Nurse call system

Abstract

To provide a nurse call system that enables a nurse to closely monitor a patient's condition and surrounding environment without going to a hospital room.SOLUTION: A nurse call system consists of a nurse call slave unit installed in a bed 9 for patient M to call a nurse, a nurse call master unit installed in a nurse station to respond to a call made by the nurse call slave unit, and a camera for capturing the patient M on the bed. The nurse call master unit has a display unit 3b that displays the image of the patient M captured by the camera. In the display unit 3b, the display area of the captured image is changed so that an area in the vicinity of the bed is enlarged and displayed in advance, a predetermined area of the captured image is enlarged and displayed in response to the operation of the nurse, or a predetermined area is included.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a nurse call system.

Background Art

[0002] When a patient or care recipient on the bed attempts to sit up or leave the bed, there is a risk of falling or toppling from the bed. Therefore, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, when a patient on the bed is imaged by a camera and a state where the patient has raised the upper body or a state where the patient has left the bed is detected from the captured image, a warning signal is output from the corridor light to the master unit of the nurse call system, and a patient video is displayed on the display unit of the master unit of the nurse call system.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the captured image of the patient displayed on the display unit of the nurse call master unit, while there is a demand to monitor fine details such as the patient's expression, hand movements, and the remaining amount of the drip infusion, there is also a demand to monitor the situation in the area near the bed or in a slightly wider area around the bed.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a nurse call system that enables a nurse to finely monitor the patient's condition and the patient's surrounding environment without going into the patient's room.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] To achieve the above object, the nurse call system of the present invention includes a nurse call slave unit installed on the bed for the patient to call the nurse, a nurse call master unit installed at the nurse station to respond to the call from the nurse call slave unit, and a camera for imaging the patient on the bed. The nurse call master unit has a display unit for displaying the captured image of the patient imaged by the camera. In the display unit, an area near the bed of the captured image is enlarged and displayed in advance, and a predetermined area of the captured image is enlarged and displayed or the display area of the captured image is changed so as to include the predetermined area in response to the operation of the nurse.

[0008] According to the above configuration, usually, the video near the bed is displayed, and by enlarging a part of the patient video displayed on the nurse call master unit or changing the display area of the patient video as needed, the nurse can finely monitor the patient's condition and the patient's surrounding environment without going into the patient's room. As a result, the efficiency of nursing work can be improved.

[0009] Also, in the nurse call system of the present invention, The predetermined area may include at least one of the patient's head, the patient's arm, and the infusion bag when the patient is receiving an intravenous drip.

[0010] According to the above configuration, with a simple operation, it is possible to enlarge and display a portion of the patient video that particularly requires monitoring in order to grasp the patient's condition.

[0011] Also, in the nurse call system of the present invention, The operation by the nurse may include at least one of an operation of touching the predetermined area on the display unit, an operation of pinching out the predetermined area, and an operation of an operation unit arranged at a location other than the display unit or on the display unit and associated with the predetermined area.

[0012] With the above configuration, with a simple operation, it is possible to enlarge and display a portion of the patient video that one wishes to monitor.

[0013] Also, in the nurse call system of the present invention, The nurse call master unit further has an area specifying unit that specifies the predetermined area in the captured image, In the display unit, even when an operation is performed on an area other than the predetermined area by the nurse, the predetermined area specified by the area specifying unit may be enlarged and displayed, or the display area of the captured image may be changed so as to include the predetermined area.

[0014] According to the above configuration, by specifying a predetermined area in advance according to various situations such as the patient's attributes and nursing status, for example, enabling the predetermined area to be enlarged and displayed regardless of which area of the display unit an operation is performed on, the operability of the display unit by the nurse can be improved.

[0015] Also, the nurse call system of the present invention, When the predetermined area is enlarged and displayed, a video or still image of the predetermined area may be displayed on the display unit with increased resolution.

