JP2006302173A - Infant monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an infant-monitoring device capable of directly urging an infant in necessary timing according to the situation of a cry or the like without mediating manpower, having minute adaptability, and capable of effectively preventing a nighttime weeping or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This infant monitor 10 has a sensor part 11 acquiring voice, a video, or movement of an infant; a control part 12 for collating the data, acquired by the sensor part 11, with a registered database, and deciding a behavior pattern corresponding to the data; and infant care devices 13, 14 controlled by the control part 12 for fulling the infant, according to the behavior pattern. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an infant monitoring apparatus for caring for an infant in a general household.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed an infant monitoring device that cares for an infant when an infant laid in a crib or the like starts crying due to defecation or hunger. For example, the following are known in relation to the technology relating to such babysitters.
Patent Document 1 includes a fixed unit installed in the vicinity of an infant and a moving unit carried by a supervisor, and transmits a transmission signal from the fixed unit to the moving unit when the sound level emitted by the infant is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. An infant cry monitoring system that outputs a notification signal to the supervisor is described.

JP 2002-367049 A

However, the prior art described in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.
In the infant cry monitoring system described in Patent Document 1, since a notification signal is only transmitted when the voice level emitted by the infant exceeds a specified value, a function that works directly on a crying infant is provided. I don't have it. Therefore, caregivers must go to the infant and take care of it properly in order to properly identify the changing cry of the infant and take appropriate measures according to the situation such as hunger and defecation. There was a problem of lack of detailed correspondence.

  The present invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and there is a possibility that it can work directly on an infant at a necessary timing and without human intervention depending on the situation such as crying, An object of the present invention is to provide an infant monitoring apparatus that is excellent in meticulous correspondence and can effectively prevent crying at night.

(1) An infant monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, which has been made in order to solve the above-described conventional problems, stores in advance in a database a sensor unit that acquires voice, video, and motion of an infant and data acquired by the sensor unit. The sound data according to the comparison result is extracted from the database and emitted from a speaker under the control of the control unit.

(2) In the infant monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, in (1), the control unit is connected to a display unit provided on a bed for storing a human body of the infant, and the display unit displays the comparison result. Accordingly, image information is extracted from the database, and display control is performed by the control unit.

(3) In the infant monitoring apparatus of the present invention, in (1) or (2), the sensor unit is a microphone, and the microphone is provided at a position where a voice emitted from an infant lying on the bed can be detected. The control unit compares the sound data detected by the microphone with the comparison source data extracted from the database, and the noise sound having a predetermined frequency stored in the database in advance according to the comparison result is output from the speaker. It is also characterized by outputting based on the control of the control unit.
(4) In the infant monitoring apparatus of the present invention, in (1) to (3), the control unit includes a wireless communication unit capable of communicating with an external mobile phone or the like, and the sound data detected by the sensor unit In accordance with the comparison result with the comparison source data, a mail having a predetermined content stored in advance in the database is transmitted to an address stored and set in advance in the database.

According to the present invention, the control unit compares data such as infant voice, video, and motion detected by the sensor unit with comparison source data stored in advance in the database, and corresponding sound data, By extracting image information and outputting it with a speaker or display means, the infant can be cared appropriately without human intervention by directly acting on the infant at the necessary timing according to the situation such as the infant's cry Can effectively prevent crying at night.
Further, as in the invention of claim 4, while the sound or image to be swayed is displayed from the speaker or display means according to the infant's situation, a message corresponding to the situation is given to a pre-registered address. If the address is set as the address of the parent or other guardian's mobile phone, it will be possible to check at any time what kind of situation the infant monitoring apparatus itself is dealing with. .

