JP2016076160A - Equipment management device and equipment information providing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to easily recognize a location and utilization state of equipment without reservation work.SOLUTION: An equipment management device capable of communicating with a user terminal via a network comprises: equipment characteristic information storage means for storing characteristic information on equipment; position estimation means for estimating the position of a management object including the equipment; utilization state determination means for determining the utilization state of the equipment on the basis of relation between the position of the equipment and the position of another management object and the characteristic information on the equipment; and information providing means for transmitting information indicating the position of the equipment and the utilization state to the user terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to equipment management technology for managing equipment and providing information about equipment to a user.

  As a conventional equipment management system, for example, an equipment management system that reads a tag such as an RFID attached to equipment such as a medical device used in a hospital or the like with a reader and manages the equipment using a unique equipment ID stored in the tag There is.

  In the equipment management system as described above, for example, the equipment name to be used, use start time, use time, user, etc. are registered from the reservation screen of the equipment management system, and the equipment is used at the start and end of use. Use / not use by reading the tag of equipment.

  As a prior art document disclosing a technology related to equipment management, for example, there is Patent Document 1.

JP 2006-119732 A

http://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/899/899293/, September 9, 2014 search

  Among equipment used in hospitals and the like, there are equipment that is used frequently by each patient, such as a sphygmomanometer. When making reservations and management for such equipment as in the prior art, it takes time and effort that is troublesome for staff such as nurses. For this reason, the staff uses the equipment without performing input management, and there is a possibility that the staff will be in a state where the management is practically not performed. In such a case, even if a staff member tries to use the equipment, it is not immediately known whether the equipment is in use or where it is not in use, and it takes time to use it. Problems arise. Such a problem is not limited to a blood pressure monitor or the like, and may occur in all equipment.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique that allows a user to easily grasp the location and use state of equipment without performing a reservation operation. To do.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is an equipment management device capable of communicating with a user terminal via a network,
Equipment characteristic information storage means for storing equipment characteristic information;
Position estimation means for estimating a position of a management target including the equipment;
A use state determination means for determining a use state of the equipment based on the relationship between the position of the equipment and the position of another management target, and the property information of the equipment;
There is provided an equipment management device comprising information providing means for transmitting information indicating the position and use state of the equipment to the user terminal.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an equipment information providing method executed by an equipment management apparatus that can communicate with a user terminal via a network and includes equipment characteristic information storage means for storing equipment characteristic information. And
A position estimation step for estimating a position of a management target including the equipment;
A use state determination step for determining a use state of the equipment based on the relationship between the position of the equipment and the position of another management target, and the property information of the equipment;
There is provided an equipment information providing method including an information providing step of transmitting information indicating a position and a use state of the equipment to the user terminal.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, a user can easily grasp the location and use state of equipment without performing a reservation operation.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the equipment management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of operation | movement of an equipment management system. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of the equipment management apparatus 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows Example 1 of an equipment characteristic information table. It is a figure which shows Example 1 of an equipment table and a staff table. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the position determination method in case a patient has a reader. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the position determination method in case a patient has ID transmission apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the position determination method in case a patient and a staff have ID transmission apparatus. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the example of the use condition determination of equipment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the example of the use condition determination of equipment. It is a figure which shows Example 1 of the list displayed on a staff's terminal. It is a figure for demonstrating the example 1 of an inquiry function. It is a figure for demonstrating the example 2 of an inquiry function. It is a figure which shows Example 2 of an equipment characteristic information table. It is a figure which shows Example 2 of an equipment table and a staff table. It is a figure which shows Example 2 of the list | wrist displayed on a staff's terminal.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is only an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, a medical device in a hospital is taken up as an example of equipment, but the present invention is not limited to medical equipment or the like and can be applied to equipment in various fields.

  In this embodiment, a technique for transmitting and receiving ID information is used to estimate the position of equipment and the like. However, this is merely an example, and the present invention is implemented using various position estimation techniques. be able to.

