Data conversion method, care information conversion device, and program for causing a computer to execute the data conversion method

Abstract

To output data so as to reduce the load to input the data to an external system.SOLUTION: Processing to be executed by a CPU 1 includes: a step (S910) of accessing a history of image data; a step (S920) of accessing a history of trajectory data in a living room; a step (S930) of accessing a history of sleep data acquired from a Doppler sensor; a step (S940) of aggregating the time for which a resident stays in the living room, for each of residents; a step (S950) of determining a shut-in state of the resident using a result of the aggregation; a step (S960) of converting a format of data indicating the shut-in state into a data format of an external system; and a step (S970) of outputting the converted data to the external system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to providing information, and more particularly to techniques for converting information acquired in a care facility into a format compatible with an external system. [Background technology]

[0002] As the number of users of nursing care services increases, the burden on nursing staff to record the condition of residents (those receiving care) in nursing facilities is increasing, and systems to reduce this burden are being introduced.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-135734 (Patent Document 1) discloses a "care record program that enables centralized management of information regarding care services for multiple care recipients on a single screen" (see [Abstract]).

[0004] Incidentally, in order to realize "scientific care" that is proven to be effective in supporting independence and preventing the condition from worsening, it is necessary to accumulate evidence and analyze that evidence to provide the basis for the care services provided to care recipients, and systems for collecting evidence (such as LIFE (Long-term care Information For Evidence)) are in operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-135734 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the variety and volume of data stored in systems used in nursing care facilities increases the burden of inputting the data into external systems. Therefore, there is a need for technology that can reduce the burden of inputting data stored in the system into external systems.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-described background, and according to one embodiment, a technology is disclosed that reduces the burden of inputting care record data into an external system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) According to one embodiment, there is provided a computer-implemented data conversion method for outputting data, the data conversion method including the steps of accessing one or more data indicative of a resident's status, converting the format of the one or more data into a data format required by a system other than a computer, and outputting the data in the converted format.

[0009] (2) In one aspect, the one or more data indicating the resident's condition include data acquired from a sensor installed in the resident's room. The data required by the system includes data qualitatively indicating the resident's condition. The converting step includes converting the acquired data into qualitatively indicating data.

[0010] (3) In a data conversion method according to a certain aspect, the data acquired from the sensor includes image data, trajectory data of a resident in a room, and sleep data of the resident.

[0011] (4) In a certain aspect, the one or more data indicating the resident's status include character information determined to be relevant from character information prepared in advance as information indicating the resident's status. The data required by the system includes data qualitatively indicating the resident's status. The converting step includes converting the character information into data qualitatively indicating the status.

[0012] (5) In one aspect, the one or more data indicating the resident's condition include a care record describing the resident's condition. The data required by the system includes data qualitatively indicating the resident's condition. The converting step includes extracting words from the care record and generating data indicating whether the extracted words correspond to keywords predefined in the system.

[0013] (6) A data conversion method according to an aspect further includes the steps of: outputting a message to a mobile device capable of communicating with a computer prompting the user to input a care record for a resident; and receiving, from the mobile device, the care record input in response to the message. The converting step includes converting the format of data for an item included in the received care record into a format predefined in the system for the item.

[0014] (7) In one aspect, the one or more data indicating the resident's condition include data acquired at a first time period from a sensor installed in the resident's room and data acquired at a second time period after the first time period. The data required by the system includes data indicating whether or not the resident's condition has changed. The converting step includes generating data qualitatively indicating the resident's condition based on the change from the data acquired at the first time period to the data acquired at the second time period.

[0015] (8) In one aspect, the converting step includes converting quantitative data into qualitative data for one or more data.

[0016] (9) According to another embodiment, there is provided a care information conversion device comprising: access means for accessing a storage device storing one or more data items indicating the condition of a resident; conversion means for converting the format of the one or more data items into a data format required by a system other than the care information conversion device; and output means for outputting the data in the converted format.

[0017] (10) In one aspect, the one or more data indicating the resident's condition include data acquired from a sensor installed in the resident's room. The data required by the system includes data qualitatively indicating the resident's condition. The conversion means converts the acquired data into data qualitatively indicating the condition.

[0018] (11) In a care information conversion device according to a certain aspect, data acquired from the sensor includes image data, trajectory data of the resident in the room, and sleep data of the resident.

[0019] (12) In a certain aspect, the one or more data indicating the resident's status include character information determined to be relevant from character information prepared in advance as information indicating the resident's status. The data required by the system includes data qualitatively indicating the resident's status. The conversion means converts the character information into data qualitatively indicating the status.

[0020] (13) In one aspect, the one or more data indicating the condition of a resident include a care record describing the condition of the resident. The data required by the system includes data qualitatively indicating the condition of the resident. The conversion means extracts words from the care record and generates data indicating whether the extracted words correspond to keywords predefined in the system.

[0021] (14) In one aspect, the care information conversion device further includes a receiving unit for receiving a care record entered from the mobile terminal in response to a message prompting the user to enter a care record for the resident. The converting unit converts the data format of the items included in the received care record into a format predefined in the system for the items.

[0022] (15) In one aspect, the one or more data indicating the resident's condition include data acquired at a first time period from a sensor installed in the resident's room and data acquired at a second time period after the first time period. The data required by the system includes data indicating whether or not the resident's condition has changed. The conversion means generates data qualitatively indicating the resident's condition based on the change from the data acquired at the first time period to the data acquired at the second time period.

[0023] (16) In one aspect, the conversion means converts quantitative data into qualitative data for one or more pieces of data.

[0024] (17) According to yet another embodiment, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute any of the above methods.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the data format of the care records is converted into a format compatible with the external system, thereby reducing the load of inputting data into the external system.

[0026] The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the flow of nursing care work before and after the introduction of LIFE. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a system 100 according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a system 100. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a system 100 using a sensor box 119. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computer system 400. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a system 60. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram representing the data items acquired by the system used in the facility and entered into the scientific care database. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which data acquired by the sensor box 119 is converted into data compatible with external systems 630 and 640. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by a CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of how data stored on a hard disk 5 is converted into a format compatible with the format of an external system. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing executed by the care record linking server 600. [Figure 12] FIG. 6 shows how information recorded by care staff is converted into a format compatible with external systems 630 and 640. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing executed by a CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600. [Figure 14] FIG. 6 shows how information recorded by care staff is converted into a format compatible with external systems 630 and 640. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing executed by a CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of text mining according to an embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the transition of screens displayed on a display 226 of a mobile terminal 220 used by a care staff member. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing executed by a control device 221 of a mobile terminal 220. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of the components are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0029] First, we will explain the collection and utilization of information using the scientific nursing care information system LIFE, with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 shows the flow of nursing care work before and after the introduction of LIFE. Figure 1(A) shows the flow of nursing care work before the introduction of LIFE. Figure 1(B) shows the flow of nursing care work after the introduction of LIFE.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1(A), before LIFE is introduced, in step S110, a care plan / rehabilitation (hereinafter referred to as "rehabilitation") implementation plan is created. In step S120, care / rehabilitation is implemented. In step S130, nursing care records / rehabilitation implementation records are entered into the system. In step S170, nursing care fee claims are processed.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1(B), after LIFE is introduced, a care plan / rehabilitation implementation plan is created in step S110. Care / rehabilitation is implemented in step S120. Care records / rehabilitation implementation records are input into the system in step S130.

[0032] Then, in step S140, information is collected. In step S150, the collected information is entered into the system (LIFE). In step S160, the data is sent.

[0033] In step S170, the nursing care fee claim process is performed. In step S180, the nursing care records, rehabilitation implementation records, and nursing care fee analysis results are downloaded. In step S190, the analysis results are fed back to the creation of the care plan / rehabilitation implementation plan (step S110).

[0034] <System Overview> Referring to Figure 2, a system 100 capable of acquiring information related to nursing care or rehabilitation will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of system 100 according to an embodiment. Examples of the monitored subjects are the residents in each room provided in the room area of ​​facility 180. In system 100 of Figure 2, rooms 110 and 120 are provided in the room area. Room 110 is assigned to resident 111. Room 120 is assigned to resident 121.

[0035] The system 100 includes a gateway server 130, a switching device 135, an access point 140, a management server 200, a sensor box 119, various devices that communicate with the sensor box 119, and mobile terminals 161, 162, 163, and 164.

