Management System

Abstract

To provide a communication device capable of imparting a communication function to a wearable device having neither communication means nor a structure for inserting a communication card.SOLUTION: A communication device includes a measuring part for acquiring information on an object, a control part for transmitting the information through a communication part, and a battery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a composite device, and a management system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to the progress of electronic technology and information technology, the development of wearable devices, which are small and wearable electronic devices, has been booming. The types of wearable devices cover a wide range, such as smart glasses and wearable cameras. In particular, due to the affinity with body wearing and the increasing awareness of health, many wearable devices for health management that can measure heart rate, blood oxygen concentration, surface body temperature, etc. have been developed.

[0003] The information measured by a wearable device can be confirmed by being displayed on the display unit of the wearable device itself, or can be transferred to another information device by wireless or wired communication or a storage medium for confirmation. In order to effectively utilize the information measured by a wearable device, it is preferable that the information can be collected and analyzed on a computer as time-series data.

[0004] However, not all wearable devices have a communication function by wireless or wired means. For example, there are also wearable devices that only display colors on the display unit by one or more color LED lights, so the information measured by such wearable devices cannot be effectively utilized.

[0005] As a means for utilizing the information measured by a wearable device that does not have a communication function as described above, Patent Document 1 discloses a health management system including a server device, a health device, and a communication card used by inserting it into the health device. According to Patent Document 1, by storing health device operation information and server device connection information in the communication card and transferring the biological information measured by the health device from the communication card to the server device, the biological information can be utilized.

Prior Art Documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-95570 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The health management system disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses health devices that lack communication capabilities to transfer health information to multiple server devices. However, the health management system disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires that the health devices be equipped with connectors or slots for inserting communication cards, which presents a problem as it cannot be applied to general wearable devices that do not have communication capabilities and are not designed for communication.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and its objective is to provide a communication device that can provide communication functionality to a wearable device that does not have a means of communication and does not have a structure for inserting a communication card. Furthermore, another objective of the present invention is to provide a composite device and a management system including the communication device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The means to solve the above problems are as follows: [1] A communication device comprising a measuring unit that acquires information about an object, a control unit that transmits the information through a communication unit, and a battery. [2] The control unit processes the acquired information to obtain processed information and transmits the processed information, the communication device described in [1]. [3] A composite device comprising a communication device as described in [1] or [2] and a wearable device having a display unit, wherein the communication device is positioned so as to be able to measure the display of the display unit as an object, and the measuring unit measures the display to acquire information. [4] The composite device according to [3], wherein the wearable device comprises a detection unit for detecting the wearer's state and a control unit for causing a display unit to display a display corresponding to the wearer's state detected by the detection unit. A management system comprising a composite device as described in [5] [3] or [4] and a receiving device for receiving information transmitted from the communication device. [6] The management system according to [5], wherein the receiving device comprises a control unit that creates notification information corresponding to information received from the communication device, and a notification unit that broadcasts the notification information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a wearable device that does not have a means of communication can be given a communication function, and the information acquired by the wearable device can be utilized. Furthermore, even for wearable devices whose existing communication functions do not meet the desired communication requirements, a new communication function can be added, allowing for further utilization of the information acquired by the wearable device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a management system including a communication device and a composite device according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a communication device, a smartwatch, and a computer. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The present invention will be described through embodiments of the present invention. The following embodiments are preferred examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited in any way by these embodiments.

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a management system 70 including a communication device 10 and a composite device 60 according to this embodiment. The composite device 60 according to this embodiment is composed of a communication device 10 and a wearable device. The management system 70 according to this embodiment is composed of a composite device 60 and a receiving device. The management system 70 will be described below using an example in which it is applied to the health management of workers 50 at a steel mill manufacturing site.

[0014] The communication device 10 according to this embodiment is used to add communication functionality to a wearable device that does not have communication functionality. In this embodiment, the wearable device is, for example, a smartwatch 20, which is worn by a worker 50 at a steel mill manufacturing site, and displays information corresponding to the worker 50's condition on the display unit 26. The information displayed on the display unit 26 may be information indicating the worker 50's health status, such as body temperature, heart rate, and blood oxygen concentration, or it may be information indicating location, such as direction, altitude, latitude, and longitude. In this embodiment, the smartwatch 20 detects the body temperature of the worker 50 wearing the smartwatch 20 and displays a color corresponding to the body temperature on the display unit 26. Note that the wearable device is not limited to a smartwatch; it may be smart glasses, a smart ring, or the like, as long as it has a display unit 26 that displays something and does not have communication functionality. Also, the information displayed on the display unit 26 is not limited to color, but may be text or images.