(System overall configuration example)
In FIG. 1, the structural example of the equipment management system in embodiment of this invention is shown. The example shown in FIG. 1 is an example of an equipment management system constructed in a hospital. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, an ID transmission device 20 is provided in each medical device as equipment (for example, affixed to a medical device), and a mobile reader 10 and a fixed reader 30 that read an ID transmitted from the ID transmission device 20. Is used. The patient holds the ID transmission device 20. The equipment management apparatus 100 is provided, and the equipment management apparatus 100 can receive a signal including ID information from each reader via a wired and / or wireless network.

  In the example of FIG. 1, there are a mobile reader 10 held by a person and a fixed reader 30 fixedly installed in a room. Hereinafter, the mobile reader and the fixed reader are collectively referred to as “reader”. Further, equipment, patients, staff (nurses, doctors, clerks, etc.) and the like whose positions are estimated by the equipment management apparatus 100 and are to be managed are collectively referred to as “management objects”.

  In the present embodiment, each ID transmission device 20 has a function of wirelessly transmitting ID information (for example, the ID of equipment to which the ID transmission device 20 is attached) with a predetermined radio wave output intensity. By transmitting the ID information with the predetermined radio wave output intensity, the reader can receive the ID information within the radio wave arrival area.

  The fixed reader 30 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, a PC, or the like, and is equipped with an application that transmits the signal including the ID information to the equipment management device 100 by receiving the ID information from the ID transmission device 20. For example, when the fixed reader 30 installed in a certain room can receive the ID information transmitted from the ID transmission device 20 attached to a certain equipment, it can be determined that the equipment is in that room.

  The mobile reader 10 is, for example, a smartphone, and is equipped with an application that receives the ID information from the ID transmission device 20 and transmits a signal including the ID information to the equipment management device 100. For example, if the mobile reader 10 held by the nurse can receive the ID information transmitted from the ID transmission device 20 attached to a certain equipment, it can be determined that the nurse is near the equipment. The mobile reader 10 may include the function of the ID transmission device 20. Since the mobile reader 10 includes the function of the ID transmitter 20, the position of the mobile reader 10 (in which room) the mobile reader 10 can be grasped by the fixed reader 30 in the same manner as the equipment to which the ID transmitter 20 is attached.

  In addition, the mobile reader 10 of the present embodiment communicates with the equipment management apparatus 100 by connecting to a wireless AP (wireless access point) via a wireless LAN. Accordingly, by registering the position of each wireless AP in the equipment management apparatus 100 in advance and grasping the wireless AP connected to the mobile reader 10, it is possible to grasp the position of the mobile reader 10 in units of wireless APs. is there. For example, by installing the wireless AP for each room, the position of the mobile reader 10 can be grasped for each room.

  Further, each reader has a distance between the reader (the management target associated with the reader) and the ID transmission device 20 (the management target associated with) based on the radio wave intensity of the radio wave received from the ID transmission device 20. May be estimated and transmitted to the equipment management apparatus 100.

  A technique for detecting a nearby management target by transmitting / receiving ID information as described above is not limited to a specific technique. For example, “ibeacon” using a short-range wireless technology with low power consumption (Non-Patent Document 1). Technology).

  FIG. 1 shows an example in which the ID transmitter 20 is provided for the equipment and the patient, and the staff holds the mobile reader 10, but this is only an example. The staff may have the ID transmission device 20.

  In the article management system shown in FIG. 1, for example, the fixed reader 30 provided in the room receives ID information from the ID transmission device 20 and transmits a signal including the ID information to the equipment management device 100, thereby managing the equipment. The apparatus 100 can determine that the equipment with the ID transmitter 20 is present in the room where the fixed reader 30 is provided. The equipment management apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment obtains such ID information, thereby determining and managing the position of the equipment and whether the equipment is in use in real time, and the staff holds the information. The data is transmitted to a terminal (smart phone, PC, etc.). A specific method for determining and managing the position of the equipment and whether or not the equipment is in use will be described later.