The infant monitoring device includes a baby bed in which a human body storage unit for sleeping an infant is formed, a cover part provided on one side in the longitudinal direction of the baby bed, a microphone as a sensor unit and display means on the cover part A liquid crystal panel and a speaker are provided. In this embodiment, a microphone is employed as the sensor unit as the sensor unit.
The microphone, the liquid crystal panel, and the speaker are all connected to a control unit, and various image data or sound data to be transmitted to the liquid crystal panel and the speaker for output are stored in the control unit in advance. Furthermore, a comparison source data for comparison with data detected by the sensor unit, and a database for storing in advance a comparison program for comparing the comparison data with data obtained by the sensor unit are provided.
The infant monitoring apparatus of this embodiment compares sound data acquired by a microphone as the sensor unit with comparison source data stored in advance in the database, and obtains sound data corresponding to the comparison result from the database. Extracted and emitted from the speaker under the control of the control unit. Therefore, it is possible to care for the infant by working at the necessary timing.

  In this embodiment, the sensor unit employs a microphone. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a pressure sensor may be provided at the bottom of the crib. With this pressure sensor, it is possible to detect a weight shift resulting from an infant turning over. Other sensor units include a video camera or other CCD camera attached to the cover, an acceleration sensor that senses shaking of the bed on which the infant is placed, etc., and these can be used alone or in combination. Infant environmental data is acquired. In addition, a sensor unit such as an optical sensor or an ultrasonic sensor is attached to an infant to measure the pulse rate and oxygen saturation of arterial blood, or the infant is placed on a sheet of conductive fiber using an electric potential sensor. It is also possible to measure the temporal change of the potential of the body and the change in body temperature with a temperature sensor, calculate the heart rate and respiratory rate based on this measurement result, and output an abnormal signal when a certain threshold is exceeded Is possible.

  The control unit is a computer device such as a microcomputer or an IC chip, and processes data from a signal from an input device such as the sensor unit or keyboard by a control program such as a voice recognition program loaded in advance in an internal storage means. This is a device for transmitting a control signal for operating the above-mentioned child-care equipment such as a speaker and a liquid crystal panel. In the storage means, comparison source data for comparison with the data detected by the sensor unit from the infant and data for performing output based on the comparison result of the comparison source data to the child-rearing device are input to the database. Yes. For example, the comparison source data of the sound data acquired from the microphone is the strength, level, frequency, or frequency of crying, or a combination of data such as the crying occurrence time zone provided with a timer means in the control unit. In response, the patterns are classified as a plurality of patterns of predetermined cry patterns A to Z. Then, the control unit compares the cry pattern A to Z as comparison source data with the data detected by the child-care device based on the comparison program, and which of the cry patterns A to Z corresponds to the comparison result And a control code corresponding to each determination result is transmitted to the child-rearing device, and a predetermined operation can be performed.

  The child-rearing device is the above-described speaker or liquid crystal panel for streaming audio or video for babies laid on a baby bed, for example, a vibrator or swinging means for swinging the bed, and the like The operation can be controlled by the control unit. The LCD panel is attached to a position that can be easily seen by infants, such as a cover formed in the egg shape of a crib, for example, images and animation that serve as a background for lullabies, images of the mother's womb, and images of the mother Can be displayed to relieve psychological reassurance of infants.

  Further, the speaker as the child-care device of the infant monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment is arranged in the crib toward the infant and is predetermined according to the comparison result of the control unit corresponding to the sound data acquired by the sensor unit. It is also possible to generate noise noise in the frequency range. For example, the noise sound is a “zazer” sound that mimics the noise generated from TVs that are out of channel, etc., and can be used to stop crying by listening to a crying infant It is said to have. Not only such a sound but also a parent or the like can be changed by appropriately storing in a database in the storage means such as music that the infant stops crying. Such a change can enable data to be updated via an interface provided in the control unit.

  Furthermore, the infant monitoring apparatus of the present embodiment includes wireless communication means capable of communicating with a terminal such as an external mobile phone, and sends an email with a predetermined content according to the infant change pattern detected by the sensor unit. The control unit can extract the address data stored in advance in the database in the storage means, and send it to the extracted address. As a result, the infant's mother or the like can accurately recognize the situation where the infant is placed through the e-mail of the mobile phone, and can quickly take treatment even at a remote place. That is, it is possible to estimate the current situation of the infant using the data from the sensor unit and take an appropriate response to the incident of the infant. Furthermore, a timer means is provided in the control unit, and based on a result detected by the sensor unit, an elapsed time since the start of dealing with an infant with a speaker or a display means has passed a predetermined time stored in the database in advance. In this case, it is more preferable to provide a function such that the control unit extracts a stronger message from the database and notifies an abnormality of the infant.