[0036] The gateway server 130 connects the internal network (intranet) of the facility 180 to an external network 16 of the facility 180. The external network 16 is, for example, the Internet or a public telephone network. The external network 16 is also connected to a cloud server 150, a push server 160, and a wireless base station 195.

[0037] The switching device 135 connects each device in the internal network of the facility 180 to each other. In some aspects, a router or a switch may be used as the switching device 135. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the number of switching devices 135 is two, but the number is not limited to this. The internal network of the facility 180 may be configured by a combination of multiple switching devices 135.

[0038] The access point 140 is used to connect the mobile terminals 161 and 162 to the internal network of the facility 180. In one aspect, a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) router can be used as the access point 140.

[0039] The management server 200 receives event information from the sensor box 119 in the facility 180 and manages information about the residents of each room. The management server 200 also communicates with mobile terminals 161 and 162, manages staff who carry those mobile terminals, and sends various notifications to each mobile terminal. Note that the management server 200 may use an external push server 160 when sending notifications to the mobile terminals 161 and 162. Also, an external cloud server 150 may have some or all of the functions of the management server 200.

[0040] The sensor box 119 acquires information about the residents 111, 121 in the rooms 110, 120 by linking with the camera and sensors built into its housing and various other sensors in the rooms 110, 120. This information may include images showing each resident's gait, body temperature, pulse rate, and other vital signs. The sensor box 119 also transmits the acquired information about the residents 111, 121 to the management server 200 via the internal network. Details of the sensor box 119 will be described later.

[0041] The mobile terminals 161, 162 are used by caregivers and other staff members engaged in care at the facility 180. The staff members can use the mobile terminals 161, 162 to input care records, etc. The mobile terminals 161, 162 transmit the care records to the management server 200. Furthermore, if a problem occurs with the residents 111, 121, the staff members use the mobile terminals 161, 162 to receive a notification from the management server 200. The mobile terminals 161, 162 are connected to the access point 140 within the facility 180 and communicate with the management server 200 via the internal network. In the example of this specification, the caregivers 141, 142, 143, and 144 each have the mobile terminals 161, 162, 163, and 164.

[0042] From outside the facility 180, the mobile terminals 163, 164 can communicate with the management server 200 via the gateway server 130 via a wireless base station 195 or the like. When the mobile terminals 163, 164 communicate with the management server 200 from outside the facility 180, some of the services provided by the management server 200 to the mobile terminals 163, 164 may be restricted in order to protect the information of the residents.

[0043] The number of other devices such as the mobile terminals 161 and 162, the access point 140, and the exchange device 135 is not limited to the number exemplified in FIG.

[0044] Each of the rooms 110 and 120 includes furniture 112, a bed 113, and a toilet 114 as its facilities. Door sensors 118 are installed on the doors of the rooms 110 and 120, respectively, to detect whether the doors are open or closed. A toilet sensor 116 is installed on the door of the toilet 114, to detect whether the toilet 114 is open or closed. An odor sensor 117 is installed on the bed 113, to acquire excretion information of the resident 111. The resident 111 wears a vital sensor 290 that detects vital information of the resident 111. One example of the detected vital information is the resident's body temperature. Another example is the resident's breathing. Another example is the resident's heart rate. Yet another example is two or more of these types of information. In the room 110, the resident 111 can operate a care call handset 115. When the resident 111 operates the care call handset 115, the care call handset 115 transmits a call signal, which is received by the sensor box 119. The sensor box 119 transmits the received call signal to the management server 200. The management server 200 transmits a signal to the mobile terminal 220 notifying that a call from the resident 111 has been received.

[0045] The sensor box 119 has built-in sensors for detecting the behavior of objects in the rooms 110 and 120. One example of a sensor is a Doppler sensor for detecting the movement of an object. Another example is a camera. Still other examples are the care call handset 115, the door sensor 118, the toilet sensor 116, the odor sensor 117, or the vital sign sensor 290. The sensor box 119 may include at least one of these sensors.

[0046] The configuration of the system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the system 100.

[0047] [Sensor Box 119] The sensor box 119 includes a control device 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a communication interface 104, a camera 105, a Doppler sensor 106, a wireless communication device 107, and a storage device 108.

[0048] The control device 101 controls the sensor box 119. The control device 101 is configured, for example, by at least one integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is configured, for example, by at least one CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or other processor, at least one ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

[0049] An antenna (not shown) and the like are connected to the communication interface 104. The sensor box 119 exchanges data with external communication devices via the antenna. The external communication devices include, for example, the management server 200, mobile terminals 161, 162, 163, 164 and other terminals, the access point 140, the cloud server 150, and other communication terminals.

[0050] In one implementation, the camera 105 is a near-infrared camera. The near-infrared camera includes an IR (Infrared) projector that projects near-infrared light. By using a near-infrared camera, images showing the interior of the rooms 110, 120 can be captured even at night. In another implementation, the camera 105 is a surveillance camera that receives only visible light. In still another implementation, the camera 105 may be a 3D sensor or a thermographic camera. The sensor box 119 and the camera 105 may be configured as an integrated unit or as a combination of separate devices.

[0051] The Doppler sensor 106 functions as a body movement sensor. The Doppler sensor 106 transmits and receives microwaves, ultrasound, and other radio waves to detect the behavior (movement) of objects (e.g., residents 111, care staff, etc.) in the rooms 110, 120. This allows the biological information of the residents 111, 121 in the rooms 110, 120 to be detected.

[0052] More specifically, the Doppler sensor 106 is connected to the control device 101 and, under the control of the control device 101, measures the movement of the chest surface of the resident 111 associated with breathing. The Doppler sensor 106 transmits microwaves or ultrasound waves (hereinafter also referred to as "transmitted waves"), receives microwaves or ultrasound waves reflected by an object (i.e., "reflected waves"), and outputs a Doppler signal of Doppler frequency components based on the transmitted waves and reflected waves. When an object is moving, the frequency of the reflected wave shifts in proportion to the object's moving speed due to the so-called Doppler effect. This results in a difference (Doppler frequency component) between the frequency of the transmitted wave and the frequency of the reflected wave. The Doppler sensor 106 generates a signal of this Doppler frequency component as a Doppler signal at a predetermined sampling rate and outputs the Doppler signal to the control device 101. When the control device 101 receives the Doppler signal from the Doppler sensor 106, it stores the received Doppler signal in chronological order in the storage device 108. When microwaves are used as transmission waves, the microwaves pass through clothing and are reflected by the body surface of resident 111. Therefore, even if resident 111 is wearing clothes, body surface movements can be detected.

[0053] In one example, each Doppler sensor 106 emits microwaves in the 24 GHz band toward the bed 113 in each room 110, 120, and receives waves reflected by the occupants 111, 121, etc. The reflected waves are Doppler shifted by the movements of the occupants 111, 121. The Doppler sensor 106 can detect the breathing state and heart rate of the occupants 111, 121 from the reflected waves.

[0054] The wireless communication device 107 receives signals from the care call handset 115, the door sensor 118, the toilet sensor 116, the odor sensor 117, and the vital sensor 290, and transmits the signals to the control device 101. The care call handset 115 includes a care call button 241. When the care call button 241 is operated, the care call handset 115 transmits a signal (e.g., a call signal) indicating that the operation has been performed. The transmitted signal is received by the wireless communication device 107. When the door sensor 118, the toilet sensor 116, the odor sensor 117, and the vital sensor 290 transmit their respective detection results, the transmitted signals are received by the wireless communication device 107.

[0055] The storage device 108 is, for example, a fixed storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk, or a recording medium such as an external storage device. The storage device 108 stores programs executed by the control device 101 and various data used to execute the programs. The various data may include behavioral information of the residents 111, 121. Details of the behavioral information will be described later.

[0056] At least one of the above programs and data may be stored in a storage device other than storage device 108 (for example, a storage area of ​​control device 101 (for example, cache memory, etc.), ROM 102, RAM 103, external device (for example, management server 200 or mobile terminals 161, 162, 163, 164, etc.)) as long as the storage device is accessible by control device 101.

[0057] [Behavioral Information] Next, the behavior information in this embodiment will be described. The behavior information is, for example, information indicating that the resident 111, 121 has performed a predetermined behavior. In one example, the predetermined behavior includes four behaviors: "getting up" indicating that the resident 111, 121 has woken up, "getting out of bed" indicating that the resident 111, 121 has left the bed (bedding) 113, "falling" indicating that the resident 111, 121 has fallen off the bed (bedding) 113, and "falling down" indicating that the resident 111, 121 has collapsed.