(System outline operation example)
With reference to FIG. 2, an example of the basic operation of the equipment management system according to the present embodiment will be described. In the example of FIG. 2, each equipment is provided with an ID transmission device 20. In FIG. 2, only one fixed reader 30 is shown. This is a collective representation of a plurality of fixed readers 30 installed in each room.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fixed reader 30 receives ID information transmitted from the ID transmission device 20 existing within a predetermined distance (within a radio wave reachable range) from the fixed reader 30, and a signal including the ID information Is transmitted to the equipment management apparatus 100. The timing at which the fixed reader 30 transmits a signal to the equipment management device 100 may be the timing at which the ID information transmitted from the ID transmission device 20 is detected. For example, the fixed reader 30 continuously receives the ID from the ID transmission device 20. When information is received, signal transmission to the equipment management apparatus 100 may be performed at predetermined time intervals.

  The signal transmitted from each fixed reader 30 to the equipment management apparatus 100 includes the ID information of the ID transmission device 20 and the ID information of the fixed reader 30 that is the transmission source. The equipment management apparatus 100 holds registration information in which ID information is associated with a management target corresponding to the ID information for each ID information, and the received ID information is obtained by referring to the registration information. , You can figure out what to show. As an example, when ID-X corresponds to the room X, ID-A corresponds to the equipment A, and the equipment management apparatus 100 holds the correspondence information, the fixed reader 30 installed in the room X has the equipment. In the case where ID-A transmitted by the ID transmitting apparatus 20 of A is received and a signal including ID-A and ID-X is transmitted to the equipment management apparatus 100, the equipment management apparatus 100 corresponds to ID-A. It can be determined that the equipment A is in the room X corresponding to ID-X.

  Similarly, the equipment management device 100 can determine the position (in which room) the staff or patient holding the ID transmission device 20 (or the mobile reader 10 having the ID transmission device function) is held.

  The equipment management apparatus 100 determines the position of each equipment and each staff by performing the above processing on each received signal, and determines the positional relationship between equipment and staff, equipment characteristics, and the like. Based on this, the use state of each equipment is determined by logic to be described later, and the determination result is stored and updated as location management information (step 2). Then, based on the location management information, a fixture list including the location and use state of each fixture is provided to a certain staff (step 3).

  As an example, when the equipment list indicates that there is an unused equipment B near the staff, the staff can easily use the equipment B (step 4). FIG. 2 shows an example of determining the use state of the equipment as unused when the equipment (equipment C) has not moved for a predetermined time as an example of the use state determination logic. .

(Configuration example of equipment management apparatus 100)
With reference to FIG. 3, the structural example of the equipment management apparatus 100 which concerns on this Embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 3, the equipment management apparatus 100 includes an ID information acquisition unit 101, a location management information generation unit 102, an equipment characteristic information storage unit 103, a location management information storage unit 104, an equipment list provision unit 105, and an inquiry control unit 106. Have

  The ID information acquisition unit 101 receives a signal transmitted from the reader via a network, and acquires ID information included in the signal. The signal includes ID information indicating the reader and ID information received by the reader from the ID transmission device 20. The ID information indicating the reader may be an IP address.

  The location management information generation unit 102 holds registration information in which ID information and management targets (staff / location / patient / equipment, etc.) are associated with each other, and the registration information and the ID acquired by the ID information acquisition unit 101 Based on the information, equipment characteristic information, and the like, the position of each management target, the use state of the equipment, etc. are determined, and these pieces of information are stored in the position management information storage unit 104 as position management information. The equipment characteristic information storage unit 103 stores the equipment characteristic information. That is, the position management information generation unit 102 is based on the position estimation unit that estimates the position of the management target including the equipment, the relationship between the position of the equipment and the position of the other management target, and the property information of the equipment. Use state determining means for determining the use state.

  The equipment list providing unit 105 indicates equipment positions and usage states based on information stored in the location management information storage unit 104 in response to, for example, access from a terminal (eg, mobile reader 10) held by the staff. The list information is transmitted to the terminal, and the equipment list is displayed on the terminal. The inquiry control unit 106 is a functional unit that, for example, receives an inquiry about unused equipment from a staff terminal and refers to the location management information to notify the staff near the equipment.

  The equipment management apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can be realized, for example, by causing one or a plurality of computers to execute a program describing the processing contents described in the present embodiment. That is, the functions of the equipment management apparatus 100 are realized by executing a program corresponding to the processing executed by the equipment management apparatus 100 using hardware resources such as a CPU and a memory built in the computer. Is possible. Further, the program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (portable memory or the like), stored, or distributed. It is also possible to provide the program through a network such as the Internet or electronic mail.

