Monitoring Systems and Programs

Abstract

To provide a monitoring system capable of appropriately outputting alerts. [Solution] The signal strength detection unit 12 can detect signal strength, which is the strength of a signal between a child sensor device 10 that can be attached to each of multiple children and a teacher sensor device 50 that can be attached to at least one teacher who monitors the multiple children. The child position information detection unit 13 can detect child position information, which is information about the child's position on Earth. The teacher position information detection unit 34 can detect teacher position information, which is information about the teacher's position on Earth. The alert units 23, 35 can output an alert based on the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12, the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13, and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit. The alert units 23, 35 do not output an alert if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined signal threshold Th1.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring system and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known monitoring systems that output alerts based on "whether a child is within a safety area, which is a predetermined geographical range," or "the distance between a child and a teacher." For example, in the monitoring system of Patent Document 1, an alert is output when a child leaves the safety area in the "At School" state, which is a "situation in which a child is assumed to be within the school grounds." Also, an alert is output when the distance between a child and a teacher exceeds a predetermined threshold in the "Walking" state, which is a "situation in which a child is assumed to be taking a walk outside the school grounds." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7280653 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the monitoring system of Patent Document 1, the decision to output an alert is made based on either "whether the child is in the safety area" or "the distance between the child and the teacher" in each of the situations of "at the nursery school" and "on a walk." Therefore, for example, when "at the nursery school," the system only determines "whether the child is in the safety area," and if the "distance between the child and the teacher" is less than a predetermined threshold but the child leaves the safety area, an alert is output. In this case, even if the child is near the teacher, i.e., within the teacher's line of sight, an alert is output because the child has left the safety area, which may be annoying to teachers and others.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system and program that can appropriately output an alert. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The monitoring system according to the present invention comprises a signal strength detection unit (12), a child position information detection unit (13), and an alert unit (23, 35). The signal strength detection unit is capable of detecting signal strength, which is the strength of the signal between a sensor device (10) for kindergarteners that can be attached to each of a plurality of kindergarteners and a sensor device (50) for teachers that can be attached to at least one teacher who monitors the plurality of kindergarteners. The child position information detection unit can detect child position information, which is information about the child's position on the earth.

[0007] The teacher position information detection unit can detect teacher position information, which is information about the teacher's position on the Earth. The alert unit detects the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit. , garden Child location information detected by the child location information detection unit , and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit Based on this, an alert can be output. The alert section is In the cases of "at the nursery school" or "staying at the destination," which are "situations in which a child is assumed to be within the nursery school grounds or at a walking destination," if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is above a predetermined signal threshold (Th1), no alert is output; if the child sensor device or the teacher sensor device cannot receive a signal, or if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is below the signal threshold, a determination is made as to whether the child is within a safety area (A1), which is a predetermined geographical range, based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit; if it is determined that the child is within the safety area, no alert is output; if it is determined that the child is not within the safety area, a determination is made as to whether the distance between the child and teacher is below a predetermined distance threshold (Th2) based on the child position information and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit; if it is determined that the distance between the child and teacher is below the distance threshold, no alert is output; and if it is determined that the distance between the child and teacher is above the distance threshold, an alert is output. In the "walking" situation, which is "a situation in which a child is assumed to be walking outside the nursery grounds," the alert unit does not output an alert if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is above the signal threshold; if the child sensor device or the teacher sensor device cannot receive a signal, or if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is below the signal threshold, the alert unit determines whether the distance between the child and the teacher is below a predetermined distance threshold (Th2) based on the child position information and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit, without determining whether the child is within the safety area based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit; if it determines that the distance between the child and the teacher is below the distance threshold, it does not output an alert; and if it determines that the distance between the child and the teacher is above the distance threshold, it outputs an alert.

[0008] Therefore, even if a child is near the teacher, i.e., within the teacher's line of sight, and the signal strength between the child sensor device and the teacher sensor device is equal to or greater than a predetermined signal threshold, an alert will not be output when the child leaves the safety area, which is a predetermined geographical range, preventing teachers and others from feeling annoyed. Furthermore, by suppressing unnecessary alerts, the power consumption of the device can be reduced. In this way, the present invention can output an alert appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the system configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the monitoring system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the display unit of a monitoring system according to an embodiment, in which (A) is a diagram when "at the park" and (B) is a diagram when "taking a walk." [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a series of processes related to alert output by a monitoring system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A monitoring system according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (One embodiment) 1(A) and 1(B) show a monitoring system according to one embodiment. The monitoring system 1 includes a signal strength detection unit 12, a child position information detection unit 13, a teacher position information detection unit 34, and alert units 23 and 35. The signal strength detection unit 12 is capable of detecting signal strength, which is the strength of the signal between a sensor device 10 for kindergarteners that can be attached to each of multiple kindergarteners (C1, C2) and a sensor device 50 for teachers that can be attached to at least one teacher T1 who monitors the multiple kindergarteners. The child position information detection unit 13 can detect child position information, which is information about the positions of the children (C1, C2) on the Earth.

