Output device, method, and program

Abstract

This output device is provided with: an acquisition unit that acquires a first image which includes excrement, the image having been captured by a camera for capturing the inside of a toilet bowl; a dividing unit that divides the acquired first image into a plurality of divided areas; a calculation unit that calculates an area representative value which includes a representative value per colour component of each of the divided areas; and an output unit that outputs the calculated area representative value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for outputting excrement information.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for measuring the shape and color of feces, classifying the measured shape into a plurality of forms as the first element of feces, classifying the measured color into a plurality of color tones as the second element of feces, and identifying a disease and a health state associated with the state of feces by a combination of the first element and the second element.

[0003] However, in Patent Document 1, since the disease and the health state are the objects to be identified and the information indicating the state of the feces itself is not identified, further improvement is required.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for outputting information capable of identifying the state of excrement itself while protecting the privacy of the excretor and suppressing the mental stress of the administrator who manages the excretor.

[0006] An output device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is an output device that outputs excrement information, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires a first image including the excrement photographed by a camera that photographs the inside of the bowl of a toilet, the first image including one or a plurality of color components, a division unit that divides the acquired first image into a plurality of divided areas, a calculation unit that calculates an area representative value including a representative value for each color component of each of the divided areas, and an output unit that outputs the calculated area representative value.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] (Knowledge underlying the present disclosure) In facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals, managing the state of the excrement of users who utilize the facilities is important for maintaining the health of the users. However, if an image of the excrement itself indicating the excrement is recorded in order to manage the state of the excrement, the privacy of the user cannot be protected. In addition, allowing the administrator of the facility that manages the health state of the user to visually see an image of the excrement itself will impose psychological stress on the administrator.

[0009] On the other hand, in order to sufficiently grasp the health state of the user, the administrator needs to grasp information that can identify the state of the excrement itself, such as the color, amount, and shape of the excrement, the content of the excrement such as diarrhea stool, and the amount and distribution of blood adhering to the excrement. However, when allowing the administrator to grasp such information, it has been found that it is not necessarily necessary to present the administrator with an image specifically showing the excrement, and it is sufficient to present the administrator with an image roughly showing the excrement.

[0010] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since an image of the excrement is not presented, the administrator cannot grasp information such as the color, amount, and shape of the excrement, the content of the excrement such as diarrhea stool, and the amount and distribution of blood adhering to the excrement, and it is insufficient for the administrator to accurately grasp the health state of the excretor.

[0011] The present disclosure has been made to solve these problems, and aims to provide a technology that outputs information capable of specifying the state of the excrement itself while protecting the privacy of the excretor and suppressing the psychological stress of the administrator who manages the excretor.

[0012] An output device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is an output device that outputs information on excrement, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires a first image including the excrement photographed by a camera that photographs the inside of the bowl of a toilet, the first image includes one or more color components, a division unit that divides the acquired first image into a plurality of divided areas, a calculation unit that calculates an area representative value including a representative value for each color component of each of the divided areas, and an output unit that outputs the calculated area representative value.

[0013] According to this configuration, a first image including excrement is acquired, the first image is divided into a plurality of divided areas, an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each divided area is calculated, and the area representative value is output. In this way, instead of an image showing the excrement itself, an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each divided area is output. As a result, it is possible to present an image roughly showing the excrement, and while protecting the privacy of the excreting person and suppressing the psychological stress of the administrator of the excreting person, it is possible to output information that can identify information indicating the state of the excrement itself.

[0014] In the above output device, the acquisition unit further acquires a second image that does not include the excrement photographed by the camera, and further includes an extraction unit that extracts a pixel group including pixels indicating a drain outlet of the toilet bowl from the acquired second image, and the division unit may remove the pixel group from the first image and divide the first image from which the pixel group has been removed into a plurality of divided areas.

[0015] According to this configuration, since a pixel group including pixels indicating a drain outlet of the toilet bowl is removed from the first image and the first image from which the pixel group has been removed is divided into a plurality of divided areas, an area representative value can be calculated after omitting the information of the drain outlet. Therefore, an area representative value that more accurately indicates the state of the excrement can be calculated.

[0016] In the above output device, the pixel group may include pixels indicating dirt adhering to the toilet bowl.

[0017] According to this configuration, since the pixel group removed from the first image includes pixels indicating dirt adhering to the toilet bowl, an area representative value can be calculated after omitting the information of the dirt adhering to the toilet bowl. Therefore, an area representative value that more accurately indicates the state of the excrement can be calculated.

[0018] In the above output device, the extraction unit may calculate a toilet representative value including representative values of respective color components in a region corresponding to a predetermined part of the bowl excluding the drain opening in the second image, and extract, as pixels of the pixel group, pixels having pixel values outside a predetermined range with respect to the toilet representative value.

[0019] According to this configuration, in the second image not containing excrement, since pixels having pixel values outside a predetermined range with respect to the toilet representative value are extracted as pixels of the pixel group to be removed, pixels indicating dirt adhering to the toilet and pixels indicating the drain opening of the toilet can be extracted as the pixel group to be removed from the first image.

[0020] In the above output device, the extraction unit may execute the process of extracting the pixel group when the output device is installed or periodically.