[0058] Furthermore, the behavioral information may include actions that the resident performs to refuse to receive care, such as shaking off the caregiver with their hands, trying to kick the caregiver with their legs, clinging to the bed 113 and refusing to be changed, etc.

[0059] In one embodiment, the control device 101 generates behavioral information for each of the residents 111, 121 associated with each of the rooms 110, 120 based on images captured by the cameras 105 installed in each of the rooms 110, 120. For example, the control device 101 detects the heads of the residents 111, 121 from the images, and based on changes in the size of the detected heads of the residents 111, 121 over time, detects information such as "refusal of care" in addition to the usual information such as "getting up," "getting out of bed," "falling," and "falling down" of the residents 111, 121. A specific example of generating behavioral information will be described in more detail below.

[0060] First, the storage device 108 stores the location area of ​​each bed 113 in the living room 110, 120, a first threshold value Th1, a second threshold value Th2, and a third threshold value Th3. The first threshold value Th1 distinguishes the size of the resident's head between a lying position and a sitting position within the location area of ​​the bed 113. The second threshold value Th2 distinguishes whether the resident is in a standing position or not based on the size of the resident's head within the living room 110, 120 excluding the location area of ​​the bed 113. The third threshold value Th3 distinguishes whether the resident is in a lying position or not based on the size of the resident's head within the living room 110, 120 excluding the location area of ​​the bed 113.

[0061] The control device 101 extracts moving object regions from the target image as regions of the occupants 111, 121, for example, by background subtraction or frame subtraction. The control device 101 further extracts the head regions of the occupants 111, 121 from the extracted moving object regions by, for example, a circular or elliptical Hough transform, pattern matching using a pre-prepared head model, and using a threshold derived by a neural network trained for head detection. The control device 101 detects "getting up," "getting out of bed," "falling," and "falling down" from the position and size of the extracted head.

[0062] The control device 101 may determine that the action "getting up" has occurred when it detects that the position of the head extracted as described above is within the location area of ​​the bed 113 and that the size of the head extracted as described above has changed from the size of a lying position to the size of a sitting position by using the first threshold value Th1.

[0063] When the position of the head extracted as described above moves from within the area where the bed 113 is located to outside the area where the bed 113 is located, the control device 101 may apply a second threshold value Th2 to the size of the head extracted as described above, and when it detects that the head has changed from a certain size to the size of an upright position, determine that the action of "leaving bed" has occurred.

[0064] When the position of the head extracted as described above moves from within the area where the bed 113 is located to outside the area where the bed 113 is located, the control device 101 may apply a third threshold value Th3 to the size of the head extracted as described above, and when it detects that the head has changed from a certain size to the size of a recumbent position, determine that the behavior of "falling" has occurred.

[0065] The control device 101 may determine that the behavior of "falling" has occurred if it detects that the position of the head extracted as described above is located within the room 110, 120 excluding the area where the bed 113 is located, and that the size of the extracted head has changed from a certain size to the size of a lying position by using a third threshold value Th3.

[0066] Furthermore, the control device 101 detects the caregiver in addition to the resident from the image data and estimates the distance between the resident and the caregiver. If the control device estimates that the distance is shorter than a predetermined normal distance, it can determine that care refusal behavior is occurring. Furthermore, if the control device 101 determines that the resident's movements are abnormal, it can determine that the resident is exhibiting care refusal behavior toward the caregiver.

[0067] In this manner, in one specific example, the control device 101 of the sensor box 119 generates behavioral information of each of the residents 111 and 121. Note that in the system 100 according to another aspect, an element other than the control device 101 (for example, the cloud server 150) may generate behavioral information of the residents 111 and 121 using images of the inside of the rooms 110 and 120.

[0068] [Mobile terminal 220] Mobile terminal 220 includes control device 221, ROM 222, RAM 223, communication interface 224, display 226, storage device 228, and input device 229. In one aspect, mobile terminals 161, 162, 163, and 164 are realized as, for example, smartphones, tablet terminals, wristwatch-type terminals, or other wearable devices.

[0069] The control device 221 controls the mobile terminals 161, 162, 163, and 164. The control device 221 is configured, for example, by at least one integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is configured, for example, by at least one CPU, at least one ASIC, at least one FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0070] An antenna (not shown) and the like are connected to the communication interface 224. The mobile terminals 161, 162, 163, and 164 exchange data with external communication devices via the antenna and the access point 140. Examples of the external communication devices include the sensor box 119 and the management server 200.

[0071] Display 226 is realized by, for example, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, a liquid crystal display, etc. Input device 229 is realized by, for example, a touch sensor provided on display 226. The touch sensor receives a touch operation on mobile terminals 161, 162, 163, and 164, and outputs a signal corresponding to the touch operation to control device 221.

[0072] The storage device 228 is realized by, for example, a flash memory, a hard disk or other fixed storage device, or a removable data recording medium.

[0073] In one aspect, the control device 101 distinguishes between going to bed, lying down, getting up, getting out of bed, falling, tipping over, and abnormal slight body movement, for example, as follows: The area in the target image where the bed 113 is located (the area where the bed 113 is located) is stored in advance in the ROM 102 as one of various data. Furthermore, each threshold value and the duration determination time are appropriately set from a plurality of samples, and are stored in advance in the ROM 102 as one of various data.

[0074] [Coming to bed] In determining whether to admit to bed, the control device 101 provisionally determines that the person has admitted to bed if the previous state variable (variable that stores the behavior determination result) was "leaving bed" and the person area extracted this time from the target image acquired from the camera 105, for example by background subtraction, completely overlaps the area where the bed 113 is located (if the person area is completely within the area where the bed 113 is located), and if the duration of this complete overlap state continues beyond the stay-in-bed continuation determination time, the control device 101 finally determines that the person has admitted to bed and detects admission to bed. The control device 101 updates the state variable to "stay-in-bed." The stay-in-bed continuation determination time is used as a threshold for finally determining that the person has admitted to bed, which was provisionally determined based on the complete overlap between the extracted person area and the area where the bed 113 is located, is admitted to bed.

[0075] [Lying down] "Lying in bed" refers to a state in which a resident (person to be monitored) is lying down in bed 113. For example, when the area occupied by the resident in the image is included in the area of ​​bed 113 and the amount of movement of the resident is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, control device 101 detects "lying in bed" as the behavior information of the resident.

[0076] [Wake up] In determining whether or not a person has woken up, the control device 101 provisionally determines that the person has woken up if the previous state variable was "lying down" and the area of ​​the person area extracted from the target image acquired from the camera 105 that currently extends beyond the area where the bed 113 is located is equal to or greater than the wake-up determination threshold and less than the bed-leaving determination threshold. The control device 101 finally determines that the person has woken up and detects the person having woken up if the duration of the area in which the area is equal to or greater than the wake-up determination threshold and less than the bed-leaving determination threshold exceeds the continued wake-up determination time. The control device 101 updates the state variable to "wake-up." The wake-up determination threshold is used to determine whether or not a person has woken up based on the size of the area. The bed-leaving determination threshold is used to determine whether or not a person has woken up based on the size of the area. The bed-leaving determination threshold is set to a value greater than the wake-up determination threshold. The continued wake-up determination time is used as a threshold for finally determining that a person has woken up, which was provisionally determined by comparing the area with the wake-up determination threshold.

[0077] [Getting out of bed] In determining whether or not a person has left bed, the control device 101 provisionally determines that the person has left bed if the previous state variable was either "in bed" or "wake up" and the area of ​​the person area extracted from the target image acquired this time from the camera 105 that extends beyond the area where the bed 113 is located is equal to or greater than the bed exit determination threshold. If the duration of time that the area remains equal to or greater than the bed exit determination threshold exceeds the continued bed exit determination time, the control device 101 finally determines that the person has left bed and detects the person having left bed. The control device 101 updates the state variable to "out of bed". The continued bed exit determination time is used as a threshold for finally determining that the person has left bed, which was provisionally determined by comparing the area with the bed exit determination threshold.