[0012] The teacher position information detection unit 34 can detect teacher position information, which is information about the teacher's position on the earth. The alert units 23, 35 can output an alert based on the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12, the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13, and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit 34.

[0013] The monitoring system 1 comprises a sensor device 10 for kindergarteners that can communicate with at least the server device 20 out of the server device 20 and the terminal device 30 that can communicate with each other, and a sensor device 50 for teachers that can communicate with the sensor device 10 for kindergarteners, and is capable of monitoring the locations of multiple kindergarteners. As shown in Figures 1(A) and (B), the sensor devices 10 for kindergarteners, the server device 20, and the terminal devices 30 can communicate with each other via a network 2 such as an IP network.

[0014] In this embodiment, children as subjects of monitoring are, for example, children at a kindergarten, nursery school, etc. The monitoring system 1 can mainly monitor the locations of children from the time they arrive at the kindergarten, nursery school, etc. until they leave.

[0015] The sensor device 10 for kindergarteners can be attached to each of the multiple children to be monitored. The sensor device 10 for kindergarteners can be attached to the clothes of the children, for example.

[0016] The sensor device 10 for kindergarteners is a device capable of detecting the position information of the kindergartener to which it is attached. The sensor device 10 for kindergarteners has, for example, a processor as an arithmetic processing unit, and storage such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory as a memory unit. The memory unit stores various data and programs required for various processes in the arithmetic processing unit. The arithmetic processing unit of the sensor device 10 for kindergarteners executes a program stored in a non-transient tangible recording medium (memory unit). Execution of this program results in the execution of a method corresponding to the program.

[0017] The sensor device 10 for kindergarteners has, as functional parts or functional modules, a processing part, a sensor communication part 11, a signal strength detection part 12, a child position information detection part 13, a sensor memory part, a battery, etc. (See FIG. 1(B)). In other words, the sensor communication part 11, the signal strength detection part 12, and the child position information detection part 13 are provided in the sensor device 10 for kindergarteners. The processing unit of the sensor device 10 for kindergarteners can perform data processing or calculations on the various input information and output it to the sensor communication unit 11, signal strength detection unit 12, child position information detection unit 13, battery, sensor memory unit, etc.

[0018] The sensor communication unit 11 has, for example, a SIM card module, and can communicate with the server device 20 and the terminal device 30 by connecting to the network 2 via a telephone line of a mobile phone company or the like. The sensor communication unit 11 also has, for example, a wireless LAN module. This wireless LAN module has a signal transmission unit 111 and a signal reception unit 112. The signal transmission unit 111 can transmit, for example, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) signal (radio wave), which is one of the wireless LAN communication methods. The signal reception unit 112 can receive a Wi-Fi signal transmitted by a signal transmission unit 511 of the teacher sensor device 50, which will be described later. In this embodiment, of the signal transmission unit 111 and the signal reception unit 112, only the signal reception unit 112 is used.

[0019] The signal strength detection unit 12 can detect the signal strength (-dBm) between the kindergarten sensor device 10 and the teacher sensor device 50 by detecting the strength of the ``signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit 511 of the teacher sensor device 50'' received by the signal receiving unit 112 of the kindergarten sensor device 10.

[0020] The child position information detection unit 13 has, for example, a GPS module that uses the GPS (Global Positioning System), which is one of the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems), and can detect child position information, which is information about the child's position on Earth. That is, the child position information detection unit 13 can detect the location on Earth of the child wearing the child sensor device 10 as position information. The child sensor device 10 can process the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13, for example, in a processing unit, and transmit it to the server device 20 or the terminal device 30 via the sensor communication unit 11.

[0021] The sensor storage unit is, for example, a part of the storage unit of the sensor device 10 for kindergarteners, and can store the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13 and the strength of the "signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit 511" received by the signal reception unit 112 for each time (detection time, reception time). The battery is, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery, and supplies power to the processing unit, sensor communication unit 11, signal strength detection unit 12, child position information detection unit 13, sensor storage unit, etc.

[0022] The teacher sensor device 50 can be attached to at least one teacher as a monitor. The teacher sensor device 50 is attached to the teacher's clothing, for example.

[0023] The teacher sensor device 50 has, for example, a processor as an arithmetic processing unit, and storage such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory as a memory unit. The memory unit stores various data and programs required for various processes in the arithmetic processing unit. The arithmetic processing unit of the teacher sensor device 50 executes a program stored in a non-transient tangible recording medium (memory unit). Execution of this program results in the execution of a method corresponding to the program.