[0021] According to this configuration, since the pixel group is extracted when the output device is installed, it is possible to calculate, in consideration of the installation environment of the toilet etc., the pixel group accurately indicating the drain opening and dirt of each toilet. Further, by periodically extracting the pixel group, it is possible to extract the pixel group indicating dirt adhering to the toilet that varies at any time.

[0022] The above output device may further include a state detection unit that detects the state of the excrement from the first image, and the division unit may determine the number of divisions of the plurality of divided areas based on the detected state.

[0023] According to this configuration, since the number of divisions of the divided area is determined according to the state of the excrement, for example, for excrement with a high possibility of disease, it is possible to increase the number of divisions of the divided area, whereby the administrator can observe the excrement in more detail and can detect the disease of the excretor at an early stage.

[0024] In the above output device, the division unit may increase the number of divisions when the state of the excrement is at least one of a state including blood and a state including indigested feces.

[0025] According to this configuration, when the state of the excrement is at least one of a state containing blood and a state containing indigested feces, the number of divisions increases. Therefore, in such a case, the administrator can observe the excrement in more detail and can detect the disease of the excretor at an early stage.

[0026] In the above output device, when the calculation unit detects a divided area including the contour of the excrement among the plurality of divided areas, for the detected divided area, the area representative value may be calculated using only the pixels indicating the excrement.

[0027] When the first image is divided into a plurality of divided areas, the divided area including the contour of the excrement includes pixels indicating the excrement and pixels indicating the toilet bowl. If the area representative value is calculated using all the pixels for such a divided area, the area representative value will include information of the toilet bowl and the information of the excrement cannot be accurately represented.

[0028] According to this configuration, for the divided area including the contour of the excrement, since the area representative value is calculated using only the pixels indicating the excrement, the area representative value can accurately indicate the information of the excrement.

[0029] In the above output device, the dividing unit may divide a specific area in the first image including the drain outlet of the toilet bowl into the plurality of divided areas.

[0030] According to this configuration, since the specific area in the first image including the drain outlet is divided into a plurality of divided areas, the area representative value can be calculated by narrowing down to the area where there is a high possibility of the presence of excrement, and the processing efficiency can be improved.

[0031] In the above output device, the output unit may output the area representative value to a server connected via a network.

[0032] According to this configuration, the area representative value can be managed by the server. Also, since the area representative value has a significantly smaller data volume compared to the first image, the area representative value can be quickly transmitted to the server and the consumption of the server's memory resources can be reduced.

[0033] In the above output device, the one or more color components may include red, green, and blue color components.

[0034] According to this configuration, an area representative value including representative values for each of the red, green, and blue color components can be calculated.

[0035] In the above output device, the area representative value may be the average value of the pixel values for each color component of each divided area.

[0036] According to this configuration, an area representative value that is the average value of the pixel values for each color component and sufficiently shows the characteristics of each color component can be calculated.

[0037] A method in another aspect of the present disclosure is a method in an output device that outputs excrement information, wherein a processor of the output device acquires a first image including the excrement photographed by a camera that photographs inside the bowl of a toilet, the first image includes one or more color components, divides the acquired first image into a plurality of divided areas, calculates an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each divided area, and outputs the calculated area representative value.

[0038] According to this configuration, a method that exhibits the operational effects of the above output device can be provided.

[0039] A program according to still another aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer to function as an output device that outputs excrement information. The processor of the output device acquires a first image including the excrement captured by a camera that captures the inside of the toilet bowl. The first image includes one or more color components. The acquired first image is divided into a plurality of divided areas, and an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each divided area is calculated, and the calculated area representative value is output. The processor is caused to execute the process.

[0040] According to this configuration, a program that exhibits the action and effect of the output device can be provided.

[0041] A display device according to still another aspect of the present disclosure is a display device that displays excrement information. The display device includes an acquisition unit that acquires an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each of a plurality of divided areas obtained by dividing an image including one or more color components including the excrement, a generation unit that generates a display image that displays each divided area with the area representative value corresponding to each divided area, and an output unit that displays the generated display image on a display.

[0042] According to this configuration, since a display image in which each divided area is displayed with the area representative value corresponding to each divided area is displayed on the display, it is possible to display a display image that can identify the state of the excrement itself while protecting the privacy of the excreting person and suppressing the psychological stress of the administrator of the excreting person.

[0043] A method according to still another aspect of the present disclosure is a method in a display device that displays excrement information. The processor of the display device acquires an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each of a plurality of divided areas obtained by dividing an image including one or more color components including the excrement, generates a display image that displays each divided area with the area representative value corresponding to each divided area, and displays the generated display image on a display.

[0044] According to this configuration, a method capable of achieving the above-described operational effects of the display device can be provided.

[0045] A program according to still another aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer to function as a display device for displaying excrement information, and causes a processor of the display device to obtain an area representative value including representative values for each color component of a plurality of divided areas obtained by dividing an image including one or more color components including the excrement, generate a display image for displaying each divided area with the area representative value corresponding to each divided area, and cause the display to display the generated display image.

[0046] According to this configuration, a program capable of achieving the above-described operational effects of the display device can be provided.

[0047] Needless to say, the present disclosure can distribute such a program via a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a communication network such as the Internet.