[0078] [Fall] In determining whether a fall has occurred, the control device 101 determines that a fall has occurred and detects a fall if the size of the head region of the person region extracted from the target image acquired this time from the camera 105 is equal to or smaller than the lying posture determination threshold, the rate of change in the size of the head region is equal to or greater than the fall determination speed threshold, and the person region is within a fall determination region set around the area where the bed 113 is located. The lying posture determination threshold is used to determine whether the size of the head region is in a lying posture. Whether the posture is lying or sitting is determined based on the size of the head region. The fall determination speed threshold is used to determine whether a fall has occurred based on the rate of change in the size of the head region.

[0079] [fall down] In determining whether a fall has occurred, the control device 101 determines that a fall has occurred and detects a fall if the size of the head area of ​​the person area extracted from the target image acquired this time from the camera 105 is equal to or smaller than the recumbent posture determination threshold, the speed of change in the size of the head area is equal to or greater than the fall determination speed threshold, and the person area is located in an area excluding the area where the bed 113 is located and the fall determination area. The fall determination speed threshold is used to determine whether or not a fall has occurred based on the speed of change in the size of the head area.

[0080] [Microbody abnormality] Micro-movement abnormalities are detected based on the Doppler signals output from the Doppler sensor 106. More specifically, the control device 101 performs, for example, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the Doppler signals measured within a predetermined time period from the time of measurement to the past, and calculates the average amplitude in a frequency band corresponding to the general breathing frequency from the spectrum obtained by the FFT. The control device 101 compares the calculated average with a threshold value for determining whether or not micro-movement abnormalities exist. If the calculated average value is equal to or less than the threshold value, the control device 101 provisionally determines that micro-movement abnormalities exist. If the duration of the state in which the average value is equal to or less than the threshold value exceeds a predetermined determination time, the control device 101 finally determines that micro-movement abnormalities exist, thereby detecting micro-movement abnormalities. The control device 101 updates the state variable with "micro-movement abnormality." The determination time is used as a threshold value for finally determining that micro-movement abnormalities provisionally determined by comparing the calculated average value with the micro-movement abnormality determination threshold are micro-movement abnormalities.

[0081] When the control device 101 detects the predetermined behavior from the behavior of the resident in this way, it transmits an event notification signal including event information indicating the content of the predetermined event related to the resident to the management server 200 via the communication interface 104. More specifically, the control device 101 transmits an event notification signal including the sensor ID (Identification) of the sensor box 119, event information indicating the content of the event, and the target image used when detecting getting into bed, getting up, getting out of bed, falling, and tipping over to the management server 200 via the communication interface 104.

[0082] In one embodiment, the event information includes one or more of: going to bed, lying down, getting up, getting out of bed, falling, tipping over, abnormal slight body movement, and care call. Here, the control device 101 includes one or more of the detected going to bed, getting up, getting out of bed, falling, tipping over, and abnormal slight body movement as event information in the event notification signal. The image may include at least one of a still image and a video. In one embodiment, as described below, for example, a still image may first be transmitted from the sensor box 119 to the management server 200, and a video may be distributed in response to a request from a user (e.g., a caregiver, administrator, doctor, or other staff member). Note that in other aspects, the video may be distributed first. Alternatively, the still image and the video may be transmitted to the management server 200, and the mobile terminal 220 may display the still image or the video on the display 226 in a split-screen format based on a signal transmitted from the management server 200.

[0083] When the care call handset 115 receives a nurse call, the control device 101 transmits an event notification signal to the management server 200, including the event notification signal as another example of a predetermined event, and establishes a voice call with the mobile terminal 220 using a speaker (not shown) or the like. More specifically, when the care call button 241 is operated, a signal corresponding to the operation is received by the wireless communication device 107. The sensor box 119 generates an event notification signal including its sensor ID and a nurse call as event information, and transmits the event notification signal to the management server 200 via the communication interface 104. The control device 101 establishes a voice call, for example, by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), between the microphone (not shown) and speaker (not shown) of the care call handset 115 and the mobile terminal 220 via the wireless communication device 107.

[0084] When the control device 101 receives a request for video distribution from an image display device such as the management server 200, the cloud server 150, or the mobile terminal 220 via the communication interface 104, it responds to the request by streaming video (e.g., live video) captured by the camera 105 and distributing the video to the image display device.

[0085] [Overview of monitoring] Monitoring using the system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the system 100 using a sensor box 119.

[0086] System 100 is used to monitor residents 111, 121 and other residents who are the targets of monitoring (surveillance). A sensor box 119 is attached to the ceiling of room 110. Similar sensor boxes 119 are attached to the other rooms.

[0087] The range 31 represents the detection range of the sensor box 119. If the sensor box 119 has the aforementioned Doppler sensor, the Doppler sensor detects human behavior occurring within the range 31. If the sensor box 119 has a camera as a sensor, the camera captures images within the range 31.

[0088] The sensor box 119 is installed, for example, in a nursing home, a medical facility, a home, etc. In the example of Fig. 4, the sensor box 119 is attached to the ceiling and captures an image of the resident 111 and the bed 113 from the ceiling. The location where the sensor box 119 is attached is not limited to the ceiling, and it may be attached to a side wall of the room 110.

[0089] The system 100 detects danger to the resident 111 based on a series of images (i.e., video) obtained from the camera 105. As an example, detectable dangers include the resident 111 falling, the resident 111 being in a dangerous location (e.g., a bed rail), etc.

[0090] When the system 100 detects that the resident 111 is in danger, it notifies the caregivers 141, 142, etc. As an example of a notification method, the system 100 notifies the mobile terminals 161, 162 of the caregivers 141, 142 of the danger of the resident 111. When the mobile terminals 161, 162 receive the notification, they notify the caregivers 141, 142 of the danger of the resident 111 by a message, sound, vibration, etc. This allows the caregivers 141, 142 to immediately know that the resident 111 is in danger and to rush to the resident 111's aid quickly.

[0091] Furthermore, the system 100 can also notify the mobile terminals 163, 164 of the caregivers 143, 144 outside the facility of the danger via the wireless base station 195.

[0092] 4 shows an example in which system 100 includes one sensor box 119, but in another aspect, system 100 may include multiple sensor boxes 119. Also, while FIG. 4 shows an example in which system 100 includes multiple mobile terminals 161, 162, in another aspect, system 100 can also be realized with a single mobile terminal.

[0093] [Computer system configuration] The configuration of a computer system 400, which is one aspect of an information processing device, will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the computer system 400. The computer system 400 functions as a gateway server 130, a cloud server 150, a push server 160, or a management server 200.

[0094] The computer system 400 mainly comprises the following components: a CPU 1 that executes programs; a mouse 2 and keyboard 3 that receive instructions input by the user of the computer system 400; a RAM 4 that volatilely stores data generated by the CPU 1 executing the programs or data input via the mouse 2 or keyboard 3; a hard disk 5 that nonvolatilely stores data; an optical disk drive 6; a communication interface (I / F) 7; and a monitor 8. The components are interconnected by a data bus. A CD-ROM 9 or other optical disk is inserted into the optical disk drive 6.

[0095] Processing in the computer system 400 is realized by software executed by each piece of hardware and the CPU 1. Such software may be pre-stored on the hard disk 5. Alternatively, the software may be stored on a CD-ROM 9 or other recording medium and distributed as a computer program. Alternatively, the software may be provided as a downloadable application program by an information provider connected to the Internet. Such software is read from the recording medium by an optical disk drive 6 or other reading device, or downloaded via the communication interface 7, and then temporarily stored on the hard disk 5. The software is read from the hard disk 5 by the CPU 1 and stored in the RAM 4 in the form of an executable program. The CPU 1 executes the program.

[0096] Each component constituting the computer system 400 shown in FIG. 5 is a general component. Therefore, one essential part of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure can be said to be software stored in the RAM 4, hard disk 5, CD-ROM 9, or other recording medium, or software downloadable via a network. The recording medium may include a non-transitory computer-readable data recording medium. Note that the operation of each piece of hardware in the computer system 400 is well known, so detailed description will not be repeated.

[0097] The recording medium is not limited to a CD-ROM, a FD (Flexible Disk), or a hard disk, but may also be a medium that carries a program in a fixed manner, such as a magnetic tape, a cassette tape, an optical disk (MO (Magnetic Optical Disc) / MD (Mini Disc) / DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)), an IC (Integrated Circuit) card (including a memory card), an optical card, a mask ROM, an EPROM (Electronically Programmable Read-Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), or a semiconductor memory such as a flash ROM.

[0098] The program referred to here includes not only a program that can be directly executed by a CPU, but also a source program, a compressed program, an encrypted program, and the like.

