System and System Operation Method

Abstract

A sensor device 50 comprises an acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of a subject, a communications unit that performs near field communication, and a control unit, said sensor device 50 being characterized by determining whether acquired biometric information is specific biometric information and, if the biometric information is specific biometric information, using the communications unit to send the biometric information to a server device via a first terminal device 10, and, if the biometric information is not specific biometric information, sending the biometric information to the server device via an unspecified second terminal device 20, by using the communications unit to broadcast the biometric information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sensor device and the like. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-101709 filed in Japan on June 18, 2021. All the descriptions set forth in the above patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a system for managing an individual's physical condition by using a sensor has been known (for example, Patent Document 1). Also, a system for managing the physical conditions of a plurality of workers has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a system capable of appropriately acquiring the state of a target person and a sensor device used in the system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The system disclosed herein is a sensor device comprising an acquisition unit for acquiring biometric information of a subject, a communication unit for performing short-range wireless communication, and a control unit, wherein the control unit determines whether the acquired biometric information is specific biometric information, and if the biometric information is specific biometric information, transmits the biometric information to a server device via a specific terminal device through the communication unit, and if the biometric information is not specific biometric information, transmits the biometric information to the server device via an unspecified terminal device by broadcasting through the communication unit.

[0006] The system of this disclosure includes a sensor device that transmits acquired sensor information, and a terminal device that transmits the sensor information received from the sensor device to a server device. When the sensor information is transmitted in a connection-type manner, the first terminal device that has established communication with the sensor device transmits the sensor information to the server device. When the sensor information is transmitted in a broadcast-type manner, the second terminal device that has received the sensor information transmits the sensor information to the server device.

[0007] The transmission method of this disclosure is a transmission method for transmitting sensor information from a sensor device to a server device via a terminal device, wherein when the sensor information is transmitted from the sensor device in a connection-type manner, the terminal device that has established communication with the sensor device transmits the sensor information to the server device, and when the sensor information is transmitted in a broadcast-type manner, any terminal device that has received the sensor information transmits the sensor information to the server device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The system disclosed herein includes a system capable of appropriately acquiring the status of a subject, as well as sensor devices used in said system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the system in the first embodiment. [Figure 2]This is a diagram illustrating the system in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the functional configuration of the first terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] (a) A diagram showing an example of sensor information in the first embodiment, and (b) A diagram showing an example of setting information in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the configuration of the gateway device in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates the functional configuration of the second terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the functional configuration of the third terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the functional configuration of the sensor device in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the setting information for the sensor device in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates the functional configuration of the server device in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] This diagram illustrates an example of the configuration of the target database of the server device in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] This figure illustrates an example of the configuration of the sensor database of the server device in the first embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the system flow in the first embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a flowchart illustrating the sensor setting process in the first embodiment. [Figure 15] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the sensor device in the first embodiment. [Figure 16] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the server device in the first embodiment. [Figure 17] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the third terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 18] This is a diagram illustrating an example of operation in the first terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 19] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the third terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 20] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the third terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 21] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the third terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 22] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the third terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 23] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the third terminal device in the first embodiment. [Figure 24] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the first terminal device in the second embodiment. [Figure 25] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the first terminal device in the second embodiment. [Figure 26] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the first terminal device in the second embodiment. (a) shows a transition graph of SpO2, (b) shows a transition graph of heart rate, (c) shows a transition graph of body temperature, and (d) shows a transition graph of activity amount. [Figure 27] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the first terminal device in the second embodiment. [Figure 28] It is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the sensor device in the third embodiment. [Figure 29] It is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the server device in the fourth embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are examples for explaining the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the invention described in the claims is not limited to the following description.

[0011] Generally, there are sensor devices that can acquire information about a subject. These sensor devices can acquire, for example, the subject's biological information, sleep information, state information including the subject's movements, and lifestyle patterns. For example, as biological information, a sensor device can acquire the subject's heart rate, respiration rate, body temperature, SpO2, etc.

[0012] Furthermore, there are systems that collect information about individuals acquired by sensor devices (hereinafter referred to as "individual information") and aggregate it in a server device to manage the individuals' physical condition and health. Here, sensor devices have the function of short-range wireless communication to communicate with terminal devices, but they often do not have the function to communicate directly with the server device or the gateway function to forward communications from other devices. Therefore, sensor devices may transmit the acquired information to the server device via a terminal device with communication capabilities or a gateway device.

[0013] Furthermore, as disclosed in the aforementioned cited literature, systems for managing one or more health conditions have been used in places such as construction sites and factories. In this case, the system required the preparation of sensor devices to acquire information about the subjects, and devices for communication between the sensor devices and the server device, one for each subject.

[0014] In recent years, managing the health of evacuees at evacuation sites during disasters has often become a problem. In such situations, it is necessary to have devices for transmitting data from sensor devices to server devices, and devices for communicating with server devices, one for each person. preparation The problem was that it was extremely difficult to do.

[0015] Another possible method for the sensor device is to transmit information about the target person using BLE broadcast communication. However, simply using broadcast communication for the sensor device would result in all target person information being transmitted to the server device via an unspecified number of terminal devices. This would make the target person's information accessible to third parties, leading to a problem of a lack of consideration for personal information.

[0016] In evacuation shelters, managing the health of evacuees is extremely important. However, during disasters, it has been extremely difficult for a limited number of medical personnel to patrol and measure the health of individuals. There is a need for a system that can monitor changes in the health of evacuees in real time while they are in shelters, and that allows medical personnel to respond quickly when their health changes. Especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become necessary to enable screening and remote responses while reducing the frequency of contact between evacuees and medical personnel. There is a need to build a system that can be operated without introducing new equipment.

[0017] A system for solving these problems will be described below based on detailed embodiments. Note that the following embodiments are examples of this disclosure and the invention is not limited to them.

[0018] [1. First Embodiment] [1.1 Overall Overview] The following describes the overall outline of this embodiment. In this embodiment, "target person" refers to a person whose physical condition and health status are managed using the system.

[0019] Furthermore, "staff" refers to those working in hospitals, evacuation centers, and elderly care facilities. For example, staff includes medical professionals such as doctors and nurses, as well as medical professionals and care staff who support residents in elderly care facilities, etc.

[0020] Furthermore, user information refers to information about the users of the system. User information includes not only information that can be acquired by sensor devices, but also information that can be derived from the information acquired by sensor devices. User information is information that changes, such as numerical values ​​and states, and is information that staff should pay particular attention to. For example, user information includes the following types of information:

[0021] (1) Biometric information Biometric information refers to information about the subject's vital signs. For example, biometric information includes information such as the subject's heart rate, respiration rate, SpO2, blood pressure, and blood glucose level. In addition, the biometric information in this embodiment may also include information such as the subject's activity level and step count.

[0022] (2) The subject's condition (condition information) The subject's state is determined from the acceleration of the sensor device, changes in the center of gravity, etc. The state information is information that indicates the subject's state. State information may include, for example, the subject's posture (standing, lying down, sitting, sitting on the edge, etc.), sleeping posture (e.g., lateral recumbent, supine, etc.), and the subject's movements (walking, standing still). State information may also include the subject's state of sleep (whether sleeping or awake) and the depth of sleep (REM sleep, non-REM sleep, etc.). Furthermore, the subject's state may also include their stress level.

[0023] (3) Lifestyle patterns of the subjects (lifestyle pattern information) Lifestyle pattern information is information derived from the subject's actions. This information may include, for example, the subject's bedtime, wake-up time, and sleep duration. It may also include information such as the number of times the subject gets out of bed and the number of times they use the toilet.

[0024] (4)Environmental information Environmental information refers to information about the environment in which the subject is located. Examples of environmental information include the temperature, humidity, noise level, and brightness of the room where the subject is located. It may also include information about sounds produced by the subject, such as the presence and duration of snoring or teeth grinding, based on the noise level and pattern.

[0025] (4) Sleep information Sleep information refers to information about the subject's sleep. Sleep information may include, for example, sleep duration, time of going to bed, time of waking, sleeping position, and sleep state (a state indicating sleep or wakefulness), among the information described above. Sleep information may also include biological information such as heart rate and respiration while the subject is sleeping. Furthermore, sleep information may include information about the subject's snoring, teeth grinding, etc.

[0026] [1.1.1 System Configuration] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall structure of System 1 in this embodiment. In System 1, the server device 80 can receive sensor information, including biological information such as heart rate, respiration, and SpO2 of the subject P, which is acquired by the sensor device 50.

[0027] System 1 consists of a network NW to which a first terminal device 10, a second terminal device 20, a third terminal device 30, and a server device 80 are connected. The first terminal device 10, the second terminal device 20, and the third terminal device 30 can perform their respective functions by installing and running the applications required for each terminal device. Therefore, each terminal device may be made of the same hardware.

[0028] The first terminal device 10, the second terminal device 20, and the third terminal device 30 may each consist of one or more devices. Furthermore, by installing applications on each device, each device may function as multiple devices. For example, one terminal device may have the functions of both the first terminal device 10 and the second terminal device 20.

[0029] The first terminal device 10 is a device that performs connection-type communication with the sensor device 50 using BLE. The first terminal device 10 includes, for example, a smartphone 12 owned by the subject P, or a gateway device 15 capable of BLE / WiFi communication. In this case, the first terminal device 10 becomes the central device, and the sensor device 50 becomes the peripheral device. The first terminal device 10 may also be paired with the sensor device 50 in advance.

[0030] The second terminal device 20 is a terminal device capable of broadcast communication with the sensor device 50 using BLE. The second terminal device 20 is, for example, a smartphone 22 owned by a third party. In this case, the second terminal device 20 becomes an observer device, and the sensor device 50 becomes a broadcaster device. The first terminal device 10 may also perform broadcast communication. The second terminal device 20 is an unspecified terminal device owned by someone other than the target person.

