Monitoring device, monitoring management device, and monitoring system

Abstract

This monitoring device is incorporated into or accommodated in a shoe and is detachably attached thereto, the monitoring device comprising: one or more left-foot pressure sensors; one or more right-foot pressure sensors; and a determination unit that acquires output values from the one or more left-foot pressure sensors and the one or more right-foot pressure sensors, and determines that the user has fallen when all of the output values indicate values lower than a threshold value.

Description

Monitoring device, monitoring management device, and monitoring system

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring device, a monitoring management device, and a monitoring system. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-150113, filed on September 15, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] At work sites such as factories, various industrial accidents can occur, such as injuries from falls and heatstroke due to high temperatures. To prevent industrial accidents, industrial accident detection devices using bands, suits, wearable devices, etc. are being adopted.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-036779 (A) Japanese Special Publication No. 2018-515863 (A)

[0004] However, with conventional technology, false alarms may occur.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a monitoring device, a monitoring management device, and a monitoring system that can detect falls more accurately.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the monitoring device, monitoring management device, and monitoring system employ the following configuration: A first aspect of the present invention is a monitoring device that is built into or housed in a shoe and detachably attached, and that includes one or more pressure sensors for the left foot, one or more pressure sensors for the right foot, and a determination unit that acquires output values ​​from the one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and the one or more pressure sensors for the right foot, and determines that the user has fallen if all output values ​​indicate values ​​below a threshold.

[0007] The monitoring device of aspect 2 of the present invention further includes an acceleration sensor for the left foot and an acceleration sensor for the right foot, and the judgment unit judges whether the user has fallen using the values ​​of the acceleration sensor for the left foot and the acceleration sensor for the right foot in addition to the values ​​of one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and one or more pressure sensors for the right foot.

[0008] The monitoring device of aspect 3 of the present invention further includes a blood pressure sensor, and the judgment unit uses the values ​​of the blood pressure sensors in addition to the values ​​of one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and one or more pressure sensors for the right foot to determine whether the user has fallen.

[0009] The monitoring device of aspect 4 of the present invention further includes a position detection unit, and the judgment unit refers to the position of the user detected by the position detection unit, and judges that a fall has occurred if all output values ​​of one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and one or more pressure sensors for the right foot show values ​​below a threshold value in a location other than a specific location.

[0010] The position detection unit of the monitoring device of aspect 5 of the present invention receives signals transmitted from beacons installed in the vicinity and detects the position of the user.

[0011] The position detection unit of the monitoring device of aspect 6 of the present invention detects the position of the user by GPS.

[0012] The monitoring device of aspect 7 of the present invention further comprises a communication unit and a reporting unit, and the reporting unit outputs information indicating that a fall has occurred to another device via the communication unit.

[0013] The monitoring device of aspect 8 of the present invention further comprises an alarm unit, which issues information indicating that a fall has occurred to those around or the user.

[0014] The monitoring device of aspect 9 of the present invention further includes a temperature sensor, and the determination unit determines that there is a possibility of heat stroke when the value output by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0015] The monitoring device of aspect 10 of the present invention further includes a pulse sensor, and the determination unit determines that there is a possibility of heat stroke when the value output by the pulse sensor rises at a certain rate above the average pulse rate.

[0016] Aspect 11 of the present invention is a monitoring management device that communicates with a monitoring device that is built into or housed in a shoe and removably attached, and is equipped with a communication unit that communicates with the monitoring device, a judgment unit that judges that the user has fallen when all values ​​of one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and one or more pressure sensors for the right foot that the monitoring device has show values ​​below a threshold value, and an output unit that outputs the judged information to another terminal.

[0017] The determination unit of the watching management device of aspect 12 of the present invention further determines whether the user has fallen using the values ​​of the left foot acceleration sensor and the right foot acceleration sensor.

[0018] The determination unit of the monitoring management device of aspect 13 of the present invention further determines whether the user has fallen when the value of the blood pressure sensor worn by the user rises by a certain percentage above the mean blood pressure.

[0019] The judgment unit of the monitoring management device of aspect 14 of the present invention further refers to the user's position, and if all output values ​​of one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and one or more pressure sensors for the right foot show values ​​below a threshold value in a location other than a specific location, it determines that the user has fallen.