[0099] A system 60 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the system 60. The system 60 includes a care record linking server 600, a sensor 610, a mobile terminal 220, and external systems 630 and 640.

[0100] The sensor 610 detects the state of each resident. The sensor 610 is realized as a sensor box 119, for example.

[0101] The mobile terminal 220 is used by each staff member, accepts input of the condition of each resident, and transmits data indicating that condition to the care record linking server 600.

[0102] The care record linking server 600 is realized by a computer device having a well-known configuration. In one aspect, the care record linking server 600 is realized in the cloud server 150 or the management server 200. The care record linking server 600 includes a control unit 611, a storage unit 620, a display unit 621, and an output unit 622. The control unit 611 includes an access unit 612, a counting unit 613, a comparison unit 614, and a data format conversion unit 615.

[0103] The control unit 611 uses the data received by the care record linking server 600 and the data stored in the management server 200 to generate data compatible with the external system 630 or the external system 640. In one aspect, the control unit 611 is realized by a CPU or other processor.

[0104] More specifically, the access unit 612 reads out data stored in the storage unit 620. The stored data includes data acquired by the sensor box 119 and data input to the mobile terminal 220 by the care staff.

[0105] In one aspect, tallying unit 613 uses data stored in memory unit 620 to tally data acquired for each resident.

[0106] In a certain situation, the comparison unit 614, based on a comparison instruction, compares the latest value acquired for a specified item for each resident with values ​​acquired in the past to detect changes in the condition of the resident. Here, the past means, for example, one month ago, three months ago, or six months ago, but can be arbitrarily specified by a user (administrator, care staff, etc.) of the care record linking server 600, or can be selected from pre-prepared candidates.

[0107] The data format conversion unit 615 converts the formats of data acquired by the sensor box 119, character information and other data input to the mobile terminal 220, and other data managed by the management server 200 into formats compatible with the data formats of the external systems 630 and 640. More specifically, data items stored in the management server 200 may include data items used in the external systems 630 and 640, but the data formats may be different. Therefore, the data format conversion unit 615 presets the data format required by the external systems 630 and 640 as the data format at the time of output. The data format at the time of output is stored in the storage unit 620 or incorporated into the program executed by the control unit 611.

[0108] More specifically, when the management server 200 holds quantitative information about a resident, the external systems 630 and 640 may request qualitative information indicating changes in the activity status of the resident. In this case, the data format conversion unit 615 converts the quantitative data stored in the management server 200 to generate the qualitative data requested by the external systems 630 and 640.

[0109] For example, the management server 200 stores quantitative information about each resident, such as activity time, sleeping time, time in the room, and time away from home. Meanwhile, the external systems 630 and 640 request qualitative information about the resident's activity status, such as data on whether the resident has been going out more or less than before. The data format conversion unit 615 then calculates the increase or decrease in the amount of time equivalent to going out for each resident, compares the amount of increase or decrease with a preset threshold, and generates qualitative data indicating that the resident has been going out more if it determines that the amount of time equivalent to going out has increased. Meanwhile, if the data format conversion unit 615 determines that the amount of time equivalent to going out for a particular resident has been reduced, it generates qualitative data indicating that the resident has been going out less.

[0110] As another example, the management server 200 stores data acquired by the sensor box 119 regarding the daily status of each resident. The data may indicate, for example, whether the resident is asleep, awake, indoor active, or absent. When the external systems 630 and 640 request qualitative data indicating whether the resident has a tendency to become homebound, the data format conversion unit 615 converts the data stored in the management server 200 into the qualitative data. For example, if a resident's indoor time is longer than a predetermined reference time, or if the resident's indoor time has increased compared to before, the data format conversion unit 615 generates data (e.g., 1) indicating that the resident has a tendency to become homebound. On the other hand, if a resident's indoor time is shorter than the reference time, or if the resident's indoor time has decreased compared to before, the data format conversion unit 615 generates data (e.g., 0) indicating that the resident does not have a tendency to become homebound.

[0111] The data format conversion unit 615 may output the generated data. The output data is input to a separate system, such as external systems 630 and 640, used by an organization separate from the facility using the management server 200. The external systems 630 and 640 may use the input data to extract qualitative information, such as trends in similar facilities. Qualitative information is data indicating, for example, whether a condition has improved or whether a predetermined action can be performed.

[0112] The display unit 621 displays a screen according to data output by the control unit 611. The display unit 621 is realized as a liquid crystal monitor device or other display device.

[0113] The output unit 622 outputs the data generated by the data format conversion unit 615 to the external system 630 or the external system 640. The output unit 622 is realized by a well-known interface for communicating with other systems.

[0114] [Input items to the system and information that can be supplemented by individual systems] The data items entered into the scientific care database will be described with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the data items acquired by the system used in the facility and the data items entered into the scientific care database.

[0115] The table 710 is managed in the scientific care database and includes a sheet name 711, a first item 712, a second item 713, a third item 714, and a total 715.

[0116] Sheet name 711 represents the form data containing each piece of information. First item 712 is an item that must be submitted to LIFE and other systems. Second item 713 is an item that can be submitted voluntarily depending on the purpose. For example, if a facility wishes to receive a supplement to nursing care fees, it must enter the information corresponding to second item 713 into LIFE and other systems. Third item is other items. Total 715 represents the sum of items 1 712 to 3 714.

[0117] 7, 594 items may be entered into the LIFE or other systems. For example, the first item 712 includes 16 items related to user information, 64 items related to nutritional management header detail information, 27 items related to dementia information, and 25 items related to basic item information. Furthermore, the first item 712 includes 16 items related to medical history information, 14 items related to medication information, and 23 items related to housemate information.

[0118] The table 720 is maintained in another system, for example, a system managed and operated by a facility. The table 720 includes a record item 721, an assessment item 722, and an image evaluation item 723.

[0119] The record items 721 are acquired for each resident in the facility. For example, the record items 721 are acquired by a sensor box 119 installed in each resident's room. The information acquired as the record items 721 includes, for example, the amount of time spent sleeping in the room, the amount of time spent moving around, the time of waking up, the time of getting out of bed, whether or not a fall occurred, whether or not a fall occurred, etc.

[0120] The items to be grasped 722 are items that are grasped by the staff at the nursing care site in the facility. The items to be grasped 722 are, for example, activities of daily living, and include information that the staff understands about daily living activities, transfers, movement, eating, changing clothes, washing, bathing, and grooming. The information includes, for example, whether the patient can do daily living activities by themselves, whether they can eat by themselves, whether the amount of food they eat has changed, etc.

[0121] The image evaluation items 723 include items that can be evaluated using images obtained by a camera or other imaging device included in the sensor box 119. As an example, the image evaluation items 723 include whether or not the resident is wandering around the room, the extent of the wandering, etc.

[0122] Record item 721 includes 12 items for nutritional management header detail information. These 12 items can therefore be used for any of the 64 items included in the required nutritional management header detail information sheet in table 710.

[0123] Additionally, the grasp item 722 includes 25 items related to nutritional management header detail information. Therefore, these 25 items can be used for any of the 64 items included in the sheet of nutritional management header detail information required in table 710.

[0124] Furthermore, the image evaluation items 723 include four items related to nutritional management header detail information. Therefore, these four items can be used for any of the 64 items included in the sheet of nutritional management header detail information required in table 710.

[0125] [Converting sensor data into system items] Detection of a resident's condition of being housebound will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which data acquired by the sensor box 119 is converted into data compatible with the external systems 630 and 640.

[0126] In one aspect, the hard disk 5 stores a table 800 for each resident of the facility, the table 800 being acquired by the sensor box 119 installed in the resident's room. The example in Figure 8 shows a portion of the daily data acquired for the resident with the identification number 001. Similarly, the hard disk 5 stores tables of similar data for the other residents.

[0127] Table 800 includes image data acquired for the resident, trajectory data within the room, and sleep data (based on data obtained from a Doppler sensor).

[0128] The care record linking server 600 converts the data into data in a format compatible with the external systems 630, 640. For example, the care record linking server 600 generates data from the table 800 indicating whether the resident has a tendency to become housebound.

[0129] As an example, the CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600 tallies the time classified as absent 840 and calculates the time the resident is not in the room. The remaining time, i.e., the sum of sleep 810, wakefulness 820, and indoor activity 830, is the time the resident is estimated to be in the room. When the CPU 1 detects that the proportion of time spent in the room per day exceeds a preset reference value, it determines that the resident is prone to becoming isolated, and displays a message or other notification to the care staff urging them to develop rehabilitation or a care plan to increase the resident's time outdoors.