[0031] The third terminal device 30 is a display device capable of displaying various types of information. For example, it could be a display device 32 installed in a hospital or the like, where medical staff such as doctors display information, or a tablet 34 owned by staff at an evacuation center. The display device 32 may also be installed in another location (for example, a hospital located away from the evacuation center) via a network.

[0032] Generally speaking, the first terminal device 10 is the user's own terminal device (a smartphone owned by the user), and the second terminal device 20 is another user's terminal device (a smartphone owned by a third party other than the user). The third terminal device 30 is a display device or management device used by staff, etc. Furthermore, when the term "terminal device" is used below, it is a comprehensive expression of each of the above terminal devices, and in particular refers to terminal devices (first terminal device 10, second terminal device 20) that can receive data from the sensor device 50.

[0033] The sensor device 50 is a device capable of acquiring information about the subject P (subject information). One or more sensor devices 50 are provided in the system 1. For example, by having the subject P wear or have the sensor device 52 attached to them, it is possible to acquire subject information (e.g., biometric information) of the subject P.

[0034] Furthermore, the sensor device 50 may be a standalone sensor device or measuring device, as with the sensor device 54. The sensor device 54 may be a device such as a thermometer, blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, or blood glucose meter, or a device that measures the subject's movements, such as a pedometer, activity tracker, or sleep tracker. Also, the sensor device 50 may be a device that the subject already owns (for example, a smartwatch), or a device provided by the system.

[0035] The sensor device 54 can be any conventional sensor device. For example, the method by which the sensor device 54 acquires biological information such as respiratory rate and heart rate can be based on the method described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-30177 (Title of Invention: Respiratory Disorder Determination Device, Respiratory Disorder Determination Method and Program, Filing Date: July 30, 2014). Furthermore, for the method of determining the sleep state, for example, the methods described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-264193 (Title of Invention: Sleep State Determination Device, Program and Sleep State Determination System, Filing Date: May 18, 2009) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-87355 (Title of Invention: Sleep State Determination Device, Sleep State Determination Method and Program, Filing Date: November 11, 2014) can be based on the methods described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-264193 (Title of Invention: Sleep State Determination Device, Program and Sleep State Determination System, Filing Date: May 18, 2009) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-87355 (Title of Invention: Sleep State Determination Device, Sleep State Determination Method and Program, Filing Date: November 11, 2014). In addition, the method by which the sensor device 54 acquires biological information may utilize other known technologies.

[0036] The server device 80 is a device that stores information about the subject and registers it in the electronic medical record system. It receives information acquired by the sensor device 50 via the first terminal device 10 or the second terminal device 20. The server device 80 stores the received information for each subject.

[0037] Furthermore, the server device 80 may output alerts based on the subject information. For example, if the subject's biometric data falls within a warning range, the server device 80 may notify staff or terminal devices.

[0038] [1.1.2 Overview of Communication] The communication overview in this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 2. The sensor device 50 and the first terminal device 10 and the second terminal device 20 can be connected by wireless communication. In this embodiment, the case in which the sensor device 50 communicates by short-range wireless communication will be explained as an example, and as an example, the case in which wireless communication using Bluetooth® and Bluetooth Low Energy (hereinafter referred to as BLE) is explained.

[0039] Generally, BLE communication methods include broadcast communication, which communicates without specifying the communication partner, and connection-type communication, which communicates after specifying the communication partner. Sensor device 50 communicates with the first terminal device 10 using connection-type communication, and communicates with the second terminal device 20 using broadcast-type communication.

[0040] In other words, when performing connection-oriented communication, the sensor device 50 becomes a peripheral device, and the first terminal device 10 becomes the central device. The sensor device 50 periodically transmits advertising data (advertising packets) indicating connection-oriented communication, which are received by the first terminal device 10. Upon receiving the advertising data, if the advertising data indicates connection-oriented communication, the first terminal device 10 requests a connection from the sensor device 50, and a connection is established between the sensor device 50 and the first terminal device 10.

[0041] Here, "established connection" means that data can be transmitted and received bidirectionally between the two devices. In this case, data can be transmitted and received between the sensor device 50 and the first terminal device 10. For example, it means that a communication path for transmitting and receiving data has been established between the two devices.

[0042] Furthermore, the first terminal device 10 determines, for example, that if the PDU field of the advertising packet contains data indicating connectivity "is present", it indicates a connection-oriented communication.

[0043] As a result, the sensor device 50 transmits sensor information to the server device 80 via RT1, which is a route that avoids passing through unintended terminal devices, from the first terminal device 10 to the server device 80. For example, the sensor device 54 establishes a connection with the gateway device 15 and transmits sensor information to the gateway device 15. The gateway device 15 then transmits the sensor information received from the sensor device 54 to the server device 80 via the network NW.

[0044] The sensor device 50 may be able to connect to multiple devices. Furthermore, the sensor device 50 may establish connections with multiple devices.

[0045] Furthermore, when broadcast communication is performed, the sensor device 50 becomes a broadcaster and transmits advertising data (advertising packets) indicating broadcast communication. At this time, the sensor device 50 transmits the advertising data including the identification information of the sensor device 50 and the information acquired by the sensor device 50 (sensor information).

[0046] When the second terminal device 20 receives advertising data from the sensor device 50, it transmits it to the server device 80. Specifically, the second terminal device 20 determines that the advertising data is advertising data indicating broadcast communication. For example, the second terminal device 20 determines that it indicates broadcast communication if the PDU field of the advertising packet contains data indicating connectivity "none".

[0047] As a result, the sensor device 50 periodically transmits data (advertising data) that includes sensor information. In other words, the sensor device 50 broadcasts data including sensor information to other devices. When the second terminal device 20 receives the advertising data, it transmits the data to the server device 80.

[0048] As a result, the sensor information transmitted from the sensor device 50 is sent to the server device 80 via the route RT2. Since the second terminal device 20 can be any of the third-party terminal devices, the sensor information can be transmitted using a highly available communication method.

[0049] For example, the sensor device 54 periodically transmits sensor information as advertising data. When a smartphone 22 owned by a third party near the sensor device 54 receives the advertising data, it transmits the received advertising data to the server device 80.

[0050] The second terminal device 20 may transmit the advertising data directly to the server device 80, or it may extract only the sensor information from the advertising data and transmit it to the server device 80. The second terminal device 20 can transmit the sensor information acquired by the sensor device 50 to the server device 80 by any of these methods.

[0051] Furthermore, one or more second terminal devices 20 exist in System 1. Among the second terminal devices 20 included in System 1, the device that receives advertising data broadcast from the sensor device 50 transmits sensor information to the server device 80. System 1 can transmit sensor information from the sensor device 50 to the server device 80.

[0052] Since the sensor device 50 uses broadcast-type communication, any second terminal device 20 can be used, ensuring that sensor information is reliably transmitted to the server device 80. In other words, it is possible to provide a highly available communication method.

[0053] Thus, the system of this embodiment can appropriately utilize a highly reliable first communication method and a highly available second communication method. As a result, the system of this embodiment can provide a system that can appropriately aggregate necessary sensor information to a server device even in environments where large numbers of people gather, such as evacuation shelters. Furthermore, the system of this embodiment can be similarly applied to locations other than evacuation shelters, such as sports venues and event venues.

[0054] [1.2 Device configuration] Next, the configuration of each device in this embodiment will be described. First, the common configuration will be described.

[0055] The control unit is a device that controls the entire system of each device. The control unit realizes various functions by reading and executing various programs stored in the memory of each device, and is composed of, for example, one or more control units. The control unit may be configured as, for example, an SoC (System on a Chip), or as a single function such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0056] The storage unit is a device that stores various programs and data necessary for the operation of each device. The storage unit is composed of devices that can be installed in each device, such as semiconductor memory or HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Furthermore, the storage unit may have different configurations for a storage device (memory), which is a temporary storage area where programs and memory are loaded when a program is executed, and a storage device, which is a non-temporary storage area where data, programs, etc., are stored. In this embodiment, the program is stored in a tangible, non-temporary storage medium that can be read by a computer.

[0057] The communication unit is a device that provides the functionality for the device to connect to other devices or networks. For example, it is a NIC (Network Interface Card) that can communicate using communication methods such as wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11a / b / g) or wired LAN. Alternatively, the communication unit may be a communication module that can utilize mobile communication such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) / 4G / 5G / 6G.

[0058] The short-range wireless communication unit enables short-range wireless communication. In this embodiment, Bluetooth® BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) is used, but similar technologies such as Bluetooth 5 can also be applied. Furthermore, the short-range wireless communication unit may communicate using other methods as long as the sensor device can communicate with the terminal device. For example, it may use LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication, or communication such as Sigfox, Wi-Fi HaLow, or ZETA.

[0059] The control unit is a device that allows users to input commands to each device. For example, the control unit may be an external input device such as a keyboard or mouse, or it may be a software key implemented using a touch panel.

[0060] The display unit is a device that displays various information on each device. For example, the display unit may be a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display using OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), or an external display device connected via HDMI (registered trademark) or DVI.

[0061] [1.2.1 First Terminal Device] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the first terminal device 10. The first terminal device 10 includes a control unit 100, a storage unit 110, a communication unit 120, a short-range wireless communication unit 130, an operation unit 150, and a display unit 160. The following description will focus on the unique configuration of the first terminal device 10.

[0062] The control unit 100 functions as a setting unit 102, a transfer control unit 104, and a target person information display unit 106 by reading and executing a program from the storage unit 110.

[0063] The setting unit 102 performs various settings on the sensor device 50. For example, the setting unit 102 sets the type of information to be transmitted to the server device 80 and the communication method on the sensor device 50. The settings made by the setting unit 102 are stored as setting information in the setting information storage area 114. The setting unit 102 also transmits the setting information to the sensor device 50.