[0048] Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present disclosure. Numerical values, shapes, components, steps, the order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In addition, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims indicating the most general concept are described as optional components. Also, in all embodiments, the respective contents can be combined.

[0049] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an excrement management system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The excrement management system 1 is a system introduced into facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals, and manages the state of excrement of users who use the facilities. The users are, for example, care recipients receiving care in a nursing home and patients receiving treatment in a hospital.

[0050] The excrement management system 1 includes an output device 2, a server 3, a display device 4, and a sensor unit 5. The output device 2, the server 3, and the display device 4 are communicably connected to each other via a network NT. The network NT is a wide-area communication network including, for example, an Internet communication network and a mobile phone communication network. The output device 2 and the sensor unit 5 are installed in a toilet and are communicably connected via a communication path 6. The communication path 6 is a communication path for short-range wireless communication such as, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, and NFC. Note that the communication path 6 may be a wired communication path.

[0051] The output device 2 acquires the sensing data acquired by the sensor unit 5 via the communication path 6. The output device 2 analyzes the sensing data, calculates an area representative value described later, and transmits communication data including the calculated area representative value to the server 3. The server 3 generates excretion history information including the area representative value included in the communication data and stores it in an excretion history database described later. The display device 4 acquires the excretion history information from the server 3 via the network NT as needed, generates a display image described later from the area representative value included in the excretion history information, and displays the generated display image on a display. The sensing data includes an image and sitting data described later.

[0052] The server 3 is a cloud server including, for example, one or more computers. The display device 4 is, for example, a computer owned by an administrator. The display device 4 may be, for example, a stationary computer, a smartphone, or a tablet computer. The administrator is, for example, a caregiver of a care recipient, a care manager, or a doctor in charge of treating a patient.

[0053] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement positions of the sensor unit 5 and the output device 2 in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the toilet 101 includes a bowl portion 101a and a rim portion 101b. The rim portion 101b is disposed at the upper end of the toilet 101 and is a member that defines the opening of the toilet 101. The bowl portion 101a is disposed below the rim portion 101b and is a member that receives defecation and urination. The sensor unit 5 is mounted on the rim portion 101b.

[0054] A drain port (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the bowl portion 101a. Excrement excreted into the bowl portion 101a flows through the drain port into the sewer pipe. That is, the toilet 101 is a flush toilet. Further, a toilet seat 102 for the user to sit on is provided above the toilet 101. The toilet seat 102 rotates up and down. The user sits with the toilet seat 102 lowered onto the toilet 101. A water storage tank 103 for storing washing water for flowing excrement into the sewer is provided behind the toilet 101.

[0055] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the output device 2 and the sensor unit 5 shown in FIG. 1. The sensor unit 5 includes a camera 51 and a seating sensor 52. The camera 51 is installed on the toilet bowl 101 so that the bowl portion 101a can be photographed. The camera 51 is, for example, a high-sensitivity and wide-angle camera, and is a camera capable of capturing a color image having three color components of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). However, this is just an example, and the camera 51 may be a monochrome camera. In the field of object detection, a camera that irradiates an object with an infrared light-emitting diode and a white light-emitting diode and photographs the object is widely used. However, with such a conventional camera, it was difficult to detect an object having a large amount of a red-based color component, and thus it was difficult to distinguish between defecation and urination. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a high-sensitivity and wide-angle camera is adopted as the camera 51. Specifically, the camera 51 is configured by a high-sensitivity camera having a 1 / 4-inch CMOS. Further, the camera 51 is configured by a wide-angle camera having a horizontal angle of view of 120 degrees and a vertical angle of view of 100 degrees. Note that the numerical values of these inches and angle of view are merely examples, and other values may be adopted. The camera 51 images the inside of the bowl portion 101a at a predetermined frame rate and transmits the obtained image to the output device 2.

[0056] The seating sensor 52 detects whether or not the user is sitting on the toilet seat 102. The seating sensor 52 includes, for example, an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance around the bowl portion 101a and a distance measuring sensor that detects the distance to an object around the bowl portion 101a. When the user sits on the toilet seat 102, the opening is blocked by the buttocks, so the area around the bowl portion 101a becomes dark and an object exists near the sensor unit 105. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether or not the user has sat on the toilet seat 102 using the illuminance sensor and the distance measuring sensor. Note that the seating sensor 52 may be configured by a pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the user sitting on the toilet seat 102 instead of the illuminance sensor and the distance measuring sensor. When the seating sensor 52 is configured by a pressure sensor, the seating sensor 52 is provided on the toilet seat 102. Also, the seating sensor 52 may be configured by either one of the illuminance sensor and the distance measuring sensor. The seating sensor 52 detects the presence or absence of the user's seating at a predetermined sampling rate and constantly outputs seating data indicating the detection result to the output device 2.

[0057] The output device 2 includes a communication circuit 21, a processor 22, and a memory 23. The communication circuit 21 is a communication circuit that connects the output device 2 to the network NT and the communication path 6. The communication circuit 21 receives the image transmitted from the camera 51 at a predetermined frame rate. The predetermined frame rate has an arbitrary value within the range of, for example, 1 to 120 fps. The communication circuit 21 receives the seating data transmitted from the seating sensor 52 at a predetermined sampling rate. Also, the communication circuit 21 transmits the communication data to the server 3.