[0130] Furthermore, if the CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600 determines that the resident has a tendency to become homebound, it converts the result of the determination into a data format (e.g., "1") that can be input to the external systems 630, 640. Thus, if the external systems 630, 640 request input of the homebound status of each resident, the CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600 converts the data (the homebound status of each resident) into a format acceptable to the external systems 630, 640. One example of the format is the CSV (Comma Separated Value) format, but other formats may also be used. It is sufficient that at least the data format required by the external systems 630, 640 linked to the care record linking server 600 is registered in advance in the care record linking server 600.

[0131] This eliminates the need for the users of the care record linking server 600 (care staff, etc.) to convert data into a format compatible with the external systems 630 and 640, thereby reducing the workload of the care staff, etc.

[0132] Although FIG. 8 illustrates an example of binary information indicating whether a resident is confined to their home, the care record linking server 600 may convert the data acquired by the facility into a form other than binary information. For example, instead of indicating whether a resident is confined to their home, the data may be converted into an absolute value of the time corresponding to confinement or the percentage of that time per day. As an example, the care record linking server 600 may calculate the time corresponding to confinement by calculating the average time per day from the sum of sleep 810, wakefulness 820, and indoor activity 830 for each resident over a week. In another aspect, if the external system 630, 640 requests the percentage of time spent indoors per day as an indicator of confinement, the care record linking server 600 may calculate the percentage as follows: percentage (%) = time corresponding to confinement ÷ 24 × 100.

[0133] [Control Structure] Next, a control structure of the care record linking server 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600.

[0134] In step S910, CPU 1 accesses the history of image data. The history is acquired for each room and stored in hard disk 5 of management server 200, for example.

[0135] In step S920, the CPU 1 accesses the history of the trajectory data in the room, which includes data acquired for each resident at regular intervals.

[0136] In step S930, the CPU 1 accesses the sleep data history acquired from the Doppler sensor. The sleep data is acquired for each resident.

[0137] In step S940, CPU 1 counts, for each resident, the time that the resident is in the room.

[0138] In step S950, CPU 1 determines whether the resident is in a confined state using the counting result. For example, if the time the resident spends in the room exceeds a preset time, CPU 1 determines that the resident is in a confined state. In other situations, CPU 1 may also determine that the resident is in a confined state if the proportion of time the resident spends in the room exceeds a certain proportion.

[0139] In step S960, CPU 1 converts the data format indicating the confined state into a data format for the external system. For example, CPU 1 converts an absolute quantity such as the time spent in a room into qualitative data (e.g., 1 or 0) indicating whether the resident is confined or not.

[0140] In step S970, the CPU 1 outputs the converted data to the external systems 630, 640. By receiving the qualitative data, the external systems 630, 640 can determine whether or not the resident is in a homeless state.

[0141] [Visualization of changes] The visualization of changes will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of how data stored on the hard disk 5 is converted into a format compatible with the format of an external system. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing part of the processing executed by the care record linking server 600.

[0142] As shown in FIG. 10, the hard disk 5 stores a table 1000. The table 1000 stores areas 1001 to 1009. Area 1001 stores a resident ID. Area 1002 stores the date when the data for the record was acquired. Area 1003 stores daytime activity time. Area 1004 stores nighttime activity time. Area 1005 stores daytime movement speed. Area 1006 stores nighttime movement speed. Area 1007 stores daytime sleeping time. Area 1008 stores nighttime sleeping time. Area 1009 stores nursing care record data.

[0143] In one aspect, table 1000 stores data acquired for each resident, for a period of time such as the entire period, a period of time specified by law or regulation if applicable, or a period of time specified by individual settings for storage if applicable.

[0144] In one aspect, when the care record linking server 600 receives an external instruction to extract an indicator indicating a change in a resident's condition, it determines whether or not there has been a change in the item specified as the condition. For example, the CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600 calculates the difference between the latest data and preset past data (e.g., data from six months ago) for daytime activity time (area 1003), and if the difference is a positive value, it determines that the resident is going out more compared to six months ago. On the other hand, if the daytime activity time of another resident has decreased compared to six months ago, the CPU 1 may determine that the other resident is going out less compared to six months ago.

[0145] CPU1 uses the data in table 1000 to determine whether each resident is out more than they were six months ago, and writes the result to RAM4. RAM4 temporarily stores table 1010. Table 1010 includes areas 1011 and 1012. Area 1011 stores a resident ID. Area 1012 stores binary data indicating whether the resident is out more than they were six months ago. For example, a resident with resident ID 001 is determined to be out less than they were six months ago, so binary data (0) is stored. On the other hand, a resident with resident ID 000 is determined to be out more than they were six months ago, so binary data (1) is stored.

[0146] If the external systems 630, 640 are adapted to accept data formats such as those shown in area 1012 regarding resident outing status, the CPU 1 may output the derived binary data for the external systems 630, 640, for example, in CSV format.

[0147] The detection of a change in the resident's condition is not limited to a comparison with the daytime activity time six months ago, but may be a comparison with the daytime activity time one month ago or one year ago.

[0148] 11, in step S1110, CPU 1 accesses the sensor and care record history. In step S1120, CPU 1 reads the most recent daytime activity time from the history data. In step S1130, CPU 1 reads the daytime activity time from a certain period ago (for example, one month ago, six months ago, one year ago, etc.) from the history data.

[0149] In step S1140, CPU 1 calculates the difference in daytime activity time and determines the outing status. For example, if CPU 1 detects that the recent daytime activity time is longer than the previous daytime activity time, it determines that the resident is going out more. Conversely, if CPU 1 detects that the recent daytime activity time is shorter than the previous daytime activity time, it determines that the resident is going out less.

[0150] In step S1150, the CPU 1 converts the determination result into a data format compatible with the external systems 630 and 640. For example, if the external systems 630 and 640 receive binary information regarding the resident's outing status, indicating whether the resident is going out more or less, the CPU 1 replaces the determination result for each resident with binary information 0 (= not going out more) or 1 (= going out more).

[0151] In step S1160, CPU 1 outputs the data converted into a predetermined format that can be accepted by external systems 630 and 640.

[0152] [Interest table data linkage] Data linkage regarding resident interests and concerns will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 shows how information recorded by care staff is converted into a format compatible with external systems 630 and 640.

[0153] As shown in Fig. 12(A), the display 226 of the mobile terminal 220 used by the care staff displays a screen on which the care staff can record the resident's condition for each care item. The screen displays multiple icons. When the care staff taps icon 1210, the mobile terminal 220 switches the screen, as shown in Fig. 12(B), and the display 226 displays a screen 1220 on which the care staff can enter a dietary observation record.

[0154] Screen 1220 displays a plurality of care items prepared in advance for meals. When the care staff checks the blank space provided to the right of each care item, mobile terminal 220 determines that the care item applies and transmits data identifying the corresponding care item to management server 200. CPU 1 of management server 200 stores each received data on hard disk 5 and reads each data from hard disk 5 in response to a data extraction instruction.

[0155] For example, as shown in FIG. 12(C), the CPU 1 writes a table 1230 to the RAM 4. The table 1230 includes areas 1231, 1232, 1233, and 1234. The area 1231 stores identification data of a resident. The area 1232 stores binary data indicating whether the resident is looking forward to meals. The area 1233 stores binary data indicating whether the resident is concentrating on meals. The area 1234 stores binary data indicating whether the resident sometimes chokes on liquids.

[0156] In the case of a resident with resident ID 001, the resident looks forward to meals, concentrates on eating, and sometimes chokes on water, so binary data (=1) is stored in all of areas 1232, 1233, and 1234. On the other hand, in the case of a resident with resident ID 001, the resident looks forward to meals, concentrates on eating, and sometimes chokes on water, so binary data (=1) is stored in all of areas 1232, 1233, and 1234. On the other hand, in the case of a resident with resident ID 002, it is recorded that the resident looks forward to meals, cannot concentrate on eating, and does not choke on water, so binary data (=1) is stored in area 1232, and binary data (=0) is stored in areas 1233 and 1234.

[0157] Therefore, when the external systems 630, 640 request binary data of information such as whether the resident is enjoying their meal, whether they are concentrating on their meal, and whether they choke on water as care items for the resident, the care record linking server 600 can convert the contents of the care items stored on the hard disk 5 into a format that is compatible with the format of the binary data and output the converted data.