[0064] The transfer control unit 104 transmits (transfers) the sensor information received from the sensor device 50 to the server device 80. The transfer control unit 104 acquires the sensor information when a communication path is established between the sensor device 50 and the first terminal device 10 (i.e., when the sensor device 50 has been paired with the first terminal device 10 in advance and a connection has been made). Then, the transfer control unit 104 transmits the acquired sensor information to the server device 80.

[0065] The target person information display unit 106 displays the target person information of the user (target person) of the first terminal device 10. For example, the target person information display unit 106 displays the target person information on the display unit 160 based on the target person information (biometric information) included in the sensor information acquired from the sensor device 50. The target person information display unit 106 displays, for example, specific biometric information values ​​or graphs showing the transition of biometric information values ​​as biometric information included in the target person information. The target person information display unit 106 may also display the target person information stored in the target person information storage area 116, or it may acquire and display the target person information from the server device 80.

[0066] The memory unit 110 has memory areas for sensor information storage area 112, setting information storage area 114, and target information storage area 116.

[0067] The sensor information storage area 112 stores sensor information received from the sensor device 50. The sensor information storage area 112 may store the sensor information temporarily or permanently. The sensor information storage area 112 may also temporarily store the sensor information until it is transmitted to the server device 80.

[0068] For example, Figure 4(a) shows an example of sensor information stored in the sensor information storage area 112. The sensor information includes the sensor device ID of the sensor device (e.g., "012-3456"), the subject ID (e.g., "0001"), the acquisition date and time (e.g., "2021 / 06 / 01 23:10:15"), and information actually acquired by the sensor device 50, such as heart rate (e.g., "80"), respiratory rate (e.g., "10"), and a memo (e.g., "had trouble falling asleep").

[0069] The identification ID of the sensor device 50 is unique information used to identify the sensor device 50. The target user ID is the ID of the target user used by the first terminal device 10. The acquisition date and time may be the date and time when the sensor device 50 acquired the information, or the date and time when the first terminal device 10 acquired the sensor information.

[0070] Furthermore, the information acquired by the sensor device 50 can include one or more items. As an example, the information acquired by the sensor device 50 shown in Figure 4(a) includes heart rate and respiratory rate among biological information. In addition, the information acquired by the sensor device 50 may include values ​​such as SpO2, blood pressure, body temperature, and blood glucose level, or it may also include sleep duration and the subject's condition (for example, posture and position).

[0071] Furthermore, the information acquired by the sensor device 50 may include multiple pieces of the same type of information, such as heart rate. For example, the sensor device 50 may acquire heart rate every minute. The sensor device may then collect the acquired heart rate data and transmit it to the first terminal device 10 as sensor information every 10 minutes.

[0072] The subject may enter notes as they see fit. Additionally, audio input or images captured by the first terminal device 10 may be attached.

[0073] The configuration information storage area 114 stores configuration information, which is information related to the settings for the sensor device 50. For example, Figure 4(b) shows an example of configuration information stored in the configuration information storage area 114. The configuration information stored for each sensor device 50 capable of acquiring sensor information includes the sensor device identification ID (e.g., "012-345"), the communication method (e.g., "connection-based"), the type of information acquired by the sensor device 50 (e.g., "heart rate, respiratory rate"), the information acquisition interval (e.g., "10 minutes"), and the subject ID (e.g., "0001").

[0074] The sensor device identification ID is information that identifies the sensor device 50. For example, it may be unique identification information of the sensor device 50, or it may be identification information included in the advertising data transmitted by the sensor device 50. Alternatively, it may be a name or ID assigned to the sensor device 50 by the system or staff.

[0075] The communication method is set for the sensor device 50. Two communication methods can be set: "connection-type" and "broadcast-type". Alternatively, the communication method can be set to "connection-type / broadcast-type". In this case, the control unit 100 can automatically switch between connection-type and broadcast-type communication, or it can perform both types of communication.

[0076] The information to be acquired is set to the information acquired by the sensor device 50. One or more of the information that the sensor device 50 can acquire (for example, biological information, etc.) can be set. Alternatively, all information may be set to be acquired.

[0077] The acquisition interval sets the interval at which the sensor device 50 acquires information. In this embodiment, the sensor device 50 transmits the acquired sensor information at the time of acquisition, but the timing of acquiring the sensor information and the timing of transmitting the sensor information (transmission interval) may be different. For example, the sensor device 50 may set the acquisition interval to 10 minutes and the transmission interval to 60 minutes.

[0078] The target person ID stores identification information for identifying the target person. The target person ID may be identified by matching it with the identification ID of the sensor device on the server device 80. In this case, the target person ID does not need to be included in the configuration information.

[0079] Furthermore, information about the subject (basic information) may be stored in addition to the subject ID. For example, basic information may include the subject's name, weight, height, person in charge, and evacuation location.

[0080] Furthermore, if pairing is performed, the setting information storage area 114 may also store information related to pairing. When the first terminal device 10 pairs with the sensor device 50 through the functions of the OS, the information necessary for pairing (pairing information) is stored in the storage unit 110. This pairing function may be performed by the control unit 100 executing a function of the OS, or by executing another application. If the control unit 100 performs pairing by executing any of the applications in this embodiment, the pairing information may also be stored in the setting information storage area 114.

[0081] The target information storage area 116 stores the target information of the target person using the first terminal device 10. The target information may be stored by the control unit 100 based on sensor information acquired from the sensor device 50, or it may be received and stored from the server device 80.

[0082] When the first terminal device 10 is a gateway device 15, the functional configuration of the gateway device 15 is shown in Figure 5. The gateway device 15 is composed of a control unit 100A, a storage unit 110A, a communication unit 120A, and a short-range wireless communication unit 130A.

[0083] The control unit 100A of the gateway device 15 realizes the function of the transfer control unit 102A by reading and executing the program stored in the storage unit 110A. The transfer control unit 102A realizes the same function as the transfer control unit 104.

[0084] Furthermore, the memory unit 110A reserves the memory area for the sensor information memory area 112A. The sensor information memory area 112A temporarily stores sensor information that is transferred from the sensor device 50 to the server device 80.

[0085] In other words, the first terminal device 10 can provide the same functionality whether a smartphone 12 is used or a gateway device 15 is used.

[0086] [1.2.2 Second Terminal Device] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the second terminal device 20. The second terminal device 20 includes a control unit 200, a storage unit 210, a communication unit 220, a short-range wireless communication unit 230, an operation unit 250, and a display unit 260. The following description will focus on the specific configuration of the second terminal device 20.

[0087] The control unit 200 functions as a transfer control unit 202 by reading and executing a program stored in the storage unit 210. The transfer control unit 202 transfers (transmits) the sensor information received from the sensor device 50 to the server device 80.

[0088] In other words, the transfer control unit 202 receives advertising data (advertising packets) from the sensor device 50 via the short-range wireless communication unit 230. The second terminal device 20 only needs to receive data from the sensor device 50 and does not need to establish a connection with the sensor device 50.

[0089] The transfer control unit 202 transmits the sensor information contained in the advertising data to the server device 80. The transfer control unit 202 may transmit the advertising data as is to the server device 80, or it may extract the sensor information from the advertising data and transmit it to the server device 80.

[0090] The memory unit 210 reserves storage space for the sensor information storage area 212. The sensor information storage area 212 is an area for temporarily storing sensor information received from the sensor device 50. Preferably, the sensor information stored in the sensor information storage area 212 is deleted after it has been transmitted to the server device 80.

[0091] [1.2.3 Third Terminal Device] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the third terminal device 30. The third terminal device 30 includes a control unit 300, a storage unit 310, a communication unit 320, an operation unit 350, and a display unit 360. The following description will focus on the unique configuration of the third terminal device 30.

[0092] The control unit 300 functions as a target person information display control unit 302 and a target person status management unit 304 by reading and executing a program stored in the storage unit 310.

[0093] The target information display control unit 302 displays various information on the display unit 360 based on the target information received from the server device 80 and the target information stored in the target information storage area 312.

[0094] The Subject Status Management Unit 304 notifies staff based on the subject information. For example, the Subject Status Management Unit 304 sets thresholds for the attention range and warning range for each subject information. Then, the Subject Status Management Unit 304 executes attention processing or warning processing when each subject information falls within the attention range or warning range.

[0095] For example, the Subject Status Management Unit 304 alerts staff by identifying and displaying the subject information shown in the list. Furthermore, if a subject's heart rate falls within the warning range, the Subject Status Management Unit 304 emits an alarm sound to alert staff. The Subject Status Management Unit 304 also manages the overall health and physical condition of all subjects.

[0096] The memory unit 310 reserves memory space for the subject information memory area 312. The subject information memory area 312 stores subject information. Subject information is received from the server device 80 and stored. In addition, staff members may input information via the operation unit 350, or biometric information may be stored from external devices (e.g., thermometers, blood pressure monitors, etc.) via the communication unit 320.

[0097] [1.2.4 Sensor Device] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the sensor device 50. The sensor device 50 includes a control unit 500, a storage unit 510, a short-range wireless communication unit 530, and an acquisition unit 540. The following description will focus on the specific configuration of the sensor device 50.

[0098] The control unit 500 executes a program stored in the memory unit 510 to realize the functions of the sensor information transmission unit 502.

[0099] The sensor information transmission unit 502 transmits the acquired sensor information and the sensor information stored in the sensor information storage area 512 via the short-range wireless communication unit 530. Here, if the communication mode of the sensor device 50 is set to connection type in the configuration information, the sensor information transmission unit 502 establishes a connection with the first terminal device 10, which is the connection destination. Then, the sensor information transmission unit 502 transmits the sensor information to the server device 80 via the first terminal device 10.

[0100] On the other hand, if the communication mode of the sensor device 50 is set to broadcast type in the configuration information, the sensor information transmission unit 502 transmits the sensor information along with the advertising data. That is, the sensor information transmission unit 502 transmits the sensor information to the server device 80 via a terminal device included in the system 1 (for example, the second terminal device 20).

[0101] The memory unit 510 reserves memory areas for sensor information storage area 512 and setting information storage area 514.

