Control device, control program, and control method

Abstract

To provide a control device capable of easily and quickly performing evaluation of a state of a care object person and evaluation of a care executor.SOLUTION: A control device includes: an acquisition part for acquiring information on an object person; an identification part for identifying index data as an index for evaluating a predetermined state based on the acquired information; a determination part for determining whether or not the identified index data satisfies a predetermined condition; and an evaluation part for evaluating the predetermined state based on a determination result by the determination part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control program, and a control method.

Background Art

[0002] In Japan, due to the improvement of living standards, the improvement of sanitary environment, and the improvement of medical standards accompanying the high economic growth after the war, the aging population has become remarkable. Therefore, combined with the decline in the birth rate, it has become an aging society with a high aging rate. In such an aging society, an increase in care recipients such as care-requiring persons and care-requiring patients who need care such as nursing and care due to illness, injury, and aging is assumed.

[0003] In such a situation, it is important that care operations are appropriately carried out, and for that purpose, it is necessary to appropriately manage the staff who provide care. Patent Document 1 discloses the following technology. Alert information indicating the need for care for a care recipient is transmitted to the mobile terminals of a plurality of caregivers. Then, a response notification is received from the mobile terminal corresponding to the alert information and recorded as a history, and by checking the number of responses within a predetermined time for each caregiver based on the history, labor management of the caregivers is implemented.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when care is provided, various data about the person receiving care are acquired. However, this data does not necessarily directly reveal the person's condition or the way the care is provided by the caregiver. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is not possible to easily and quickly evaluate the person's condition or the caregiver. The prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot address this problem.

[0006] This invention was made to solve these problems. Specifically, it aims to provide a control device, a control program, and a control method that enable easy and rapid evaluation of the condition of the person receiving care and the caregiver. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above-mentioned problems of the present invention are solved by the following means.

[0008] (1) A control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information about a person, including the start time and end time of an action, from an action detection means that detects the actions of the person to be cared for or the person performing the care; an identification unit that identifies index data to be used as an indicator for evaluating the state of the person to be cared for or the care provided by the person to be cared for, based on the time difference between the start time and end time of the action included in the acquired information; a determination unit that determines whether the index data satisfies predetermined conditions by comparing the identified index data with a predetermined threshold; an evaluation unit that evaluates the state of the person to be cared for or the care provided by the person to be cared for based on the determination result by the determination unit; and a storage unit that stores a table in which the correspondence between the state of the person to be cared for or the care provided by the person to be cared for and the index data is predetermined, wherein the identification unit identifies one of the index data defined in the table, and the evaluation unit evaluates the state of the person to be cared for or the care provided by the person to be cared for that has a correspondence with the identified index data in the table.

[0009] (2) The control device described in (1) above, wherein the index data is measurable data.

[0010] (3) The control device described in (1) or (2) above, wherein the indicator data is data that changes depending on the actions of the caregiver who provides care to the person receiving care.

[0011] (4) The control device according to any of (1) to (3) above, wherein the information relating to the subject is information relating to care provided to the subject of care.

[0012] (5) The control device according to any one of (1) to (4) above, further comprising an output unit that outputs the evaluation results from the evaluation unit.

[0013] (6) A control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires the detection time of a care call by the care call unit and the time of acceptance of the response to the care call from the care call unit and the mobile terminal, respectively; an identification unit that identifies indicator data for evaluating the quality of service provided by the care provider, based on the time difference between the acquired detection time and the time of acceptance of the response, for each care provider who carries the mobile terminal; a determination unit that determines whether the indicator data satisfies predetermined conditions by comparing the identified indicator data with a predetermined threshold; and an evaluation unit that evaluates the quality of service for each care provider based on the determination result by the determination unit.

[0014] (7) A control program for causing a computer to perform a process comprising: (a) a procedure for obtaining information about a person, including the start and end times of an action, from an action detection means for detecting the actions of a person receiving care or a care provider; (b) a procedure for identifying indicator data that serves as an indicator for evaluating the state of the person receiving care or the care provided by the care provider, based on the time difference between the start and end times of the action included in the obtained information; (c) a procedure for determining whether the identified indicator data satisfies predetermined conditions by comparing the identified indicator data with a predetermined threshold; (d) a procedure for evaluating the state of the person receiving care or the care provided by the care provider based on the determination result in (c); and (e) a procedure for storing a table in which the correspondence between the state of the person receiving care or the care provided by the care provider and the indicator data is predetermined, wherein in procedure (b), one of the indicator data defined in the table is identified, and in procedure (d), the state of the person receiving care or the care provided by the care provider that has a correspondence with the identified indicator data in the table is evaluated.