  Hereinafter, functions and operations of the equipment management apparatus 100 will be described more specifically.

(Example of information stored in the storage unit)
FIG. 4 shows an example 1 of the equipment characteristic information table stored in the equipment characteristic information storage unit 103. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the equipment characteristic information includes “equipment ID”, “equipment name”, “average use time”, and “necessity of nurse at use”. These pieces of information are stored in advance in the equipment characteristic information storage unit 103. Moreover, such information is only an example.

  The “equipment ID” here does not necessarily need to be an ID for identifying individual equipment, and may be an ID for identifying the type of equipment. For example, in the case where the ID assigned to each piece of equipment (that is, the ID set in the ID transmission device 20 assigned to the equipment) is composed of identification information indicating the type of equipment and a number indicating each equipment. As the “equipment ID” in the equipment characteristic information storage unit 103, identification information indicating the type of equipment can be used.

  The “average use time” is an average time for one use of the equipment, and is measured and calculated in advance. “Necessity of nurse when using” indicates whether or not the nurse needs to be accompanied while using the corresponding equipment.

  In the case of FIG. 4, for example, for the “blood pressure monitor” whose equipment ID is “A”, the average usage time is “5 minutes”, and the attendant of the nurse is “necessary” at the time of use. .

  FIG. 5 shows an equipment table and a patient / staff table stored in the location management information storage unit 104.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the equipment table includes “equipment ID”, “position”, “use state”, “neighbor”, and “position registration start time”. “Equipment ID” is an ID of the equipment. “Position” indicates a place where the equipment is present, and in this example, indicates a room where the equipment is estimated to be present. “Use state” indicates whether the equipment is in use or not in use. An example of the usage state determination method will be described in detail later. “Neighbor” indicates the name of a person (a plurality of patients, staff, etc.) existing near the equipment. “Location registration start time” indicates the time at which registration of the location indicated by “location” is started for the equipment.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the patient / staff table includes “ID”, “category”, “name”, “position”, and “position registration start time”. “ID” is an ID of a person to be managed (an ID set in a mobile reader or ID transmitter held by the person). “Category” indicates the category (patient, nurse, doctor, etc.) of the person to be managed. “Name” indicates the name of the person to be managed. “Position” indicates a place where the person to be managed exists, and in this example, indicates a room where the person to be managed is estimated to exist. “Location registration start time” indicates the time at which registration of the location indicated by “location” is started for the management target.

  If the position of the management target cannot be grasped, such as when the management target has moved outside the room, for example, “out of service area” is recorded as the “position” in the tables of FIGS. 5A and 5B. In addition, in FIGS. 5A and 5B, information on a position immediately before “out of range” may be recorded.

  Next, an example of how each table is generated will be described.

  First, as a basic operation in the present embodiment, an operation example in which the position of the equipment is estimated by the fixed reader 30 and information on the position of the equipment in the equipment table of FIG.

  For example, a nurse enters room 102 with a sphygmomanometer attached with an ID transmission device 20 with equipment ID = A-1. Then, the fixed reader 30 installed in the room 102 receives the ID information (A-1) transmitted from the ID transmitting device 20, and the ID information (A-1) and the ID information of the fixed reader 30 ( A signal including ID corresponding to room 102 is transmitted to the equipment management apparatus 100.

  The ID information acquisition unit 101 of the equipment management apparatus 100 that has received the above signal acquires the detected ID information (A-1) and the source ID information (ID corresponding to room 102) from the received signal. These are transferred to the location management information generation unit 102. The location management information generation unit 102 sets the management target (A-1: sphygmomanometer) to “Room 102” from the detected ID information (A-1) and the source ID information (ID corresponding to Room 102). It is determined that it exists, and “Room 102” is recorded as the position corresponding to the equipment ID “A-1” in the equipment table. At this time, the location registration start time that is the date and time when A-1 entered the room is recorded in the equipment table.

  The above description is an explanation focusing on the position of the equipment in FIG. 5 (a). When the nurse enters the room 102, the patient / staff table in FIG. The nurse's ID, position, position registration start time, and the like are recorded.