[0016] According to the above configuration, even when a predetermined area is enlarged and displayed, it is possible to display a high-quality image without noise or degradation, and accurately monitor the patient's condition.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a nurse call system that enables a nurse to finely monitor the state of a patient and the surrounding environment of the patient without going to the patient's room.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, the nurse call system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a nurse call system 100 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the nurse call system 100 includes a nurse call sub-unit 1 installed for each bed in a hospital room, a corridor light 2 installed at the entrance and exit of each hospital room, a nurse call master unit 3 installed at a nurse station, and a controller 4 that controls communication between devices. The nurse call system 100 further includes a camera 5 installed for each bed, a mobile terminal 6 carried by a nurse, and a switch 7 that manages communication of the mobile terminal 6 via a base station 8.

[0021] The nurse call sub-unit 1 is a device for a patient to call a nurse and communicate. It has a call button 1a and a plate sub-unit 1b installed on a wall surface. The plate sub-unit 1b has a connection part to which the call button 1a is connected and a communication part for communicating with a nurse.

[0022] The corridor light 2 is a device for notifying the occurrence of a call from a patient. It has an indicator light 2a and a patient name display part 2b.

[0023] The nurse call master unit 3 is a device for receiving and responding to a call from a patient. It has a communication part 3a, a display part 3b, and a board part 3c. The communication part 3a has a handset or a sounding part for communicating with a patient or conducting an in-hospital broadcast. Various information about the patient is displayed on the display part 3b. The various information includes images captured by the camera 5. The display part 3b uses, for example, a 7-inch liquid crystal monitor and is arranged near the communication part 3a. Patient information K of individual patients is displayed in a list on the board part 3c.

[0024] The camera 5 captures an image of the patient himself / herself and peripheral images related to the patient. The mobile terminal 6 is a terminal for responding to a call from a patient, such as a smartphone. The mobile terminal 6 has a display part 6a.

[0025] The corridor light 2, the nurse call master unit 3, the control unit 4, the camera 5, etc. are each connected to the LAN via the HUB 10. The nurse call slave unit 1 is connected to the corridor light 2 via the transmission line L1 for each ward. The switch 7 is connected to the control unit 4 via the transmission line L2.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the camera 5. As shown in Figure 2, the camera 5 is installed above the bed 9, specifically on the upper wall surface above the head of the patient M lying prone on the bed 9, and is installed to image around the head of the patient.

[0027] Figure 3 shows the functional block diagram of the camera 5. As shown in Figure 3, the camera 5 includes a camera CPU 21 that controls the camera 5, and a state determination unit 22 that analyzes the captured video to determine the state of the patient. The camera 5 further includes a storage unit 23 that stores various information, a communication interface (communication IF) 24 for connecting to other nurse call devices and the LAN via the HUB 10, an imaging unit 25, and an illumination unit 26.

[0028] The state determination unit 22 grasps the bed area from the captured video of the camera 5 and detects a predetermined area on or around the bed. As a method for grasping the bed area, for example, the bed area grasping method disclosed in Patent Document 3 may be used, or the method for estimating the bed position by machine learning in Non-Patent Document 1 may be used.

[0029] In addition, the state determination unit 22 detects changes in the state of the patient on the bed from multiple perspectives based on the grasped bed area and a predetermined area on or around the detected bed. The change in the state of the patient is determined by extracting the shape of the patient based on the imaging video. As an algorithm for extracting the shape of the patient, for example, a known moving object detection method, a discrimination method using features by SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature Transform), or SURF (Speeded-Up Robust Features), etc. may be used, or Deep Learning may be used. The state determination unit 22 may determine the change in the state of the patient by detecting information regarding the human body skeleton of the patient reflected in the video imaged by the camera 5. Specifically, the state determination unit 22 estimates the skeleton and joints of the patient based on the imaging video. As a method for estimating the skeleton and joints, for example, existing skeleton tracking technologies can be utilized. Note that the state determination unit 22 may estimate only one of the skeleton and joints of the target person as skeleton information.

[0030] The storage unit 23 stores learning data, setting values, etc. as a database for determining the state of the patient.