[0015] On the other hand, since the smartwatch 20 does not have communication capabilities, the supervisor 54 and other workers 52 cannot see the color displayed on the display unit 26 if only the smartwatch 20 is used. As a result, if a worker 50's body temperature suddenly rises and they develop heatstroke, detection may be delayed, potentially leading to a more severe case of heatstroke.

[0016] In contrast, the communication device 10 according to this embodiment is installed in a position where it can measure the color displayed on the display unit 26 of the smartwatch 20, and the color information obtained by measuring the color displayed on the display unit 26 is transmitted to the receiving device. In this embodiment, the receiving device is, for example, an LED device 30 installed on the helmet of the worker 50.

[0017] By transmitting color information from the communication device 10 to the LED device 30, the LED device 30 provides notification from the notification unit 32 corresponding to the color information. In the example shown in Figure 1, the notification unit 32 is an LED light, and the LED device 30 illuminates the LED light in accordance with the color information. This allows the color displayed on the smartwatch 20 to be notified to surrounding workers 52. As a result, even if the body temperature of worker 50 wearing the smartwatch 20 suddenly rises and they suffer from heatstroke, other workers 52 can see the LED light and detect worker 50 before their condition worsens. The LED device 30 may also have an LED light and an active buzzer as the notification unit 32, and instead of illuminating the LED light, or in conjunction with illuminating the LED light, an alarm sound may be generated from the active buzzer.

[0018] Furthermore, the communication device 10 may transmit color information to a computer 40 located in the center of the production site where the supervisor 54 is located, either in place of or together with the LED device 30. The computer 40 is another example of a receiving device.

[0019] Then, by causing the notification in response to the color information to be notified from the notification unit 46 provided in the computer 40, the supervisor 54 is notified of the color displayed on the smart watch 20. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the notification unit 46 is a rotating lamp. Thereby, the color of the smart watch 20 can be notified to the supervisor 54. As a result, the supervisor 54 can discover the heat stroke of the operator 50 before it becomes severe, and can convey to other operators 52 that the manufacturing site is a place where heat stroke is likely to occur, and can take countermeasures. Further, the computer 40 may have a rotating lamp and an active buzzer as the notification unit 46, and instead of lighting the rotating lamp, or together with lighting the rotating lamp, an alarm sound may be generated from the active buzzer. Furthermore, the color information acquired from the communication device 10 may be collected and analyzed as time-series data by a server device connected to the computer 40 by wire or wirelessly.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configurations of the communication device 10, the smart watch 20, and the computer 40. Using FIG. 2, the configurations of the communication device 10, the smart watch 20, and the computer 40 will be described.

[0021] The communication device 10 includes a measurement unit 12, a control unit 14, a communication unit 16, and a battery 18. The communication device 10 acquires information by the measurement unit 12 measuring the display displayed on the display unit 26 of the smart watch 20 as an object. Then, the control unit 14 transmits the information through the communication unit 16, thereby imparting a communication function to the smart watch 20 that does not have a communication function.

[0022] The measurement unit 12 consists of one or more detectors capable of acquiring RGB or HSV values. The number of detectors in the measurement unit 12 varies depending on the display being measured. For example, if the display being measured by the measurement unit 12 is a color, a color sensor with approximately 1 to 10 detectors is used as the measurement unit 12. On the other hand, if the display being measured by the measurement unit 12 is text or an image, an image sensor with a large number of detectors arranged in a row is used as the measurement unit 12. Furthermore, it is preferable that the measurement unit 12 has a light projection function. By having a light projection function, the measurement unit 12 can measure the display with appropriate contrast even if the target display unit is a liquid crystal screen without a backlight.

[0023] The control unit 14 includes, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, including a CPU or MPU. The control unit 14 may also include one or more dedicated processors that perform specific processing, or it may include one or more dedicated circuits instead of such dedicated processors. The dedicated circuits may be, for example, FPGAs or ASICs. The control unit 14 transmits the information acquired by the measurement unit 12 to the computer 40 via the communication unit 16.

[0024] Furthermore, the control unit 14 may process the information acquired by the measurement unit 12 to obtain processed information. For example, if the information to be acquired is color information (RGB values), the control unit 14 may refer to a pre-set color name table from the acquired RGB values ​​to obtain color processed information indicating the corresponding color name, or it may obtain color processed information that extracts only the hue. The control unit 14 transmits the color processed information to the computer 40 as information through the communication unit 16. In addition, the control unit 14 may process the information acquired by the measurement unit 12 to create notification information used for notification in the computer 40, and transmit the notification information to the computer 40 as information.

