value for October 2023 is "221", while the count value for October 2027 is "292", which is more than 70 higher. Therefore, the monitoring unit 13 determines that the number of times the toilet has been used has increased significantly, and outputs monitoring information to the notification unit 14 that the number of times the toilet has been used has increased.

[0115] In addition, in addition to or instead of an increase in the number of times the toilet has been used, the monitoring unit 13 may output monitoring information indicating that the number of times the toilet has been used has increased significantly, thereby indicating that aging has progressed in the person being monitored.

[0116] Furthermore, the monitoring unit 13 may determine whether the number of times the person being monitored has used the toilet has increased using a method other than the above-mentioned method. For example, the monitoring unit 13 may determine that the number of times the person being monitored has used the toilet has increased significantly if the count value in the same month in 2027 is greater than the predetermined value Th4 or more for three consecutive months compared to 2023.

[0117] In addition, the monitoring unit 13 is not limited to being configured to compare the number of times the toilet is used over a month, but may be configured to monitor whether the number of times the toilet is used has increased significantly, for example, by comparing the number of times the toilet is used over multiple days.

[0118] Furthermore, the monitoring unit 13 is not limited to a configuration that performs both the first monitoring and the second monitoring, and may be a configuration that does not perform the second monitoring.

[0119] [Notification processing] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen of a terminal device that receives monitoring information from a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0120] With reference to FIG. 12, for example, assume that a user monitoring an elderly person or a child who is the subject of monitoring runs an application installed on his / her terminal device 171 and sets it up to receive monitoring information from the monitoring device 101, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 12.

[0121] In addition, the user pre-registers in the monitoring device 101 user information such as identification information of the terminal device 171, identification information of each sensor 151 installed in the building where the person to be monitored lives, and the type of each room R, such as a bedroom, living room, and toilet.

[0122] After the terminal device 171 has been configured in this manner and user information has been registered in the monitoring device 101, if the monitoring unit 13 in the monitoring device 101 monitors any unusual behavior of a person in room R, the notification unit 14 transmits monitoring information indicating that the person is behaving abnormally via the external network 161 to the registered terminal device 171.

[0123] When the terminal device 171 receives the monitoring information from the monitoring device 101 via the external network 161, it displays on its screen a message indicating that an abnormality has occurred, as shown in the right diagram of FIG.

[0124] When the monitoring information includes content other than that a person is behaving abnormally, the terminal device 171 may display the content on the screen.

[0125] Furthermore, when terminal device 171 receives a plurality of monitoring information items with different contents from monitoring device 101, it displays, for example, the contents of each piece of monitoring information on the screen.

[0126] Furthermore, the user can register user information including notification conditions for the monitoring results in the monitoring device 101. For example, the user can register, as notification conditions, that monitoring information is to be transmitted if the person being monitored is in the bedroom after 11 o'clock, or that monitoring information is to be transmitted if there is a person in the living room at 2 o'clock in the morning.

[0127] <Operation flow> A monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a computer including a storage unit, and a processor such as a CPU in the computer reads out a program including some or all of the steps in the following flowchart from the storage unit and executes it. The program of this device can be installed from outside. The program of this device is distributed in a state stored on a recording medium.

[0128] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of a monitoring device in a notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0129] 13, first, the receiver 10 receives the measurement information transmitted from each sensor 151 via the external network 161, and stores the received measurement information in the storage unit 11 in association with the day of the week on which it was received (step S11). The receiver 10 performs the operation of step S11 in parallel with the operations of the following steps, for example, every minute.

[0130] Next, the history creation unit 12 refers to the correspondence table, the multiple pieces of measurement information, and the days of the week corresponding to each piece of measurement information stored in the storage unit 11, and creates, for example, a history Mh1 of the measurement results of the CO2 concentration on weekdays or a history Mh2 of the measurement results of the CO2 concentration on holidays for each room R. Then, the history creation unit 12 stores the created history Mh for each room R in the storage unit 11. Furthermore, if the history Mh for each room R has already been stored in the storage unit 11, the history creation unit 12 updates the history Mh for each room R based on one or more pieces of measurement information newly stored in the storage unit 11 (step S12). The history creation unit 12 performs the operation of step S12 periodically or irregularly in parallel with the operations of the following steps.

[0131] Next, the monitoring unit 13 performs a first monitoring to monitor human behavior in the room R based on the measurement information newly stored in the memory unit 11 in step S11 and the history Mh created or updated in step S12. For example, the monitoring unit 13 performs all of the monitoring in Examples 1 to 3 described above (step S13).

