Judgment device, judgment method, and sensor device

Abstract

To provide a novel determination device capable of determining the type of excretion of an object person and its related technique.SOLUTION: A determination device (1) includes at least one processor (11). The processor (11) refers to a first gas concentration detected by a first gas sensor (41) and a second gas concentration detected by a second gas sensor (42) which mainly detects a different type of gas from one detected by the first gas sensor (41), so as to perform determination processing (M12) for determining the type of excretion of an object person (Ua).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a determination apparatus, a determination method, and a sensor apparatus for determining the type of excretion. [Background Art]

[0002] In nursing care services or medical services, excretion management for service users is one of the important tasks. If the excretion of a service user, including the type thereof, can be automatically detected, the burden on service providers in excretion management can be greatly reduced.

[0003] As a technique for detecting excretion of a service user, for example, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the type of excreta of a care-receiver and diaper leakage are determined based on an output signal of an odor sensor and an output signal of a humidity sensor, and the urgency of excretion treatment is notified to a caregiver. [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-33745 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] The technique described in Patent Document 1 is a technique for determining the type of excreta by referring to a combination of a signal from an odor sensor and a signal from a humidity sensor. However, since the technique described in Patent Document 1 uses an odor sensor, a humidity sensor, and an intake fan, the configuration of the sensor apparatus may be complicated.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and an object thereof is to provide a novel determination apparatus capable of determining the type of excretion by a subject, and a related technology thereof. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0007] A determination device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises at least one processor, which performs a determination process to determine the type of excretion by a subject by referring to a first gas concentration detected by a first gas sensor and a second gas concentration detected by a second gas sensor that primarily detects a different type of gas than the first gas sensor.

[0008] A determination method according to one aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition process in which at least one processor acquires a first gas concentration detected by a first gas sensor and a second gas concentration detected by a second gas sensor that primarily detects a different type of gas than the first gas sensor, and a determination process in which the processor determines the type of excretion by the subject by referring to the first gas concentration and the second gas concentration.

[0009] A sensor device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a first gas sensor and a second gas sensor that primarily detects a different type of gas than the first gas sensor, and transmits the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor and the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor to a determination device that determines the type of excretion by the subject. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a novel determination device capable of determining the type of excretion by a subject, and related technologies can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a judgment system relating to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This graph schematically shows the changes in the concentrations of a first gas and a second gas contained in the gas derived from feces and flatulence in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This block diagram shows the configuration of the judgment device included in the judgment system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the determination method performed by the determination device. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows a specific example of the judgment process included in the judgment method shown in Figure 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] (Configuration of the judgment system) A determination system S according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the determination system S according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The determination system S is a system for determining the type of excretion by the service user Ua, who is the target person, in a facility for providing nursing care services and / or medical services, and for notifying the service provider Ub of the determination result. In this embodiment, the type of excretion is determined to be either feces or flatulence. In this specification, "flatulence" refers to the phenomenon of gas being expelled from the body without defecation. The phenomenon of gas being expelled from the body during defecation, the phenomenon of gas being expelled from feces after defecation, and the phenomenon of gas being expelled from urine after urination are not included in "flatulence".

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the determination system S includes a determination device 1, a notification terminal 2, a relay terminal 3, and a sensor device 4. The determination device 1 and the notification terminal 2 communicate via a network, the determination device 1 and the relay terminal 3 communicate via a network, and the relay terminal 3 and the sensor device 4 communicate without a network (for example, via short-range wireless communication).

[0015] The sensor device 4 is attached to the service user Ua. For example, the sensor device 4 is attached inside the service user Ua's underwear (such as a diaper or pants). The sensor device 4 is equipped with a first gas sensor 41 and a second gas sensor 42, and transmits the output signals of the first gas sensor 41 and the second gas sensor 42 to the determination device 1 via the relay terminal 3. Communication from the sensor device 4 to the relay terminal 3 is performed by the processor in the sensor device 4 using the communication interface provided in the sensor device 4.

[0016] The first gas sensor 41 is a gas sensor that selectively detects a first gas, which is a predetermined type of gas. The second gas sensor 42 is a gas sensor that selectively detects a second gas, which is a predetermined type of gas, but is different from the first gas. In other words, the second gas sensor primarily detects a different type of gas than the first gas sensor. To put it another way, the second gas sensor targets a different type of gas than the first gas sensor. Hereinafter, when the term "gas sensor" is used in this specification, it refers to both the first gas sensor 41 and the second gas sensor 42, or any one of them.