[0025] The communication unit 16 is a communication device for sending and receiving information measured by the measurement unit 12 to and from other receiving devices, in accordance with the control of the control unit 14. The communication unit 16 includes a communication module that corresponds to one or more wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standards. The communication unit 16 may also include a communication module that corresponds to one or more mobile communication standards, including LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation). Furthermore, the communication unit 16 may also include a communication module that corresponds to one or more short-range communication standards or specifications, including Bluetooth®, Bluetooth Low Energy®, AirDrop®, IrDA, ZigBee®, Felica®, or RFID. In addition, information may be transmitted from the communication unit 16 to multiple receiving devices by advertising communication. As the battery 18, a primary battery such as a dry cell battery may be used, but it is preferable to use a secondary battery with high energy density, such as a lithium-ion battery.

[0026] The communication device 10 may have attachments used for attaching to a worker 50 or a wearable device such as a smartwatch 20. The attachments may be, for example, a band that wraps around the torso or legs, or a mounting bracket that attaches to the smartwatch 20.

[0027] Next, a smartwatch 20, which is an example of a wearable device, will be described. In this embodiment, the smartwatch 20 is worn by a worker 50 at a steel mill manufacturing site and is used to manage the health status of the worker 50. The smartwatch 20 has a detection unit 22, a control unit 24, and a display unit 26.

[0028] The detection unit 22 is, for example, a temperature sensor that measures the body temperature of the worker 50 wearing the smartwatch 20 and detects the temperature information. The type of detection unit 22 may also vary depending on the state of the worker 50 detected by the smartwatch 20.

[0029] The control unit 24, like the control unit 14, includes one or more general-purpose processors, such as a CPU or MPU. The control unit 24 may also include one or more dedicated processors that perform specific processing, or it may include one or more dedicated circuits instead of such dedicated processors. The dedicated circuits may be, for example, FPGAs or ASICs. The control unit 24 refers to a predetermined table associating temperature information with color information and generates color information corresponding to the temperature information detected by the detection unit 22. The control unit 24 outputs the generated color information to the display unit 26 and displays the color corresponding to the color information on the display unit 26.

[0030] When the display unit 26 displays a color, it only needs to consist of a single color LED light, and the control unit 24 controls the hue, saturation, and brightness of the color LED light based on the generated color information. When the display unit 26 displays characters or images as information, it only needs to consist of a liquid crystal display, and the control unit 24 controls the liquid crystal display based on the character information and image information.

[0031] Next, an example of a receiving device, a computer 40, will be described. The computer 40 has a communication unit 42, a control unit 44, and a notification unit 46. The communication unit 42 only needs to have a communication module that corresponds to the communication unit 42 of the communication device 10.

[0032] The control unit 44, like the control unit 14, includes one or more general-purpose processors, such as a CPU or MPU. The control unit 44 may also include one or more dedicated processors for performing specific processing, or it may include one or more dedicated circuits instead of such dedicated processors. The dedicated circuits may be, for example, FPGAs or ASICs. The control unit 44 creates broadcast information corresponding to the information received through the communication unit 42 and outputs the broadcast information to the broadcast unit 46, which then broadcasts the information corresponding to the broadcast information.

[0033] If the received information is color information corresponding to the worker's body temperature, the control unit 44 may create notification information corresponding to the risk of heatstroke. For example, if the notification unit 46 is a rotating light, it may create notification information to turn on the rotating light when the body temperature is high and the risk of heatstroke is high, and notification information not to turn on the rotating light when the body temperature is normal and the risk of heatstroke is low. Also, if the color of the rotating light can be changed, different notification information may be created corresponding to the risk of heatstroke. For example, if the body temperature is high and the risk of heatstroke is high, it may create notification information to turn on a red rotating light, and notification information to turn on a blue rotating light when the body temperature is normal and the risk of heatstroke is low.

[0034] Furthermore, if the notification unit 46 is an active buzzer, it may create notification information that generates an alarm sound when the body temperature is high and the risk of heatstroke is high, and create notification information that does not generate an alarm sound when the body temperature is normal and the risk of heatstroke is low. In addition, the control unit 44 may collect and analyze the color information received through the communication unit 42 as time-series data.

[0035] As described above, the notification unit 46 is, for example, a rotating light, an active buzzer, and / or an LED light. The notification unit 46 provides notifications corresponding to the notification information created by the control unit 44. By creating notification information corresponding to the risk of heatstroke in this way and providing notifications from the notification unit 46, the color displayed on the display unit 26 of the smartwatch 20 can be communicated to the supervisor 54 and other workers 52. This allows the supervisor 54 and other workers 52 to detect the worker 50's heatstroke before it becomes severe.