[0158] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing executed by the CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600.

[0159] In step S1310, the CPU 1 detects an instruction to pop up and display an input screen. For example, when the care staff member taps the icon 1210 on the screen of the mobile terminal 220 (FIG. 12(A)), the mobile terminal 220 displays a screen for inputting details of the care item (FIG. 12(B)).

[0160] In step S1320, CPU 1 displays a pop-up message prompting the resident to enter required items on display 226. For example, CPU 1 displays the names of the required items in a color (for example, red) different from the colors of the other items.

[0161] In step S1330, the CPU 1 accepts input for each item in the message. For example, when the care staff member taps a box field displayed on the right side of the screen, a check mark is entered in the box field in response to the tap. The care staff member switches the screen of the mobile terminal 220 and continues to enter the necessary information.

[0162] In step S1340, CPU 1 detects pressing of a button for confirming registration of input contents in response to an operation on an icon (not shown) for confirming input.

[0163] In step S1350, CPU 1 determines whether there are other residents to be input.

[0164] In step S1360, CPU 1 creates a table from the confirmed input contents. In step S1370, CPU 1 converts the data format of the table into a format for the external system. For example, CPU 1 aggregates the data in the table and determines whether the total value is equal to or greater than a preset reference value. If the total value is equal to or greater than the reference value, CPU 1 derives data indicating that the resident applies to each item (e.g., 1) or data indicating that the resident does not apply (e.g., 0).

[0165] In step S1380, CPU 1 outputs the derived data for each item to external systems 630 and 640.

[0166] [Text mining of nursing records] 14 to 16, other aspects will be described. The nursing record may be input as text information by the nursing staff. The text information may also be converted into a format compatible with the format required by the external systems 630 and 640.

[0167] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing how the information recorded by the care staff is converted into a format compatible with the external systems 630 and 640.

[0168] As shown in Fig. 14(A), the display 226 of the mobile terminal 220 used by the care staff displays a screen on which the care staff records the resident's condition for each care item. The screen displays multiple icons. When the care staff taps icon 1410, as shown in Fig. 14(B), the mobile terminal 220 switches the screen, and the display 226 displays screen 1420 on which the care staff inputs the resident's care record as text information.

[0169] The screen 1420 displays a screen on which the resident's daily care record can be entered as text. The care staff member uses the keyboard or voice recognition function of the mobile terminal 220 to enter the care record as text information. Specifically, the care staff member enters the time, an outline of the actions (e.g., waking up, eating, drinking water, etc.), and the actual care record into the mobile terminal 220. After that, when the care staff member confirms the content and presses a button (not shown) to register, the mobile terminal 220 transmits the entered text information to the care record linking server 600. The CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600 stores each received data on the hard disk 5 and reads each data from the hard disk 5 in response to a data extraction instruction.

[0170] For example, as shown in FIG. 14(C), the CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600 writes a table 1430 to the RAM 4. The table 1430 includes areas 1431, 1432, 1433, 1434, and 1435. The area 1431 stores identification data of the resident. The area 1432 stores binary data indicating whether or not the resident can get up by himself / herself. The area 1433 stores binary data indicating whether or not the resident can feed himself / herself. The area 1434 stores binary data indicating whether or not the resident sometimes chokes on liquids. The area 1435 stores binary data indicating whether or not the resident can eat solid foods.

[0171] For the resident with resident ID 001, binary data indicating that the resident can get up by themselves, can feed themselves, chokes on water, and has difficulty chewing is stored in areas 1432, 1433, 1434, and 1435. On the other hand, for the resident with resident ID 001, binary data indicating that the resident can get up by themselves, cannot feed themselves, does not choke on water, and has no difficulty chewing is stored in areas 1432, 1433, 1434, and 1435.

[0172] Therefore, when the external systems 630, 640 request binary data such as whether the resident can wake up on their own, whether they can feed themselves, whether they choke on water, and whether they have difficulty chewing, the care record linking server 600 can convert the contents of the care items stored on the hard disk 5 into a format compatible with the binary data format and output the converted data.

[0173] The control structure of the care record linking server 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing part of the processing executed by CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600.

[0174] In step S1510, in response to the trigger, the CPU 1 reads the text data of the care record from the hard disk 5 to the work area of ​​the RAM 4. The trigger is, for example, an instruction to read the data of the care record linking server 600 to the external systems 630 and 640.

[0175] In step S1520, the CPU 1 performs text mining on the text data for pre-specified keywords, such as words and phrases representing actions such as getting up, eating, choking, and not being able to chew.

[0176] In step S1530, CPU 1 reflects the keyword acquisition results in table 1430 having predetermined items.

[0177] In step S1540, CPU 1 converts the format of the data reflected in table 1430 into the data format of the external system (for example, CSV format).

[0178] In step S1550, the CPU 1 outputs the result to the external systems 630 and 640. [Text Mining] An example of extracting text information from care records will now be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of text mining according to an embodiment.

[0179] As shown in FIG. 16(A), the care record can be analyzed by morphological analysis and syntactic analysis. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16(B), in a certain situation, the care record is analyzed by morphological analysis. In morphological analysis, for example, if the regular expression is "food.*left," "left" will not be extracted. The care record linking server 600 according to this embodiment registers the base part of a verb in a dictionary and extracts the base form of the conjugated form even if a variation of the conjugated form is included in the care record. For example, in the care record "Leave only the main food," the term "left" 1610 is not registered as a keyword, and only the base form term "left" 1620 is registered. In this case, because the base form term is acquired, the CPU 1 can extract the information "left" from the term "left" 1610 even if the character "left" is not included in the care record. Similarly, if a care record contains the text information "left behind" in another situation, the care record linking server 600 cannot extract "left behind" from the regular expression "food.*left behind" given as an example above. However, if the basic form that forms the basis of the verb conjugation form is registered, as in term 1640, the CPU 1 of the care record linking server 600 can extract the information "left behind" from this registered content.

[0180] 16(C) and 16(D) show examples of analyzing care records using syntactic analysis. For example, if a care staff member writes "Urination occurred but urine collection was not possible," the initial and final expressions may lead to a false determination that the person was unable to urinate. Therefore, the care record linking server 600 according to this embodiment performs syntactic analysis, as shown in FIG. 16(C), and can determine that "unable" is related to "urinary collection" and that "urination" is not negated. FIG. 16(D) shows an example of output from care record data.

[0181] Another aspect will be described with reference to Figures 17 and 18. Figure 17 is a diagram showing the transition of screens displayed on display 226 of mobile terminal 220 used by care staff. As shown in Figure 17(A), display 226 displays a screen for inputting care records for a certain resident. When the care staff performs an operation to select area 1710 to input information about dietary care, display 226 displays detailed items 1720 related to dietary care, as shown in Figure 17(B).

[0182] When the care staff member selects one of the items shown in the detailed items 1720, a screen for accepting input of the care record is displayed, as shown in Fig. 16(C) . The care staff member can input the care record as text information from this screen.

[0183] When the care staff confirms the registration of the care record, the mobile terminal 220 transmits the care record to the care record linking server 600. The care record linking server 600 can output data related to the care record in a format compatible with the format required by the external systems 630 and 640.

[0184] Conversion of the care record input from the mobile terminal 220 will be described with reference to Fig. 18. Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing part of the processing executed by the control device 221 of the mobile terminal 220.

[0185] In step S1810, the control device 221 displays a screen for selecting a scene (input item) on the display 226. In step S1820, the control device 221 accepts the selection of an input item. In step S1830, the control device 221 displays a screen for accepting input of a record for the selected input item. In step S1840, the control device 221 accepts input of a record by the user of the mobile terminal 220.

[0186] In step S1850, the control device 221 determines whether or not an instruction to confirm the input has been given. An instruction to confirm the input includes, for example, pressing an icon displayed on the display 226. If the control device 221 determines that the instruction has been given (YES in step S1850), it switches control to step S1860. Otherwise (NO in step S1840), the control device 221 returns control to step S1840 and waits for input by the care staff member.

[0187] In step S1860, the control device 221 transmits the data of the record whose input has been confirmed to the care record linking server 600. Upon receiving the data, the care record linking server 600 stores the data on the hard disk 5. Upon receiving a data output request to the external systems 630, 640, the care record linking server 600 compares the numerical data with a preset threshold value to generate binary data according to the comparison, and extracts the character information using the above-mentioned text mining.