[0017] The output signals of the first and second gas sensors contain information representing the time series of concentrations of the first and second gases, respectively. For the sake of simplicity, the information representing the time series of concentrations of the first and second gases will be abbreviated as "first gas concentration" and "second gas concentration," respectively.

[0018] In this embodiment, the first gas is a gas derived from feces, such as hydrogen sulfide. In other words, the first gas sensor 41 is a hydrogen sulfide sensor. Also in this embodiment, the second gas is a gas derived from flatulence, such as hydrogen. In other words, the second gas sensor 42 is a hydrogen sensor.

[0019] In the following description, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that gas derived from feces contains the first gas and does not contain the second gas, and gas derived from flatulence contains the second gas and does not contain the first gas. In this case, when the excretion by the service user Ua is feces, the first gas concentration and the second gas concentration change as shown in the graph on the left side of FIG. 3. On the other hand, when the excretion by the service user Ua is flatulence, the first gas concentration and the second gas concentration change as shown in the graph on the right side of FIG. 3.

[0020] The relay terminal 3 is arranged around the sensor device 4. As an example, the relay terminal 3 is arranged in a living room used by the service user Ua. The relay terminal 3 receives an output signal of the gas sensor from the sensor device 4. Further, the relay terminal 3 transmits the output signal of the gas sensor received from the sensor device 4 to the determination device 1. In the present embodiment, a smartphone is used as the relay terminal 3. A stationary wireless repeater may also be used as the relay terminal 3.

[0021] The determination device 1 is arranged outside the facility described above. As an example, the determination device 1 is arranged in a data center. The determination device 1 receives the output signal of the gas sensor from the relay terminal 3. Further, the determination device 1 refers to the output signal of the gas sensor received from the relay terminal 3 to determine the type of excretion of the service user Ua. Then, the determination device 1 transmits a notification screen including the determination result to the notification terminal 2. It should be noted that a computer or the like arranged in the facility may also be used as the determination device 1.

[0022] The notification terminal 2 is carried by the service provider Ub. The notification terminal 2 receives data representing a notification screen from the determination device 1. Further, the notification terminal 2 includes a touch-panel display, and displays the notification screen on the display based on the data received from the determination device 1. In the present embodiment, a smartphone is used as the notification terminal 2. In the following description, transmitting data representing a notification screen is described as transmitting the notification screen, and receiving data representing various screens is described as receiving the screen.

[0023] (Configuration of the determination device) The configuration of the determination device 1 included in the determination system S will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the determination device 1 included in the determination system S shown in Figure 1.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the determination device 1 comprises a processor 11, a primary memory 12, a secondary memory 13, a communication interface 14, and a bus 15. The processor 11, primary memory 12, secondary memory 13, and communication interface 14 are interconnected via the bus 15. An example of a device that can be used as the determination device 1 is a workstation that constitutes a cloud server.

[0025] The secondary memory 13 stores the judgment program P. The processor 11 loads the judgment program P stored in the secondary memory 13 onto the primary memory 12. Then, the processor 11 executes each process included in the judgment method M1, which will be described later, according to the instructions contained in the judgment program P loaded onto the primary memory 12. An example of a device that can be used as the processor 11 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). An example of a device that can be used as the primary memory 12 is semiconductor RAM (Random Access Memory). An example of a device that can be used as the secondary memory 13 is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0026] The communication interface 14 is an interface for communicating with the notification terminal 2 and the relay terminal 3 via a network. An example of an interface usable as the communication interface 14 is an Ethernet® interface. The usable networks include PAN (Personal Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), CAN (Campus Area Network), MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), GAN (Global Area Network), or internetworks including these networks. The internetworks may be an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet.

[0027] The determination program P, which causes the processor 11 to execute the determination method M1, can be recorded on a computer-readable, non-temporary, tangible recording medium. This recording medium may be the secondary memory 13 or another recording medium. For example, tapes, disks, cards, semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuits, etc., can be used as other recording media.

[0028] Furthermore, although this embodiment employs a configuration in which the determination method M1 is executed using a single processor (processor 11), the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, a configuration in which the determination method M1 is executed using multiple processors may also be employed. In this case, the multiple processors that execute the determination method M1 may be provided in a single computer and configured to communicate with each other via a bus, or they may be distributed across multiple computers and configured to communicate with each other via a network. For example, a configuration in which the processors of each of the multiple computers constituting a cloud server cooperate to execute the determination method M1, or a configuration in which the processor 11 of the determination device 1 and the processor of the notification terminal 2 cooperate to execute the determination method M1, are also conceivable.