[0024] The teacher sensor device 50 has, as functional units or functional modules, a processing unit, a sensor communication unit 51, a sensor storage unit, a battery, etc. (See FIG. 1(B)). In other words, the sensor communication unit 51 is provided in the teacher sensor device 50. The processing unit of the teacher sensor device 50 can perform data processing or calculations on the various input information and output it to the sensor communication unit 51, the battery, the sensor storage unit, and the like.

[0025] The sensor communication unit 51 has, for example, a wireless LAN module. This wireless LAN module has a signal transmission unit 511 and a signal reception unit 512. The signal transmission unit 511 can transmit, for example, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) signal, which is one of the wireless LAN communication methods. The signal reception unit 512 can receive a Wi-Fi signal transmitted by the signal transmission unit 111 of the kindergarten sensor device 10 described above. Note that in this embodiment, of the signal transmission unit 511 and the signal reception unit 512, only the signal transmission unit 511 is used.

[0026] In this embodiment, the signal transmitting units 111 and 511 can transmit Wi-Fi signals, and the signal receiving units 112 and 512 can receive Wi-Fi signals. Therefore, compared to when Bluetooth (registered trademark) signals can be transmitted and received, for example, the sensor communication units 11 and 51 can transmit signals and detect the signal (strength) even if the distance between them is relatively large.

[0027] The sensor memory unit is, for example, a part of the memory unit of the teacher sensor device 50, and can store the strength of the "signal transmitted from the signal transmitter 111" received by the signal receiver 512 for each time (reception time). The battery is, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery, and supplies power to the processing unit, sensor communication unit 51, sensor memory unit, etc.

[0028] The server device 20 is a computer device capable of processing information such as child position information from the child sensor device 10. The server device 20 has, for example, a processor as an arithmetic processing unit, storage such as ROM, RAM, HDD or SSD as a memory unit, and a keyboard, mouse, display, speaker, etc. as an input / output interface. The memory unit stores various data and programs required for various processes in the arithmetic processing unit. The arithmetic processing unit of the server device 20 executes a program stored in a non-transient tangible recording medium (memory unit). Execution of this program results in the execution of a method corresponding to the program.

[0029] The server device 20 has, as functional units or functional modules, a processing unit, a server communication unit 21, a display information generation unit 22, an alert unit 23, a server storage unit, etc. (see FIG. 1(B)). In other words, the display information generation unit 22 and the alert unit 23 are provided in the server device 20. The processing unit of the server device 20 performs data processing or calculations on the various input information and can output the information to the server communication unit 21, the display information generation unit 22, the alert unit 23, the server storage unit, etc. The server communication unit 21 has, for example, a wired / wireless LAN module, and can communicate with the kindergarten sensor device 10 and the terminal device 30 by connecting to the network 2 by wire or wirelessly.

[0030] The display information generation unit 22 can generate display information based on the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 or the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13. The signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 or the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13 is subjected to data processing or calculation by a processing unit, for example, and output to the display information generation unit 22. In other words, the display information generation unit 22 can generate display information based on the signal strength or child position information subjected to data processing or calculation by the processing unit. The display information generated by the display information generation unit 22 is displayed on a display unit 33 provided in the terminal device 30, which will be described later. The server memory unit is, for example, part of the memory unit of the server device 20, and is capable of storing the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12, the child location information detected by the child location information detection unit 13, etc. for each child and for each time (detection time).

[0031] The terminal device 30 is, for example, a terminal device such as a tablet, a smartphone, or a personal computer. The terminal device 30 is capable of processing information from the kindergarten sensor device 10 or the server device 20. A tablet or a smartphone as the terminal device 30 has, for example, a processor as an arithmetic processing unit, ROM, RAM, storage as a memory unit, a touch display as an input / output interface, etc. A personal computer as the terminal device 30 has, for example, a processor as an arithmetic processing unit, ROM, RAM, storage such as an HDD or SSD as a memory unit, and a keyboard, mouse, display, speaker, etc. as an input / output interface.

[0032] The storage unit of the terminal device 30 stores various data, programs, etc. required for various processes in the arithmetic processing unit. The arithmetic processing unit of the terminal device 30 executes a program stored in a non-transient physical recording medium (storage unit). Execution of this program results in the execution of a method corresponding to the program.

[0033] A tablet or smartphone serving as the terminal device 30 can be carried by, for example, a kindergarten teacher or other caregiver (supervisor) of the children, or can be installed and used in a predetermined location within the kindergarten. Also, a personal computer serving as the terminal device 30 can be installed and used in, for example, a predetermined location within the kindergarten.

[0034] The terminal device 30 has, as functional units or functional modules, a processing unit, a terminal communication unit 31, a display information generation unit 32, a display unit 33, a teacher position information detection unit 34, an alert unit 35, a terminal storage unit, etc. (See FIG. 1(B)). In other words, the display information generation unit 32, the display unit 33, the teacher position information detection unit 34, and the alert unit 35 are provided in the terminal device 30. The processing unit of the terminal device 30 can perform data processing or calculations on the various input information and output it to the terminal communication unit 31, display information generation unit 32, display unit 33, teacher position information detection unit 34, alert unit 35, terminal memory unit, etc.