[0102] The sensor information storage area 512 is an area for temporarily storing sensor information, which is information acquired by the sensor device 50.

[0103] The setting information storage area 514 stores setting information, which is information related to the settings of the sensor device 50.

[0104] Figure 9 shows an example of setting information stored in the setting information storage area 514. The setting information stores a destination ID (e.g., "325-44587") for identifying the destination device to which sensor information is transmitted, the communication method of the sensor device 50 (e.g., "connection-based"), information indicating the type of information that the sensor device 50 acquires from the subject information (e.g., "heart rate, respiratory rate"), and the interval at which the acquired information is acquired (e.g., "10 minutes"). Note that the setting information may also store information about the subject.

[0105] The acquisition unit 540 is responsible for the sensor device 50 acquiring information from various sensors. For example, the acquisition unit 540 is a device that acquires various types of information, such as the subject's biological information and sleep information. For example, the acquisition unit 540 is a pressure sensor, and based on the signal from the pressure sensor, the control unit 500 can detect the subject's heart rate and respiration. As a result, the sensor device 50 can acquire the subject's heart rate and respiration.

[0106] [1.2.5 Server Equipment] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the server device 80. The server device 80 includes a control unit 800, a storage unit 810, a communication unit 820, an operation unit 850, and a display unit 860. The following description will focus on the specific configuration of the server device 80.

[0107] The control unit 800 functions as the subject management unit 802, the sensor management unit 804, the subject information storage unit 806, and the subject status management unit 808 by reading and executing programs from the storage unit 810. The storage unit 810 also stores the subject database (DB) 812 and the sensor database (DB) 814.

[0108] The subject management unit 802 manages information about subjects stored in the subject database 812. For example, the subject management unit 802 can store new subjects or delete them. Figure 11 shows an example of the subject database 812.

[0109] The subject DB812 stores subject information in association with basic information. For example, as shown in Figure 11, the basic information stored as subject information includes a subject ID to identify the subject (e.g., "0003"), the subject's name (e.g., "Kazuki Shinke"), the evacuation location where the subject is currently located (e.g., "ABC Elementary School Evacuation Site"), and the group to which the subject belongs (e.g., "A-3"). Here, the subject's basic information is information about the subject that is not changed by the sensor device 50. The basic information may be entered by the subject or staff, or it may be obtained from an electronic medical record server, etc.

[0110] The subject information is based on sensor information received from the sensor device 50. The subject information storage unit 806 stores the subject information based on the sensor information in the subject DB 812 for each subject. Here, the subject information includes information stored chronologically (subject information 1) and information stored by date (subject information 2). In addition to information directly obtained from the sensor information, the subject information also includes values ​​calculated from values ​​output from the sensor information, results from conditional judgments, and results estimated using machine learning.

[0111] For example, in the case of a subject's sleeping posture, the sensor device 50 may determine the subject's sleeping posture and include it in the sensor information. Alternatively, the subject information may store the subject's sleeping posture determined by the first terminal device 10, the second terminal device 20, or the server device 80 based on the information output from the sensor device 50 (for example, information on the center of gravity and pressure). One or more pieces of subject information can be stored for each subject.

[0112] The sensor management unit 804 manages the sensor database 814. For example, the sensor management unit 804 associates a new sensor device 50 with a target person, or deletes a sensor device 50. As shown in Figure 12, the sensor database 814 stores sensor IDs and target person IDs in correspondence. Here, the relationship between sensor IDs and target person IDs is, in principle, many-to-one. That is, by referring to the sensor database 814, a target person is uniquely determined for each sensor ID. However, depending on the type of sensor device 50, the relationship between target person IDs and sensor IDs may be many-to-many. For example, in the case of a sensor device 50 that uses sound, multiple target person IDs may be associated with the sensor ID of a microphone, which is the same sensor device 50. Also, multiple microphone sensor IDs may be associated with the same target person ID.

[0113] The subject status management unit 808 manages the subject's status based on the subject information. For example, the subject status management unit 808 sets attention ranges and warning ranges for each subject information. The subject status management unit 808 also sets attention ranges for sleeping positions and attention information regarding getting out of bed. Then, the subject status management unit 808 refers to the subject information and sends a notification if it determines that a situation requiring notification has occurred.

[0114] For example, let's describe an example where the subject status management unit 808 manages the subject's status based on SpO2. The subject status management unit 808 sets the SpO2 values ​​as follows.

[0115] • Caution range: SpO2 greater than 93% and less than 96% Warning range: SpO2 below 93% The subject status management unit 808 refers to the subject information and, if the SpO2 value falls below 93%, determines that the subject has entered the warning range and executes notification processing (warning notification processing). Notification processing includes, for example, sending a notification (email, pop-up display, etc.) to a terminal device (smartphone) of a staff member, or outputting a warning sound on the third terminal device 30. Furthermore, if the SpO2 value falls into the attention range, the subject status management unit 808 executes attention notification processing. Notification processing includes, for example, displaying a pop-up or displaying an identification display on the third terminal device 30 to notify the attention. In this case, the notification processing may use different means for warning notifications and attention notifications.

[0116] Furthermore, the patient condition management unit 808 may change the recipient or content of the notification when providing information. For example, when the patient condition management unit 808 provides information such as body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate, it will notify general staff (nurses). When the patient condition management unit 808 provides information such as electrocardiogram waveforms, it will notify specialists or nurses in the relevant department. When the patient condition management unit 808 provides information related to activity level or posture, it will notify physical therapists or occupational therapists. When the patient condition management unit 808 provides information due to communication problems, it will notify clinical psychologists or social workers. In this way, the patient condition management unit 808 pre-determines the recipients of notifications for each professional and sets the appropriate recipient according to the content of the notification. This ensures that patients receiving services receive appropriate treatment, and that the staff providing services can respond appropriately.

[0117] In this way, the subject status management unit 808 performs notification processing for each subject based on the subject information. This allows the subject status management unit 808 to appropriately manage the health status and physical condition of each subject.

[0118] Furthermore, the subject status management unit 808 may also notify the subject using the sensor device 50. For example, the subject status management unit 808 may transmit a signal to the sensor device 50 based on the subject information. Upon receiving the signal, the sensor device 50 notifies the subject using, for example, vibration, sound, or light. This allows, for example, a subject who is unaware of any changes in their physical condition to be notified that their heart rate is elevated or that their SpO2 value is abnormal.

[0119] [1.3 Processing Flow] Next, the processing flow of this embodiment will be described.

[0120] [1.3.1 Overall System Flow] The overall processing flow of the system in this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 13. Figure 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating the relationship between the sensor device 50, the first terminal device 10, the second terminal device 20, and the server device 80.

[0121] Figure 13 shows the sensor information divided into first sensor information and second sensor information. First sensor information is information that is desired to be transmitted via a specific terminal device, i.e., in a secure environment. In other words, information classified as first sensor information is information that requires consideration of the privacy of the subject, for example. In this case, the sensor device 50 transmits the first sensor information to the server device 80 via the first terminal device 10.

[0122] Furthermore, the second sensor information is information that requires immediacy or reliability. In this case, the sensor device 50 transmits the second sensor information to the server device 80 via the second terminal device 20.

[0123] (1) First sensor information The following describes the case in which the sensor device 50 transmits the first sensor information to the server device 80. In this case, the first terminal device 10 has a program pre-installed that is capable of transferring the first sensor information. Also, pairing may have already been performed between the sensor device 50 and the first terminal device 10.

[0124] The sensor device 50 transmits advertising data indicating the connection type (S1002). The first terminal device 10, having received the advertising data, attempts to establish a connection by sending a connection request to the sensor device 50, and establishes a connection (S1004). The sensor device 50 then transmits first sensor information, including the subject information, to the connected first terminal device 10 (S1006). At this point, a one-to-one connection is established between the sensor device 50 and the first terminal device 10, enabling secure communication. Furthermore, pairing between the sensor device 50 and the first terminal device 10 enables even more secure communication.

[0125] The first terminal device 10 transmits the received first sensor information to the server device 80 (S1008).

[0126] Furthermore, if the first terminal device 10 establishes a connection with multiple sensor devices 50, it may transmit the data with the highest importance from among the subject information received from the multiple sensor devices 50 to the server device 80.

[0127] For example, when the first terminal device 10 receives pulse information (first sensor information) from multiple sensor devices 50 from multiple subjects, the first terminal device 10 prioritizes transmitting the data of the subject with the largest pulse variation to the server device 80.

[0128] Furthermore, when the first terminal device 10 is transmitting the first sensor information of the first subject to the server device 80, if it receives the first sensor information of a second subject who is of higher urgency or importance than the first subject, the first terminal device 10 may temporarily suspend the transmission of the subject information of the first subject. In this case, the first terminal device 10 will transmit the subject information of the second subject to the server device 80, and then resume the transmission of the first sensor information of the first subject.

[0129] The server device 80 stores the received first sensor information as subject information, linking it to the subject corresponding to the first sensor information (S1010).

[0130] In this way, after a connection is established between the sensor device 50 and the first terminal device 10 (after a secure communication path is established), the sensor device 50 can transmit the first sensor information via the first terminal device 10.

[0131] Furthermore, the second terminal device 20 does not receive the first sensor information transmitted by the sensor device 50. Even if the second terminal device 20 receives the first sensor information transmitted by the sensor device 50, it discards it. Therefore, the first sensor information is transmitted from the sensor device 50 to the server device 80 via the first terminal device 10. The first sensor information is not transmitted to the server device 80 via the second terminal device 20. This allows system 1 to transmit the first sensor information using a secure communication channel.

[0132] (2) Second sensor information This section describes the case where the sensor device 50 transmits second sensor information to the server device 80. In this case, it is assumed that the second terminal device 20 has a program capable of transferring second sensor information pre-installed.

[0133] Furthermore, in Figure 13, it is explained that the first terminal device 10 has a function to transfer advertising data indicating a broadcast type to the server device 80 when it receives such data.