[0058] The processor 22 is configured by, for example, a central processing unit and includes an acquisition unit 221, an extraction unit 222, a division unit 223, a calculation unit 224, and an output unit 225. Note that the acquisition unit 221 to the output unit 225 may be realized by the processor 22 executing a predetermined program or may be configured by a dedicated hardware circuit.

[0059] The acquisition unit 221 acquires a first image, which is an image including excrement photographed by the camera 51, using the communication circuit 21. Further, the acquisition unit 221 acquires a second image, which is an image not including excrement photographed by the camera 51, using the communication circuit 21. Further, the acquisition unit 221 acquires seating data using the communication circuit 21.

[0060] The extraction unit 222 extracts a pixel group including pixels indicating the drain opening of the toilet bowl 101 and pixels indicating dirt attached to the toilet bowl from the second image, and stores it in the memory 23. The pixel group stored in the memory 23 is represented as the pixel group 231. The pixel group 231 is calculated in advance by the following calibration.

[0061] The details of the calibration are as follows. First, the extraction unit 222 calculates a toilet bowl representative value including representative values of each color component in a reference area corresponding to a predetermined part of the bowl part 101a excluding the drain opening in the second image. Next, the extraction unit 222 extracts a specific area, which will be described later, from the second image. Next, the extraction unit 222 extracts a pixel group including pixels having pixel values outside a predetermined range with respect to the toilet bowl representative value in the extracted specific area. The toilet bowl representative value is a representative value of the color of the toilet bowl 101 and includes representative values of three color components of R, G, and B. The representative value is, for example, the average value or the median value of the pixels of R, G, and B respectively. In the second image, the coordinates of the reference area are coordinates calculated in advance from the attachment position of the camera 51 to the toilet bowl 101 and the viewing angle. The predetermined range with respect to the toilet bowl representative value refers to, for example, a range of pixel values indicating a color that can be regarded as substantially the same as the color indicated by the toilet bowl representative value. Since the toilet bowl representative value is composed of three representative values of R, G, and B, if at least one of the R, G, and B pixel values of the target pixel is outside the predetermined range with respect to the corresponding color representative value, the target pixel is extracted as a pixel constituting the pixel group.

[0062] The dividing unit 223 extracts a specific area, which is a predetermined area including the drain opening of the toilet 101, from the first image. The coordinates of the specific area in the first image are the coordinates calculated in advance from the mounting position of the camera 51 with respect to the toilet 101 and the angle of view. The dividing unit 223 removes the pixel group 231 from the specific area and divides the specific area from which the pixel group 231 has been removed into a plurality of divided areas. Here, it is assumed that the dividing unit 223 divides the specific area into 8×8 = 64 divided areas. However, this is just an example, and the dividing unit 223 may divide the specific area with an appropriate number of divisions such as 2×2 = 4 or 4×4 = 16.

[0063] The calculating unit 224 calculates an area representative value including representative values of color components for each divided area. Here, when the calculating unit 224 detects a divided area including the contour of excrement among the plurality of divided areas, for the detected divided area, the area representative value is calculated using only the pixels indicating excrement. Thereby, the area representative value can be calculated using only the information of excrement. The area representative value is composed of representative values of the respective pixel values of R, G, and B that constitute each divided area. The representative value is, for example, an average value or a median value.

[0064] The output unit 225 outputs the area representative value for each divided area. Here, the output unit 225 generates communication data including the area representative value, a user ID which is an identifier of the excretor, and a timestamp indicating the excretion date and time, and transmits the communication data to the server 3 using the communication circuit 21.

[0065] The memory 23 is composed of a rewritable non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory. The memory 23 stores the pixel group 231 and the toilet representative value 232. The pixel group 231 is calculated in advance by the above-described calibration. The toilet representative value 232 is calculated in advance by the above-described calibration.

[0066] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 3. The server 3 includes a communication circuit 31, a processor 32, and a memory 33. The communication circuit 31 connects the server 3 to the network NT. The processor 32 is composed of, for example, a CPU and controls the overall operation of the server 3. For example, the processor 32 acquires the communication data transmitted from the output device 2 using the communication circuit 31, generates excretion history information by associating the area representative value, user ID, and timestamp included in the communication data, and stores the generated excretion history information in the excretion history database 331.

[0067] The memory 33 is composed of a non-volatile storage device such as a solid state drive or a hard disk drive, and stores the excretion history database 331. The excretion history database 331 is a database that stores one piece of excretion history information in one record.

[0068] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the display device 4. The display device 4 includes a communication circuit 41, a processor 42, a memory 43, a display 44, and an operation unit 46. The communication circuit 41 connects the display device 4 to the network NT. The communication circuit 41 receives excretion history information from the server 3.

[0069] The processor 42 is composed of, for example, a CPU and includes an acquisition unit 421, a generation unit 422, and an output unit 423. Each component of the acquisition unit 421 to the output unit 423 is realized by the CPU executing a predetermined program. However, this is just an example, and the acquisition unit 421 to the output unit 423 may be composed of dedicated hardware circuits.