[0035] The terminal communication unit 31 has, for example, a SIM card module, and can communicate with the server device 20 and the sensor device for kindergarten children 10 by connecting to the network 2 via a telephone line of a mobile phone company or the like. The terminal communication unit 31 also has, for example, a wireless LAN module, and can communicate with the server device 20 and the sensor device for kindergarten children 10 by connecting to the network 2 wirelessly.

[0036] Similar to the display information generation unit 22 provided in the server device 20, the display information generation unit 32 can generate display information based on the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 or the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13. The signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 or the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13 is subjected to data processing or calculation by a processing unit, for example, and output to the display information generation unit 32. In other words, the display information generation unit 32 can generate display information based on the signal strength or child position information subjected to data processing or calculation by the processing unit.

[0037] The display unit 33 can display display information generated by the display information generation unit 22 and the display information generation unit 32 provided in the server device 20. Here, if the terminal device 30 is a tablet or a smartphone, the display unit 33 corresponds to a touch display as an input / output interface. In other words, the teacher can operate the terminal device 30 and input data through the display unit 33. Note that if the terminal device 30 is a personal computer, the teacher can operate the terminal device 30 and input data through a keyboard, mouse, etc.

[0038] The teacher position information detection unit 34 has, for example, a GPS module and can detect teacher position information, which is information about the teacher's position on Earth. That is, the teacher position information detection unit 34 can detect the location on Earth of the teacher who carries the terminal device 30 as position information. The terminal device 30 can process the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit 34, for example, in a processing unit, and transmit it to the server device 20 via the terminal communication unit 31.

[0039] The alert unit 35 has, for example, a buzzer, speaker, vibrator, LED, or display, and is capable of outputting alerts (notifications, warnings) using beeps, voice, vibration, light, text, images, etc. In the present embodiment, when the terminal device 30 is a tablet or smartphone, the alert unit 35 has, for example, a speaker, vibrator, or touch display (display unit 33), and is capable of outputting alerts (notifications, warnings) using voice from the speaker, vibration from the vibrator, and text, images, etc. from the touch display. Furthermore, when the terminal device 30 is a personal computer, the alert unit 35 has, for example, a speaker or display (display unit 33), and is capable of outputting alerts (notifications, warnings) using voice from the speaker and text, images, etc. from the display. The terminal memory unit is, for example, part of the memory unit of the terminal device 30, and is capable of storing the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12, the child location information detected by the child location information detection unit 13, etc. for each child and for each time (detection time).

[0040] The display unit 33 of the terminal device 30 displays the display information generated by the display information generation unit 22 and the display information generation unit 32. In Figures 2(A) and (B), a safety area A1, which is a predetermined geographical range, and the positions of multiple children C1 to C5, who are equipped with child sensor devices 10, are displayed on a map image. Here, in Figures 2(A) and (B), a circle Cr1 corresponding to teacher T1 and a dashed circle Cr2 concentric therewith are shown, but this (circle Cr2) is shown for convenience's sake to make it easier to understand the positional relationship between the children and the teacher.

[0041] 2A, a rectangular area S1 slightly smaller than the safety area A1 indicates an area (range) corresponding to the grounds of the park. That is, in this embodiment, the safety area A1 is set to an area slightly larger than the grounds S1.

[0042] 2(A) shows that children C1, C3, and C4 are inside the safety area A1, and children C2 and C5 are outside the safety area A1. In this way, the display unit 33 allows teachers and others to quickly confirm (monitor) the location of each of the children C1 to C5.

[0043] The site S1 and the safety area A1 are set in advance, for example, by inputting the information into the terminal device 30. For example, in a situation where "at school," which is a situation where "children are assumed to be on the school grounds," the teacher sets the terminal device 30 to the "at school" mode. On the other hand, in a situation where "on a walk," which is a situation where "children are assumed to be taking a walk outside the school grounds," the teacher sets the terminal device 30 to the "taking a walk" mode. For example, in a situation where "staying at destination," which is a situation where "children are assumed to be at the destination of the walk," the teacher sets the terminal device 30 to the "staying at destination" mode. The safety area set in the "staying at destination" mode is the destination of the walk, such as the grounds of a park. For example, when the teacher goes on a walk with the children, the teacher switches the terminal device 30 from the "at school" mode to the "taking a walk" mode. When the teacher arrives at the destination of the walk, the teacher switches the terminal device 30 from the "taking a walk" mode to the "staying at destination" mode. When departing from the destination of the walk to the nursery school, the terminal device 30 is switched from the "staying at destination" mode to the "on walk" mode. When returning from the walk to the nursery school, the terminal device 30 is switched from the "on walk" mode to the "in nursery school" mode.