  That is, when a nurse (Mr. Nakamura) holding the ID transmission device 20 (or the mobile reader 10 including the function of the ID transmission device) in which ID = 1000 is set enters the room 102, the fixed reader 30 installed in the room 102. Receives the ID information (1000) transmitted from the ID transmitting device 20, and receives the signal including the ID information (1000) and the ID information of the fixed reader 30 (ID corresponding to the room 102) as the equipment management device 100. Send to.

  The ID information acquisition unit 101 of the equipment management apparatus 100 that has received the above signal acquires the detected ID information (1000) and the source ID information (ID corresponding to room 102) from the received signal, These are transferred to the location management information generation unit 102. The location management information generation unit 102 recognizes from the detected ID information (1000) that the detected management target is “Nakamura” of “nurse”, and from the source ID information, “Nakamura” Is determined to be in “Room 102”, and this information is recorded in the patient / staff table. In addition, the location registration start time that is the date and time when the nurse enters the room is recorded in the patient / staff table. As a result, information on the first entry in the patient / staff table of FIG. 5B is generated and stored. Other information shown in FIG. 5B is also stored in the same procedure.

  The equipment management device 100 compares the location registration start time of the equipment “A-1” shown in FIG. 5A with the location registration start time of the nurse “Nakamura” shown in FIG. If these values are close to each other (eg, a predetermined threshold value or less), it can be determined that the nurse “Nakamura” brought the equipment “A-1” to the room 102.

  Next, an example of the operation when recording the information of “neighbor” shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the nurse carrying the equipment with the equipment ID “A-1” is “Nakamura”, and “Nakamura” holds the mobile reader 10 including the function of the ID transmission device.

  The mobile reader 10 held by the nurse “Nakamura” receives the ID information (A-1) transmitted from the equipment ID transmitter 20, and receives the ID information (A-1) and the mobile reader 10. A signal including the ID information (ID corresponding to “Nakamura”) is transmitted to the equipment management apparatus 100.

  The ID information acquisition unit 101 of the equipment management apparatus 100 that has received the above signal detects the detected ID information (A-1) and the source ID information (ID corresponding to “Nakamura”) from the received signal. Are transferred to the location management information generation unit 102. From the detected ID information (A-1) and the caller ID information (ID corresponding to “Nakamura”), the location management information generation unit 102 supplies “Nakamura” as a fixture (A-1: sphygmomanometer). "Nakamura" is recorded as a neighbor corresponding to the equipment ID "A-1" in the equipment table.

  In the case where “Nakamura” holds the ID transmission device 20 that is not the mobile reader 10, “Nakamura” is based on the fact that “Nakamura” and the equipment (A-1) are in the same room (Room 102). May be determined to be a neighbor of the equipment (A-1).

  In the above example, an example in which only one person is detected in the room 102 is shown, but when there are a plurality of persons (patients, staff) in the room 102, the plurality of persons are detected, Recorded in the table.

  A method of determining the usage state in the equipment table of FIG. 5A will be described in detail later.

  The table generation / update operation as described above is performed every time the equipment management apparatus 100 receives a signal from the reader. Further, the location management information generation unit 102 determines / updates the use state of each equipment by periodically referring to each table of the location management information.

(About examples of positional relationships)
In the present embodiment, the equipment, staff, and patient have the ID transmission device 20, and the fixed reader 30 receives the ID information transmitted from each ID transmission device 20 and notifies the equipment management device 100 to manage the position. It is based on doing. However, this is an example, and the staff may hold the mobile reader 10, the equipment may include the ID transmission device 20, and the patient and the staff may each hold the mobile reader 10, The staff may have the ID transmission device 20 and the patient may hold the mobile reader 10. In any case, as described so far, the equipment management apparatus 100 can determine the positions of equipment, patients, and staff, and manage them as position management information. Below, the example of the positional relationship of equipment, a patient, and a staff is demonstrated.

  In FIG. 6, the equipment is provided with an ID transmission device 21, the patient has the mobile reader 11, the nurse has the mobile reader 12, and the patient and the nurse are within the radio wave transmission range transmitted from the equipment ID transmission device 21. It is an example in the case of. As shown in FIG. 6, a fixed reader 30 is provided.