[0015] (8) A control method to be implemented by a control device, comprising: (a) acquiring information about a person, including the start time and end time of the action, from an action detection means that detects the action of the person to be cared for or the person performing the action; (b) identifying index data that serves as an indicator for evaluating the state of the person to be cared for or the care provided by the person to be cared for, based on the time difference between the start time and the end time of the action included in the acquired information; (c) determining whether the identified index data satisfies predetermined conditions by comparing the identified index data with a predetermined threshold; (d) evaluating the state of the person to be cared for or the care provided by the person to be cared for based on the determination result in step (c); and (e) storing a table in which the correspondence between the state of the person to be cared for or the care provided by the person to be cared for and the index data is predetermined, wherein in step (b), one of the index data defined in the table is identified, and in step (d), the state of the person to be cared for or the care provided by the person to be cared for that has a correspondence with the identified index data in the table is evaluated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] This system identifies indicator data that serves as a benchmark for evaluating a predetermined condition, based on information about the subject, and then evaluates the condition by determining whether the indicator data meets the predetermined conditions. This allows for easy and rapid evaluation of the care recipient's condition and the care provider's performance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the overall structure of the care support system. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a detection unit installed around the bed in the room of a person receiving care. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the detection unit. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the general configuration of the management server. [Figure 5]It is a diagram showing a table in which the correspondence relationship between index data and evaluation items in a predetermined state is registered. [Figure 6] It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mobile terminal. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing the operation of a care support system.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, referring to the drawings, a control device, a control program, and a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0019] In this specification, the care recipient, who is the person receiving care, widely includes a person who needs to discover when a predetermined inconvenient event such as an abnormal state occurs to that person. For example, it includes care recipients, patients, and persons requiring support. The types of care widely include the care provided by care providers (staff) to care recipients. For example, in addition to excretion care, bathing care, meal care, transfer care, monitoring care, patrol care, turning care, and creation of care records, it includes life assistance such as meal preparation and cleaning.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the care support system 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the detection unit 10 installed around the bed 90 in the room of the care recipient 80.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, the care support system 1 includes multiple detection units 10, a management server 20, a fixed terminal 30, and one or more mobile terminals 40. These are connected to each other via a network 50, such as a LAN (Local Area Network), telephone network, or data communication network, by wire or wireless means, enabling communication between them. The network 50 may include relay devices that relay communication signals. In the example shown in Figure 1, the mobile terminals 40 are connected to each other via a network 50, such as a wireless LAN (for example, a LAN according to the IEEE 802.11 standard), which includes an access point 51, enabling communication between them.

[0022] The care support system 1 is suitably installed in buildings such as hospitals and elderly care facilities. In the example shown in Figure 1, the care support system 1 is located in a building of a facility that has multiple rooms, including multiple rooms and care stations, where multiple care recipients 80 reside.

[0023] The detection unit 10 is placed in each room on each floor (Floors A to C), which is the observation area of ​​the person receiving care 80. In the example shown in Figure 1, on Floor A, four detection units 10 are placed in the rooms of the persons receiving care 80, namely A, B, C, and D. Although not shown in the figure, multiple detection units 10 are also placed in the rooms of the persons receiving care 80 on the other floors. Users u001 and u002, who are the care providers, each carry a mobile terminal 40. The management server 20 may be an external server connected to the network 50. Alternatively, the fixed terminal 30 may be omitted, and the management server 20 or the mobile terminal 40 may perform that function.

[0024] (Detection unit 10) Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the detection unit 10. The detection unit 10 comprises a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a camera 13, and a care call unit 14, and these components are interconnected by a bus.

[0025] The control unit 11 consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and performs control and calculation processing of each part of the detection unit 10 according to the program.

[0026] The communication unit 12 is an interface for communicating with other devices via the network 50, such as a management server 20, a fixed terminal 30, and a mobile terminal 40, and may be, for example, a LAN card.

[0027] Camera 13 is positioned, for example, on the ceiling or upper part of the wall of a living room, and captures an area including the bed 90 of the person being cared for 80 as the observation area, outputting captured images (image data). These captured images include still images and videos. Camera 13 may be, for example, a visible light camera or a near-infrared camera. Hereinafter, the captured images taken by camera 13 will also be simply referred to as "captured images".

