JP2002109666A - In-house system for life watching and life-watching center system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a life-watching system, capable of ensuring the safety of a person to be watched, without violating the privacy of the person to be watched and moreover reducing the load of a center system. SOLUTION: A life-watching report device 14 transmits, on receiving life abnormality signals or emergency report signal, the emergency report signals to the control part 31 of the center system 3 via a public network 2. Namely, the center system 3 transmits an alarm signal to an operator and family terminal 4, and operates the camera 15 and a microphone 16 of an in-house system 1 after the authentication of the operator and a family terminal 4 is completed. The image data acquired by the camera 15 and the voice data acquired by the microphone 16 are transmitted to the operator and to the family terminal 4 through the center system 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a life watching home system and a life watching center system, and more particularly to a life watching home system capable of remotely grasping the living condition of a watching target such as an elderly or sick person. Life monitoring center system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a life monitoring system for remotely monitoring a living condition of a person to be monitored, such as an elderly or sick person, in a dwelling has attracted attention. As a technique for grasping the abnormality of the watching target, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-131382, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred when the time of the watching target at a predetermined place deviates from the reference time range. And a home nursing management device for notifying a predetermined manager of an abnormality, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-9, which is a prior application by the present inventors.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,447, there is a life monitoring system that enables a telephone call with the watching target when an abnormality occurs in the life of the watching target.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, in the above-mentioned prior art, simply reporting an abnormality is not enough.
It is not clear what kind of action should be taken, and it is not possible to take detailed measures depending on whether urgent action is necessary. Further, if a telephone call cannot be answered by chance, it is determined that urgency is high. Therefore, it is conceivable to install a camera or microphone to monitor the person being watched with images or sound, but this has the problem that the privacy of the person being watched cannot be maintained, and measures have been taken against this. There is no present.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a life watching home system and a life watching center system that can ensure the safety of the watching target without unnecessarily infringing the privacy of the watching target. The purpose is to provide.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a life watching home system according to the present invention monitors the life of a person to be watched over and outputs information on the life change when the life is abnormal. Monitor means, a camera for acquiring image information or a microphone for acquiring audio information, and transmitting abnormal information from the life monitoring means to a center system, receiving a control signal from the center system, and operating the camera or microphone. And means for watching over the life to be performed.

[0006] The life-watching notification means can limit the items for which image information and audio information are disclosed by operating the camera or microphone when the change in life is urgent. Respect the privacy of the subject.

[0007] Further, the life watching and notifying means operates the camera or the microphone when the incident of the life is a specific thing registered in advance, thereby also restricting items for which image information and audio information are disclosed. And respect the privacy of the watching target.

The home watching system according to the present invention includes an emergency notification unit for the monitoring target to notify an emergency, a camera for obtaining image information or a microphone for obtaining voice information, and a communication from the emergency notification unit. It is characterized by comprising emergency monitoring information transmitting means for transmitting emergency information to the center system, receiving a control signal from the center system, and operating the camera or microphone.

In the life watching center system according to the present invention, a transmitting / receiving means for receiving the abnormal information or emergency information from the life watching home system and transmitting the information to the terminal, and a terminal responding to the abnormal information or emergency information are registered in advance. An authentication unit that authenticates that a person who owns the terminal responding to the abnormal information or the emergency information is a specific person registered in advance, and the transmitting and receiving unit Transmitting a control signal indicating that the authentication means is a specific terminal or person to the home watching system in response to the authentication.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The life watching home system and the life watching center system of the present invention set information for protecting privacy and a range of persons who can browse the information in advance, and set the life as long as the parties are satisfied. It is a system that can watch over. In other words, personal data for protecting privacy is managed in the center system,
It is possible to allow the information to be viewed only by a predetermined viewable person.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a life watching home system and a life watching center system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

The home life monitoring system and the home life monitoring center system are mainly composed of a home system 1 and a center system 3 connected to the home system 1 via a public line network 2.・ Family terminal 4 (may be plural or singular) is the center system 3
Is connected by wireless line. The home system 1 and the center system 3 may be connected via a network such as the Internet in addition to the public network 2.

The home system 1 includes a life monitoring device 12 having various sensors for monitoring a watching target person,
Timer 13 for measuring sensing time in sensor
When the time measured by the timer exceeds a predetermined time, a life-change signal is transmitted to the center system 3 as a life-change, and an emergency notification signal from the emergency notification device 11 for making an emergency notification is transmitted to the center system 3. A life-watching notification device 14, a camera 15 for imaging the inside of the house,
A microphone 16 for collecting audio in the house.