Hereinafter, the infant monitoring apparatus will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an infant monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of the infant monitoring apparatus.
1 and 2, 10 is an infant monitoring apparatus according to the embodiment, 11 is a microphone that is an example of a sensor unit provided in a cover portion 10b of a crib 10a for acquiring the sound of an infant, and 12 is a microphone 11. The control unit 13 compares the sound data acquired by the control unit 12 with the comparison source data stored in the database, which will be described later, and the sound data according to the comparison result compared by the control unit 12 from the database. For example, a speaker that is an example of a child-care device for eliciting a baby by emitting a predetermined noise sound such as “zazer” as the sound data, and 14 is a liquid crystal that is an example of a child-care device provided in the cover portion 10b. A panel 16 is a predetermined pattern indicating an infant's situation pattern based on the comparison result executed by the control unit. Mail is a wireless communication means which is incorporated in the control unit 12 for transmission to the terminal such as a mobile phone 17 having an address stored in advance in the database. A storage unit 15 stores various data including the database and a control program. The storage unit 15 includes electronic components such as a semiconductor memory and a hard disk.

  The entire baby bed 10a is formed in an egg-shaped cradle shape, and a cover portion 10b is provided on the upper part of the infant to be put therein. A microphone 11, a speaker 13, and a liquid crystal panel 14 are disposed inside the cover portion 10 b and connected to the control unit 12. The control unit 12 can be composed of a one-chip microcomputer or the like, and is compactly housed in a small box-like case including a microphone, a speaker, a power supply, etc., and has portability, such as an ear of an infant. It may be placed in a position.

  The storage means 15 of the control unit 12 stores in advance a cry data unique to an infant, for example, data of situation patterns such as when hungry, when defecation, or when abnormal, as a database. Thus, by applying a known voice recognition program, the sound data input from the microphone 11 is compared with a plurality of situation patterns as comparison source data stored in advance in the database, and the degree of coincidence is calculated. To be able to. In this database, corresponding to the cry patterns A to D as the situation patterns, child care operations A to D executed under the control of the control unit 12 using child care devices such as the speaker 13 and the liquid crystal panel 14 are used. Control table data for outputting a control signal for the childcare device is stored. In this embodiment, since it is the microphone 11 that acquires data as the situation pattern, data as a cry pattern is stored. When the sensor unit employs a pressure sensor or a camera as described above, this situation pattern is different from the cry pattern described above, and a pressure distribution pattern and image data are stored as comparison source data.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a control program executed in the control unit 12.
As shown in the drawing, in the first step S10, a predetermined initialization process is performed and the time is acquired from an internal timer means (not shown). In the next step S11, it is determined whether or not the access time matches a predetermined time interval condition. If the condition is not satisfied, the steps from step S10 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to the next step S12.

  In step S12, analog sound data or the like from the microphone 11 as a sensor unit is acquired, a predetermined data analysis process is performed, and the comparison source data held in the database is extracted and stored in a temporary storage memory (not shown).

In step S13, the degree of coincidence with the cry pattern A as the comparison source data is calculated, and if the degree of coincidence is equal to or greater than the specified value, the process proceeds to step S16 related to the childcare operation A. The process proceeds to S14.
In step S14, the degree of coincidence between the comparison source data and the cry pattern B is calculated. If the degree of coincidence is equal to or greater than the specified value, the process proceeds to step S17 related to the childcare operation B. Migrate to
In step S15, the degree of coincidence between the comparison source data and the cry pattern C is calculated. If the degree of coincidence is greater than or equal to a specified value, the process proceeds to step S18 related to the childcare operation C. Migrate to

  Step S16 is a pattern corresponding to, for example, the infant cry pattern A estimated from the comparison source data, usually when crying when hungry or the like. The child-rearing operation A is performed so as to continuously flow for a time.