[0031] The imaging unit 25 is composed of, for example, a camera module provided with a filter that also transmits infrared rays. The lighting unit 26 is composed of, for example, a light emitting element such as an infrared LED.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of the main part of the nurse call master unit 3. As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the call unit 3a and the display unit 3b, the nurse call master unit 3 includes a master unit CPU 31 that controls the entire nurse call master unit 3, a video processing unit 32, a touch panel 33 as an operation unit, and a region specifying unit 34. The nurse call master unit 3 further includes an information storage unit 35, an audio processing unit 37, a notification lamp 38, and a communication interface (communication IF) 39.

[0033] The image processing unit 32 processes the image or video to be displayed on the display unit 3b. Specifically, the image processing unit 32 generates a display image that processes the video of the patient on the bed captured by the camera 5 and displays it on the display unit 3b. Also, the image processing unit 32 enlarges a part of the video captured by the camera 5 and displays it on the display unit 3b. Further, the image processing unit 32 changes the display area of the video captured by the camera 5 and displays it on the display unit 3b. Additionally, the image processing unit 32 displays the enlarged video as a high-resolution still image or video on the display unit 3b.

[0034] The touch panel 33 is, for example, assembled to the display unit 3b and is configured to accept operations by a nurse or the like. The touch panel 33 can accept, for example, an enlarged display of a predetermined area of the captured image displayed on the display unit 3b based on a touch operation on that area. Also, the touch panel 33 can accept a change in the display range of the captured image displayed on the display unit 3b and display it based on a pan-tilt operation on the display screen.

[0035] Also, the touch panel 33 is configured to function as a region specifying unit 34 that can arbitrarily specify a predetermined area to be enlarged and displayed. When an arbitrary predetermined area is specified by the region specifying function, the touch panel 33 can accept an enlarged display that enlarges and displays the specific predetermined area even when a touch operation is performed on any area of the display screen, that is, even when the touch operation is performed on an area slightly deviated from the specified "specific predetermined area".

[0036] The information storage unit 35 stores information regarding the correspondence relationship between the nurse call sub-unit 1 and the camera 5, various setting information, and furthermore, patient videos and the like. Specifically, the information storage unit 35 stores a correspondence table between the nurse call sub-unit 1 and the bed number, a correspondence table between the nurse call sub-unit 1 and the patient, a responsible nurse table, patient information such as the patient's name and gender, a correspondence table between the nurse call sub-unit 1 and the camera 5, a specific predetermined area of the captured image specified via the area specifying unit 34, and the like. Furthermore, the information storage unit 35 stores the captured video transmitted from the camera 5.

[0037] The voice processing unit 37 processes the voice signal that is announced by the calling unit 3a or input from the calling unit 3a. The notification lamp 38 is provided on the board unit 3c and emits light to notify the calling source. The communication IF 39 is an interface for LAN connection with other nurse call devices.

[0038] Next, the operation of the nurse call system 100 configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. Note that the operation in which the corridor lamp 2 performs a notification operation in response to a call operation of the nurse call sub-unit 1 and the nurse call main unit 3 or the mobile terminal 6 responds is the same as in the prior art, so the description thereof will be omitted, and the description will focus on the monitoring operation of monitoring the patient based on the captured video of the patient. FIG. 5 shows an example of a captured video P of the patient M in the hospital room actually captured by the camera 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the camera 5 captures a wide area including not only the bed 9 on which the patient M lies but also the periphery of the bed.

[0039] The state determination unit 22 of the camera 5 detects the bed area E based on the captured video P captured by the camera 5. The bed area E is defined based on two lines T1 and T2 drawn along the contour lines of the long sides (both sides other than the head side and the foot side of the patient M) of the bed 9 so as to extend in the vertical direction of the captured video P, and two lines T3 and T4 drawn along the contour lines of the short sides (both sides of the head side and the foot side of the patient M) of the bed 9 so as to extend in the horizontal direction of the captured video P. The area surrounded by these four lines T1 to T4 is set as the bed area E. The positions of the lines T1 to T4 are stored in the storage unit 23.

[0040] Based on the captured video P, the state determination unit 22 determines the state of the patient M. Specifically, the state determination unit 22 determines whether the patient M is in a state of lying prone on the bed 9 (i.e., the supine position or the lateral position), a state of sitting up, or a state of leaving the bed 9 (getting out of bed).