[0020] The judgment unit of the monitoring management device of aspect 15 of the present invention judges that there is a possibility of heat stroke when the value output by the temperature sensor attached to the user or the thermometer installed around the user is above a threshold value.

[0021] The judgment unit of the monitoring management device of aspect 16 of the present invention judges that there is a possibility of heat stroke when the value output by the pulse sensor worn by the user rises at a certain rate above the average pulse rate.

[0022] Aspect 17 of the present invention is a monitoring system including a monitoring device that is built into or housed in a shoe and removably attached, and a monitoring management device that communicates with the monitoring device, wherein the monitoring device comprises one or more pressure sensors for the left foot, one or more pressure sensors for the right foot, a position detection unit that detects the user's current position, a reporting unit that reports the output values ​​of the one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and the one or more pressure sensors for the right foot to the monitoring management device, and a communication unit, and the monitoring management device comprises a communication unit that communicates with the monitoring device, a determination unit that determines that the user has fallen if all of the values ​​of the one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and the one or more pressure sensors for the right foot possessed by the monitoring device show values ​​below a threshold value, and an output unit that outputs the determined information to another terminal.

[0023] According to the present invention, a monitoring device that is built into or detachably attached to the user's shoes can accurately determine whether the user has fallen by measuring the pressure and acceleration of both feet, and can notify the user's manager of the fact that the user has fallen.

[0024] Fig. 1 is an overall view of a monitoring system 1 according to a first embodiment; Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation for detecting a fall according to the first embodiment; Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation for detecting heat stroke according to the first embodiment; Fig. 4 is an overall view of a monitoring system 1A according to a second embodiment;

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of a watching device, a watching management device, and a watching system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0026] <First Embodiment> Fig. 1 is an overall diagram of a monitoring system 1 according to a first embodiment. The monitoring system 1 includes, for example, a monitoring device 100 and a monitoring management device 300. The monitoring device 100 is connected to the monitoring management device 300 via a first terminal device 200, a second terminal device 400, and a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wireless base station, a provider device, etc. The monitoring device 100 and the first terminal device 200 are connected via short-range communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). A plurality of beacon transmitters 500 are installed, for example, in a factory where a user works.

[0027] The beacon transmitter 500 wirelessly transmits a signal (e.g., an RFID signal) once every few seconds within a radius of several meters to several tens of meters. The beacon transmitters 500 are installed, for example, at regular intervals in the user's workplace. The beacon transmitter 500 includes, for example, a transmitter ID. The monitoring device 100 is assumed to know in advance the installation location of the beacon transmitter 500 corresponding to the transmitter ID.

[0028] The components of each device are described below. The monitoring device 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, pressure sensors 120L and 120R, acceleration sensors 130L and 130R, a temperature sensor 140, a position detection unit 160, a reporting unit 170, and a beacon receiver 185. The monitoring device 100 is a device that is built into or housed in a shoe and detachably attached, and includes components for the left and right feet. The communication unit 110, temperature sensor 140, blood pressure sensor 150, pulse sensor 155, position detection unit 160, reporting unit 170, and beacon receiver 185 are provided on either the left foot, the right foot, or both. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between sensors for the left foot and right foot, the symbols L and R indicating whether the sensor is for the left foot or the right foot may be omitted. The monitoring device 100 may be, for example, a device that is built into or detachably attached to an insole or an insole. Furthermore, the components constituting the monitoring device 100 may be, for example, entirely built into a shoe, entirely built into an insole, built into both the shoe and ankle band, or built into both the insole and ankle band. It is desirable to have multiple pressure sensors 120L and 120R for each of the left and right feet. While not particularly limited, the number of pressure sensors 120L and 120R included in the monitoring device 100 may be one or more, two or more, or five or more. Although not particularly limited, the number of pressure sensors 120L and 120R included in the monitoring device 100 may be 100 or less, 10 or less, or 5 or less.

[0029] The communication unit 110 communicates with the watching management device 300, for example, via the first terminal device 200 and the network NW. Alternatively, the communication unit 110 may connect to the network NW and communicate with the watching management device 300 without going through the first terminal device 200. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0030] The beacon receiver 185 receives the signal emitted by the beacon transmitter 500 and acquires the transmitter ID.

[0031] The pressure sensor 120 is a device that measures the pressure of the user's foot using a pressure-sensitive element, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it.