[0134] The sensor device 50 transmits advertising data indicating a broadcast type (S1102, S1104). The sensor device 50 transmits this advertising data including second sensor information. That is, the sensor device 50 periodically transmits second sensor information as a broadcast.

[0135] As mentioned above, the second sensor information is transmitted as advertising data, meaning it is transmitted via broadcast. Therefore, in Figure 13, the second sensor information is transmitted only once by the sensor device 50, and S1102 indicates that the first terminal device 10 receives it, and S1104 indicates that the second terminal device 20 receives it.

[0136] If the first terminal device 10 and the second terminal device 20 are within the BLE communication range, they each receive second sensor information from the sensor device 50 (S1102, S1104). The first terminal device 10, having received the second sensor information, then transmits the second sensor information to the server device 80 (S1106). The second terminal device 20, having received the second sensor information, also transmits the second sensor information to the server device 80 (S1108).

[0137] Furthermore, if the second terminal device 20 receives second sensor information from multiple sensor devices 50, it may send the data with the highest importance to the server device 80 from among the second sensor information received from the multiple sensor devices 50.

[0138] For example, when the second terminal device 20 receives body surface temperature information (second sensor information) from multiple sensor devices 50 from multiple subjects, the second terminal device 20 prioritizes transmitting the second sensor information of the subject with the highest body surface temperature to the server device 80.

[0139] Furthermore, when the second terminal device 20 is transmitting the second sensor information of the first subject to the server device 80, if it receives subject information of a second subject that is of higher urgency or importance than the first subject, the second terminal device 20 may temporarily suspend the transmission of the second sensor information of the first subject. In this case, the second terminal device 20 will resume transmitting the second sensor information of the first subject after transmitting the second sensor information of the second subject to the server device 80.

[0140] The server device 80 receives second sensor information from the first terminal device 10 and the second terminal device 20, respectively. In this case, the server device 80 receives second sensor information from both the first terminal device 10 and the second terminal device 20, resulting in duplication. Therefore, the server device 80 deletes the duplicate second sensor information (S1010). Then, the server device 80 stores the subject information, associating it with the subject corresponding to the non-duplicate second sensor information (S1012).

[0141] In Figure 13, the case where the first terminal device 10 and the second terminal device 20 are within range of communication with the sensor device 50 is explained. However, if only the second terminal device 20 is present, processing can be done by just that one device. In this case, the server device 80 does not need to delete duplicate data. Furthermore, if there are three or more terminal devices within range of communication with the sensor device 50, the server device 80 may store the sensor information of only one device and delete the others.

[0142] In this way, the sensor device 50 can freely transmit second sensor information to the server device 80 even if a connection has not been established between the sensor device and each terminal device. This allows the sensor device to transmit sensor information to the server device 80 using any terminal device, for example, if it fails to communicate with its own terminal device (first terminal device 10) or if communication with the terminal device (first terminal device 10) is out of range.

[0143] [1.3.2 Sensor device configuration process] The process for setting the operation of the sensor device 50 will be explained with reference to Figure 14. The process shown in Figure 14 is executed by a terminal device (for example, the first terminal device 10) that has a setting function for the sensor device 50.

[0144] First, the control unit 100 of the first terminal device 10 establishes a connection with the sensor device 50 (step S104). The first terminal device 10 and the sensor device 50 may be paired. The pairing of the two devices may be performed using the standard functions of the operating system (OS, e.g., iOS®, Android®, Windows®, etc.) or using a proprietary method.

[0145] Step S104 is described assuming that the first terminal device 10 and the sensor device 50 are connected by short-range wireless communication (e.g., BLE), but they may be connected by other communication methods. For example, in this process, the connection between the first terminal device 10 and the sensor device 50 may be made using, for example, a wireless LAN or a USB cable.

[0146] Next, the control unit 100 sets the communication mode of the sensor device 50 (step S106; for example, R104 in Figure 18). Here, the communication mode can be either "connection type" or "broadcast type", or both.

[0147] There are various ways to make a selection, but for example, as shown in area R104 of Figure 18 described later, the control unit 100 displays a selection box on the display screen W100. If the user wants to send to a specific device, they check the "Devices listed below" box. When this box is checked, the control unit 100 determines that "Connection Type" has been selected and sets the communication mode to "Connection Type".

[0148] Furthermore, when the user checks the "Allow Broadcast" box, the control unit 100 determines that "Broadcast Type" has been selected and sets the communication mode to "Broadcast Type".

[0149] Here, since the two fields are checkboxes, the user can select both. If both are selected, the control unit 100 may select the communication mode as "Both" or "Connection Type / Broadcast Type".

[0150] Alternatively, only one of the two communication methods may be selected. In this case, the control unit 100 may display radio buttons instead of checkboxes in area R104. Furthermore, if neither is selected, the control unit 100 may display a message prompting the user to "Please select one."

[0151] Next, the control unit 100 sets the destination to which the sensor information will be sent if the sensor device 50 is currently set to connection-type communication or to both (step S108; Yes → step S110). That is, the control unit 100 sets the information of the first terminal device 10 to which the sensor information will be sent as the destination. For example, in area R104a of Figure 18, the control unit 100 selects the terminal device (first terminal device 10) to be the destination.

[0152] The control unit 100 may also be configured with multiple destinations to which the sensor device 50 transmits sensor information. However, if the sensor device 50 is configured for broadcast communication, the sensor device 50 does not transmit sensor information to a specific destination. Therefore, the control unit 100 does not need to configure the destination for the sensor information of the sensor device 50, but it may set the priority of the second terminal device 20 to which the broadcast will be sent. For example, the second terminal device 20 to which the broadcast will be sent may be set to a terminal device owned by a family member.

[0153] Next, the control unit 100 sets the information to be acquired by the sensor device 50 (step S112; area R106 in Figure 18). For example, the control unit 100 specifies the necessary information from among the information that can be acquired. It may specify all the information that the sensor device 50 can acquire, or it may select one or more. For example, the control unit 100 may select to acquire biological information such as heart rate and respiration, or it may select to acquire sleep-related information such as sleep duration.

[0154] Furthermore, the control unit 100 may also set the timing for acquisition (region R108 in Figure 18). For example, the control unit 100 may set the acquisition interval to acquire biological information every minute, every five minutes, or every ten minutes.

[0155] The control unit 100 stores these settings as setting information in the setting information storage area 114. The control unit 100 also transmits the setting information to the sensor device 50. When the sensor device 50 receives the setting information, it stores it in the setting information storage area 514.

[0156] The control unit 100 may transmit the setting information to the sensor device 50 by other means. For example, in the first terminal device 10, the control unit 100 generates the setting information. The first terminal device 10 may then transmit the setting information to the sensor device 50. In this case, the method for transmitting the setting information from the first terminal device 10 to the sensor device 50 may, for example, utilize NFC (Near Field Communication) as a short-range wireless communication.

[0157] [1.3.3 Sensor Device Processing] Next, the operation of the sensor device 50 will be explained with reference to Figure 15. First, the control unit 500 of the sensor device 50 refers to the setting information and determines whether to perform connection-type communication (step S202). Specifically, the control unit 500 refers to the setting information and determines whether the communication method is set to "connection-type communication" or "both".

[0158] If the configuration information indicates that connection-oriented communication is configured (Step S202; Yes), the control unit 500 determines whether a connection has been established with the terminal device to be connected to (First terminal device 10) (Step S206). If a connection is not established, the control unit 500 terminates the process without transmitting sensor information (Step S206; No).

[0159] If a connection has been established with the terminal device to be connected (first terminal device 10), the sensor device 50 transmits sensor information to the terminal device (step S206; Yes → step S208).

[0160] On the other hand, if the configuration information does not specify that connection-type communication should be performed, i.e., it is set to broadcast-type communication (step S202; No), the control unit 500 determines whether or not broadcast transmission is possible (step S210).

[0161] If the control unit 500 has sensor information to broadcast, it will broadcast the sensor information (step S210; Yes → step S212). Specifically, the sensor device 50 includes the sensor information in the advertising data and transmits it to another terminal device (second terminal device 20).

[0162] Furthermore, the sensor device 50 may temporarily store sensor information in preparation for loss of sensor information. For example, when the sensor device 50 is performing connection-type communication, it transmits sensor information in step S208 and stores the sensor information in the sensor information storage area 512. The sensor device 50 may then delete the sensor information when it receives a signal from the first terminal device 10. Also, if the sensor device 50 does not receive a signal from the first terminal device 10 within a predetermined time, it may retransmit the sensor information to the first terminal device 10.

[0163] Furthermore, the first terminal device 10 may transmit the received signal to the sensor device 50 when it receives sensor information from the sensor device 50. In addition, the first terminal device 10 may transmit a signal to the sensor device 50 when the sensor information is deleted from the device, when the sensor information is transmitted to the server device 80, or when the server device 80 notifies the first terminal device 10 that it has received the sensor information.

[0164] Furthermore, when the sensor device 50 is performing broadcast-type communication, it transmits sensor information by broadcast in step S212, and stores the sensor information in the sensor information storage area 512.

[0165] When the server device 80 receives sensor information transmitted via broadcast communication from the first terminal device 10 and / or the second terminal device 20, it sends a signal to the sender indicating that it has been received. The first terminal device 10 or the second terminal device 20, having received the signal from the server device 80, sends a signal via broadcast communication indicating that the sensor information has been properly received. When the sensor device 50 receives the signal indicating that the sensor information has been properly received, it deletes the sensor information. Alternatively, the first terminal device 10 or the second terminal device 20 may send a signal to the sensor device 50 via broadcast at the time it receives the sensor information transmitted via broadcast communication, indicating that it has been received.

[0166] [1.3.4 Sensor Information Storage Processing] The storage process of sensor information in the server device will be explained with reference to Figure 16. The control unit 800 of the server device 80 receives sensor information via the communication unit 820 (step S302; Yes). Here, the control unit 800 identifies the target person from the sensor information. Two methods are possible for identifying the sensor information.