The center system 3 controls the center system 3 as a whole, communicates necessary information to the operator / family terminal 4 in response to a lifestyle change signal or an emergency notification signal from the home system 1, and controls the home system 1. Controller 31 for controlling the operation of camera 15 and microphone 16 in
And a classification table 32 that classifies items that can be browsed for privacy protection, an authentication unit 33 that authenticates whether or not the house can be opened by the camera 15 or the microphone 16, a center system 3, an operator / family And a transmission / reception unit 34 for performing communication with the communication terminal 4.

[0015] In the life watching system having the above-mentioned configuration, the items which are in the emergency level among the life abnormalities in advance and which can operate the camera or the microphone, and the state of the house by operating the camera or the microphone are disclosed. A good person is set in advance.

[0016] For example, as a lifestyle change item, a toilet occupancy time of 30 minutes, a continuous stay time of a living room of 3 hours, a bathing time of 30 minutes
Items that require human intervention are set in advance as urgent countermeasures due to a large number of life abnormalities such as minutes and bedtime at 9 am. Here, the item that the living room continuous stay time is 3 hours is set as an item that requires human intervention as an emergency response item. In addition, a terminal owned by a person (for example, a family or the like) who has a possibility of personal correspondence is set.

In the home system 1, various sensors are operated by the life monitoring device 12 to monitor the home. At this time, the sensing time of each sensor is set to timer 1
Measure at 3. When the sensing time measured by the timer 13 exceeds the sensing time of the life incident item set by the timer 13, the life monitoring device 12 outputs a control signal indicating that (monitoring result) to the life watching notification device 14. For example, the life monitoring device 12 sends a control signal to the life monitoring notification device 14 when the time of the person being watched over the toilet exceeds 30 minutes or when the continuous staying time of the person being watched exceeds 3 hours. Output to

Upon receiving the control signal from the life monitoring device 12, the life watching notification device 14 transmits a life abnormal signal to the control unit 31 of the center system 3 via the public network 2. At this time, the living-watching notification device 14 displays information on the living-change item of the watching target, that is, the toilet-resident time of the watching target 30 minutes, and the continuous continuous staying time of the watching target 3 hours, together with the life-change signal. Is also transmitted to the control unit 31 of the center system 3.

When the control unit 31 receives the lifestyle change signal from the home system 1, the control unit 31 refers to the classification table 32 for the contents of the lifestyle change item received together with the lifestyle change signal. The classification table 32 stores items that require human intervention as urgent countermeasures set in advance. Therefore, the control unit 31 refers to the items stored in the classification table 32 for the lifestyle change item sent from the home system 1 and
The item stored in 2 (here, the continuous stay time in the room is 3
Time), an alarm signal indicating urgency is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving unit 34 to the first operator / family terminal 4 in a predetermined order via the antenna 35, and the operator / family terminal 4 does not respond. Is sequentially transmitted to the operator / family terminal 4 in the next order.

When the person carrying the operator / family terminal 4 that receives the alarm signal responds to the alarm signal by taking a call if it is a mobile phone, the authentication unit 33 of the center system 3 The operator / family terminal 4 that responds to the alarm signal is a specific terminal that is registered in advance by a person (for example, a family) who is likely to provide personal assistance to the watching target. Is authenticated or not, and if it is a specific terminal, a control signal indicating this is sent from the authentication unit 33 to the control unit 31.
Sent to.

When the control unit 31 receives a control signal indicating that the terminal is a specific terminal, the control unit 31 transmits a control signal for operating the camera 15 and the microphone 16 to the home system 1 via the public line network 2. 14 to be sent. Camera 15
When the microphone 16 operates, the camera 15 outputs the image data in the house to the living-life monitoring and notifying device 14, and the microphone 16 outputs the voice data in the house to the life watching and notifying device 14.

In the life monitoring and notification device 14, a camera 15
The image data and the audio data transmitted from the microphone 16 are encoded by a predetermined encoding method, and transmitted to the control unit 31 of the center system 3 via the public network 2. The control unit 31 of the center system 3 transmits the received image data and audio data to the specific operator / family terminal 4 that has been authenticated as possessed by the specific person via the transmission / reception unit 34.

The owner of the operator / family terminal 4 converts the image data and audio data transmitted from the center system 3 into image information and audio information by the operator / family terminal 4 and obtains the information through a screen or a speaker. In this case, in addition to the image information and the audio information, character information indicating an emergency is also displayed on the screen of the operator / family terminal 4.