[0032] The acceleration sensor 130 is, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor, which converts the acceleration of each of the three axes into an electrical signal and outputs it. The acceleration of each of the three axes detected by the acceleration sensor includes a gravitational acceleration component, which can be used to detect the tilt, inclination, and vibration of the user's foot. The acceleration sensor 130 may also be, for example, a gyro sensor.

[0033] The temperature sensor 140 measures the temperature of the user's feet and / or the outside air temperature, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it.

[0034] The blood pressure sensor 150 is a blood pressure sensor that utilizes the principle that the amount of reflection of irradiated light changes in response to changes in blood flow. The blood pressure sensor 150 shines light on blood vessels, calculates a pulse wave from the amount of change in light reflection, and calculates blood pressure from the characteristic amount of the pulse wave. The blood pressure sensor 150 converts the converted blood pressure into an electrical signal and outputs it.

[0035] The pulse sensor 155, for example, shines light onto the user's leg, detects the light reflected by the blood vessels, and measures the pulse from the change in the amount of light over time. The pulse sensor 155 is a device that converts the measured pulse into an electrical signal and outputs it. Note that the blood pressure sensor 150 and the pulse sensor 155 may be microwave sensors.

[0036] The position detection unit 160 detects the position of the monitoring device 100 (i.e., the user's position) based on, for example, the transmitter ID acquired by the beacon receiver 185. The position detection unit 160 can detect the installation location of the beacon transmitter 500 from the transmitter ID, so it may detect the installation location of the detected beacon transmitter 500 as the user's position. Alternatively, if multiple transmitter IDs are acquired, it may detect the user's position based on the principle of triangulation taking into account reception strength. The position detection unit 160 may also detect the user's position using information from a GPS receiver (not shown) of the first terminal device 200. The GPS receiver may be built into or housed in a shoe, or may be detachably attached, for example.

[0037] The location detection unit 160 may also perform short-range wireless communication with devices installed around the user and detect the user's location based on the acquired installation locations of the surrounding devices. Examples of short-range wireless communication include Bluetooth. In this case, the monitoring device 100 may include a beacon transmitter.

[0038] The reporting unit 170 outputs the output values ​​of the various sensors, together with, for example, the position detected by the position detection unit 160 , to the watching management device 300 via the communication unit 110 and the first terminal device 200 .

[0039] The first terminal device 200 and the second terminal device 400 are devices that can be connected to a network NW, such as smartphones or tablet devices. The first terminal device 200 is carried by the user, and the second terminal device 400 is carried by the user's administrator. The second terminal device 400, for example, runs a monitoring app that displays or notifies the output values ​​of various sensors and the location and number of times the user has fallen. The display method is, for example, displaying an image that shows the location and number of times the user has fallen. The notification method is, for example, sound or vibration.

[0040] The monitoring management device 300 includes, for example, a communication unit 310, a determination unit 320, an output unit 330, and an alarm unit 340. The components other than the communication unit 310 are implemented by, for example, a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as a large-scale integration (LSI), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a graphics processing unit (GPU), or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0041] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 310 communicates with the watching device 100 via the first terminal device 200.

[0042] The determination unit 320 acquires, for example, output values ​​from the pressure sensor 120 and the acceleration sensor 130, and determines whether or not the user has fallen based on these values. The determination unit 320 may determine whether or not the user has fallen based only on the output value from the pressure sensor 120.

[0043] (1) For example, the determination unit 320 determines that the user has fallen when the output values ​​of all the pressure sensors 120 on both feet are less than the threshold value.

[0044] (2) The determination unit 320 may determine that the user has fallen if the output values ​​of all pressure sensors 120 on both feet are less than the threshold value and the angle of the acceleration sensor 130 changes suddenly (for example, the resultant acceleration exceeds the threshold value within one second).

[0045] (3) The determination unit 320 may determine that the user has fallen if the current position of the user detected by the position detection unit 160 indicates a place other than a specific place and the output values ​​of all the pressure sensors on both feet are less than the threshold. The specific place may be, for example, the user's rest area or a changing room. Furthermore, although not limited to, the specific place may be a place other than a work area. In other words, the determination unit 320 may determine that the user has fallen if the current position of the user detected by the position detection unit 160 indicates a work area and the output values ​​of all the pressure sensors on both feet are less than the threshold.