[0028] The control unit 11 recognizes predetermined actions of the person receiving care 80 from the captured images. These predetermined actions include, for example, getting up, getting out of bed, falling, tumbling, and walking.

[0029] The control unit 11 detects the silhouette of a person (hereinafter referred to as "person silhouette") from multiple captured images (e.g., moving images). The person silhouette can be detected, for example, by extracting a range of pixels with a relatively large difference using a time-difference method that subtracts images taken at different times. The person silhouette may also be detected using a background subtraction method that subtracts the background image from the captured image. A predetermined action of the person being cared for 80 can be detected from the temporal change in the posture of the person being cared for (e.g., standing, sitting, and lying down) recognized based on the person silhouette, and from the relative positional relationship with objects installed in the room, such as the bed 90. When the control unit 11 detects the predetermined action described above, it transmits information including the detected predetermined action, a unique ID (e.g., MAC address) that identifies the detection unit 10, and the detection time (hereinafter referred to as "sensor transmission information") to the management server 20 via the communication unit 12. The sensor transmission information may be transmitted repeatedly at regular time intervals while the predetermined action is being detected.

[0030] The control unit 11 can detect the performance of care by a caregiver from the captured image. The control unit 11 can detect the performance of care by a caregiver, for example, as follows: It recognizes the transfer robot using a known machine learning image recognition technique using a neural network based on the captured image. Then, by detecting the movement of the transfer robot, it recognizes the start of transfer care in which the person to be cared for 80 is transferred to a wheelchair. After detecting the movement of the transfer robot, it recognizes the end of the transfer care by detecting that the transfer robot has returned to its position before the start of movement and stopped. Alternatively, the performance of transfer care by a caregiver may be detected by turning the power of the transfer robot on and then off. In this case, while the power of the transfer robot is on, the transfer robot may emit a signal containing a unique ID that identifies the transfer robot, and the control unit 11 may recognize the start and end of the transfer care by receiving this signal via the communication unit 12. The control unit 11 transmits the detected performance of care by the caregiver as care performance information to the management server 20 via the communication unit 12. The care execution information may include a unique ID (e.g., MAC address) that identifies the detection unit 10, the care performer (or a unique ID that identifies the care performer), the type of care, the time the care started, and the time the care ended. The unique ID that identifies the detection unit 10 and the care recipient 80 may be stored in the control unit 11 in advance. The care performer may be detected by the known image recognition technology using captured images as described above. The care performer may also be detected using the beacon or GPS function provided in the mobile terminal 40.

[0031] As will be described later, when providing care, the caregiver may input the care recipient 80, as well as the start and end of care, into the portable terminal 40 they carry with them. This allows the portable terminal 40 to transmit care execution information to the management server 20, including a unique ID identifying the portable terminal 40 (e.g., the number of the portable terminal 40), the care recipient 80, the type of care, and the start and end times of the care. This notifies the management server 20 that care has been performed by the caregiver on the care recipient 80. The care execution information transmitted from the portable terminal 40 to the management server 20 may also be a care record (nursing care record).

[0032] Furthermore, the detection of predetermined actions by the care recipient 80 and the detection of the execution of care by the care recipient 80 may be performed by the management server 20. In this case, the control unit 11 transmits the captured images to the management server 20.

[0033] The care call unit 14 includes a push-button switch, which detects a care call when the switch is pressed by the person receiving care 80. Instead of the push-button switch, a voice microphone may be used to detect the care call. When the care call unit 14 detects a care call by pressing its switch, it transmits information including a unique ID (e.g., MAC address) that identifies the care call unit 14, and the detection time (hereinafter referred to as "care call information") to the management server 20 via the communication unit 12 as a care call. The care call unit 14 may also be equipped with a microphone and speaker for voice communication with the mobile terminal 40.

[0034] Among the predetermined actions included in the sensor transmission information, specific actions that need to be notified to staff, etc., and care calls based on care call information constitute events for the care recipient 80. Predetermined specific actions include, for example, getting up, getting out of bed, falling, and tumbling. Hereinafter, information related to events will be referred to as "event information."