[0036] Thus, by using the communication device 10 according to this embodiment, communication functionality can be added to wearable devices such as smartwatches 20 that do not have communication capabilities or a structure for inserting a communication card. Furthermore, by transmitting information acquired by the wearable device to a receiving device via the communication device 10, it becomes possible to utilize that information.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the communication device 10 was described as being used to add communication functionality to a smartwatch 20 that does not have communication functionality, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the communication device may be used to add long-range communication functionality to a wearable device that only has short-range communication functionality. In this case, the communication unit of the communication device uses a communication module that corresponds to a mobile communication standard. As a result, the wearable device will be able to perform long-range communication in addition to short-range communication, allowing for further utilization of the information acquired by the wearable device. [Examples]

[0038] Next, an example of managing the risk of heatstroke among workers in a work area with a radius of approximately 50m inside a steel mill factory building using the management system according to this embodiment will be described. The communication device used in this embodiment has a color sensor as a measuring unit, a Bluetooth Low Energy® communication module as a communication unit, and a lithium-ion battery as a battery.

[0039] The color sensor consists of four light-receiving elements with different types and presences of color filters. It outputs four values ​​as color information: R, G, and B values ​​obtained through different types of color filters, and C value obtained without passing through a color filter. The color information acquired by the color sensor is processed in the control unit into normalized RGB values ​​by dividing the R, G, and B values ​​by the C value.

[0040] The wearable device used in the example is a commercially available wristwatch-type heatstroke prevention watch. The heatstroke prevention watch has a temperature sensor as its detection unit, and when it detects a risk of heatstroke due to an increase in the wearer's body temperature, the color LED light on the display unit changes from green to yellow or red. This heatstroke prevention watch does not have wireless communication, wired communication, storage media connection, or communication card insertion functions.

[0041] To enable the display unit of this heatstroke prevention watch to be measured by the color sensor of the communication device, the communication device and the heatstroke prevention watch were combined and fixed to form a composite device. The display unit of the heatstroke prevention watch was then measured by the color sensor, and color information was acquired. The color information acquired by the color sensor was processed in the control unit to normalize the R, G, and B values ​​by dividing them by the C value to obtain RGB values.

[0042] The embodiment uses two receiving devices. One receiving device is an LED device with a color LED light as a notification unit, attached to the worker's helmet. The other receiving device is a computer with a rotating light and an active buzzer, installed near the center of the work area. The control unit of the communication device normalizes the RGB values. B The Manufacturer Data for advertising communication was transmitted from a LUETOOTH Low Energy (registered trademark) communication module to an LED device with a color LED light and to a computer.

[0043] In LED devices equipped with color LED lights, a color name table corresponding to normalized RGB values ​​was used to identify the color corresponding to the acquired normalized RGB value. If the identified color was red or yellow, the color LED light was illuminated in red. Similarly, in the computer, the color corresponding to the acquired normalized RGB value was identified, and if the identified color was red or yellow, a rotating light was illuminated and an active buzzer sounded. This allowed for the notification of abnormalities (heatstroke) in workers wearing heatstroke prevention watches to surrounding workers and supervisors, enabling early notification of the worker's heatstroke risk and also indicating an increased heatstroke risk in the work area.

[0044] Furthermore, the computer identified the color corresponding to the normalized RGB value transmitted from the communication device, transmitted the identified color via Ethernet® LAN communication, and saved the color and the acquired time to the server. This enabled the server to collect time-series data on the heatstroke risk of the work area, and to analyze this data. Thus, it was confirmed that by using the communication device, composite device, and management system according to this embodiment, the information displayed on the heatstroke prevention watch can be utilized more effectively than before. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Communication devices 12 Measuring part 14 Control Unit 16 Communications Department 18 batteries 20 Smartwatches 22 Detection unit 24 Control Unit 26 Display section 30 LED device 32 Hochi Department 40 Computers 42 Communications Department 44 Control Unit 46 Hochi Department 50 workers 52 Workers 54 Supervisor 60 Composite Devices 70 Management Systems

Claims

1. A wearable device having a display unit, a detection unit for detecting the wearer's state, and a control unit for causing the display unit to display a display corresponding to the wearer's state detected by the detection unit, A communication device having a measuring unit that measures the display on the display unit and acquires information, a communication unit including a communication module, a control unit that transmits the information through the communication unit, and a battery, A receiving device having a notification unit that notifies the wearer of notification information corresponding to the information received from the communication device, It has, The wearable device does not have a means of communication or a structure for inserting a communication card. The receiving device is a management system that is attached to the wearer.

2. The control unit of the communication device processes the acquired information to obtain processed information, and transmits the processed information as information, the management system according to claim 1.

3. The communication device is positioned so that the display on the display unit can be measured as an object. The management system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the measuring unit measures the display and acquires information.

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