[0046] (4) The determination unit 320 may determine that the user has fallen if the output value of the pressure sensor 120 of one foot is 0 and the output value of the pressure sensor 120 of the other foot is less than a threshold value. For example, this is the case when the user's shoe comes off and the user falls.

[0047] (5) The determination unit 320 may determine that the user has fallen if the output values ​​of the pressure sensors 120 of both feet are less than the threshold and the output value of the blood pressure sensor 150 has changed by 20% or more based on the mean blood pressure. The determination unit 320 may determine that the user has fallen using only the output value of the blood pressure sensor 150. Furthermore, when the blood pressure sensor 150 is measuring ankle blood pressure, the determination unit 320 may determine that the user has fallen by detecting postures that differ in height from the heart, such as standing, sitting, and lying down.

[0048] As for monitoring content other than falls, the determination unit 320 may determine that the user has heatstroke or is likely to have heatstroke when the output value of the temperature sensor 140 is equal to or greater than a threshold. The determination unit 320 may determine that the user has heatstroke or is likely to have heatstroke when the output value of a thermometer installed around the user is equal to or greater than a threshold. Furthermore, the determination unit 320 may determine that the user has heatstroke or is likely to have heatstroke when the output value of the pulse sensor 155 increases by 20% or more based on the average pulse rate.

[0049] The output unit 330 outputs the determination result of the determination unit 320 to the second terminal device 400. The output unit 330 may output, for example, text or an image to be displayed on the screen of the second terminal device 400, or may output audio of the determination result. The output unit 330 may output, for example, the current location of the user acquired from a GPS, or the installation location of the beacon transmitter 500 that is closest to the monitoring device 100.

[0050] The alarm unit 340 issues an alarm based on the determination result of the determination unit 320 from surrounding devices or the user's first terminal device 200. The alarm may be, for example, sounding a buzzer, turning on a light, or vibrating the first terminal device 200.

[0051] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of detecting a fall according to the first embodiment. The flowchart in Fig. 2 shows an example of the operation in which the determination unit 320 determines whether or not the user has fallen based on the output values ​​of the pressure sensor 120 and the acceleration sensor 130. The current location of the user is acquired from the GPS receiver of the first terminal device 200.

[0052] The determination unit 320 acquires the output values ​​of the pressure sensors 120 on both feet and the acceleration sensors 130 on both feet from the report unit 170 via the communication unit 110 (step S100).

[0053] The position detection unit 160 acquires the current position of the user from the GPS receiver of the first terminal device 200 via the communication unit 110 (step S110).

[0054] The determination unit 320 determines whether the current location of the user acquired in step S110 is a location other than the specific location (step S120).

[0055] In the process of step S120, if the user's current location is a location other than the specific location, the determination unit 320 determines whether the output values ​​of the pressure sensors 120 on both feet are less than the threshold value (step S130). In the process of step S120, if the user's current location is a specific location, the process returns to step S100.

[0056] If the output values ​​of the pressure sensors 120 of both feet are less than the threshold value in the process of step S130, the determination unit 320 determines whether the output values ​​of the pressure sensors 120 of both feet are 0 (step S140).

[0057] If the output values ​​of the pressure sensors 120 of both feet are not 0 in the process of step S140, the determination unit 320 determines whether the change in the output values ​​of the acceleration sensors 130 of both feet is sudden (step S150).

[0058] In the process of step S150, if the change in the output values ​​of the acceleration sensors 130 of both feet is sudden, the determination unit 320 determines that the user has fallen (step S160).

[0059] In the processing of step S130, step S140, or step S150, if the output values ​​of the pressure sensors 120 of both feet are greater than the threshold value, or if the output values ​​of the pressure sensors 120 of both feet are 0, or if the change in the output values ​​of the acceleration sensors 130 of both feet is not sudden, the processing of step S100 is returned to.

[0060] If the determination result of the determination unit 320 is that the user has fallen, the output unit 330 outputs the determination result to the first terminal device 200 (step S170). After the determination result is output, the process returns to step S100, and the process of this flowchart is repeated.

[0061] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of detecting heatstroke according to the first embodiment. The flowchart in FIG. 3 determines whether or not the user is suffering from heatstroke based on the output value of the temperature sensor 140. The current location of the user is acquired from the installation location linked to the sender ID of the beacon transmitter 500.

[0062] The determining unit 320 acquires the output value of the temperature sensor 140 from the reporting unit 170 via the communication unit 110 (step S200).