[0041] Whether the patient M is in a state of lying prone on the bed 9 is determined based on, for example, the position of the patient's head in the captured video P. For example, in FIG. 5, the state determination unit 22 detects the position of the patient M's head and determines that the patient M is in a state of lying prone on the bed 9 when the position of the head exists within a predetermined area on the lower side in the captured video P. Also, whether the patient M is in a state of sitting up is determined based on, for example, a change from the state of lying prone on the bed 9 to a state of raising the upper body. The state determination unit 22 detects the patient M and determines that the patient M has performed a sitting-up motion when the state of the patient M changes from the state of lying prone on the bed 9 to a state of raising the upper body. Further, whether the patient M is in a state of getting out of bed is determined based on, for example, the patient M moving outside the bed area E after performing a sitting-up motion. The state determination unit 22 detects the patient M's sitting-up motion and determines that the patient M has gotten out of bed when the patient M moves outside the bed area E after the sitting-up motion. That is, the state determination unit 22 determines that getting out of bed has occurred when the patient M moves to the left of the left line T1, to the right of the right line T2, below the lower line T3, and above the upper line T4 in the captured video P.

[0042] If, as a result of the determination, the state determination unit 22 determines that a state change has occurred in which the patient M raises the upper body or leaves the bed, the state determination unit 22 outputs a warning state occurrence signal to the nurse call master unit 3 and the control unit 4, and at the same time transmits the captured video (patient video) of the camera 5 to the nurse call master unit 3.

[0043] Upon receiving the attention status generation signal, the nurse call master unit 3 emits an alarm sound from the alarm sound unit provided in the communication unit 3a. Along with the alarm sound, the notification lamp 38 may be lit to notify the occurrence of the attention status. The master unit CPU 31 of the nurse call master unit 3 reads the camera ID information included in the attention status generation signal, refers to the information storage unit 35 to identify the patient who is the source of the notification, and displays the patient information of the identified patient on the display unit 3b, and also displays the transmitted patient video on the display unit 3b. In addition, the nurse call master unit 3 stores the patient video data transmitted from the camera 5 in the information storage unit 35.

[0044] On the other hand, upon receiving the attention status generation signal, the control unit 4 refers to the information storage unit 35 of the nurse call master unit 3 based on the ID information included in the attention status generation signal, and obtains the nurse information and the mobile terminal information associated with the ID information. The control unit 4 transmits, to the mobile terminal 6 associated with the ID information, that is, the mobile terminal 6 carried by the assigned nurse, a notification signal notifying the occurrence of the attention status, together with the source information such as the ward number, and the captured video of the camera 5, via the switch 7 and the base station 8. Upon receiving the signal from the control unit 4, the mobile terminal 6 displays the source information, the patient image, etc. on the display unit 6a of the mobile terminal 6 in the same manner as the display of the nurse call master unit 3 (not shown).

[0045] When the above-described state change occurs to the patient M, the state determination unit 22 transmits the captured video of the camera 5 to the nurse call master unit 3. In addition, for example, when a request is made from the nurse call master unit 3 side, the state determination unit 22 also transmits the captured video to the nurse call master unit 3. Further, for example, when the patient M is receiving an intravenous drip on the bed, the state determination unit 22 may continuously or periodically transmit the captured video to the nurse call master unit 3 during the period of receiving the intravenous drip. Furthermore, when the patient M presses the call button 1a of the nurse call slave unit 1, the state determination unit 22 transmits the captured video to the nurse call master unit 3.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which the video of patient M transmitted from camera 5 is displayed on the display unit 3b of the nurse call master unit 3. As shown in FIG. 6, on the display unit 3b, there is a source information display unit D1 where source information such as the ward number C1, the patient's name C2, and the medical department C3 is displayed, a video display unit D2 where the video of patient M is displayed, and an operation button D3 for operating the playback of the automatically started recorded video and the like.

[0047] In the video display unit D2, in a normal state where no touch operation is performed on the display unit 3b (touch panel 33), the video of the area centered on the bed area E detected by the state determination unit 22 of the camera 5 is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the imaging video P1 centered on the bed 9 among the imaging videos P (see FIG. 5) captured by the camera 5 is displayed.