[0070] The acquisition unit 421 acquires the excretion history information transmitted from the server 3 using the communication circuit 41. As a result, the acquisition unit 421 can acquire an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each of the plurality of divided areas obtained by dividing the first image.

[0071] The generation unit 422 generates a display image that displays each divided area with the area representative value corresponding to each divided area. For example, when a certain divided area is the target divided area, the generation unit 422 sets the R, G, and B pixel values of each pixel in the target divided area to the R, G, and B representative values included in the area representative value corresponding to the target divided area. The generation unit 422 generates a display image by performing such processing for all the divided areas. Thereby, a display image G3 as shown in FIG. 11 is obtained.

[0072] The output unit 423 outputs the display image generated by the generation unit 422 to the display 44.

[0073] The memory 43 is composed of a non-volatile rewritable storage device such as a flash memory.

[0074] The display 44 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal display panel and an organic EL panel.

[0075] The operation unit 46 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc., and receives instructions from the user.

[0076] The above is the configuration of the excrement management system 1. Next, the processing of the excrement management system 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the output device 2 in the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0077] In step S1, the acquisition unit 221 determines whether the user has seated on the toilet 101 based on the seating data. For example, the seating data includes "ON" data indicating seating when the user is seated. Also, the seating data includes "OFF" data indicating non-seating when the user is not seated. Therefore, if the seating data includes "ON" data, the acquisition unit 221 determines that the user has seated, and if the seating data includes "OFF" data, the acquisition unit 221 determines that the user has not seated.

[0078] When it is determined that the user has seated on the toilet 101 (YES in step S1), the acquisition unit 221 acquires an image from the camera 51. On the other hand, when it is determined that the user is not seated on the toilet 101 (NO in step S1), the process waits at step S1.

[0079] In step S3, the division unit 223 detects whether there is excrement in the bowl portion 101a. Specifically, the division unit 223 extracts a specific area from the image and removes the pixel group 231 from the extracted specific area. Then, in the specific area from which the pixel group 231 has been removed, if there are a predetermined number or more pixels having pixel values outside a predetermined range with respect to the toilet representative value 232, the pixel group composed of the pixels is regarded as an image indicating excrement, and it may be determined that there is excrement in the bowl portion 101a. On the other hand, in the specific area from which the pixel group 231 has been removed, if there are no pixels having pixel values outside a predetermined range with respect to the toilet representative value 232, or if there are pixels having pixel values outside a predetermined range with respect to the toilet representative value 232 but the number of such pixels is less than the predetermined number, it may be determined that there is no excrement in the bowl portion 101a. Hereinafter, an image in which excrement is detected is referred to as the first image as described above. The excrement detected here includes feces and urine.

[0080] When excrement is detected (YES in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4. When excrement is not detected (NO in step S3), the process returns to step S2 and the next image is acquired.

[0081] In step S4, the division unit 223 extracts a specific area from the first image. As shown in FIG. 10, the specific area 80 is a rectangular area including all or a part of the drain port 104 in the first image.

[0082] In step S5, the division unit 223 removes the pixel group 231 from the specific area 80. The pixel group 231 includes pixels indicating dirt attached to the drain port 104 and the toilet 101 within the specific area 80 as shown in FIG. 10.

[0083] In step S6, the dividing unit 223 divides the specific area 80 from which the pixel group 231 has been removed into 8×8 = 64 divided areas. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the specific area 80 divided into divided areas 8. The specific area 80 is divided into 8×8 = 64 divided areas 8, with 8 in the vertical direction and 8 in the horizontal direction.

[0084] Here, each of the divided areas 8 is assigned an index from 1 to 64. In this example, the divided area 8 with index 1 is denoted as 8(1), and the divided area 8 with index 8 is denoted as 8(8), and so on, with reference numerals assigned to the divided areas 8. In FIG. 9, for the sake of convenience of explanation, an image without excrement is shown, but actually, the specific area 80 of the image with excrement, that is, the first image, is divided into divided areas 8.

[0085] Referring back to FIG. 6. In step S7, the calculation unit 224 calculates the area representative value of each divided area 8. Here, since there are 64 divided areas 8, 64 area representative values are calculated. In addition, when the calculation unit 224 detects a divided area including the contour of the excrement, for this divided area, the area representative value may be calculated using only the pixels indicating the excrement. For example, the calculation unit 224 may detect the contour from the image indicating the excrement extracted in step S3, and detect the divided area 8 including the detected contour as the divided area 8 including the contour of the excrement.

[0086] In step S8, the acquisition unit 221 detects from the seating data whether the user has left the toilet 101 and become unseated. When unseating is detected (YES in step S8), the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, when unseating is not detected (NO in step S8), that is, when the user continues to be seated on the toilet 101, the process returns to step S2. Thereby, the processes of steps S2 to S7 are performed on the next image.

[0087] In step S9, the output unit 225 transmits communication data including the area representative value to the server 3 using the communication circuit 21. Specifically, the output unit 225 transmits communication data including the user ID of the excreted user, the timestamp, and the area representative value to the server 3. Each area representative value is associated with an index indicating the position of its divided area.