[0063] Next, the determining unit 320 determines whether the output value of the temperature sensor 140 acquired in step S200 is equal to or greater than a threshold value (step S210).

[0064] In the process of step S210, if the output value of temperature sensor 140 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, position detection unit 160 acquires the transmitter ID of the nearest beacon transmitter 500 via communication unit 110. Position detection unit 160 identifies the current location of the user from the installation location of the beacon transmitter 500 linked to the transmitter ID (step S220).

[0065] If the output value of the temperature sensor 140 is less than the threshold value in the process of step S210, the process returns to step S200.

[0066] The output unit 330 outputs the determination result that the user is suffering from heat stroke and the current location of the user to the second terminal device 400 (step S230).

[0067] According to the first embodiment described above, the monitoring system 1 can determine that the user has fallen when the output values ​​of all pressure sensors 120 on both feet of the monitoring device 100 are less than the threshold. Furthermore, by using the output values ​​of the pressure sensor 120 and the acceleration sensor 130, the monitoring system 1 can more accurately determine whether the user has fallen. The monitoring system 1 determines that the user has fallen if the output value of the pressure sensor 120 is less than the threshold and the user's current location is not a specific location, thereby preventing false detection in the user's rest area or changing room and notifying only of falls in the work area. The monitoring system 1 can determine that the user has fallen even if one shoe is missing by determining that the user has fallen if the output value of the pressure sensor 120 on one foot is 0 and the output value of the pressure sensor 120 on the other foot is less than the threshold. Furthermore, the monitoring system 1 can notify the administrator that the user has fallen by notifying the second terminal device 400 of the determination result. Therefore, the administrator can call the user to check on their safety or dispatch someone to check on them. The monitoring system 1 not only determines whether a user has fallen, but also outputs the determination result that the user has heatstroke to the second terminal device 400, allowing the administrator to take measures such as having the user rest quickly, thereby preventing the heatstroke from becoming more serious.

[0068] Second Embodiment FIG. 4 is an overall diagram of a monitoring system 1A according to a second embodiment. The monitoring system 1A includes, for example, a monitoring device 100 and a monitoring management device 300. The monitoring device 100 and a first terminal device are connected via short-range communication such as Bluetooth. The monitoring management device 300 distributes information such as the results of the determination made by the monitoring device 100. The first terminal device 200, the monitoring management device 300, and the second terminal device 400 are connected via a network NW. The monitoring device 100 determines whether a fall or heat stroke has occurred and transmits the determination to the monitoring management device 300 via the first terminal device 200, and the monitoring management device 300 notifies the second terminal device 400. For convenience, these components will be described using the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment.

[0069] The watching device 100 further includes, for example, an alarm unit 180, a determination unit 190, and an output unit 195. The alarm unit 180 issues an alarm, for example, from surrounding devices, the user's first terminal device 200, or the watching device 100 itself, based on the determination result of the determination unit 190. The alarm may be, for example, sounding a buzzer, illuminating a light, or vibrating the first terminal device 200. The determination unit 190 determines, for example, whether a fall has occurred or whether heat stroke has occurred based on output values ​​from various sensors. The determination method of the determination unit 190 may be similar to that of the determination unit 320 in the first embodiment. The output unit 195 outputs, for example, the determination result of the determination unit 190 to the watching management device 300 via the communication unit 110 and the first terminal device 200. The alarm unit 180, the determination unit 190, and the output unit 195 may be provided on only one of the left foot, the right foot, or both feet. The watching management device 300 outputs the received determination result to the second terminal device 400.

[0070] As a modified example, the watching management device 300 may be omitted from the watching system 1A. In this case, the watching device 100 and the first terminal device 200 are connected by short-range communication such as Bluetooth. The first terminal device 200 and the second terminal device 400 are connected via a network NW such as a wireless LAN. The watching device 100 determines whether a fall has occurred, and transmits the determination result to the first terminal device 200. The first terminal device 200 outputs the received determination result to the second terminal device 400.

[0071] According to the second embodiment described above, the monitoring system 1A can determine whether the user has fallen or suffered from heat stroke using only the monitoring device 100, thereby simplifying the processing.

[0072] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0073] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a monitoring device, a monitoring management device, and a monitoring system that can accurately detect falls.