  In this case, the fixed reader 30 receives the equipment ID information transmitted from the ID transmission device 21, and manages the equipment ID information and the source ID information (the ID information of the room where the fixed reader 30 is installed) as equipment management. Transmit to device 100. Thereby, the equipment management apparatus 100 can determine that there is equipment in the room in which the fixed reader 30 is provided.

  Each of the patient's mobile reader 11 and the nurse's mobile reader 12 receives the equipment ID information from the ID transmission device 21, and the equipment ID information and the sender's ID information (patient and nurse ID information). Is transmitted to the equipment management apparatus 100. Thereby, the equipment management apparatus 100 can determine that there are a patient and a nurse near the equipment. Since the fixed reader 30 can determine the position (room) of the equipment, it can be determined that the patient and the nurse are at the equipment position (room) by determining that the patient and the nurse are near the equipment. Is possible.

  When the mobile readers 11 and 12 include the function of the ID transmission device with respect to the positions of the patient and the nurse, the fixed reader 30 receives the ID information transmitted from the mobile readers 11 and 12, The positions of the patient and the nurse can be determined in the same manner as the position determination.

  In FIG. 7, the equipment includes an ID transmission device 21, a patient has an ID transmission device 22, and a fixed reader 31 installed in a room or the like has a radio wave reach range transmitted from the ID transmission device 21 and the ID transmission device 22. It is an example when it exists in. In this case, the equipment management device 100 can determine the positions of the patient and the equipment based on the signal received from the fixed reader 31.

  In FIG. 8, the equipment includes an ID transmission device 21, a patient has an ID transmission device 22, a staff has an ID transmission device 23, and a fixed reader 30 installed in a room or the like has the ID transmission device 21, ID transmission. It is an example in the case of being within the reach of radio waves transmitted from the device 22 and the ID transmitter 23. In this case, the equipment management apparatus 100 can determine the positions of the patient, the equipment, and the staff based on the signal received from the fixed reader 30. FIG. 8 shows an example of the use state determination logic. In this example, when the fixed reader 30 detects all the ID information of the equipment, the staff, and the patient, the equipment is in use (or from now on). Use).

(Example of usage status judgment)
The position management information generation unit 102 of the equipment management apparatus 100 can determine the use state of the equipment based on the characteristics of the equipment, the positional relationship between the equipment and another management target, and the like.

  An example of the usage state determination executed by the location management information generation unit 102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The example of FIG. 9 is an example in the case where it is determined that the equipment already determined to be in use by the method described in FIG. 10 is not in use.

  The location management information generation unit 102 detects that the corresponding equipment has moved to a specific location by referring to the location management information (step 101). A “specific place” is a place such as a warehouse, a nurse center, etc., and when equipment is present there, it can be estimated that the equipment is not in use. The “specific location” is stored in advance in the equipment characteristic information storage unit 103 as equipment characteristic information for each equipment, for example, and the location management information generation unit 102 refers to the information.

  After step 101, the location management information generation unit 102 determines whether or not the equipment has moved from the specific location over a predetermined time (step 102). The predetermined time is information stored in the equipment characteristic information storage unit 103 in advance as equipment characteristic information. If the determination in step 102 is Yes (no movement for a predetermined time), the use state of the equipment is changed from being used to not being used (step 103). Moreover, it is good also as making a use state unused in the timing which fixtures entered into a specific place. This case corresponds to the case of “predetermined time = 0” in the above processing flow.

  As described above, in addition to determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed since moving to a specific location, whether the fixture is in a specific location, whether the fixture is in use from the current location for a predetermined time. When it is detected that the object does not move beyond the range, the use state of the equipment may be changed from being used to not being used. This corresponds to, for example, detecting a state in which the equipment is left unused for a long time without using the equipment and setting the equipment to the unused state. The predetermined time in this case may be “average use time” shown in FIG. 4 or may be longer than “average use time” determined separately from “average use time”.

  Another example of the usage state determination executed by the location management information generation unit 102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The example of FIG. 10 is an example in the case where the use state of the equipment is determined based on the characteristics of the equipment, the positional relationship between the equipment and another management target, and the like.