[0048] When the imaging video P1 of patient M is displayed on the display unit 3b of the nurse call master unit 3, the nurse may want to accurately monitor a predetermined part related to the patient M in the imaging video P1 according to the respective states of the patient M. Therefore, the nurse call master unit 3 is configured to be able to expand and display a predetermined area of the imaging video P1 in response to a predetermined operation of the nurse on the display unit 3b.

[0049] For example, based on the touch operation of the nurse on the display unit 3b, it is possible to expand and display a predetermined area of the imaging video P1. The master unit CPU 31 of the nurse call master unit 3 detects the position touched on the display unit 3b and notifies the camera 5. The camera CPU 21 enlarges a predetermined area of the imaging video P1 corresponding to the detected touch operation position and transmits it to the nurse call master unit 3, where it is displayed on the display unit 3b. The predetermined areas that can be enlarged and displayed based on the touch operation on the display unit 3b include, for example, the head of patient M, the arm of patient M, the infusion bag U when patient M is receiving an intravenous drip, the call button 1a of the nurse call slave unit 1, and the like.

[0050] In the captured video P1 shown in FIG. 6, a patient M lying face down on the bed receiving an intravenous drip is displayed. On the left side of the bed 9, an IV pole with an IV bag U attached is placed. Also, on the right side of the bed 9, a call button 1a of the nurse call sub-unit 1 attached to the bed rail S is placed.

[0051] FIG. 7 shows the call button 1a of the nurse call sub-unit 1 enlarged and displayed on the display unit 3b. As shown in FIG. 7, on the display unit 3b, the call button 1a attached to the bed rail S is enlarged and displayed. This enlarged bed rail S and the call button 1a attached to the bed rail S are the bed rail S and the call button 1a attached to the bed rail S included in a predetermined area P2 of the captured video P1 shown in FIG. 6. By performing a touch operation within the predetermined area P2 in the display unit 3b of FIG. 6, the predetermined area P2, that is, the call button 1a attached to the bed rail S, can be enlarged and displayed on the display unit 3b as shown in FIG. 7.

[0052] The image of the predetermined area enlarged and displayed on the display unit 3b is preferably displayed as a still image that has been subjected to noise correction and resolution enhancement by the video processing unit 32. Therefore, the call button 1a in the enlarged predetermined area P2 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed as a sharp still image with enhanced resolution and can be accurately recognized. The resolution enhancement process may be performed by the master unit CPU 31 or the camera CPU 21.

[0053] Also, in order to accurately monitor a predetermined part of the patient M in the captured video P1, the nurse call master unit 3 is configured to be able to change the display area of the captured video P1 in response to a predetermined operation by a nurse on the display unit 3b.

[0054] For example, based on the panning operation (horizontal movement operation) and tilting operation (vertical movement operation) of the nurse on the display unit 3b, it is possible to change the display position of a predetermined area in the captured video P1 and display it. The master CPU 31 of the nurse call master unit 3 detects that a panning operation or tilting operation has been performed on the display unit 3b and notifies the camera 5. The camera CPU 21 moves the captured video P1 in the operated direction and transmits it to the nurse call master unit 3, causing the display area of the captured video displayed on the display unit 3b to be changed.

[0055] FIG. 8 shows the captured video P3 displayed by the panning operation on the display unit 3b. As shown in FIG. 8, on the display unit 3b, the infusion bag U placed on the left side of the bed 9 is displayed so as to be located at approximately the center of the display unit 3b. This captured video P3 is a captured video obtained by translating the captured video P1 shown in FIG. 6 to the left in parallel. The captured video P3 is a captured video included in the captured video P shown in FIG. 5 actually captured by the camera 5. By performing a panning operation on the display unit 3b in FIG. 6, the captured video P1 is moved, and as shown in FIG. 8, a predetermined area P3, that is, the infusion bag U attached to the drip stand, can be displayed at the center of the display unit 3b.