[0044] Next, a series of processes S100 related to the alert output by the alert units 23 and 35 is shown in FIG.

[0045] S100 is initiated (started) in the server device 20 when the terminal device 30 is set to, for example, the "At the park" mode, the "Staying at destination" mode, or the "Taking a walk" mode.

[0046] In S101, the alert unit 23 determines whether the child is "at the nursery school" or "staying at the destination," which are "situations in which a child is assumed to be within the nursery school grounds or at a stroll destination." Specifically, the alert unit 23 determines whether the child is "at the nursery school" or "staying at the destination" depending on whether the terminal device 30 is set to the "at the nursery school" mode, the "staying at the destination" mode, or the "walking" mode. If the alert unit 23 determines that the child is "at the nursery school" or "staying at the destination" (S101: YES), the process proceeds to S102. On the other hand, if the alert unit 23 determines that the child is not "at the nursery school" or "staying at the destination," i.e., is "walking" (S101: NO), the process proceeds to S110.

[0047] In S102, the alert unit 23 determines whether the signal strength between a specific kindergarten sensor device 10 and the teacher sensor device 50 is equal to or greater than a predetermined signal threshold Th1. Specifically, the alert unit 23 determines whether the signal strength is equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 based on the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12. Here, for example, if the signal receiving unit 112 of the kindergarten sensor device 10 cannot receive the signal transmitted from the signal transmitting unit 511 of the teacher sensor device 50, or if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 is less than the signal threshold Th1, the alert unit 23 determines that the signal strength is not equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1. If the alert unit 23 determines that the signal strength is equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S102: YES), the process in S100 is terminated (END). On the other hand, if the alert unit 23 determines that the signal strength is not equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S102: NO), the process proceeds to S103.

[0048] In this embodiment, in S102, the number of times that the signal received by the signal receiving unit 112 of the child sensor device 10 cannot receive the signal transmitted from the signal transmitting unit 511 of the teacher sensor device 50, or the number of times that the signal strength detected by the signal strength detecting unit 12 is below the signal threshold value Th1, is counted, and when the count reaches a predetermined number n, it is determined that "the signal strength is not equal to or greater than the signal threshold value Th1," and the process proceeds to S103. Here, with regard to the sensitivity of the alert output, the smaller the "predetermined number n" is set, the higher the sensitivity, and the larger the setting, the lower the sensitivity.

[0049] In S103, the alert unit 23 determines whether the child is within the safety area A1. Specifically, based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13 and the information on the set safety area A1, the alert unit 23 determines whether the child is within the safety area A1. More specifically, when the child position information (position coordinates) is detected (confirmed) within the safety area A1 a predetermined number of times (for example, once in this embodiment), the alert unit 23 determines that the child is within the safety area A1. On the other hand, when the child position information (position coordinates) is detected (confirmed) not within the safety area A1 a predetermined number of times (for example, twice in this embodiment), the alert unit 23 determines that the child is not within the safety area A1. If the alert unit 23 determines that the child is within the safety area A1 (S103: YES), the process in S100 is terminated (END). On the other hand, if the alert unit 23 determines that the child is not within the safety area A1, i.e., that the child is outside the safety area A1 (S103: NO), the process proceeds to S104.

[0050] In S104, the alert unit 23 determines whether the distance between the child and the teacher is less than a predetermined distance threshold Th2. Specifically, the alert unit 23 determines whether the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13 and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit 34. If it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 (S104: YES), the series of processes S100 ends (END). On the other hand, if it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is not less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 (S104: NO), the process proceeds to S105.

[0051] Here, with regard to the sensitivity of the alert output, the smaller the predetermined distance threshold Th2 is set, the higher the sensitivity becomes, and the larger the distance threshold Th2 is set, the lower the sensitivity becomes.

[0052] In S105, the alert unit 23 outputs an alert via the alert unit 35. Specifically, the alert unit 23 instructs the alert unit 35 to output an alert, which causes the alert to be output from the alert unit 35. After S105, the series of processes S100 ends (END).

[0053] In S110, the alert unit 23 determines whether the signal strength between a specific child sensor device 10 and a teacher sensor device 50 is equal to or greater than a predetermined signal threshold Th1, as in the process in S102. If it is determined that the signal strength is equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S110: YES), the series of processes S100 ends (END). On the other hand, if it is determined that the signal strength is not equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S110: NO), the process proceeds to S104.

[0054] In this embodiment, in S110, as in S102, the number of times that the signal transmitted from the signal transmitting unit 511 of the teacher sensor device 50 cannot be received by the signal receiving unit 112 of the kindergartener sensor device 10, or the number of times that the signal strength detected by the signal strength detecting unit 12 is below the signal threshold value Th1 is counted, and when the count reaches a predetermined number n, it is determined that "the signal strength is not above the signal threshold value Th1" and processing proceeds to S104.