  In step 201, the equipment management apparatus 100 receives a signal including equipment ID from a certain fixed reader. The location management information generation unit 102 refers to the equipment characteristic information storage unit 103 to determine whether or not a nurse is necessary when using the equipment corresponding to the equipment ID (step 202). If the result of determination in step 202 is that a nurse is necessary, the location management information generation unit 102 determines whether there are a patient and a nurse around the equipment (step 203). When it is determined that “the patient and the nurse are around the equipment”, for example, when the patient and the nurse are determined to exist in the same position (room) as the equipment is located (room), For example, it is determined that the patient (mobile reader) and the nurse (mobile reader) have received ID information transmitted from the equipment (ID transmitter). Further, when the patient and the nurse have a mobile reader, as will be described later, when the mobile reader has a function of estimating the distance from the equipment (ID transmission device), the distance between the patient / nurse and the equipment When the distance is smaller than the predetermined distance, it is possible to determine that “the patient and the nurse are around the equipment”.

  If the determination result in step 203 is Yes, the location management information generation unit 102 determines that the use state of the equipment is in use (step 204). When the determination result in step 203 is No, the position management information generation unit 102 determines that the use state of the equipment is not in use (step 205). This is because if one or both of the patient and the nurse are absent, the equipment can be assumed to be unused.

  If the result of determination in step 202 is that a nurse is not required, the location management information generation unit 102 determines whether there is a patient around the equipment (step 206). The case where it is determined that “the patient is in the vicinity of the equipment” is, for example, the case where it is determined that the patient is in the same position (room) as the position where the equipment is located (room), or from the equipment (ID transmission device) For example, it is determined that the patient (mobile reader) has received the transmitted ID information. Further, when the patient has a mobile reader, as will be described later, when the mobile reader has a function of estimating the distance from the equipment (ID transmission device), the distance between the patient and the equipment is a predetermined distance. It is also possible to determine that “the patient is in the vicinity of the equipment” when it is smaller than that.

  When the determination result in step 206 is Yes, the position management information generation unit 102 determines that the use state of the equipment is in use (step 207). When the determination result in step 206 is No, the location management information generation unit 102 determines that the use state of the equipment is not in use (step 208). This is because if there is no patient, the equipment can be assumed to be unused.

  Further, for example, when it is determined that a certain equipment in use has come out of a place where use is estimated (such as a hospital room), the equipment may be changed to unused. However, when making such a determination, if it is detected that the equipment moves with the surrounding patients (such as leaving the room), it may be determined that the equipment remains in use. This assumes, for example, the case of moving while holding an infusion.

  When the equipment / patient exists in the room, the equipment management apparatus 100 periodically receives the equipment / patient ID information from the fixed reader 30 installed in the room, but the equipment / patient is out of the room. Upon exiting, the fixture / patient ID information is no longer received from the fixed reader 30. Thereby, the equipment management apparatus 100 can determine that the equipment / patient has left the room. Further, the equipment management apparatus 100 may determine that the equipment / patient has left the room by confirming that the equipment / patient has been registered at a position different from the room.

  In the processing flow shown in FIG. 10, for example, when it is determined in step 204 that the equipment is “in use”, the patient and the nurse who have been determined to be “in use” If it is determined that one of them is no longer around the equipment, it may be “unused”. Also, if one of the patient and the nurse disappears from the surroundings of the equipment, it is not changed to “unused” immediately. It is good also as making it "unused" when it continues longer than time (for example, toilet time about 5 minutes).

  Also, for example, when it is determined in step 207 that the equipment is “in use” and the patient who has been determined to be “in use” is no longer in the vicinity of the equipment, “unused” " In addition, when the patient disappears from the surroundings of the equipment, it is not changed to “unused” immediately, but the state where the patient has disappeared from the surroundings of the equipment has continued for a certain period of time (for example, about 5 minutes in the toilet). In some cases, it may be “unused”.

  As described above, in addition to determining the state of use based on the position of the equipment, for example, a nurse holding a terminal (smartphone or the like) holds the terminal over the equipment ID transmission device (approaches, makes contact, etc.) Thus, the use state may be changed. For example, when a terminal is brought close to a certain equipment, an ID (may be an ID of a plurality of equipment) is displayed on the terminal screen, and by clicking the equipment ID to be used, “in use” is notified. Also good.