[0188] [summary] Some of the technical features disclosed in the above embodiments can be summarized as follows.

[0189] (1) According to one embodiment, CPU 1 accesses one or more data items indicating the status of a resident. CPU 1 converts the format of the one or more data items into a data format (e.g., CSV format) required by a system other than a computer (e.g., external system 630, 640). CPU 1 outputs the converted data to external system 630, 640.

[0190] (2) In one aspect, the one or more data indicating the resident's condition include data acquired from a sensor installed in the resident's room. The data required by the system includes data qualitatively indicating the resident's condition. The CPU 1 converts the acquired data into data qualitatively indicating the condition.

[0191] (3) In a method according to a certain aspect, the data acquired from a sensor (for example, sensor box 119) includes image data, trajectory data of the resident in the room, and sleep data of the resident.

[0192] (4) In a certain situation, one or more data indicating the resident's status include character information determined to be relevant from character information prepared in advance as information indicating the resident's status. The data required by the system includes data qualitatively indicating the resident's status. The CPU 1 converts the character information into data qualitatively indicating the resident's status (for example, 1 if the resident's status corresponds to a predetermined status, 0 if not, etc.).

[0193] (5) In one aspect, the one or more data indicating the condition of a resident include a care record describing the condition of the resident. The data required by the system includes data qualitatively indicating the condition of the resident. The CPU 1 extracts words from the care record using, for example, text mining, and generates data indicating whether the extracted words correspond to keywords predefined in the system.

[0194] (6) In a method according to a certain aspect, the CPU 1 outputs a message prompting the input of a care record for the resident to the mobile terminal 220 that can communicate with the care record linking server 600. The CPU 1 further receives the care record input in response to the message from the mobile terminal 220. The CPU 1 converts the format of the data of the items included in the received care record into a format predefined in the system for the items.

[0195] (7) In one aspect, the one or more data indicating the resident's condition include data acquired from a sensor (e.g., sensor box 119) installed in the resident's room at a first time point (e.g., a specified past time point, such as one week ago, one month ago, three months ago, or six months ago) and data acquired at a second time point after the first time point (e.g., the current time point or the time point when the data was last acquired). The data requested by external systems 630 and 640 includes data indicating whether or not the resident's condition has changed. CPU 1 generates data qualitatively indicating the resident's condition based on the change from the data acquired at the first time point to the data acquired at the second time point.

[0196] (8) At a certain stage, the CPU 1 converts quantitative data (for example, physical quantities or signals acquired by the sensor box 119) for one or more pieces of data into qualitative data (such as 0 or 1 indicating whether the resident is in a specified state).

[0197] (9) According to another embodiment, there is provided a care information conversion device (for example, a care record linking server 600). The care information conversion device includes an access unit 612 for accessing a storage device that stores one or more data items indicating the condition of a resident, a data format conversion unit 615 for converting the format of the one or more data items into a data format required by a system other than the care information conversion device, and an output unit 622 for outputting data in the converted format.

[0198] (10) According to yet another embodiment, there is provided a program that causes a computer system 400 to execute any of the above methods.

[0199] According to the embodiment disclosed above, the care record linking server 600 can convert the format of data acquired for each resident into a data format required by the LIFE or other external systems 630, 640, and output the converted data. This allows the data required by the external systems 630, 640 to be easily prepared, thereby reducing the burden on care staff.

[0200] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0201] 2 Mouse, 3 Keyboard, 4,103,223 RAM, 5 Hard disk, 6 Optical disk drive, 7,104,224 Communication interface, 8 Monitor, 9,102,222 ROM, 16 External network, 31 Range, 60,100 System, 101,221 Control device, 105 Camera, 106 Doppler sensor, 107 Wireless communication device, 108,228 Storage device, 110,120 Room, 111,121 Resident, 112 Furniture, 113 Bed, 114 Toilet, 115 Care call handset, 116 Toilet sensor, 117,610 Sensor, 118 Door sensor, 119 Sensor box, 130 Gateway server, 135 Switching device, 140 Access point, 141,142,143,144 Caregiver, 150 Cloud server, 160 push server, 161,162,163,164,220 mobile terminal, 180 facility, 195 wireless base station, 200 management server, 226 display, 229 input device, 241 care call button, 290 vital sensor, 400 computer system, 600 care record linkage server, 611 control unit, 612 access unit, 613 aggregation unit, 614 comparison unit, 615 data format conversion unit, 620 memory unit, 621 display unit, 622 output unit, 630,640 external system, 710,720,800,1000,1010,1230,1430 table.

Claims

1. 1. A computer-implemented method of transforming data to output data, comprising: accessing a plurality of data indicative of a status of each of a plurality of residents; converting the format of each of the plurality of data into a data format compatible with a data format used in a system connected to the computer for collecting evidence; outputting the converted format data to the system; the plurality of data indicating the status of each of the plurality of residents is acquired from a sensor installed in the room of each of the residents and quantitatively indicates the status of the resident; the data required by the system is data qualitatively indicating the status of each of the plurality of residents; The converting step determining a status of each of the residents based on data obtained from the sensors; converting the results of the determinations of the status of each of the residents into the qualitatively indicative data; The determining step includes determining that each of the residents has a tendency to become housebound based on the fact that the time spent in the resident's room per day exceeds a predetermined percentage; The method, wherein the converting includes generating data indicative of the resident being prone to homeboundness.

2. The data conversion method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of outputting a rehabilitation plan for the resident based on the results of the determination.

3. 3. The data conversion method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step includes determining the state of one resident based on a plurality of quantitative data items indicating the state of the one resident.

4. The data conversion method according to claim 1 , wherein the data acquired from the sensor includes image data, trajectory data of the resident in the room, and sleep data of the resident.

5. outputting a message to prompt the entry of a care record of the resident to a mobile terminal capable of communicating with the computer; receiving, from the mobile terminal, a care record entered in response to the message; The data conversion method according to claim 1 , wherein the converting step includes converting the format of data of an item included in the received care record into a format predefined in the system for the item.

6. the one or more data indicating the state of the resident include data acquired at a first time period from a sensor installed in the resident's room and data acquired at a second time period after the first time period; the data required by the system includes data indicating whether or not there has been a change in the resident's condition; 2. The data conversion method of claim 1, wherein the converting step includes generating data qualitatively indicating the resident's condition based on changes from the data acquired at the first time period to the data acquired at the second time period.

7. A care information conversion device, access means for accessing a storage device storing a plurality of data indicating the status of each of a plurality of residents; A conversion means for converting the format of each of the plurality of data into a data format compatible with a data format used in a system connected to the care information conversion device to collect evidence; an output means for outputting data in a converted format; the plurality of data indicating the status of each of the plurality of residents is acquired from a sensor installed in the room of each of the residents and quantitatively indicates the status of the resident; the data required by the system is data qualitatively indicating the status of each of the plurality of residents; The conversion means determining a state of each of the residents based on data acquired from the sensors; converting the results of the assessment of each of the occupants' conditions into the qualitatively indicative data; The determining step includes determining that each of the residents has a tendency to become housebound based on the fact that the time spent in the resident's room per day exceeds a predetermined percentage; The converting step includes generating data indicating that the resident has a tendency to become housebound.

8. The care information conversion device according to claim 7 , further comprising an output means for outputting a rehabilitation plan for the resident based on the result of the determination.

9. The care information conversion device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the determining step includes determining the condition of one resident based on a plurality of quantitative data items indicating the condition of the one resident.

10. The care information conversion device according to claim 7 , wherein the data acquired from the sensor includes image data, trajectory data of the resident in the room, and sleep data of the resident.

11. The system further includes a receiving means for receiving, from the mobile terminal, a care record input in response to a message prompting input of a care record for the resident; The care information conversion device according to claim 7 , wherein the conversion means converts a data format of the item included in the received care record into a format predefined in the system for the item.

12. the one or more data indicating the state of the resident include data acquired at a first time period from a sensor installed in the resident's room and data acquired at a second time period after the first time period; the data required by the system includes data indicating whether or not there has been a change in the resident's condition; The nursing care information conversion device described in claim 7, wherein the conversion means generates data qualitatively indicating the condition of the resident based on changes from the data acquired at the first period to the data acquired at the second period.

13. A program that causes a computer to execute the data conversion method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images