[0167] (1) Identify the subject from the subject ID included in the sensor information. For example, if sensor information is transmitted using a connection-oriented communication method, the sensor information may include a subject ID. In this case, the control unit 800 directly extracts the subject ID from the sensor information and identifies the subject to whom the sensor information should be recorded. Furthermore, when referring to personal information (for example, the subject's name), the control unit 800 can identify specific personal information by referring to the subject DB 812.

[0168] (2) Identify the subject from the sensor device ID included in the sensor information. For example, if sensor information is transmitted using a broadcast communication method, the subject ID is not included in the sensor information. In this case, the control unit 800 extracts the sensor device ID included in the sensor information. Then, the control unit 800 refers to the sensor DB 814, reads the subject ID, and identifies the subject.

[0169] (3) Identify the target person from the information of the first terminal device 10 The control unit 800 identifies the target person ID from the information of the first terminal device 10 that transmitted the sensor information. For example, the sensor device 50 may include information of the first terminal device 10 that will be the recipient, or the first terminal device 10 may include identification information when it is transferring the information (when it is transmitted to the server device 80). The control unit 800 then identifies the target person ID based on the identification information of the first terminal device 10. The correspondence between the identification information of the first terminal device 10 and the target person ID may be stored in the target person DB 812 in advance, or the data may be stored separately.

[0170] Next, the control unit 800 determines whether the received sensor information is duplicated (step S306). For example, the control unit 800 identifies the sensor information if the information contained in the sensor information is a perfect match or if predetermined items match. Alternatively, the control unit 800 may determine whether the sensor information is duplicated by using the identification information assigned to each sensor information.

[0171] Then, if the sensor information is not duplicated, the control unit 800 extracts the subject information from the sensor information and stores it in the subject DB 812 (step S306; No → step S308). Also, if the sensor information is duplicated, the control unit 800 deletes the duplicate subject information (step S306; Yes → step S310).

[0172] Furthermore, the control unit 800 may prioritize data received earlier as a method for the server device 80 to delete sensor information. For example, the control unit 800 may store the data received earliest and delete data received thereafter.

[0173] Furthermore, the server device 80 may delete data according to the priority of the second terminal device 20. For example, the server device 80 stores duplicate sensor information for a certain period of time and determines whether duplicate data has been received. Here, the server device 80 prioritizes storing data with a high priority from the second terminal device 20 to which the sensor information was transmitted. For example, among the second terminal devices 20, terminal devices that repeatedly transmit data or terminal devices set by the target person (for example, family members' terminal devices) are given a higher priority.

[0174] Furthermore, if the server device 80 receives sensor information from the first terminal device 10 that includes the same type of subject information as the second terminal device 20, the server device 80 may prioritize the sensor information received from the first terminal device 10. For example, if the SpO2 value included in the sensor information is a value received from a pulse oximeter by the first terminal device 10 and a value received from a smartwatch by the second terminal device 20, the server device 80 receives sensor information including the SpO2 value from both. In this case, if both SpO2 values ​​fall within a predetermined time range, the server device 80 should prioritize storing the value from the first terminal device 10.

[0175] Furthermore, the server device 80 may prioritize storing sensor information received from the first terminal device 10 and the second terminal device 20, which has a higher priority. If it is unable to receive the first terminal device 10, it may store sensor information from the second terminal device 20, which has a lower priority.

[0176] [1.3.5 Display processing in the third terminal device] Next, an example of display processing in the third terminal device 30 will be explained with reference to Figure 17. The control unit 300 obtains information about the target person from the target person DB 812 as needed from the server device 80 and executes processing.

[0177] First, the control unit 300 identifies the display area that includes the person to be displayed on the display unit 360 (step S402). For example, the control unit 300 selects an evacuation site, an evacuation area, or a group within the evacuation site / evacuation area.

[0178] Next, the control unit 300 displays a list of subject information (step S404). Once the control unit 300 has identified the subject to be displayed in step S402, it displays biological information such as heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, SpO2, and activity level as subject information for the identified subject.

[0179] Furthermore, when displaying each piece of biological information, the control unit 300 may perform identification displays corresponding to the values ​​of the biological information. For example, the control unit 300 may display the biological information in a graph or color-coded display according to the biological information values.

[0180] In particular, the control unit 300 identifies and displays information about the person in a warning state (step S406). For example, the control unit 300 identifies and displays that a biological information value is in a warning state. For example, the control unit 300 may identify and display that a person is in a warning state when SpO2 falls below a predetermined value (for example, 93%).

[0181] Furthermore, when in a warning state, the control unit 300 may, in addition to displaying an identification indicator, display a pop-up, sound an alert, or output an alarm to another device (for example, a terminal device owned by a staff member).

[0182] When a target person is selected from the list of target people, the control unit 300 displays an individual screen (step S408; Yes → step S410). The individual screen may display detailed target person information, or it may display past history. The individual screen may also display past history using graphs or the like.

[0183] If a return operation is performed at this point, the control unit 300 will execute the process again from step S402 (step S412; Yes → step S402). In other words, the control unit 300 switches from the individual screen to the list display screen.

[0184] Furthermore, when an individual screen is displayed and the operation to display the sleep status is selected, the control unit 300 displays a screen containing information about sleep (step S412; No → step S414; Yes → step S416). For example, the screen containing information about sleep may be a sleep diary that shows bedtime / wake-up and sleep / wake cycles in a graph, or a screen that displays sleep duration, sleep respiratory rate, and sleep heart rate. The screen containing information about sleep may also display a graph showing the past trends of these values.

[0185] If a back operation is performed at this point, the user may return to the previous screen. For example, if a back operation is performed while a screen containing information about sleep is displayed, the individual screen will be displayed again (Step S418; Yes → Step S410).

[0186] [1.4 Example of Operation] The following describes an example of operation using a screen example. Figure 18 shows an example of the display screen W100 when configuring the sensor device 50 in the first terminal device 10.

[0187] On display screen W100, area R100 shows information about the subject, including the subject's name and subject ID.

[0188] Furthermore, the display screen W100 shows information about the sensor device 50 currently being configured. The sensor device 50 has already been paired and is either ready to connect or is already connected.

[0189] Area R102 of display screen W100 displays the name and ID of the sensor device 50. Area R104 displays the selectable communication method. For example, the user can choose whether to allow the sensor device 50 to communicate using the "broadcast type" or a specific device (i.e., connection type). If a specific device is selected, the user can choose a device that the sensor device 50 can currently connect to. Both communication methods may also be selected.

[0190] Furthermore, in area R106, you can select one or more pieces of information to acquire. In area R108, you can select the interval at which to acquire the information. The interval for acquiring the information can be any interval.

[0191] Figures 19 to 23 show examples of display screens in the third terminal device 30. The operation of the third terminal device 30, for example, when medical staff manage evacuees, will be explained.

[0192] Figure 19 shows an example of the display screen W120 displayed on the third terminal device 30. The display screen W120 has an area at the top where the title and menu are displayed, and an area below that for displaying information.

[0193] Furthermore, various types of information are displayed in the information display area. For example, evacuation locations are displayed in area R120. Also, area R122 displays tabs that allow users to switch between groups of evacuation locations. Staff members can switch the list of individuals displayed on the right by selecting a tab.

[0194] Area L120 displays a list of subjects. By displaying multiple subjects in a list, the system provides a highly convenient display screen for staff to manage the biometric information of multiple subjects.

[0195] In area L120, each subject is displayed on a separate line. For example, in area L122, the subject information for "Kazuki Shinya" is displayed. Display screen W120 shows subject information including sleep duration, body surface temperature (body temperature), activity level, SpO2, and pulse rate. Body temperature is displayed as an icon, making it easy for staff to visually assess the risk, and activity level is displayed as a graph, providing a highly visual display screen.

[0196] Here, if there is any information in the subject's data that indicates a warning state, it is identified and displayed. Figure 20 shows an example of the identified display screen W140. For example, the identified display M140 shows a number in the tab location, indicating how many warning states there are in the subject's data contained in that tab. Also, in the display screen W140, the "SpO2" value for "Kazuki Shinya" is abnormal, so the identified display M142 (inverted display) is shown. The identified display may be an inverted display, a boxed display, or a different color. The identified display may also be a blinking display.

[0197] In display screen W140, selecting tab B results in display screen W160, shown in Figure 21. In display screen W160, the tab identification marks clearly indicate that there are two pieces of information on individuals in a warning state. Furthermore, when the actual list of individuals is displayed, the two pieces of information on individuals are highlighted (inverted), making it immediately clear that the information on individuals is in a warning state.

[0198] If individual information for area L122 is selected on the display screen in Figure 19, the system transitions to the display screen W200 in Figure 22. Display screen W200 is an individual screen and displays information for only one subject.

[0199] For example, display screen W200 shows the subject's name, evacuation location, and area in region R202. Region R204 may also display a message. Display screen W200 shows four graphs as an example. For example, display screen W200 shows graph G202 showing changes in body temperature, graph G204 showing changes in activity level, graph G206 showing changes in SpO2, and graph G208 showing changes in pulse rate.

[0200] The values ​​displayed at the top of each graph are the most recently acquired values. For example, in graph G202, the body surface temperature "36.9°C" is the body temperature acquired by the sensor device 50 immediately before the data was collected. Note that this biometric information value may display not only the most recent value, but also, for example, a real-time value, or the highest (or lowest) value.

[0201] Furthermore, various types of graphs can be displayed. The display screen W210 in Figure 21 shows, as an example, a line graph and a bar graph.