[0029] (Procedure for determining the outcome) The flow of the determination method M1 performed by the determination device 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0030] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the determination method M1 performed by the determination device 1 shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 4, the determination method M1 includes an acquisition process M11, a determination process M12, and a notification process M13. In this embodiment, the acquisition process M11, the determination process M12, and the notification process M13 are executed by the processor 11 of the determination device 1.

[0031] The acquisition process M11 is a process for acquiring the first gas concentration (hydrogen sulfide gas concentration) detected by the first gas sensor 41 and the second gas concentration (hydrogen gas concentration) detected by the second gas sensor 42. In this embodiment, the processor 11 acquires the gas concentrations detected by the gas sensors from the sensor device 4 via the communication interface of the sensor device 4 and the communication interface 14 of the determination device 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. As an example, the processor 11 may acquire the first gas concentration and the second gas concentration by reading the first gas concentration and the second gas concentration stored in the secondary memory 13 from the secondary memory 13.

[0032] The determination process M12 is a process that determines the type of excretion by service user Ua by referring to the first gas concentration and the second gas concentration. A specific example of the determination process M12 will be described later with a different reference diagram.

[0033] The processor 11 may preprocess the gas concentration obtained in the acquisition process M11 and execute the determination process M12 using the preprocessed gas concentration. Examples of preprocessing include scaling processes such as normalization and standardization, filtering processes such as high-pass filters and low-pass filters, and interpolation processes such as linear interpolation and spline interpolation.

[0034] Notification process M13 is a process for notifying the notification terminal 2 used by the service provider Ub of the type of excretion determined in determination process M12. In this embodiment, the processor 11 sends a notification screen showing the determined type of excretion to the notification terminal 2 using the communication interface 14.

[0035] (Specific example of a judgment process) A specific example of the judgment process M12 will be explained with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the judgment process M12 included in the judgment method M1 shown in Figure 4.

[0036] The determination process M12 can be composed of, for example, a first comparison process M12a, a stool determination process M12b, a second comparison process M12c, and a flatulence determination process M12d, as shown in Figure 5. In this embodiment, the first comparison process M12a, the stool determination process M12b, the second comparison process M12c, and the flatulence determination process M12d are executed by the processor 11 of the determination device 1.

[0037] The first comparison process M12a is a process that compares the first gas concentration with a predetermined first threshold.

[0038] In the first comparison process M12a, if it is determined that the first gas concentration is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the fecal determination process M12b is executed. The fecal determination process M12b is the process of determining that the type of excretion by the service user Ua is feces.

[0039] If the first comparison process M12a determines that the first gas concentration is less than the first threshold, the second comparison process M12c is executed. The second comparison process M12c is a process that compares the second gas concentration with a predetermined second threshold.

[0040] In the second comparison process M12c, if it is determined that the second gas concentration is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the flatulence determination process M12d is executed. The flatulence determination process M12d is the process of determining that the type of excretion by the service user Ua is flatulence.

[0041] (Effects of this embodiment) As described above, the determination device 1 according to this embodiment includes at least one processor 11, and the processor 11 executes a determination process M12 to determine the type of excretion by subject Ua by referring to the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor 41 and the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor 42, which mainly detects different types of gases than the first gas sensor 41.

[0042] With this configuration, the processor 11 references the gas concentrations of two or more different gas species that have been selectively detected, thereby enabling a device that can determine the type of excretion by the subject Ua.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first gas sensor 41 is a gas sensor that primarily detects a first gas originating from feces, and the second gas sensor 42 is a gas sensor that primarily detects a second gas originating from flatulence, which is different from the first gas.

[0044] With this configuration, the processor 11 refers to a first gas concentration, which is the concentration of gas derived from feces, and a second gas concentration, which is the concentration of gas derived from flatulence. This enables a technology that can determine with good accuracy whether the excretion by subject Ua is feces or flatulence.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the determination process M12, the processor 11 determines that (1) if the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor 41 is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the type of excretion by subject Ua is feces. Also, in the determination process M12, the processor 11 determines that (2) if the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor 41 is less than the first threshold, AND the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor 42 is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the type of excretion by subject Ua is flatulence.