[0035] (Management Server 20) Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the management server 20. The management server constitutes the control unit. The management server 20 has a control unit 21, a communication unit 22, and a storage unit 23. The control unit 21 constitutes an acquisition unit, a identification unit, a determination unit, and an evaluation unit. Furthermore, the control unit 21, together with the communication unit 22, constitutes an output unit. The basic configuration of the control unit 21 and the communication unit 22 is the same as that of the corresponding components of the detection unit 10, the control unit 11 and the communication unit 12. Each component is interconnected by a bus.

[0036] The control unit 21 identifies a predetermined action, the person to be cared for 80, and the start and end times of the predetermined action based on the sensor transmission information, and stores this information in the storage unit 23 as information about the person. If the control unit 21 determines that the predetermined action included in the sensor transmission information is a specific action, it notifies the mobile terminal 40 or the like that an event has occurred by sending an event notification. The event notification may include the event name, the person to be cared for 80, and an event ID that identifies the event. Based on the sensor transmission information and the response acceptance signal received from the mobile terminal 40 or the like (described later) in response to the event notification, the control unit 21 identifies the event name, the person to be cared for, and the start time, response acceptance time, and end time of the event as event information, and stores this information in the storage unit 23. The event information is included in the information about the person. The response acceptance time may be calculated as the time from when the event notification is sent to the mobile terminal 40 or the like until the response acceptance signal is received from the mobile terminal 40 or the like. The response acceptance time includes not only the response acceptance time of the caregiver who actually responded to the event by sending a response acceptance signal as soon as possible in response to the event notification, but also the response acceptance time for each caregiver to whom the event notification was sent. Whether a predetermined action is a specific action is determined by referring to a list of specific actions stored in the storage unit 23 in advance. The event name is determined from the predetermined action. The care recipient 80 is identified by referring to a table in which the correspondence between the unique ID that identifies the detection unit 10 and the care recipient 80 is registered. This table is stored in the storage unit 23 in advance. The start time and end time of an event can be determined as the start time of reception of sensor transmission information related to the event and the time when the reception of such sensor transmission information ceases, respectively.

[0037] When the control unit 21 receives a care call, it notifies the mobile terminal 40 or the like that a care call event has occurred by sending an event notification. The event notification may include the event name, which is the care call, the person being cared for 80, and an event ID that identifies the event. Based on the care call information received as a care call and the response acceptance signal for the care call event notification received from the mobile terminal 40 or the like, the control unit 21 identifies the event information as follows: the event name, which is the care call, the person being cared for, the start time (occurrence time) of the care call, the response acceptance time, and the end time of the care call, and stores them in the storage unit 23. The event name is identified as a care call upon receipt of the care call information. The person being cared for 80 is identified by referencing a table in which the correspondence between the unique ID that identifies the care call unit 14 and the person being cared for 80 is registered. This table is stored in the storage unit 23 in advance. The start time and end time of the care call are identified as the start time and end time (care call cancellation time) of receiving the care call information, respectively.

[0038] The control unit 21 identifies the care recipient 80, the care provider, the type of care, and the start and end times of the care based on the care execution information received from the detection unit 10, and stores this information in the storage unit 23. The care recipient 80 is identified by referencing a table in which the correspondence between the unique ID used to identify the detection unit 10 and the care recipient 80 is registered.

[0039] The control unit 21 identifies the care recipient 80, the care provider, the type of care, and the start and end times of the care based on the care execution information received from the mobile terminal 40, and stores this information in the storage unit 23 as information about the recipient. The care provider is identified by referencing a table in which the correspondence between the ID that identifies the mobile terminal 40 and the care provider is registered. Note that the care execution information received from the mobile terminal 40 may include the current location of the care provider detected by the mobile terminal 40 instead of the care recipient 80. In this case, the control unit 21 identifies the area within the facility corresponding to the care provider's current location and identifies the care recipient 80 whose room is in the identified area. For example, by pre-storing a table in the storage unit 23 that associates areas within the facility with the rooms of the care recipient 80, the control unit 21 can use this table to identify the care recipient 80 based on the care provider's current location.

[0040] The control unit 21 may store information for identifying the care provider (for example, the care provider's employee number or the care provider's mobile terminal number 40) in the storage unit 23, instead of the care provider included in the information about the person concerned. The information for identifying the care provider is used to identify the care provider. For example, by pre-storing a table in the storage unit 23 that associates the information for identifying the care provider with the care provider, the person receiving care 80 can be identified based on the information for identifying the care provider using this table.