[0202] Furthermore, line graphs and bar graphs can be combined in various ways depending on the settings. For example, display screen W200 shows a single line graph over time in graphs G202 and G208. Note that graph G202 changes the shape of the dots for each measurement time. For example, 9 AM is shown as a black circle and 5 PM as a white triangle. Also, graph G206 displays multiple line graphs overlaid on top of each other. Graph G204 is displayed as a bar graph. The display of these graphs can be changed depending on the settings. In this embodiment, multiple types are displayed for the sake of explanation, but they can be displayed uniformly as the same type.

[0203] Furthermore, display screen W200 displays sleep time in area R204 and displays display button B202 to display information related to sleep time. Display screen W200 also displays button B204 for saving the current screen and saving (remembering) manually entered subject information values.

[0204] If the user selects the display button B202 related to sleep duration, the display screen W220 in Figure 23 is accessed. Display screen W220 shows a graph G222 showing the sleep diary, a graph G224 showing sleep duration, a graph G226 showing sleep respiratory rate, and a graph G228 showing sleep heart rate.

[0205] Thus, according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to easily ascertain the status of the subject using the third terminal device 30.

[0206] [2. Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is an embodiment in which various information can be displayed on the first terminal device 10. In this embodiment, the explanation of points that are common to the first embodiment in terms of configuration and processing will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the differences.

[0207] Figure 24 shows the processing performed by the first terminal device 10 in this embodiment. Note that the first terminal device 10 in this embodiment is capable of connection-type communication, but is also capable of broadcast-type communication.

[0208] The control unit 100 determines whether the advertising data is connection-type data or broadcast-type data. If the advertising data is connection-type data, it is assumed to be the first sensor information as described in Figure 13, and a connection is established and the sensor information is received (step S502; Yes).

[0209] Next, the control unit 100 displays the biometric information (values) included in the subject information from the sensor information on the display unit 160 (step S504). Then, the control unit 100 prompts the subject to input a memo as needed (step S506), and transmits the input memo and the sensor information together to the server device 80 (step S508).

[0210] For example, Figure 25 shows an example of the display screen when shown on the first terminal device 10. The SpO2 value and heart rate value are displayed, and a memo field is provided below them. When the subject writes a memo in the memo field, the content of the memo is stored together with the subject's information.

[0211] Furthermore, if an operation to display subject information is performed on the first terminal device 10, the first terminal device 10 executes the subject information display process (step S510; Yes → step S514). For example, the first terminal device 10 may be configured to switch between displaying graphs such as the subject's SpO2 trend (e.g., Figure 26(a)), the subject's heart rate trend (e.g., Figure 26(b)), the subject's body temperature trend (e.g., Figure 26(c)), and the subject's activity level trend (e.g., Figure 26(d)).

[0212] Figure 26(a) shows the changes in the subject's SpO2 over two time periods. In the graph of Figure 26(a), the lower graph shows the SpO2 at 9:00 AM, and the upper graph shows the SpO2 at 5:00 PM, starting from the initial point (June 2nd). Figure 26(b) shows the changes in the subject's heart rate over two time periods. In the graph of Figure 26(b), the lower graph shows the heart rate at 9:00 AM, and the upper graph shows the heart rate at 5:00 PM, starting from the initial point (June 2nd).

[0213] Furthermore, when the first terminal device 10 receives advertising data indicating a broadcast type, it forwards the advertising data to the server device 80, assuming it is the second sensor information as described in Figure 13 (step S516 → step S518). In other words, the advertising data includes sensor information, and the first terminal device 10 transmits the sensor information to the server device 80.

[0214] Furthermore, if the first terminal device 10 is a terminal device owned by medical personnel or other staff, it may have a function to verify biometric information. For example, the display screen in Figure 27 shows the biometric information transmitted by the first terminal device 10. Since the sensor information distributed by broadcast does not contain information that identifies the user, the name is displayed as the user, but the identification number corresponding to the sensor device ID is displayed as "serial".

[0215] Furthermore, in Figure 27, body temperature and SpO2 are displayed among the biometric values ​​of each subject. If an abnormal value is found, staff can tap on each subject to query the server device 80. Specifically, the first terminal device 10 queries the server device 80 for information on the selected subject. At this time, the server device 80 authenticates whether the user of the first terminal device 10 has the authority to display information of a third party, such as staff. If the server device 80 can authenticate that the user is an authorized staff member, it sends information according to the content of the query. For example, the server device 80 can obtain detailed biometric information about the subject who is experiencing a problem, as well as the transition of biometric information. Alternatively, staff may use the first terminal device 10 to display a screen like the one in Figure 26 for the selected subject.

[0216] [3. Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the communication method of the sensor device 50 was selected as either connection-type or broadcast-type depending on the target person, etc. In this embodiment, by selecting "automatic," the sensor device 50 switches and transmits as appropriate.

[0217] This embodiment replaces the process in Figure 15 with the process shown in Figure 28. The same reference numerals are used for identical processes, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0218] First, the control unit 500 determines whether the type of sensor information is of low importance or high immediacy (step S220).

[0219] In other words, the control unit 500 determines whether the sensor information corresponds to the first sensor information or the second sensor information as explained in Figure 13. The control unit 500 then transmits the information it determines to be the first sensor information using a connection-type communication method. The control unit 500 also transmits the information it determines to be the second sensor information using a broadcast-type communication method.

[0220] Here, the first type of sensor information is information that, because it contains personal information, is therefore preferably communicated using a secure method. For example, information acquired by a sensor device 50 similar to a medical device is considered the first type of sensor information. Alternatively, the subject may designate any item as the first type of information.

[0221] Furthermore, the second type of sensor information includes information that requires immediate attention and information intended to prevent data loss. For example, during sleep, the subject's own physical limitations may prevent the establishment of a communication channel with the first terminal device 10. In this case, transmitting sensor information via broadcast ensures reliable data transmission.

[0222] Furthermore, information of high urgency may be treated as second sensor information. For example, while normal heart rate is treated as first sensor information, if it reaches a warning level, it may be transmitted to the server device 80 more reliably as second sensor information.

[0223] Furthermore, the sensor information may be divided into first sensor information and second sensor information depending on the data volume. For example, the control unit 500 may transmit data with a small amount of information, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, activity level, SpO2, and sleep time, as second sensor information. On the other hand, the control unit 500 may transmit data with a large amount of data, such as continuous electrocardiogram waveform data and continuous respiratory waveform data, as first sensor information.

[0224] Furthermore, the sensor device 50 of this embodiment may switch to broadcast communication if connection-type communication is not possible. For example, if the sensor device 50 cannot establish a connection with the first terminal device 10 to which it is to connect (step S206; No), it may transmit sensor information using a broadcast communication method (step S210; Yes → step S212).

[0225] Furthermore, if communication with the first terminal device 10 is interrupted, the sensor device 50 may transmit sensor information using a broadcast-type communication method. Also, if the sensor device 50 establishes a connection with the first terminal device 10 while transmitting sensor information using a broadcast-type communication method, it may transmit sensor information to the first terminal device 10 using connection-type communication.

[0226] Furthermore, the sensor device 50 may perform steps S208 and S212 in Figure 28 as parallel processing. For example, in step S220, the sensor device 50 transmits information of high importance or information determined to have been selected by the subject to the first terminal device 10 via connection-type communication. The sensor device 50 transmits information of low importance, information not specifically selected by the subject, and information requiring immediate attention via broadcast-type communication.

[0227] Thus, the sensor device 50 may utilize two communication methods in parallel. When the sensor device 50 utilizes two communication methods in parallel, it may either automatically switch between the two communication methods or use them simultaneously. In this case, the sensor device 50 may be equipped with multiple short-range wireless communication units 530.

[0228] [4. Fourth Embodiment] Next, the fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment is an embodiment in which the server device 80 provides advice according to the transfer status of the second terminal device 20. In this embodiment, the explanation of points that are common with the first embodiment in terms of configuration and processing will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the differences. Figure 29 is a diagram illustrating the processing of the server device 80 in the fourth embodiment.

[0229] The control unit 800 aggregates the number of terminal devices that have received sensor information (step S400). If there are any nearby terminal devices among the second terminal devices 20 other than the target person, the first notification process is executed (step S402; Yes → step S404).

[0230] For example, the transmission rate of sensor information from each subject is aggregated for each second terminal device 20. The control unit 800 can determine that the higher this transmission rate, the higher the frequency of contact with the subject. Furthermore, if the transmitted sensor information includes radio wave strength and distance from the sensor device 50, the control unit 800 can determine that the subject is nearby. As a result, the control unit 800 can notify close contacts of infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19).

[0231] Furthermore, the control unit 800 determines the number of sensor devices that are transmitting the sensor information being transferred by the second terminal device 20, and determines whether the change is within a predetermined range (step S406). If the change in the terminal device is within a predetermined range, the control unit 800 executes the second notification process (step S406; Yes → step S408).

[0232] For example, if there is little change in the second terminal device 20 that is transferring sensor information, it can be seen that the types of terminal devices around the subject (for example, the types of terminal devices identified from the terminal device identification information) have not changed, and the number of second terminal devices 20 transferring sensor information has not changed. This indicates that the subject is always in the same location or, even if they move, they are transmitting sensor information from a narrow range where the same second terminal devices 20 can connect. The control unit 800 determines that the subject is at high risk of developing lifestyle-related illnesses due to inactivity, or that the risk of developing depression due to lack of communication has increased, and notifies the control unit 800 of this.

[0233] Although the operation of this embodiment has been described as being performed by the server device 80, it may also be performed by the first terminal device 10 or the third terminal device 30, which may be held by someone with the necessary authority, such as a staff member.

[0234] [5. Examples of Application and Effects] This system can be effectively used, for example, in evacuation shelters to manage the health of evacuees.

[0235] For example, vital data that falls under sensitive personal information (e.g., measurement data from medical devices) can be transmitted to the server device 80 via a first terminal device 10, such as a dedicated gateway or the individual's personal smartphone. Other data, including non-personal data, can be broadcast from the sensor device 50 to the server device 80 via a second terminal device 20, such as a smartphone held by the evacuee.