[0088] In this flowchart, the area representative value is calculated for each image captured by the camera 51 at a predetermined frame rate. Therefore, when the processes of steps S2 to S7 are applied to a plurality of images, the area representative values included in the communication data include the area representative values corresponding to the plurality of images. For example, when the processes of steps S2 to S7 are applied to n images, n sets of area representative values are included. One set of area representative values is composed of 64 area representative values.

[0089] As described above, in the process of FIG. 6, the communication data includes n sets of area representative values instead of the first image. Here, one set of area representative values includes 64 area representative values, and each area representative value is composed of the respective representative values of R, G, and B. For example, assuming that the representative value of one color component is represented by 8 bits, the data amount of one set of area representative values is at most 24×64 bits. Therefore, even if n sets of area representative values are included in the communication data, the data amount of the communication data is significantly suppressed and the communication load is significantly reduced compared to the mode of including the first image or the specific area 80 in the communication data. Furthermore, the server 3 does not need to store the image data or the specific area 80 in the excretion history database 331, and the consumption amount of the memory resources of the server 3 is also significantly suppressed.

[0090] Furthermore, the area representative value included in the communication data may be the average value of n sets of area representative values. Thereby, the data amount of the communication data can be further suppressed.

[0091] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the process when the display device 4 displays a display image. In step S20, the acquisition unit 421 transmits a request for acquiring excretion history information to the server 3 using the communication circuit 41. Here, the administrator can start a predetermined application to display a predetermined input screen on the display 44, and input necessary items on this input screen by operating the operation unit 46. The acquisition unit 421 may generate an acquisition request including the input necessary items and transmit it to the server 3. The necessary items include, for example, a user ID and the period of the excretion history information to be acquired. The server 3 that has received this acquisition request acquires the excretion history information corresponding to the user ID and period included in the acquisition request from the excretion history database 331, and transmits the acquired excretion history information to the display device 4.

[0092] In step S21, the acquisition unit 421 acquires the excretion history information using the communication circuit 41. As a result, the acquisition unit 421 can acquire the area representative value of the corresponding user having the corresponding user ID during the corresponding period. Here, it is assumed that n sets of area representative values have been acquired. Hereinafter, one set of area representative values to be processed among the n sets of area representative values will be described as the area representative value of the target set.

[0093] In step S22, the generation unit 422 generates a display image for displaying each divided area with the area representative value corresponding to each divided area 8 for the area representative value of the target set. Here, since there are 64 divided areas 8, for each of the 64 divided areas 8, the pixel values of all the pixels in the divided area 8 are set to the area representative value corresponding to the divided area 8. As a result, a display image composed of 64 panels of 8×8 is generated. Note that the generation unit 422 executes such processing for each of the n sets of area representative values, and generates n display images.

[0094] In step S23, the output unit 423 displays the display image on the display 44. Here, the output unit 423 may display one representative display image out of the n display images on the display. The one representative display image may be, for example, a display image among the n display images whose excretion time is at the top, in the middle, or at the end, or may be a display image with the largest excrement size. Further, the output unit 423 may switch the display image to be displayed on the display 44 among the n display images according to an operation from the administrator input to the operation unit 46. Alternatively, the output unit 423 may display the n display images on the display 44 while switching them in chronological order at a predetermined frame rate.

[0095] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the display image G3. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the image G1 of the specific area 80 extracted from the first image. The display image G3 shown in FIG. 11 is a display image generated from the image G1 shown in FIG. 12. The display image G3 is composed of 8×8 = 64 panels 1101. Each panel 1101 corresponds to each divided area 8.

[0096] The image G1 is an image showing the excrement itself. Therefore, if this image G1 is directly displayed on the display 44, it is impossible to protect the privacy of the user and the psychological stress on the administrator will also increase.

[0097] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the display image G3 is displayed on the display 44. The display image G3 is composed of 64 panels 1101, and each panel 1101 is a single-color image composed of the color indicated by the area representative value of the divided area 8 corresponding to each panel 1101. Therefore, compared with the case of displaying the image G1 showing the excrement itself, the display image G3 can protect the privacy of the user and suppress the psychological stress of the administrator. In addition, since the information on the excrement is displayed in units of the panel 1101 in the display image G3, the administrator can roughly grasp the color, shape, size, etc. of the excrement. Thereby, the administrator can grasp the state of the user's excrement and accurately grasp the health state of the user.

[0098] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the calibration process in the output device 2. The calibration process is executed when the output device 2 and the sensor unit 5 are installed in the toilet 101. Alternatively, the calibration process may be executed periodically after installation in addition to the installation. The cycle of the calibration process is an appropriate time such as one day, two days, one week, one month, etc. Here, it is assumed that the calibration process is executed every day.

[0099] In step S41, the acquisition unit 221 acquires a second image that is an image not containing excrement from the camera 51.

[0100] In step S42, the extraction unit 222 calculates a toilet representative value. The details of the calculation of the toilet representative value are as follows. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the calibration process. First, the extraction unit 222 extracts a reference area 90 located at a predetermined coordinate of the second image G2 from the second image G2. Next, the extraction unit 222 calculates the representative value of each of R, G, and B by calculating the average value or the median value of the pixel values of each pixel constituting the reference area 90 for each of R, G, and B. Thereby, a toilet representative value composed of the representative values of R, G, and B is calculated. The reference area 90 is set in the area where the color characteristics of the toilet 101 appear most prominently in the second image G2. Therefore, the toilet representative value can indicate the color representing the toilet 101. In the example of FIG. 10, as shown in Table H1, a toilet representative value in which the representative value of R is "36", the representative value of G is "49", and the representative value of B is "42" is calculated. However, each representative value is 8-bit data, that is, data having values from 0 to 255.