[0041] The control unit 21 identifies indicator data, which serves as an indicator for evaluating a predetermined state, based on information about the subject stored in the storage unit 23. The predetermined state is the state to be evaluated and includes the state of the care recipient 80 and the care provided by the caregiver (quality of care, attitude, etc.). The indicator data is the data that directly serves as the basis for the evaluation.

[0042] Figure 5 shows a table in which the correspondence between indicator data and evaluation items representing predetermined states is registered.

[0043] In the example shown in Figure 5, the following indicator data are registered in the table: amount of physical activity (or presence or absence of physical activity), the response time of each caregiver to a care call, and the time required to operate the transfer robot (time required for transfer care). In addition, the following evaluation items, corresponding to each indicator data, are registered: the sleep status of the 80 care recipients, the quality of service provided by the caregivers, and the caregivers' proficiency in operating the robot.

[0044] The control unit 21 extracts information about the subject identified based on the sensor transmission information, from the predetermined action, the care recipient 80, and the start and end times of the predetermined action stored in the memory unit 23, and identifies the predetermined action as walking. Based on the extracted information about the subject, the walking time can be identified as the exercise amount, which is the index data. The exercise amount can be identified by calculating the walking time from the start and end times of the predetermined action. Alternatively, the exercise amount may be identified by calculating the calories burned based on the walking time, taking into account the weight of the care recipient 80, etc. The index data may also be the presence or absence of exercise.

[0045] The control unit 21 extracts information about the person identified based on the care call information, which is stored in the storage unit 23, including the care call, the person receiving care, the start time of the care call, the response acceptance time, and the end time of the care call. Based on the extracted information about the person, the response time to the care call can be identified as indicator data for each care provider. The response time to the care call can be determined by calculating it from the start time of the care call and the response acceptance time.

[0046] The control unit 21 extracts information about the person being cared for, specifically the care recipient 80, the care provider, the type of care, and the start and end times of the care, from the information stored in the storage unit 23, which is identified based on the care execution information. The control unit 21 then extracts information about the person being cared for, specifically the care recipient 80, the care provider, the type of care, and the start and end times of the care, for which the type of care is a transfer using a transfer robot. Based on the extracted information about the person being cared for, the control unit 21 can identify the operation time of the transfer robot as an indicator data. The operation time of the transfer robot can be determined by calculating it from the start and end times of the care.

[0047] The control unit 21 determines whether the indicator data meets predetermined conditions and evaluates each evaluation item based on the determination result.

[0048] Specifically, for example, if the amount of physical activity is identified as indicator data, the control unit 21 determines that the predetermined conditions are met if the amount of physical activity is above a predetermined threshold, and evaluates that the care recipient's sleep state is good. On the other hand, if the amount of physical activity is below a predetermined threshold, the control unit 21 determines that the predetermined conditions are not met, and evaluates that the sleep state is poor.

[0049] When the response time to a care call is identified as indicator data, the control unit 21 determines that the predetermined conditions are met if the response time to the care call is below a predetermined threshold, and evaluates the quality of service provided by the care provider as good. On the other hand, if the response time to the care call exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit 21 determines that the predetermined conditions are not met, and evaluates the quality of service provided by the care provider as poor. The quality of service provided by each care provider may be evaluated individually.

[0050] When the operation time of the transfer robot is identified as indicator data, the control unit 21 determines that the predetermined conditions are met if the operation time of the transfer robot is below a predetermined threshold, and evaluates that the caregiver's robot operation proficiency is high. On the other hand, if the operation time of the transfer robot exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit 21 determines that the predetermined conditions are not met, and evaluates that the caregiver's robot operation proficiency is low. The robot operation proficiency of each caregiver can be evaluated individually.

[0051] Indicator data such as physical activity, response time to care calls, and operating time for transfer robots are measured data. By using such measured data as indicator data, a given condition can be objectively evaluated. Furthermore, response time to care calls and operating time for transfer robots are data that fluctuate depending on the actions of the caregiver. By using such data as indicator data, the attitude of the caregiver can be reflected in the evaluation of a given condition.

[0052] The control unit 21 may output the evaluation result, which is obtained by evaluating a predetermined state based on the index data, by transmitting it to a fixed terminal 30 or the like via the communication unit 22. The control unit 21 may also output the evaluation result of a predetermined state based on the index data by displaying it on a display (not shown).