[0046] With this configuration, the type of excretion is determined to be flatulence based on the second gas concentration only if it is confirmed that the type of excretion is not feces based on the first gas concentration. Therefore, the possibility of misidentifying feces as flatulence can be reduced. As a result, the possibility of delays in addressing the defecation of service users due to misidentification can be reduced.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processor 11 further executes a notification process M13 that notifies the notification terminal 2 used by the service provider Ub of the determined type of excretion.

[0048] With this configuration, the service provider Ub is notified of the judgment result, thus enabling the realization of a device that reduces the burden on the service provider Ub for managing the excretion of the subject Ua.

[0049] Furthermore, the determination method M1 according to this embodiment includes an acquisition process M11 in which at least one processor 11 acquires a first gas concentration detected by a first gas sensor 41 and a second gas concentration detected by a second gas sensor 42 that primarily detects different types of gases than the first gas sensor 41, and a determination process M12 in which the processor 11 determines the type of excretion by the subject Ua by referring to the first and second gas concentrations.

[0050] With this configuration, the processor 11 references the gas concentrations of two or more different gas species that have been selectively detected, thereby enabling a method to determine the type of excretion by the subject Ua.

[0051] Furthermore, the sensor device 4 according to this embodiment includes a first gas sensor 41 and a second gas sensor 42 that primarily detects different types of gases than the first gas sensor 41. The sensor device transmits the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor 41 and the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor 42 to a determination device 1 that determines the type of excretion by the subject Ua.

[0052] With this configuration, a sensor device 4 can be realized that can be used to determine the type of excretion by subject Ua. Compared to conventional sensor devices that are composed of a gas sensor and a humidity sensor, the sensor device 4 has a simpler configuration because it is equipped with a first gas sensor 41 and a second gas sensor 42, both of which are gas sensors.

[0053] (modified version) In this embodiment, a configuration in which the determination method M1 is performed by the determination device 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the determination method M1 may be performed by the sensor device 4, the relay terminal 3, or the notification terminal 2.

[0054] When the sensor device 4 performs the determination method M1, the sensor device 4 transmits the determination result it obtained to the relay terminal 3, and the relay terminal 3 transmits the determination result it obtained from the sensor device 4 to the determination device 1. Also, when the relay terminal 3 performs the determination method M1, the sensor device 4 transmits the output signal of the gas sensor to the relay terminal 3, and the relay terminal 3 transmits the determination result it obtained to the determination device 1. In either case, the determination device 1 functions as a notification device that transmits a notification screen showing the determination result obtained from the relay terminal 3 to the notification terminal 2 without performing the determination method M1.

[0055] When the notification terminal 2 performs the determination method M1, the sensor device 4 transmits the output signal of the gas sensor to the relay terminal 3, and the relay terminal 3 transmits the output signal obtained from the sensor device 4 to the determination device 1. The determination device 1 functions as a relay device that transmits the output signal obtained from the relay terminal 3 to the notification terminal 2 without performing the determination method M1. In this case, the notification terminal 2 will display a notification screen that includes the determination result it obtained.

[0056] In this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the type of excretion is determined to be either feces or flatulence, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The type of excretion to be determined may be any combination of two or more types of excretion. Examples of types of excretion to be determined include feces, urine and flatulence, etc. Within feces, the type of excretion may be determined by distinguishing between bloody stool and non-bloody feces. Similarly, within urine, the type of excretion may be determined by distinguishing between bloody urine and non-bloody urine. If there are three or more types of excretion to be determined, the sensor device 4 may be configured to have the same number of gas sensors as the types of excretion to be determined, and to selectively detect gases that originate from each type of excretion and are different gas species from each other, with the processor 11 referencing all detected gas concentrations. Alternatively, the sensor device 4 may include a first gas sensor 41 and a second gas sensor 42, and the processor 11 may refer to the two detected gas concentrations and determine three or more types of excretion based on a predetermined algorithm.

[0057] In this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the first gas sensor 41 detects hydrogen sulfide gas and the second gas sensor 42 detects hydrogen gas, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first gas sensor 41 may be a gas sensor that selectively detects gases derived from feces other than hydrogen sulfide as a first gas derived from feces. The second gas sensor 42 may be a gas sensor that selectively detects gases derived from flatulence other than hydrogen as a second gas derived from flatulence. Furthermore, the sensor device 4 may also be equipped with a third gas sensor, and this third gas sensor may be a gas sensor that selectively detects iron-containing gases as a third gas derived from urine.