[0101] Returning to FIG. 8. In step S43, the extraction unit 222 extracts a specific area 80 from the second image. The coordinates of the specific area 80 extracted here are the same as the coordinates of the specific area 80 extracted from the first image.

[0102] In step S44, the extraction unit 222 extracts a pixel group including pixels having pixel values outside a predetermined range with respect to the toilet representative value in the specific area 80. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 10, in the specific area 80, pixels indicating dirt and the like adhering to the drain port 104 and the toilet 101 are extracted as the pixel group 231.

[0103] In step S45, the extraction unit 222 stores the pixel group 231 in the memory 23.

[0104] Thereafter, after the pixel group 231 indicating dirt and the like adhering to the drain port 104 and the toilet 101 is removed from the specific area 80 extracted from the first image, an area representative value is calculated. Thereby, an area representative value that more accurately indicates the state of the excrement can be calculated.

[0105] (Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 changes the number of divisions of the division area 8 based on the state of the excrement. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the output device 2A in Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0106] The processor 22A includes an acquisition unit 221, an extraction unit 222, a division unit 223A, a calculation unit 224, an output unit 225, and a state detection unit 226. The division unit 223A determines the number of divisions of the division area 8 based on the state of the excrement detected by the state detection unit 226. For example, when the state detected by the state detection unit 226 is at least one of a state in which the excrement contains blood and a state in which the excrement contains indigested feces, the division unit 223A increases the number of divisions.

[0107] The state detection unit 226 detects the state of the excrement from the first image. For example, the state detection unit 226 may detect the state of the excrement based on the color of the image showing the excrement extracted from the first image by the division unit 223A. The detected state of the excrement includes at least one of a state containing blood and a state containing indigested feces.

[0108] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the output device 2A in Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. In FIG. 14, the same processing as that in FIG. 6 is denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0109] In step S3, when it is detected by the division unit 223A that there is excrement in the bowl unit 101a (YES in step S3), the state detection unit 226 detects the state of the excrement. Here, as will be described later, it is assumed that the first to fourth states are detected. The first state is a state including blood and indigested feces. The second state is a state including only indigested feces. The third state is a state including only blood. The fourth state is a state not including blood and indigested feces. Therefore, the state of the excrement is such that the first state is the worst, followed by the second state, then the third state, and the fourth state is a state without problems.

[0110] In step S102, the splitting unit 223A determines the number of splits according to the detected state of the excrement. For example, in the case of the first state, the second state, and the third state, the splitting unit 223A may determine the number of splits as the first number of splits, and in the case of the fourth state, the splitting unit 223A may determine the number of splits as the second number of splits. However, the first number of splits > the second number of splits. The second number of splits is the default number of splits of 8×8 = 64. The first number of splits is, for example, the number of splits of 9×9 = 81. Note that the splitting unit 223A may increase the number of splits of the splitting area 8 as the state of the excrement deteriorates.

[0111] Thereafter, similar to FIG. 6, the processing after step S4 is executed.

[0112] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing details of the processing of step S101 in FIG. 14. In step S201, the state detection unit 226 acquires, from the splitting unit 223A, an image showing the excrement extracted by the splitting unit 223A.

[0113] In step S202, the state detection unit 226 determines whether or not the excrement contains blood in the image showing the excrement. For example, in the image showing the excrement, if there are a predetermined number or more of pixels having pixel values within a predetermined range with respect to a predetermined RGB value indicating blood, the state detection unit 226 determines that the excrement contains blood. On the other hand, in the image showing the excrement, if the number of pixels having pixel values within a predetermined range with respect to a predetermined RGB value indicating blood is less than a predetermined number, the state detection unit 226 determines that the excrement does not contain blood.

[0114] If it is determined that blood is included (YES in step S202), the process proceeds to step S203. If it is determined that no blood is included (NO in step S202), the process proceeds to step S205.

[0115] In step S203, the state detection unit 226 determines whether the excrement contains indigested feces in the image showing the excrement. Here, if the number of pixels having pixel values within a predetermined range with respect to a predetermined RGB value indicating indigested feces in the image showing the excrement is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the state detection unit 226 may determine that the excrement contains indigested feces. On the other hand, if the number of pixels having pixel values within a predetermined range with respect to a predetermined RGB value indicating indigested feces in the image showing the excrement is less than the predetermined number, the state detection unit 226 may determine that the excrement does not contain indigested feces.

[0116] When it is determined that the excrement contains indigested feces (YES in step S203), the process proceeds to step S204. When it is determined that the excrement does not contain indigested feces (NO in step S203), the process proceeds to step S207.

[0117] In step S204, since the excrement contains blood and indigested feces, the state detection unit 226 determines that the state of the excrement is the first state.

[0118] In step S207, since only blood of indigested feces and blood is contained in the excrement, the state detection unit 226 determines that the state of the excrement is the third state.