[0055] In this way, 1: When the user is "in the park" or "staying at the destination" (S101: YES) and the signal strength is equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S102: YES), 2: When the child is "in kindergarten" or "staying at destination" (S101: YES), and the signal strength is not equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S102: NO), and the child is within the safety area A1 (S103: YES), 3: When the child is "in kindergarten" or "staying at destination" (S101: YES), and the signal strength is not equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S102: NO), and the child is not within the safety area A1 (S103: NO), and the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 (S104: YES), 4: If the user is not "in the park" or "staying at the destination" (S101: NO) and the signal strength is equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S110: YES), The alert unit 35 does not output an alert.

[0056] on the other hand, 5: When the child is "in kindergarten" or "staying at destination" (S101: YES), and the signal strength is not equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S102: NO), and the child is not within the safety area A1 (S103: NO), and the distance between the child and the teacher is not less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 (S104: NO), 6: If the child is not "in kindergarten" or "staying at destination" (S101: NO), and the signal strength is not equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1 (S110: NO), and the distance between the child and the teacher is not less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 (S104: NO), The alert unit 35 outputs an alert.

[0057] When the series of processes S100 ends, if the terminal device 30 is set to the "At the park" mode, the "Staying at destination" mode, or the "Walking" mode, the series of processes S100 starts again. That is, the series of processes S100 is repeatedly executed while the terminal device 30 is set to the "At the park" mode, the "Staying at destination" mode, or the "Walking" mode.

[0058] Next, an example of an operation relating to alert output in this embodiment will be described.

[0059] FIG. 2(A) shows the display unit 33 when the terminal device 30 is set to the "At School" mode. Therefore, in the series of processes S100, S101: YES is obtained, and S102 is executed. Also, a dashed circle Cr2 concentric with the circle Cr1 representing teacher T1 indicates a range of a predetermined distance D1 from teacher T1. Note that FIG. 2(A) indicates that teacher T1 is within the safety area A1 and within the school grounds S1. In this embodiment, the predetermined distance threshold Th2 is set to the distance D1.

[0060] (Kindergartener C1) Because the distance between child C1 and teacher T1 is less than the predetermined distance D1, the child sensor device 10 of child C1 receives a signal from teacher sensor device 50 of teacher T1, and the signal strength is equal to or greater than the predetermined signal threshold Th1. Therefore, S102: YES is returned, no alert is output, and child C1 is determined to be safe.

[0061] (Kindergartener C2) Although child C2 is not within the safety area A1, the distance between child C2 and teacher T1 is less than the predetermined distance D1, so the child sensor device 10 of child C2 receives a signal from teacher sensor device 50 of teacher T1, and the signal strength is equal to or greater than the predetermined signal threshold Th1. Therefore, S102: YES is returned, no alert is output, and child C2 is determined to be safe.

[0062] (Kindergartener C3) Because the distance between child C3 and teacher T1 is the predetermined distance D1, child C3's sensor device 10 receives a signal from teacher T1's sensor device 50, but the signal strength is less than the predetermined signal threshold Th1. Therefore, S102: NO, and the process of S103 is executed. Here, because child C3 is within the safety area A1, S103: YES, no alert is output, and child C3 is determined to be safe.

[0063] (Kindergartener C4) Because the distance between child C4 and teacher T1 is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance D1, child C4's child sensor device 10 cannot receive the signal from teacher T1's teacher sensor device 50, and the signal strength is less than the predetermined signal threshold Th1. Therefore, S102: NO, and the process of S103 is executed. Here, because child C4 is within the safety area A1, S103: YES, no alert is output, and child C4 is determined to be in a safe state.

[0064] (Kindergartener C5) Because the distance between child C5 and teacher T1 is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance D1, child C5's sensor device 10 cannot receive a signal from teacher T1's sensor device 50, so S102: NO is returned and the process of S103 is executed. Here, child C5 is not within the safety area A1, so S103: NO is returned and the process of S104 is executed. Here, the distance between child C5 and teacher T1 is not less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 (distance D1), so S104: NO is returned and an alert is output in S105, and child C5 is determined to be in a state requiring attention.

[0065] 2(B) shows the display unit 33 when the terminal device 30 is set to the "walking" mode. Therefore, in the series of processes S100, S101: NO is obtained, and S110 is executed. Also, as in FIG. 2(A), the circle Cr1 representing the teacher T1 and the concentric dashed circle Cr2 indicate the range of a predetermined distance D1 from the teacher T1. Note that FIG. 2(B) shows that the teacher T1 is on the road.

[0066] (Kindergartener C1) Because the distance between child C1 and teacher T1 is less than the predetermined distance D1, the child sensor device 10 of child C1 receives a signal from teacher sensor device 50 of teacher T1, and the signal strength is equal to or greater than the predetermined signal threshold Th1. Therefore, S110: YES is returned, no alert is output, and child C1 is determined to be safe.