[0074] 1 Monitoring system 100 Monitoring device 110 Communication unit 120 Pressure sensor 130 Acceleration sensor 140 Temperature sensor 150 Blood pressure sensor 155 Pulse sensor 160 Position detection unit 170 Report unit 180 Alarm unit 185 Beacon receiver 190 Determination unit 195 Output unit 200 First terminal device 300 Monitoring management device 310 Communication unit 320 Determination unit 330 Output unit 340 Alarm unit 400 Second terminal device 500 Beacon transmitter

Claims

1. A monitoring device that is built into or housed in a shoe and removably attached, comprising: one or more pressure sensors for the left foot; one or more pressure sensors for the right foot; and a determination unit that acquires output values ​​from the one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and the one or more pressure sensors for the right foot, and determines that the user has fallen if all of the output values ​​indicate values ​​below a threshold value.

2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising an acceleration sensor for a left foot and an acceleration sensor for a right foot, and the determination unit determines whether or not the user has fallen using the values ​​of the acceleration sensor for the left foot and the acceleration sensor for the right foot in addition to the values ​​of the one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and the one or more pressure sensors for the right foot.

3. The monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a blood pressure sensor, and the determination unit determines whether or not the user has fallen using the value of the blood pressure sensor in addition to the values ​​of one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and one or more pressure sensors for the right foot.

4. A monitoring device as described in claim 1, further comprising a position detection unit, wherein the determination unit refers to the position of the user detected by the position detection unit and determines that a fall has occurred if all output values ​​of the one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and the one or more pressure sensors for the right foot indicate values ​​below a threshold value in a location other than a specific location.

5. The monitoring device according to claim 4, wherein the position detection unit detects the position of the user by receiving a signal transmitted from a beacon installed in the vicinity, or by communicating with equipment installed in the vicinity via short-range wireless communication.

6. The monitoring device according to claim 4, wherein the position detection unit detects the position of the user by GPS.

7. The monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit and a reporting unit, wherein the reporting unit outputs information indicating a fall to another device via the communication unit.

8. The monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm unit which transmits information indicating a fall to those around or to the user.

9. The monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor, and the determination unit determines that there is a possibility of heat stroke when the value output by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

10. The monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a pulse sensor, and the judgment unit judges that there is a possibility of heat stroke when the value output by the pulse sensor rises at a certain rate above the average pulse rate.

11. A monitoring management device that communicates with a monitoring device that is built into or housed in a shoe and removably attached, comprising: a communication unit that communicates with the monitoring device; a judgment unit that judges that a user has fallen when all values ​​of one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and one or more pressure sensors for the right foot possessed by the monitoring device indicate values ​​less than a threshold value; and an output unit that outputs information about the judgment to another terminal.

12. The monitoring management device according to claim 11, wherein the determination unit further determines whether the user has fallen using values ​​from the acceleration sensor for the left foot and the acceleration sensor for the right foot.

13. The monitoring management device according to claim 11, wherein the determination unit further determines whether the user has fallen when the value of a blood pressure sensor worn by the user rises by a certain percentage above an average blood pressure.

14. The monitoring management device of claim 11, wherein the determination unit further refers to the position of the user, and determines that a fall has occurred if all output values ​​of the one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and the one or more pressure sensors for the right foot indicate values ​​below a threshold value in a location other than a specific location.

15. The monitoring management device as described in claim 11, wherein the judgment unit judges that there is a possibility of heat stroke when the value output by a temperature sensor attached to the user or a thermometer installed around the user is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

16. The monitoring management device according to claim 11, wherein the judgment unit judges that there is a possibility of heat stroke when the value output by the pulse sensor worn by the user rises at a certain rate above the average pulse rate.

17. A monitoring system including a monitoring device built into or housed in a shoe and removably attached, and a monitoring management device which communicates with the monitoring device, wherein the monitoring device comprises one or more pressure sensors for the left foot, one or more pressure sensors for the right foot, a position detection unit which detects the current position of a user, a reporting unit which reports output values ​​of the one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and the one or more pressure sensors for the right foot to the monitoring management device, and a communications unit; and the monitoring management device as described in claim 11 comprises a communications unit which communicates with the monitoring device, a determination unit which determines that the user has fallen when all of the values ​​of the one or more pressure sensors for the left foot and the one or more pressure sensors for the right foot possessed by the monitoring device indicate values ​​below a threshold value, and an output unit which outputs information about the determination to another terminal.

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