[0056] As described above, the nurse call system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a nurse call slave unit 1, a nurse call master unit 3 installed in the nurse station, and a camera 5 that captures the patient M on the bed. The nurse call master unit 3 has a display unit 3b that displays the captured video of the patient captured by the camera 5. On the display unit 3b, a predetermined area of the captured video is enlarged and displayed in response to a touch operation by the nurse, or the display area of the captured video is changed so as to include a predetermined area in response to a panning operation or tilting operation. According to this configuration, by enlarging a part of the patient video displayed on the nurse call master unit 3 or changing the display area of the patient video, the nurse can finely monitor the patient's condition and the surrounding environment of the patient without going to the patient's room. Thereby, the efficiency of the nursing work can be improved.

[0057] Also, in the nurse call system 100 of the present invention, the predetermined area includes at least one of the head of patient M, the arm of patient M, the infusion bag U when patient M is receiving an intravenous drip, and the call button 1a of the nurse call sub-unit. According to this configuration, with a simple operation, it is possible to enlarge and display a location that particularly requires monitoring in order to grasp the patient's condition among the patient images. For example, by touching the head of patient M in the captured image to enlarge the predetermined area including the head, the facial expression of patient M can be accurately monitored. Also, by touching the infusion bag U of the intravenous drip that patient M is receiving to enlarge the predetermined area including the infusion bag U, the remaining amount of the infusion can be accurately monitored. Further, by touching the arm of patient M to enlarge the predetermined area including the arm, it can be accurately monitored whether the infusion needle has come off the arm. Furthermore, by touching the call button 1a to enlarge the predetermined area including the call button 1a, it is possible to confirm whether the call button 1a attached to the bed rail S is in a state where it can be easily operated by patient M.

[0058] Also, in the nurse call system 100 of the present invention, the nurse call master unit 3 further has a region specifying unit 34 that specifies a predetermined region in the captured image. Even when a touch operation is performed on a region other than the predetermined region by a nurse on the display unit 3b, the predetermined region specified by the region specifying unit 34 is enlarged and displayed, or even when a pan operation or a tilt operation is performed, the display region of the captured image may be changed so that the predetermined region specified by the region specifying unit 34 is included. According to this configuration, by specifying a predetermined region according to various situations such as the patient's attributes and nursing status, for example, enabling the enlarged display, etc. of the specified predetermined region regardless of which region of the display unit an operation is performed on, the operability of the display unit 3b by the nurse can be improved.

[0059] Also, in the nurse call system 100 of the present invention, when a predetermined area is enlarged and displayed, a video or a still image of the predetermined area is displayed on the display unit 3b after being upscaled. According to this configuration, even when a predetermined area is enlarged and displayed, a high-quality video or still image without noise or degradation can be displayed, and the patient's condition can be accurately monitored.

[0060] In the description of the above-described embodiment, an example in which a predetermined area on the display unit 3b is enlarged and displayed based on a touch operation within the predetermined area has been given, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the system may be configured such that a predetermined area is enlarged and displayed by performing a pinch-out operation on the predetermined area to be enlarged.

[0061] Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, dedicated magnification buttons such as a head magnification button 41 for enlarging and displaying the head of patient M, an infusion bag magnification button 42 for enlarging and displaying the infusion bag U for intravenous drip, an arm magnification button 43 for enlarging and displaying the arm of patient M where the infusion needle is inserted, and a call magnification button 44 for enlarging and displaying the call button 1a are provided on the display unit 3b, and the nurse can touch-operate these buttons to enlarge each predetermined area. However, the dedicated magnification buttons 41 to 44 may be arranged at locations other than the display unit 3b.

[0062] Thus, in the nurse call system 100 of the present invention, the operations by the nurse include at least one of an operation of touching a predetermined area on the display unit, an operation of performing a pinch-out on the predetermined area, and an operation of an operation unit (for example, dedicated magnification buttons 41 to 44) arranged at a location on or outside the display unit 3b and associated with the predetermined area. According to this configuration, a desired portion of the patient video can be enlarged and displayed with a simple operation.