[0067] (Kindergartener C2) Because the distance between child C2 and teacher T1 is the predetermined distance D1, child C2's sensor device 10 receives a signal from teacher T1's sensor device 50, but the signal strength is less than the predetermined signal threshold Th1. Therefore, S110: NO, and the process of S104 is executed. Here, because the distance between child C2 and teacher T1 is not less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 (distance D1), S104: NO, an alert is output in S105, and child C2 is determined to be in a state requiring attention.

[0068] (Kindergartener C3) Because the distance between child C3 and teacher T1 is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance D1, child C3's sensor device 10 cannot receive a signal from teacher T1's sensor device 50, and the signal strength is less than the predetermined signal threshold Th1. Therefore, S110: NO, and the process of S104 is executed. Here, because the distance between child C3 and teacher T1 is not less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 (distance D1), S104: NO, an alert is output in S105, and child C3 is determined to be in a state requiring attention.

[0069] As described above, in the present embodiment of "Disclosure 1," the alert units 23 and 35 do not output an alert when the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 is equal to or greater than the predetermined signal threshold Th1.

[0070] Therefore, even if a child is near the teacher, i.e., within the teacher's line of sight, and the signal strength between the child sensor device 10 and the teacher sensor device 50 is equal to or greater than the predetermined signal threshold Th1, an alert will not be output when the child leaves the safety area A1, which is a predetermined geographical range, thereby reducing annoyance for teachers, etc. Furthermore, by suppressing unnecessary alerts, the power consumption of the device can be reduced.

[0071] Moreover, this embodiment of "Disclosure 2" further includes a teacher position information detection unit 34 capable of detecting teacher position information, which is information about the position of the teacher on the earth. In this embodiment, in the "at the nursery school" or "staying at the destination" situations where a "child is assumed to be within the nursery school grounds or at a walking destination", if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 is equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1, the alert unit 35 does not output an alert; if the child sensor device 10 or the teacher sensor device 50 cannot receive a signal, or if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 is less than the signal threshold Th1, the alert unit 35 determines whether or not a child is within a safety area A1, which is a predetermined geographical range, based on child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13, and if it is determined that a child is within the safety area A1, it does not output an alert; if it is determined that a child is not within the safety area A1, it determines whether or not the distance between the child and the teacher is less than a predetermined distance threshold Th2 based on the child position information and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit 34, and if it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the distance threshold Th2, it and outputs an alert if it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is equal to or greater than the distance threshold Th2; and in the "on a walk" situation, which is "a situation in which a child is assumed to be walking outside the nursery grounds," if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 is equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1, it does not output an alert; and if the child sensor device 10 or the teacher sensor device 50 cannot receive a signal, or if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 is less than the signal threshold Th1, it does not determine whether the child is within the safety area A1 based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13, but determines whether the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the predetermined distance threshold Th2 based on the child position information and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit 34; and if it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the distance threshold Th2, it does not output an alert; and if it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is equal to or greater than the distance threshold Th2, it outputs an alert.

[0072] Therefore, during "walking," the process of determining whether a child is within the safety area A1 based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit 13 is not executed, making the process simpler and reducing the power consumption of the device. Also, even if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit 12 is not equal to or greater than the signal threshold Th1, if it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the distance threshold Th2, no alert is output, further reducing the inconvenience to teachers and the like.

[0073] "Disclosure 3" A signal strength detection process is performed to detect the strength of a signal between a sensor device (10) for kindergarteners that can be attached to each of a plurality of kindergarteners and a sensor device (50) for teachers that can be attached to at least one teacher who monitors the plurality of kindergarteners; performing a child position information detection process to detect child position information, which is information about the child's position on the earth; performing an alert process for outputting an alert based on the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection process and the child location information detected by the child location information detection process; In the alert processing, If the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection process is equal to or greater than a predetermined signal threshold (Th1), no alert is output. A program that causes a computer to perform a process.

[0074] One aspect of the present invention can be implemented as the above-described program.

[0075] (Other embodiments) In another embodiment of "Disclosure 1," regardless of whether the alert unit is "at school," "on a walk," or "staying at a destination," if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined signal threshold, the alert unit does not output an alert; if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is less than the signal threshold, the alert unit determines whether the child is within a safety area, which is a predetermined geographical range, based on the child location information detected by the child location information detection unit. If the alert unit determines that the child is within the safety area, the alert unit does not output an alert; and if the alert unit determines that the child is not within the safety area, the alert unit outputs an alert. In other words, the alert output decision can be made by a simple process that omits steps S101, S104, and S110 from the series of processes S100 (see FIG. 3). In this case (if step S104 is omitted), the teacher location information detection unit may not be provided.