On the other hand, when the target person watches the emergency button installed in the house or the like and presses the button, an emergency notification signal is sent from the emergency notification device 11 to the life watching notification device 14.
Upon receiving the emergency notification signal, the life watching notification device 14 transmits the emergency notification signal to the control unit 31 of the center system 3 via the public network 2. In this case, the subsequent operation is the same as described above. That is, the center system 3 transmits an alarm signal to the operator / family terminal 4, and after the authentication of the operator / family terminal 4 is completed, the camera 15 and the microphone 16 of the in-home system 1 are operated and acquired by the camera 15. The image data and the voice data obtained by the microphone 16 are transmitted to the operator / family terminal 4 via the center system 3.

As described above, in the life watching system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to promptly cope with an abnormality in the life of the watching target person. Moreover, since the state of the house can be visually and auditorily grasped remotely in an emergency, appropriate measures can be taken for the watching target person. Further, since the items for operating the camera and the microphone are restricted, and the persons who can obtain the image information and the audio information are also restricted, the privacy of the watching target is less likely to be violated. Therefore, it is possible to realize the protection of privacy and to improve the response accuracy of the emergency itself.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a life watching home system and a life watching center system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 2, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, the classification table 32 is referred to for the contents of the lifestyle change item received together with the lifestyle change signal. If the lifestyle change item is an item stored in the classification table 32, an alarm signal indicating emergency is issued. Has been described in the center system 3, the present embodiment describes a case in which the control unit 31 and the classification table 32 are provided in the home system 1. Thus, the load on the center system 3 can be further reduced.

In the life watching system shown in FIG.
When the sensing time measured by the timer 13 exceeds the sensing time of the life incident item set by the timer 13, the life monitoring device 12 outputs a control signal indicating this to the control unit 31. When the control unit 31 receives the control signal,
The classification table 32 is referred to for the contents of the life abnormal item. Therefore, the control unit 31 refers to the items stored in the classification table 32 for the lifestyle change item sent from the home system 1 and
If the item is an item stored in No. 2, an alarm signal indicating emergency is sent to the life watching and notifying device 14. The life-watching notification device 14 transmits an alarm signal to the transmission / reception unit 34 of the center system 3 via the public network 2.

The center system 3 transmits the received alarm signal from the transmission / reception unit 34 to the first operator / family terminal 4 in a predetermined order via the antenna 35, and if the operator / family terminal 4 does not respond. Is sequentially transmitted to the operator / family terminal 4 in the next order.

When the person carrying the operator / family terminal 4 that receives the alarm signal responds to the alarm signal by taking a call if it is a mobile phone, the authentication unit 33 of the center system 3 The operator / family terminal 4 that responds to the alarm signal is a specific terminal that is registered in advance by a person (for example, a family) who is likely to provide personal assistance to the watching target. Is authenticated or not, and if it is a specific terminal, a control signal indicating this is sent from the authentication unit 33 to the control unit 31.
Sent to.

When receiving a control signal indicating that the terminal is a specific terminal, the control unit 31 transmits a control signal for operating the camera 15 and the microphone 16 to the home system 1 via the public line network 2. 14 to be sent. Camera 15
When the microphone 16 operates, the camera 15 outputs the image data in the house to the living-life monitoring and notifying device 14, and the microphone 16 outputs the voice data in the house to the life watching and notifying device 14.

In the life monitoring and notification device 14, a camera 15
The image data transmitted from the microphone 16 and the audio data transmitted from the microphone 16 are encoded by a predetermined encoding method and transmitted to the center system 3 via the public line network 2, and the center system 3 Operator / family terminal 4 for which voice data has been authenticated via transmission / reception unit 34
Send to

The owner of the operator / family terminal 4 converts the image data and voice data transmitted from the center system 3 into image information and voice information by the operator / family terminal 4 and obtains the information through a screen or a speaker. In this case, in addition to the image information and the audio information, character information indicating an emergency is also displayed on the screen of the operator / family terminal 4.

On the other hand, when the subject presses an emergency button or the like installed in the house, the emergency notification signal is sent from the emergency notification device 11 to the life watching notification device 14.
Upon receiving the emergency report signal, the life watching report device 14 transmits the emergency report signal to the center system 3 via the public network 2. In this case, the subsequent operation is the same as described above. That is, the center system 3 transmits an alarm signal to the operator / family terminal 4, and after the authentication of the operator / family terminal 4 is completed, the camera 15 and the microphone 16 of the in-home system 1 are operated and acquired by the camera 15. The image data and the voice data acquired by the microphone 16 are transmitted to the operator / family terminal 4 via the center system 3.