[0058] In addition to hydrogen gas, flatulence also contains methane gas, carbon dioxide gas, and nitrogen gas. Therefore, (1) methane gas may be used as the second gas and a methane sensor as the second gas sensor 42; (2) carbon dioxide gas may be used as the second gas and a carbon dioxide sensor as the second gas sensor 42; or (3) nitrogen gas may be used as the second gas and a nitrogen sensor as the second gas sensor 42.

[0059] Of hydrogen gas, methane gas, carbon dioxide gas, and nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas has the highest concentration in flatulence. Furthermore, hydrogen gas has a low concentration in the atmosphere. For this reason, hydrogen gas can be considered the most suitable gas to use as a second gas derived from flatulence. However, because hydrogen has a small molecular weight, it easily permeates the underwear of the service user Ua and diffuses into the atmosphere. Therefore, the hydrogen gas concentration may decrease rapidly inside the underwear where the second gas sensor 42 is located. If a rapid decrease in concentration hinders the determination of the type of excretion, methane gas, carbon dioxide gas, or nitrogen gas should be used as the second gas. Among these, methane gas has a lower concentration in the atmosphere compared to nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas, making it a suitable gas to use as a second gas derived from flatulence.

[0060] Furthermore, in the present invention, the algorithm for determining the type of excretion in the determination process M12 is not limited to the algorithm described above in this embodiment. Examples of algorithms for determining the type of excretion include: an algorithm that uses a trained model developed by machine learning using training data relating the type of excretion to be determined, the first gas concentration, and the second gas concentration; and an algorithm that uses actual values ​​determined based on the correspondence between the first and second gas concentrations detected during past excretions by the subject and the type of excretion in those past excretions as a comparison target.

[0061] Furthermore, in the present invention, the response characteristics of the first gas sensor 41 and the second gas sensor 42 to excretion by the subject are not limited to the response characteristics described above in this embodiment. For example, the first gas sensor 41 may be more sensitive to the first gas than to the second gas, and also sensitive to the second gas. The same applies to the second gas sensor 42.

[0062] (Additional notes) The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the embodiments described above are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0063] 1 Judgment device 2. Notification terminal 4. Sensor device 11 processors 41 First gas sensor 42 Second gas sensor Ua target audience, service users Ub service provider

Claims

1. It has at least one processor, The processor performs a determination process to determine the type of excretion by the subject by referring to the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor and the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor, which primarily detects a different type of gas than the first gas sensor. The first gas sensor is a gas sensor that primarily detects a first gas originating from feces, The second gas sensor is a gas sensor that primarily detects a second gas originating from flatulence, which is different from the first gas. The second gas is methane gas, and the second gas sensor is a methane sensor. In the determination process, the processor (1) If the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold, it is determined that the type of excretion by the subject is feces, and the determination process is then terminated. In the determination process, the processor (2) If the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is less than the first threshold, and the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it is determined that the type of excretion by the subject is flatulence. A determination device characterized by the following features.

2. The processor further performs a notification process to notify the notification terminal used by the service provider of the determined type of excretion. The determination device according to feature 1.

3. At least one processor performs an acquisition process to acquire a first gas concentration detected by a first gas sensor and a second gas concentration detected by a second gas sensor that primarily detects a different type of gas than the first gas sensor. The processor includes a determination process that determines the type of excretion by the subject by referring to the first gas concentration and the second gas concentration. The first gas sensor is configured to detect a first gas originating from feces, The second gas sensor is configured to detect a second gas that originates from flatulence and is different from the first gas. The second gas is methane gas, and the second gas sensor is a methane sensor. In the determination process, the processor (1) If the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the type of excretion is determined to be feces, and the determination process is then terminated. In the determination process, the processor (2) If the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is less than the first threshold, and the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the type of excretion is determined to be flatulence. A determination method characterized by the following.

4. A first gas sensor configured to detect a first gas originating from feces, The system includes a second gas sensor configured to detect a second gas originating from flatulence, unlike the first gas, The second gas is methane gas, and the second gas sensor is a methane sensor. The first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor and the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor are transmitted to a determination device that determines the type of excretion by the subject. In the determination device, at least one processor performs a determination process to determine the type of excretion by the subject by referring to the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor and the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor. In the determination process, the processor (1) If the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold, it is determined that the type of excretion by the subject is feces, and the determination process is then terminated. In the determination process, the processor (2) If the first gas concentration detected by the first gas sensor is less than the first threshold, and the second gas concentration detected by the second gas sensor is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it is determined that the type of excretion by the subject is flatulence. A sensor device characterized by the following features.

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