[0132] Next, the monitoring unit 13 determines through at least one of the first monitoring (step S13) of Examples 1 to 3 described above that an abnormality has occurred, i.e., that a person in room R is behaving in a manner different from usual ("YES" in step S14).

[0133] Next, the monitoring unit 13 outputs monitoring information indicating that a person is behaving abnormally to the notification unit 14 for each monitoring event in which it is determined that an abnormality has occurred (step S15).

[0134] Next, the notification unit 14 checks, for example, the notification conditions contained in the user information stored in the memory unit 11 and determines whether or not to notify the user of the contents of one or more pieces of monitoring information received from the monitoring unit 13 (step S16).

[0135] Next, when the notification unit 14 determines that the contents of one or more pieces of monitoring information should be notified to the user ("YES" in step S16), the notification unit 14 performs a notification process in which it refers to the identification information of the terminal device 171 stored in the memory unit 11 and transmits each piece of monitoring information to the terminal device 171 via the external network 161 (step S17).

[0136] Next, the monitoring unit 13 performs a second monitoring to monitor human behavior based on the number of times that the measurement results of a specific room R satisfy a predetermined condition and the history of such times by referring to multiple measurement information stored in the memory unit 11 (step S18).

[0137] Next, it is assumed that the monitoring unit 13 determines through the second monitoring (step S18) that, for example, the number of times the person to be monitored uses the toilet has increased significantly ("YES" in step S19).

[0138] Next, the monitoring unit 13 outputs monitoring information indicating that the number of times the toilet has been used has increased to the notification unit 14 (step S20).

[0139] Next, the notification unit 14 checks, for example, the notification conditions included in the user information stored in the memory unit 11, and determines whether or not the contents of the monitoring information received from the monitoring unit 13 should be notified to the user (step S21).

[0140] Next, when the notification unit 14 determines that the contents of the monitoring information should be notified to the user ("YES" in step S21), it refers to the identification information of the terminal device 171 stored in the storage unit 11 and performs a notification process of transmitting the monitoring information to the terminal device 171 via the external network 161 (step S22). Then, the operations from step S13 onwards are performed again.

[0141] On the other hand, it is assumed that the monitoring unit 13 determines that no abnormality has occurred in all of the first monitoring (step S13) in the above-mentioned Examples 1 to 3 ("NO" in step S14). In this case, the monitoring device 101 does not perform the operations of steps S15 to S17, and performs the operations of step S18 and thereafter.

[0142] Also, suppose that the monitoring unit 13 determines that an abnormality has occurred through at least one of the first monitoring (step S13) of Examples 1 to 3 described above ("YES" in step S14), and the notification unit 14 determines that the contents of the monitoring information should not be notified to the user ("NO" in step S16). In this case, the monitoring device 101 does not perform the notification process (step S17), and performs the operations from step S18 onwards.

[0143] Also, it is assumed that monitoring unit 13 determines in the second monitoring (step S18) that there has been no significant increase in the number of times the toilet is used ("NO" in step S19). In this case, monitoring device 101 does not perform the operations of steps S20 to S22, and performs the operations from step S13 onwards again.

[0144] Assume also that the monitoring unit 13 determines, through the second monitoring (step S18), that the number of times the person being monitored has used the toilet has increased significantly ("YES" in step S19), and the notification unit 14 determines that the content of the monitoring information should not be notified to the user ("NO" in step S21). In this case, the monitoring device 101 does not perform the notification process (step S22), and performs the operations from step S13 onwards again.

[0145] The first monitoring (step S13) by the monitoring unit 13 may be performed after the second monitoring (step S18). In this case, for example, the monitoring device 101 performs the operations from step S13 to step S17 after step S22.

[0146] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the monitoring device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be provided by cloud computing. That is, the monitoring device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a cloud server composed of a plurality of servers.