[0119] In step S205, the state detection unit 226 determines whether indigested feces are contained. The details of this process are the same as those in step S203. When it is determined that indigested feces are contained (YES in step S205), the process proceeds to step S206. When it is determined that indigested feces are not contained (NO in S205), the process proceeds to step S208.

[0120] In step S206, since only indigested feces of blood and indigested feces are contained in the excrement, the state detection unit 226 determines that the state of the excrement is the second state.

[0121] In step S208, since the excrement does not contain blood and indigested feces, the state detection unit 226 determines that the state of the excrement is the fourth state. When the processes of steps S204, S206, S207, and S208 are completed, the process proceeds to step S102 in FIG. 14.

[0122] As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the state of the excrement is at least one of the state containing blood and the state containing indigested feces, the number of divisions increases. Therefore, in such a case, the administrator can observe the excrement in more detail and can detect the disease of the excretor at an early stage.

Industrial Applicability

[0123] The present disclosure is useful for managing the health state of the excrement of users in nursing homes, hospitals, and the like.

Claims

1. An output device for outputting excrement information, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires a first image including the excrement photographed by a camera that photographs the inside of the toilet bowl, the first image including one or more color components; a division unit that divides the acquired first image into a plurality of divided areas; a calculation unit that calculates an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each of the divided areas; an output unit that outputs the calculated area representative value; the division unit divides the first image into a plurality of divided areas by dividing the first image by a predetermined number of pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions; the acquisition unit further acquires a second image that does not include the excrement photographed by the camera; an extraction unit that extracts a pixel group including pixels indicating a drain opening of the toilet bowl from the acquired second image; and a memory that holds the pixel group; the pixel group is calculated in advance by calibration; the division unit removes the pixel group from the first image and divides the first image from which the pixel group has been removed into a plurality of divided areas; an output device.

2. An output device for outputting excrement information, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires a first image including the excrement photographed by a camera that photographs the inside of the toilet bowl, the first image including one or more color components; a division unit that divides the acquired first image into a plurality of divided areas; a calculation unit that calculates an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each of the divided areas; an output unit that outputs the calculated area representative value; the division unit divides the first image into a plurality of divided areas by dividing the first image by a predetermined number of pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions; the acquisition unit further acquires a second image that does not include the excrement photographed by the camera; an extraction unit that extracts a pixel group including pixels indicating dirt adhering to the toilet bowl from the acquired second image; and a memory that stores the pixel group; the pixel group is calculated in advance by calibration; the division unit removes the pixel group from the first image and divides the first image from which the pixel group has been removed into a plurality of divided areas; an output device.

3. The calibration is performed periodically when the output device is installed or after installation. The output device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The extraction unit calculates a toilet representative value including representative values of respective color components in a region corresponding to a predetermined part of the bowl excluding the drain opening in the second image, and extracts, as pixels of the pixel group, pixels having pixel values outside a predetermined range with respect to the toilet representative value. The output device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The apparatus further includes a state detection unit that detects a state of the excrement from the first image. The division unit determines the number of divisions of the plurality of divided areas based on the detected state. The output device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. When the state of the excrement is at least one of a state including blood and a state including indigested feces, the division unit increases the number of divisions. The output device according to claim 5.

7. When the calculation unit detects a divided area including the contour of the excrement among the plurality of divided areas, for the detected divided area, the calculation unit calculates the area representative value using only the pixels indicating the excrement. The output device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The division unit divides a specific area in the predetermined first image including the drain opening of the toilet into the plurality of divided areas. The output device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The output unit outputs the area representative value to a server connected via a network. The output device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The one or more color components include color components of red, green, and blue. The output device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The area representative value is an average value of pixel values for each color component of each divided area. The output device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A method in an output device for outputting information on excrement, wherein a processor of the output device obtains a first image including the excrement photographed by a camera that photographs inside a bowl of a toilet, the first image includes one or more color components, divides the obtained first image into a plurality of divided areas, calculates an area representative value including representative values of each color component of each of the divided areas, outputs the calculated area representative value, in the division, the first image is divided into a plurality of divided areas by dividing the first image by a predetermined number of pixels in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, in the obtaining, the processor further obtains a second image not including the excrement photographed by the camera. Extract a pixel group including pixels indicating a drain port of the toilet from the obtained second image, and hold the pixel group in a memory. The pixel group is calculated in advance by calibration. Remove the pixel group from the first image, and divide the removed first image into a plurality of divided areas. Method.

13. A program that causes a computer to function as an output device for outputting excrement information, In the processor of the output device, Obtain a first image including the excrement photographed by a camera that photographs the inside of the toilet bowl, and the first image includes one or more color components. Divide the obtained first image into a plurality of divided areas. Calculate an area representative value including representative values for each color component of each divided area. Execute a process of outputting the calculated area representative value. In the division, the first image is divided into a plurality of divided areas by dividing the first image by a predetermined number of pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the obtaining, further obtain a second image that does not include the excrement photographed by the camera. Extract a pixel group including pixels indicating a drain port of the toilet from the obtained second image, and hold the pixel group in a memory. The pixel group is calculated in advance by calibration. Further execute a process of removing the pixel group from the first image and dividing the removed first image into a plurality of divided areas. Program.

Images