[0236] The broadcasted data includes identification information and vital data from the sensor device 50, and is only associated with personal information when the server device 80 links the sensor device 50 with the target person.

[0237] Furthermore, this system enables the creation of a more secure environment by setting the network locally at the evacuation center (e.g., Local 5G) and making it possible to view the link between the identification information of the sensor device 50 and the identification information of the target person only in the local environment.

[0238] Furthermore, since this system allows data to be received by all terminal devices (smartphones) in evacuation centers, it can reduce the frequency of data loss caused by human error.

[0239] Furthermore, because this system utilizes terminal devices such as evacuees' smartphones, the installation of gateways can be minimized.

[0240] Thus, evacuation shelters are environments where mutual assistance among local communities is established. Therefore, evacuees who have terminal devices such as smartphones are asked to install a dedicated application in advance. This system allows data from environmentally installed sensors or wearable sensors to be transmitted to a server device via various routes using the dedicated application at the evacuation shelter. Consequently, this system allows even people without terminal devices such as smartphones to transmit data to the server device in real time, making it possible to build a system that minimizes data communication interruptions.

[0241] Furthermore, this system broadcasts data acquired from wearable sensors at regular intervals using a beacon method. Gateways and smartphones that acquire data then transfer the data to the server device. If duplicate data exists from the same ID, the server device discards the duplicate data.

[0242] Furthermore, simply broadcasting data makes it difficult to protect personal information, as various devices may receive the data. Therefore, for devices that acquire vital data, which constitutes sensitive personal information, a communication environment is established that prevents information leakage to external parties through pairing. The server device can manage and operate this data and other broadcast data in the same environment.

[0243] To create a more secure environment for broadcasted data, this system establishes a local network (e.g., Local 5G) between the server device and the gateway / smartphone, and allows files linking data IDs (such as sensor device IDs) with individual IDs to be managed within the evacuation center (e.g., on the server device). This makes it possible to build a system that eliminates the risk of personal information being leaked to unauthorized parties.

[0244] Furthermore, the data used will include data obtained from medical devices as well as data obtained from non-medical devices. This system will also be able to utilize information from medical devices.

[0245] Furthermore, the data on the server device may be accessible to medical institutions and other organizations. Therefore, based on the screening results, medical professionals can issue medical instructions to evacuees in shelters or to local staff. In other words, health management and guidance can be provided remotely, even in shelters with limited medical personnel.

[0246] Thus, this system makes it possible to manage the health of those involved in evacuation shelters, which was previously difficult to do, without requiring human intervention.

[0247] Furthermore, this system can be used in evacuation shelters, which are based on mutual assistance, to provide assistance without requiring much effort or cost by utilizing the evacuees' smartphones.

[0248] Furthermore, the sensor device can connect to terminal devices such as smartphones owned by the target person using short-range wireless communication, such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). By using BLE for communication with terminal devices, the sensor device can perform power-saving communication, allowing for a design that takes battery capacity into consideration.

[0249] Even when using short-range wireless communication via BLE, the sensor device of this embodiment can transmit subject information to the server device without data loss. Generally, due to the characteristics of BLE radio waves, there is a problem that communication with terminal devices such as smartphones is easily interrupted. This is because BLE radio waves cannot pass through the subject's body, so for example, if the subject's body is positioned between the sensor and the smartphone while sleeping, communication may be interrupted. Thus, the sensor device had the problem that communication with the terminal device would be interrupted depending on the subject's posture. When communication between the sensor device and the terminal device is interrupted, the sensor device cannot send data to the server device, resulting in the problem of long-term data loss.

[0250] However, in such cases, the sensor device of this system can reliably transmit data by broadcasting the target person information. By broadcasting the target person information, the sensor device only needs to have any terminal device send the target person information to the server device. Therefore, the server device can prevent data loss of the target person information.

[0251] [6. Variant] Although embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention are also included in the scope of the claims.

[0252] Furthermore, the technologies disclosed in the embodiments, application examples, operation examples, and modifications described above are intended to be implemented individually or in combination as much as possible.

[0253] Furthermore, in the embodiments, the programs that run in each device are programs that control the CPU and the like (programs that make the computer function) in order to realize the functions of the embodiments described above. The information handled by these devices is temporarily stored in a temporary storage device (for example, RAM) during processing, and then stored in various ROMs or HDDs, and read, modified, and written by the CPU as needed.

[0254] Furthermore, when distributing the program to the market, it can be stored on a portable, non-temporary recording medium and distributed, or transferred to a server computer connected via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the storage device of the server computer is, of course, also included in the present invention.

[0255] Also, in the above-described embodiments, although the communication method using BLE has been described, different communication methods or combinations of different communication methods may be used. For example, when transmitting highly urgent data, the communication method of WiFi may be used instead of BLE communication. In this case, the second sensor information may be transmitted via wireless LAN. Further, as a third communication method, wireless LAN may be combined.

[0256] Also, in the above-described embodiments, when using a communication method different from the communication method using BLE, for connection-type communication / broadcast-type communication, connection-type communication / connectionless-type communication may be used.

[0257] Also, the above-described first terminal device 10 and the second terminal device 20 may be switched according to the connection frequency. For example, when there is a second terminal device 20 that has been connected multiple times, it may be switched to the first terminal device 10. Specifically, when the same second terminal device 20 is transferring sensor information, the system 1 may recommend whether to set the second terminal device 20 as the communication destination of connection-type communication.

[0258] Note that the above-described processing may end at an arbitrary timing. For example, the execution of the program may end at the timing when a stop signal is input from the subject (user), staff, or system, or may return to the previous step or the previous operation screen. For example, in the processing flow of FIG. 17, it can also end at an arbitrary timing.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0259] 1 System 10 First Terminal Device 100 Control Unit 102 Setting Unit; 104 Transfer Control Unit; 106 Subject Information Display Unit 110 Storage Unit 112 Sensor Information Storage Area; 114 Setting Information Storage Area; 116 Subject Information Storage Area 120 Communication Unit 130 Short-Range Wireless Communication Unit 150 Operation Unit 160 Display Unit 20 Second Terminal Device 200 Control Unit 202 Transfer Control Unit 210 Memory Unit 212 Sensor Information Memory Unit 220 Communication Unit 230 Short-Range Wireless Communication Unit 250 Operation Unit 260 Display Unit 30 Third Terminal Device 300 Control Unit 302 Subject Information Display Control Unit; 304 Subject Status Management Unit 310 Memory Unit 312 Subject Information Memory Area 320 Communication Unit 350 Operation Unit 360 Display Unit 50 Sensor Device 500 Control Unit 502 Sensor Information Transmission Unit 510 Memory Unit 512 Sensor Information Memory Area; 514 Setting Information Memory Area 530 Short-Range Wireless Communication Unit 540 Acquisition Unit 80 Server Device 800 Control Unit 802 Subject Management Unit 804 Sensor Management Unit 806 Subject Information Memory Unit 808 Subject Status Management Unit 810 Memory Unit 812 Subject DB 814 Sensor DB 820 Communication Unit 850 Operation Unit 860 Display Unit

Claims

1. A sensor device including an acquisition unit for acquiring the subject's biological information, a communication unit for performing short-range wireless communication, and a control unit, A system comprising multiple terminal devices, including a specific terminal device, and a server device, The control unit, The system determines whether the biological information acquired from the acquisition unit is specific biological information. If the biological information is the specific biological information, it is transmitted to a specific terminal device as first sensor information via the communication unit. If the biological information acquired from the acquisition unit is other than the specified biological information, it is transmitted to the multiple terminal devices by broadcast as second sensor information via the communication unit. The server device receives the first sensor information from the specific terminal device or the second sensor information from at least one of the multiple terminal devices. system.

2. The control unit determines that the acquired biological information is not the specific biological information when the importance of the acquired biological information is low or the immediacy of the acquired biological information is high. The system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned specific terminal device is After establishing a connection with the sensor device in a connection-type manner, when information is received from the sensor device, the received information is transmitted to the server device as the first sensor information. When information is received from the sensor device via broadcast, the received information is transmitted to the server device as the second sensor information. The system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned specific terminal device sets the terminal device to which the first sensor information is transmitted in a connection-type manner to the sensor device. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The server device deletes any duplicate second sensor information if the second sensor information transmitted via broadcast is received from the multiple terminal devices. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The server device determines the status of the subject based on the specific terminal device that transmitted the first sensor information transmitted in connection type. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The server device determines the status of the subject based on the distance between the sensor device and the terminal device that transmitted the second sensor information, or the transfer rate of the second sensor information from the sensor device. The system according to claim 6.

8. The server device shall provide notification when the distance between the sensor device and the terminal device that transmitted the second sensor information is less than a predetermined distance, or when the transfer rate of the second sensor information from the sensor device is higher than a predetermined transfer rate. The system according to claim 7.

9. The server device determines the state of the subject based on the changes in the terminal device that transmitted the second sensor information transmitted from the sensor device. The system according to claim 6.

10. Notification is given when the terminal device that transmitted the second sensor information is of the same type, or when the number of terminal devices that transmitted the second sensor information does not change. The system according to claim 9.

11. When the specified terminal device receives high-priority first sensor information from the sensor device while transmitting the first sensor information to the server device, it temporarily stops transmitting the currently transmitted first sensor information and prioritizes transmitting the high-priority first sensor information to the server device. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A method for operating a system comprising a sensor device, a plurality of terminal devices including a specific terminal device, and a server device, The sensor device performs the steps of acquiring the subject's biological information, The steps include determining whether the biological information acquired by the sensor device is specific biological information, If the biological information is the specific biological information, the sensor device transmits it to the specific terminal device as first sensor information via short-range wireless communication. If the biological information is other than the specific biological information, the sensor device transmits it to the plurality of terminal devices by broadcast as second sensor information via short-range wireless communication. The server device receives the first sensor information from the specific terminal device or the second sensor information from at least one of the plurality of terminal devices. The operation method of the system, including the system.

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