As described above, also in the life watching system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to promptly cope with an abnormality in the life of the watching target person. Moreover, since the state of the house can be visually and auditorily grasped from a remote place in an emergency, appropriate measures can be taken for the watching target person. Further, since the items for operating the camera and the microphone are restricted, and the persons who can obtain the image information and the audio information are also restricted, the privacy of the watching target is less likely to be violated. Therefore, it is possible to realize the protection of privacy and to improve the response accuracy of the emergency itself. Further, according to the present embodiment,
The load on the center system 3 can be further reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments, but can be implemented with various modifications. For example,
In the first and second embodiments, the camera 15 is used in an emergency.
And the case where both the microphone 16 are operated, but in the present invention, according to the user's selection,
It may be set so that either the camera 15 or the microphone 16 is selected and activated.

In the first and second embodiments,
The case where the image data acquired by the camera 15 and the audio data acquired by the microphone 16 are transmitted from the home system 1 to the operator / family terminal 4 via the center system 3 is described. If the authentication has been completed, the home system 1 may transmit the data directly to the operator / family terminal 4 by wireless.
By doing so, the load on the center system 3 can be further reduced.

In the first and second embodiments,
A description will be given of a case where image data acquired by the camera 15 and audio data acquired by the microphone 16 are transmitted from the in-home system 1 to the operator / family terminal 4 via the center system 3 based on a life change signal or an emergency notification signal. However, if the authentication of the operator / family terminal 4 has been completed, the in-home system 1 may transmit the operator / family terminal 4 to the operator / family terminal 4 in response to a request from the owner of the operator / family terminal 4. good. The authentication may not be authentication of the operator / family terminal, but may be performed by inputting an ID or password to a person having the terminal to authenticate the person.

[0039]

As described above, according to the life watching system of the present invention, it is possible to promptly cope with an abnormal life of the watching target. Moreover, since the state of the house can be visually and auditorily grasped remotely in an emergency, appropriate measures can be taken for the watching target person. Further, since the items for operating the camera and the microphone are restricted, and the persons who can obtain the image information and the audio information are also restricted, the privacy of the watching target can be respected. Therefore, it is possible to realize the protection of privacy and to improve the response accuracy of the emergency itself.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a life watching home system and a life watching center system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a life watching home system and a life watching center system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 home system (home monitoring home system) 2 public line network 3 center system (life watching center system 4 operator / family terminal (terminal) 11 emergency notification device (emergency notification means) 12 life monitoring device (life monitoring means) 13 timer 14 Life monitoring notification device (life monitoring notification means) 15 camera 16 microphone 31 control unit 32 classification table 33 authentication unit (authentication unit) 34 transmission / reception unit (transmission / reception unit) 35 antenna

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 7/18 H04N 7/18 DF term (Reference) 5C054 AA05 CA04 CC03 CE16 CH05 DA01 DA09 EG01 FA00 FE28 HA12 5C086 AA22 BA01 CA09 CA28 CB26 CB36 DA08 EA13 FA01 FA11 5C087 AA02 AA03 AA08 AA19 AA31 BB12 BB46 BB65 BB74 DD03 DD49 EE05 EE08 EE18 GG02 GG12 GG19 GG21 GG32 GG66 GG67 NN0601

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. Life monitoring means for monitoring the life of a watching target person and outputting information of the abnormality when the life is abnormal, a camera for acquiring image information or a microphone for acquiring audio information, A life watching home system, comprising: life monitoring reporting means for transmitting abnormal information from a monitoring means to a center system, receiving a control signal from the center system, and operating the camera or microphone. 2. The life watching home system according to claim 1, wherein said life watching notification means activates said camera or microphone when said change in life is urgent. 3. The life watching home system according to claim 1, wherein the life watching notification means operates the camera or the microphone when the change in life is a specific one registered in advance. 4. An emergency notification means for the monitoring target to notify an emergency, a camera for obtaining image information or a microphone for obtaining voice information, and transmitting emergency information from the emergency notification means to a center system, A living-home monitoring system for receiving a control signal from the center system and operating the camera or the microphone. 5. A transmission / reception means for receiving abnormal information or emergency information from a life watching home system and transmitting it to a terminal, and a terminal responding to the abnormal information or emergency information being a specific terminal registered in advance; Or, authentication means for authenticating that the person possessing the terminal responding to the abnormal information or the emergency information is a specific person registered in advance, wherein the transmitting and receiving means, the authentication means is a specific terminal Alternatively, in response to authentication as a person, a control signal indicating the fact is transmitted to the life watching home system.