[0147] The above-described embodiments should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0148] The above description includes the following additional features. [Appendix 1] an acquisition unit that acquires a measurement result of a sensor that measures a concentration of carbon dioxide; a storage unit that stores a history of the measurement results acquired by the acquisition unit; a monitoring unit that performs a first monitoring to monitor a person's behavior in a room based on the measurement result and the measurement time newly acquired by the acquisition unit and the history stored in the storage unit; a notification unit that notifies a result of monitoring by the monitoring unit; a ventilation device provided in one or more rooms to be monitored by the monitoring unit; A notification system in which the monitoring unit performs, as the first monitoring, at least one of monitoring whether the person being monitored is in poor health, monitoring whether the person being monitored is in a state where they are likely to become ill, and monitoring whether there is anyone in the room. [Explanation of symbols]

[0149] 10 Receiving section 11 Storage section 12 History Creation Department 13 Monitoring Department 14 Notification Department 101 Monitoring equipment 151, 151A~151H Sensor 161 External Network 171 Terminal Equipment 201 Notification System

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires a measurement result of a sensor that measures a concentration of carbon dioxide; a storage unit that stores a history of the measurement results acquired by the acquisition unit; a monitoring unit that performs a first monitoring to monitor a person's behavior in a room based on the measurement result and the measurement time newly acquired by the acquisition unit and the history stored in the storage unit; a notification unit that notifies a result of monitoring by the monitoring unit, The monitoring unit performs the first monitoring based on the history of a specific room and the newly acquired measurement results and measurement times of other rooms.

2. The notification system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit performs the first monitoring based on the measurement results included in the history of the specific room, the measurement results of the specific room at the same measurement time as the newly acquired measurement time, and the newly acquired measurement results of the other rooms.

3. A notification system as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the history of the specific room is the history of a bedroom.

4. The notification system according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring unit further performs a second monitoring to monitor human behavior based on the number of times that the measurement results in a specific room satisfy a predetermined condition and a history of the number of times.

5. The notification system further comprises: The notification system according to claim 1 , further comprising a ventilation device for ventilating one or more rooms monitored by the monitoring unit.

6. An acquisition unit that acquires a measurement result of a sensor that measures a concentration of carbon dioxide; a storage unit that stores a history of the measurement results acquired by the acquisition unit; a monitoring unit that performs a first monitoring to monitor a person's behavior in a room based on the measurement result and the measurement time newly acquired by the acquisition unit and the history stored in the storage unit; a notification unit that notifies a result of monitoring by the monitoring unit, A notification system, wherein the monitoring unit performs the first monitoring based on the history of the total value of the measurement results of a plurality of rooms and the newly acquired total value of the measurement results of the plurality of rooms and the measurement time.

7. An acquisition unit that acquires a measurement result of a sensor that measures a concentration of carbon dioxide; a storage unit that stores a history of the measurement results acquired by the acquisition unit; a monitoring unit that performs a first monitoring to monitor a person's behavior in a room based on the measurement result and the measurement time newly acquired by the acquisition unit and the history stored in the storage unit; a notification unit that notifies a result of monitoring by the monitoring unit, The acquisition unit further acquires a measurement date corresponding to the measurement result, the storage unit stores the history on weekdays and the history on holidays; when the measurement date newly acquired by the acquisition unit is a weekday, the monitoring unit performs the first monitoring using the history for the weekday stored in the storage unit; A notification system, wherein when the measurement date newly acquired by the acquisition unit is a holiday, the monitoring unit performs the first monitoring using the history of holidays stored in the memory unit.

8. A notification method in a notification system, comprising: Obtaining a measurement result of a sensor that measures a concentration of carbon dioxide; storing the acquired measurement results; monitoring the behavior of people in the room based on the newly acquired measurement result and measurement time and the stored history of the measurement result; and notifying the result of said monitoring; The notification method, in the step of performing the monitoring, the monitoring is performed based on the history of a specific room and the newly acquired measurement results and measurement times of other rooms.

9. A notification method in a notification system, comprising: Obtaining a measurement result of a sensor that measures a concentration of carbon dioxide; storing the acquired measurement results; monitoring the behavior of people in the room based on the newly acquired measurement result and measurement time and the stored history of the measurement result; and notifying the result of said monitoring; A notification method, in which in the monitoring step, the monitoring is performed based on the history of the total value of the measurement results of a plurality of rooms and a newly acquired total value of the measurement results of the plurality of rooms and a measurement time.

10. A notification method in a notification system, comprising: Obtaining a measurement result of a sensor that measures a concentration of carbon dioxide; storing the acquired measurement results; monitoring the behavior of people in the room based on the newly acquired measurement result and measurement time and the stored history of the measurement result; and notifying the result of said monitoring; In the step of acquiring the measurement result, a measurement date corresponding to the measurement result is further acquired; In the step of performing the monitoring, if the newly acquired measurement date is a weekday, the monitoring is performed using the history of the measurement results on a weekday that has been stored. A notification method, wherein in the step of performing the monitoring, if the newly acquired measurement date is a holiday, the monitoring is performed using the history of the measurement results on holidays that has been saved.

Images