[0053] (Fixed terminal 30) The fixed terminal 30 is a PC (Personal Computer) and includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, HDD, display unit, communication unit, and input unit. The display unit constitutes the output unit. The input unit accepts operation input of various information from the administrator. The display unit can display evaluation results of predetermined states based on indicator data received from the management server 20.

[0054] (Mobile terminal 40) Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the mobile terminal 40. The mobile terminal 40 comprises a control unit 41, a wireless communication unit 42, a display unit 43, an input unit 44, an audio input / output unit 45, and a location detection unit 46, which are interconnected by a bus. The mobile terminal 40 can be configured using a communication terminal device that can be carried by the care provider, such as a tablet computer, smartphone, or mobile phone.

[0055] The control unit 41 has a basic configuration similar to that of the control unit 11 of the detection unit 10, including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc.

[0056] The wireless communication unit 42 has the function of performing wireless communication according to standards such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (registered trademark), and communicates wirelessly with each device via the access point 51 or directly.

[0057] The display unit 43 and the input unit 44 are touch panels, and the display surface of the display unit 43, which is made of liquid crystal or the like, is equipped with a touch sensor that serves as the input unit 44. The display unit 43 and the input unit 44 display various operation screens to the care provider, including screens for inputting information such as the care recipient 80 to whom care is to be performed, the content of the care, and the intention to start and end the care, and accept various operations through these operation screens.

[0058] When care execution information is entered on the operation screen that accepts input of care execution information, the control unit 41 transmits care execution information, including a unique ID that identifies the mobile terminal 40 (for example, the number of the mobile terminal 40), the person receiving care 80, the type of care, and the time the care started and the time the care ended, to the management server via the wireless communication unit 42. This notifies the management server that care has been performed on the person receiving care 80 by the care executor. Alternatively, the current location of the care executor detected by the location detection unit 46 may be transmitted to the management server 20 instead of the person receiving care 80. When the current location of the care executor is transmitted to the management server 20, the management server 20 identifies the area within the facility corresponding to the care executor's current location, and identifies the person receiving care 80 whose room is in the identified area.

[0059] The control unit 41 displays the content of the event notification received from the management server 20 by the wireless communication unit 42 on the operation screen and accepts an operation to accept a response to the event related to the event notification. When the control unit 41 receives an operation to accept a response to the event related to the event notification, it sends a response acceptance signal to the management server 20 notifying the acceptance of the event notification. The response acceptance signal may include a unique ID that identifies the mobile terminal 40 and an event ID.

[0060] The audio input / output unit 45 is, for example, a speaker and a microphone, and enables voice communication between caregivers and other mobile terminals 40 via the wireless communication unit 42. The audio input / output unit 45 may also have a function to enable voice communication with the detection unit 10 via the wireless communication unit 42.

[0061] The location detection unit 46 may have, for example, a beacon function or a GPS function and detect the current location of the caregiver carrying the mobile terminal 40. The location detection unit 46 may also have an IC tag function and detect the current location of the caregiver by reading it with an RFID reader installed in each room.

[0062] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the care support system 1. This flowchart can be executed according to a program by the control unit 21 of the management server 20.

[0063] The control unit 21 acquires the information about the subject by reading it from the memory unit 23 (S101).

[0064] The control unit 21 reads a table stored in the storage unit 23 that registers the correspondence between indicator data and predetermined states, extracts information about the subject related to the indicator data registered in the table, and identifies the indicator data based on the extracted information about the subject (S102).

[0065] The control unit 21 determines whether the identified index data satisfies predetermined conditions (S103).

[0066] If the control unit 21 determines that the identified index data meets predetermined conditions (S103: YES), it evaluates the predetermined state (e.g., sleep state or robot operation proficiency) as good or high (S104). If the control unit 21 determines that the identified index data does not meet predetermined conditions (S103: NO), it evaluates the predetermined state (e.g., sleep state or robot operation proficiency) as poor or low (S105).

[0067] The control unit 21 outputs the evaluation result (S106).

[0068] This flowchart may be executed periodically at predetermined intervals (for example, every month). This flowchart may also be executed when the management server 20 receives instructions for evaluating a predetermined state, which are entered into a fixed terminal 30 or the like.

[0069] The embodiment provides the following effects:

[0070] This system identifies indicator data that serves as a benchmark for evaluating a predetermined condition, based on information about the subject, and then evaluates the condition by determining whether the indicator data meets the predetermined conditions. This allows for easy and rapid evaluation of the care recipient's condition and the care provider's performance.