  Step S17 is a pattern when the infant cry pattern B estimated from the comparison source data, for example, continues for more than a certain time. In this case, the volume of the noise sound is higher than that of the pattern A. The childcare operation B is performed so that the flow is intermittent.

  In step S18, for example, the infant cry pattern C estimated from the comparison source data is a pattern before normal sleep or the like. In this case, a lullaby or the like is played from the speaker 13 and the mother's voice is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 14. The child-rearing operation C that displays an image image in the womb is executed to produce a psychological calming effect for the infant.

  In step S19, for example, it is a pattern when it is determined that the behavior pattern D of the infant shows an abnormal state other than the behavior patterns A to C. In this case, an email indicating abnormality is sent via the wireless communication means 16. The child-rearing operation D is performed so as to be transmitted to the address of the mobile phone 17 held by the mother or the like.

  In this way, after the childcare operations A to D corresponding to the comparison source data are performed in steps S16 to S19, the routine is returned and the above control program routine is repeatedly executed.

  As described above, the infant monitoring apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes the microphone 11 that acquires the voice of the infant, compares the acquired data with a registered database, and determines a situation pattern corresponding to the data. Then, a noise sound or the like is generated from the speaker 13 through the control unit 12 in accordance with this situation pattern, and the infant is acted to rid the infant. Can stabilize and stop crying. Furthermore, the infant monitoring apparatus 10 includes wireless ratio communication means 16 to a mobile phone 17 or the like held by a mother or the like, so that the situation where the infant is placed can be accurately notified, and only the microphone 11 is provided. In other words, the current situation of the infant can be estimated using data acquired from a sensor unit such as a television camera, a vibration sensor, or a thermometer, and an appropriate and quick response can be made to the infant's change.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the thing of these embodiment. That is, according to the present invention, an infant's situation pattern is determined via the sensor unit, and the night crying is effectively prevented by performing an operation for easing the infant according to the situation pattern at a necessary timing. The thing corresponding to this belongs to the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, a loudspeaker that generates a noise sound or a liquid crystal panel that displays a womb image or the like is used as a childcare device for babies and infants. It is also possible to perform childcare operations more effectively by operating in combination with light emitters.

  In addition, the infant monitoring device can be incorporated in a portable device including a child-care device and a power source, for example, a stuffed animal, so that it can be used easily in the outdoors. In addition, the child-care device of the infant monitoring apparatus may be operated from the mother's mobile phone via e-mail or the like, and a control operation corresponding to the received infant behavior pattern may be selected each time. Thus, even when the mother is away from the infant, a more flexible response can be achieved.

It is a perspective view of the infant monitoring device concerning an embodiment. It is a block block diagram of the infant monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the childcare operation program.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Infant monitoring apparatus of embodiment 10a Baby bed 10b Cover part 11 Microphone (sensor part)
12 Control unit 13 Speaker (childcare equipment)
14 LCD panel (childcare equipment)
15 storage means 16 wireless communication means 17 mobile phone

Claims (4)

A sensor unit that acquires audio, video, and motion;
A control unit that compares the data acquired by the sensor unit with comparison source data stored in advance in a database, and extracts sound data corresponding to the comparison result from the database; An infant monitoring apparatus characterized by emitting sound data from a speaker.   The control unit is connected to display means provided on a bed for storing the infant's human body. Image information is extracted from the database according to the comparison result to the display means, and display control is performed by the control unit. The infant monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The sensor unit is a microphone, and the microphone is provided at a position where a voice uttered by an infant lying on the bed can be detected, and sound data detected by the microphone is compared with comparison source data extracted from the database. 3. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs a noise sound having a predetermined frequency stored in a database in advance according to the comparison result from the speaker based on the control of the control unit. The infant monitoring device described. The control unit includes wireless communication means capable of communicating with an external mobile phone or the like, and predetermined contents stored in advance in the database according to a comparison result between sound data detected by the sensor unit and comparison source data The infant monitoring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the e-mail is transmitted to an address stored and set in advance in the database.

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