[0063] In the description of the above-described embodiment, an example in which a plurality of predetermined regions that can be enlarged are provided on the captured video has been given, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, there may be a case where a nurse wants to intensively monitor only a specific part of a patient. In that case, through the region specifying unit 34, a predetermined region including the specific part may be specified as a specific predetermined region and stored in the information storage unit 35. When the specific predetermined region is specified in this way, regardless of which region on the captured video displayed on the display unit 3b is touched, that is, even when a touch operation is performed on a region other than the specified specific predetermined region, the specific predetermined region is enlarged and displayed. Further, when the specific predetermined region is specified, even if a region other than the specific predetermined region is panned or tilted, the specific predetermined region may be displayed, for example, at the center of the display unit 3b.

[0064] In the description of the above-described embodiment, an example in which a still image with increased resolution is displayed when a predetermined region is enlarged has been given, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the predetermined region to be enlarged may be displayed as a high-resolution moving image.

[0065] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the nurse operates the display unit 3b of the nurse call master unit 3 when enlarging and displaying a predetermined region of the captured video has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by operating the display unit 6a of the portable terminal 6 carried by the nurse, a predetermined region of the captured video can be similarly enlarged and displayed on the display unit 6a.

[0066] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the camera 5 is installed above the head of a patient lying prone on the bed has been described, but the mounting position of the camera 5 may be above the bed. For example, the camera 5 may be installed above the feet of the patient M lying prone on the bed 9. By imaging from above the bed 9, the captured video on the bed does not change even if there are people around the bed, so that the patient M can be accurately monitored.

[0067] In addition, the patient video displayed on the video display unit D2 of the display unit 3b is not limited to a single video. When the attention state occurrence signal is transmitted overlappingly from a plurality of cameras 5, a plurality of corresponding videos may be displayed on the display unit 3b.

[0068] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be freely modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, numerical values, form, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

Explanation of Signs

[0069] 1: Nurse call sub-unit, 1a: Call button, 2: Corridor light, 3: Nurse call main unit, 3b: Display unit, 3c: Board unit, 4: Control unit, 5: Camera, 6: Mobile terminal, 6a: Display unit, 9: Bed, 31: Main unit CPU, 32: Video processing unit, 33: Touch panel, 34: Region specifying unit, 35: Information storage unit, 38: Notification light, 100: Nurse call system, D1: Origin information display unit, D2: Video display unit, D3: Operation button, E: Bed area, M: Patient, U: Infusion bag

Claims

1. A nurse call system having a nurse call sub-unit installed on a bed for a patient to call a nurse, a nurse call main unit installed at a nurse station to respond to a call by the nurse call sub-unit, and a camera for imaging the patient on the bed, The nurse call main unit has a display unit for displaying an imaging image of the patient imaged by the camera, and a region specifying unit for specifying a predetermined region in the imaging image. In the display unit, a region near the bed in the imaging image is enlarged and displayed in advance, and the predetermined region in the imaging image is enlarged and displayed in response to an operation by the nurse, or the display region of the imaging image is changed so as to include the predetermined region. A nurse call system in which, even when an operation is performed on a region other than the predetermined region by the nurse in the display unit, the predetermined region specified by the region specifying unit is enlarged and displayed, or the display region of the imaging image is changed so as to include the predetermined region.

2. The nurse call system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined region includes at least one of the head of the patient, the arm of the patient, and the infusion bag when the patient is receiving an intravenous drip.

3. The nurse call system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation by the nurse includes at least one of an operation of touching the predetermined region on the display unit, an operation of pinching out the predetermined region, and an operation of an operation unit arranged on the display unit or at a location other than the display unit and associated with the predetermined region.

4. The nurse call system according to claim 3, wherein the operation unit includes at least one of a head enlargement operation unit for enlarging and displaying the head of the patient, an infusion bag enlargement operation unit for enlarging and displaying an infusion bag for intravenous drip, an arm enlargement operation unit for enlarging and displaying the arm of the patient where an infusion needle is inserted, and a call button enlargement operation unit for enlarging and displaying a call button.

5. The nursing call system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the predetermined area is enlarged and displayed, a moving image or a still image of the predetermined area is displayed on the display unit with increased resolution.

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