[0071] Furthermore, the indicator data will be made measurable. This will allow for an objective evaluation of a given state.

[0072] Furthermore, the indicator data will be made to fluctuate based on the actions of the caregiver providing care to the person receiving care. This will allow the caregiver's attitude and other factors to be reflected in the evaluation of the predetermined condition.

[0073] Furthermore, the information regarding the target individual will be replaced with information regarding the care provided to that individual. This will allow for a more accurate assessment of the individual's condition and the caregiver.

[0074] Furthermore, it outputs the evaluation results for a predetermined state. This allows for the sharing or visualization of the evaluation results for the care recipient's condition and the care provider's evaluation.

[0075] Furthermore, a table is recorded in which the correspondence between predetermined conditions and indicator data is defined in advance. One of the indicator data defined in the table is identified, and the predetermined condition corresponding to the identified indicator data in the table is evaluated. This allows for faster evaluation of the condition of the person receiving care and the caregiver.

[0076] The configuration of the care support system 1 described above is intended to illustrate the main features of the above-described embodiment, and is not limited to the above configuration; various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, it does not preclude the configurations that are generally found in care support systems.

[0077] For example, the detection unit 10 may be equipped with functions that the management server 20 has.

[0078] Furthermore, the detection unit 10, the management server 20, and the mobile terminal 40 may each be composed of multiple devices, or any of the multiple devices may be configured as a single device.

[0079] Furthermore, the flowchart described above may omit some steps, and other steps may be added. Also, some steps may be executed simultaneously, and one step may be divided into multiple steps for execution.

[0080] Furthermore, the means and methods for performing the various processing tasks in the care support system 1 described above can be implemented using either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The program may be provided, for example, on a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB memory stick or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or it may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. The program may also be provided as a standalone application software, or it may be incorporated as a function into the software of a device such as a detection unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1. Care support system, 10 detection unit, 11 Control unit, 12 Communications Department, 13 cameras, 14 Care Call Department, 20 management servers, 21 Control unit, 22 Communications Department, 23 storage section, 30 fixed terminals, 40 mobile devices, 41 Control unit, 42 Wireless Communication Section, 43 Display section, 44 Input section, 45 Audio input / output section, 46 Position detection unit, 50 networks, 51 access points.

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires information about the care recipient, including time information of the actions, from an action detection means that detects the actions of the care recipient and the actions of the care provider, An identification unit identifies each of a plurality of indicator data, including indicator data for evaluating the sleep state of the person receiving care and indicator data for evaluating the care provided by the caregiver, based on the correspondence between evaluation items and indicator data, and identifies the values ​​of the identified plurality of indicator data based on the time information included in the acquired information. An evaluation unit that evaluates the sleep state of the care recipient and the care provided by the caregiver based on information including the values ​​of the multiple indicator data and predetermined conditions, A control device further comprising an output unit that outputs the evaluation results from the evaluation unit in a way that makes them visible.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the index data is measurable data.

3. A procedure (a) for obtaining information about the person receiving care, including time information of the actions, from an action detection means that detects the actions of the person receiving care and the actions of the care provider, (b) A procedure to identify each of a plurality of index data, including index data which is an index for evaluating the sleep state of the person receiving care and index data which is an index for evaluating the care provided by the caregiver, based on the correspondence between the evaluation items and the index data, and to identify the values ​​of the identified plurality of index data based on the time information included in the acquired information, The procedure (c) includes information including the values ​​of the multiple indicator data and predetermined conditions for evaluating the sleep state of the person receiving care and the care provided by the caregiver, A control program for causing a computer to execute a process, further comprising a step (d) for outputting the evaluation results in step (c) in a way that makes them visible.

4. A method to be performed by a control device, (a) A step of obtaining information about the person being cared for, including time information of the actions, from an action detection means that detects the actions of the person being cared for and the actions of the person providing the care, (b) Steps include identifying each of a plurality of index data sets, which include index data for evaluating the sleep state of the person receiving care and index data for evaluating the care provided by the caregiver, based on the correspondence between evaluation items and index data, and identifying the values ​​of the identified plurality of index data sets based on the time information included in the acquired information, The process includes (c) a step of evaluating the sleep state of the person receiving care and the care provided by the caregiver based on information including the values ​​of the multiple indicator data and predetermined conditions, The method further includes a step (d) for outputting the evaluation results in step (c) in a way that makes them visible. Control method.

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