[0076] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the teacher sensor device is attached to one teacher has been shown, but in other embodiments, the teacher sensor device may be attached to two or more teachers. In the above-described embodiment, the kindergarten sensor device 10 has the signal transmitting unit 111 and the signal receiving unit 112 and uses only the signal receiving unit 112, and the teacher sensor device 50 has the signal transmitting unit 511 and the signal receiving unit 512 and uses only the signal transmitting unit 511. In contrast, in other embodiments, the signal transmitting unit 111 of the kindergarten sensor device 10 may be used, and the signal receiving unit 512 of the teacher sensor device 50 may be used. In still other embodiments, the kindergarten sensor device 10 may have only the signal receiving unit 112 without the signal transmitting unit 111, and the teacher sensor device 50 may have only the signal transmitting unit 511 without the signal receiving unit 512.

[0077] As such, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 monitoring system, 10 sensor device for kindergarteners, 12 signal strength detection unit, 13 child position information detection unit, 23, 35 alert unit, 50 sensor device for teachers

Claims

1. a signal strength detection unit (12) capable of detecting a signal strength between a sensor device (10) for kindergarteners that can be attached to each of a plurality of kindergarteners and a sensor device (50) for teachers that can be attached to at least one teacher who monitors the plurality of kindergarteners; a child position information detection unit (13) capable of detecting child position information, which is information about the child's position on the earth; a teacher position information detection unit (34) capable of detecting teacher position information which is position information of the teacher on the earth; an alert unit (23, 35) capable of outputting an alert based on the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit, the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit, and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit, The alert unit In the case of "while at the nursery" or "while staying at the destination," which is "a situation in which the child is assumed to be on the nursery grounds or within the destination of the walk," If the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined signal threshold (Th1), an alert is not output, If the sensor device for the child or the sensor device for the teacher cannot receive the signal, or if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is less than the signal threshold, it determines whether the child is within a safety area (A1), which is a predetermined geographical range, based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit; If it is determined that the child is within the safety area, no alert is output. If it is determined that the child is not within the safety area, it is determined whether or not the distance between the child and the teacher is less than a predetermined distance threshold (Th2) based on the child position information and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit; If it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the distance threshold, an alert is not output, If it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is equal to or greater than the distance threshold, an alert is output. In the case of "a situation in which the child is assumed to be walking outside the grounds of the kindergarten," When the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is equal to or greater than the signal threshold, an alert is not output, If the sensor device for the child or the sensor device for the teacher fails to receive the signal, or if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection unit is less than the signal threshold, the sensor device determines whether the distance between the child and the teacher is less than a predetermined distance threshold (Th2) based on the child position information and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection unit, without determining whether the child is within the safety area based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection unit, If it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the distance threshold, an alert is not output, The monitoring system outputs an alert when it determines that the distance between the child and the teacher is equal to or greater than the distance threshold.

2. A signal strength detection process is performed to detect the strength of a signal between a sensor device (10) for kindergarteners that can be attached to each of a plurality of kindergarteners and a sensor device (50) for teachers that can be attached to at least one teacher who monitors the plurality of kindergarteners; performing a child position information detection process to detect child position information, which is information about the child's position on the earth; performing a teacher position information detection process to detect teacher position information, which is information about the teacher's position on Earth; performing an alert process to output an alert based on the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection process, the child position information detected by the child position information detection process, and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection process; In the alert processing, In the case of "while at the nursery" or "while staying at the destination," which is "a situation in which the child is assumed to be on the nursery grounds or within the destination of the walk," If the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection process is equal to or greater than a predetermined signal threshold (Th1), an alert is not output, If the sensor device for the child or the sensor device for the teacher cannot receive the signal, or if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection process is less than the signal threshold, it determines whether the child is within a safety area (A1), which is a predetermined geographical range, based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection process; If it is determined that the child is within the safety area, no alert is output. If it is determined that the child is not within the safety area, it is determined whether the distance between the child and the teacher is less than a predetermined distance threshold (Th2) based on the child position information and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection process; If it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the distance threshold, an alert is not output, If it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is equal to or greater than the distance threshold, an alert is output. In the case of "a situation in which the child is assumed to be walking outside the grounds of the kindergarten," If the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection process is equal to or greater than the signal threshold, no alert is output, If the sensor device for the child or the sensor device for the teacher cannot receive the signal, or if the signal strength detected by the signal strength detection process is less than the signal threshold, the sensor device determines whether the distance between the child and the teacher is less than a predetermined distance threshold (Th2) based on the child position information and the teacher position information detected by the teacher position information detection process, without determining whether the child is within the safety area based on the child position information detected by the child position information detection process, If it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is less than the distance threshold, an alert is not output, If it is determined that the distance between the child and the teacher is equal to or greater than the distance threshold, an alert is output. A program that causes a computer to perform a process.

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