  Also, for example, display a list of nearby equipment on the terminal held by the nurse, and when the nurse wants to use a certain equipment, click on the equipment to notify “in use”. Also good.

(Equipment list display example)
FIG. 11 shows an example of the equipment list displayed on the terminal based on the information transmitted from the equipment list providing unit 105 to the staff terminal.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, the equipment ID, the position, the usage state, and the like are displayed in the order of equipment close to the staff holding the terminal that displays the equipment list. Regarding the display in the order close to the staff, the equipment management apparatus 100 stores in advance the distance between the managed positions (rooms, etc.), and the distance between one position and another position can be uniquely determined. To do. Then, the equipment list providing unit 105 refers to the position management information, confirms the current position (room, etc.) of the staff having the terminal displaying the equipment list, and calculates the distance between the staff and each equipment, Each equipment can be arranged in the order closest to the staff.

  The quasi-unused state shown in FIG. 11 is a case where there is a patient near the equipment, but the usage time assumed for the equipment has passed. In other words, since the patient is nearby, it cannot be determined that the patient is not in use. In this case, if it is detected that the patient is away from the equipment, the quasi-unused state is regarded as unused. In addition, as described above, when it is detected that the patient is away from the equipment, it is not changed to “unused” immediately, but the state where the patient is away from the equipment is longer than a certain time (for example, the toilet time is about 5 minutes). It is good also as "unused" when continuing for a long time.

  As for the “manager” shown in FIG. 11, the equipment management apparatus 100 holds an administrator (ID, etc.) for each equipment in advance, and the equipment list providing unit 105 refers to the information to provide equipment. It is possible to provide administrator information corresponding to. The “carry-in person” is, for example, a staff member who records the same “location registration start time” as the equipment. Further, the “carry-in person” may be a staff close to the equipment at the time of “location registration start time” in the location management information. For example, if the usage status is “Unused” or “Semi-unused”, the “Last User” changes the usage status from “In Use” to “Unused” / “Semi-unused”. If the usage state is “in use”, the staff is using the equipment.

  When the display shown in FIG. 11 is made, the user (staff) can easily confirm where the equipment he / she needs is and whether it is in use. Can be acquired easily.

  Also, as an example, when the equipment list is displayed on the touch screen of a smartphone, the user can contact the person by telephone or message by touching either the administrator / importer / final user. Inquiries about the location of equipment can be made easily.

(Inquiry function)
The equipment list displayed on the terminal allows the staff to easily grasp unused equipment etc., but in this embodiment, in order to confirm whether the equipment can be used more reliably, an inquiry is made. Is possible. The inquiry is assumed to be performed on, for example, semi-unused equipment, but is not limited thereto.

  An example of inquiry processing performed by the inquiry control unit 106 of the equipment management apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 12, a certain staff touches, for example, the equipment (its ID, name, etc.) with respect to the equipment displayed on the equipment list displayed on a terminal such as a smartphone. Alternatively, the equipment ID is input and a predetermined button is touched. By such an operation, an inquiry signal including the ID of the equipment (ID indicating the kind of equipment) is transmitted from the terminal to the equipment management apparatus 100 (step 301). This inquiry signal is a signal that inquires about the presence or absence of unused equipment with the ID.

  In the equipment management device 100 that has received the inquiry signal in step 301, the inquiry control unit 106 refers to the position management information, so that the staff terminal near the equipment related to the inquiry (for example, in the same room) A message for inquiring whether the equipment is unused is transmitted (step 302). The inquiry destination terminal may be a terminal held by each staff member as a mobile leader, or may be a terminal different from the mobile leader. In any case, an inquiry destination address (telephone number, IP address, etc.) is registered in advance in the equipment management apparatus 100 for each staff member. The inquiry message may be a message displayed in characters or a voice message.

  Each staff member having the terminal that has received the inquiry message in step 302 confirms the state of the equipment related to the inquiry, and touches a predetermined button on the terminal, for example, to give a response indicating “unused” or “in use”. It returns to the equipment management apparatus 100 (step 303). Then, the inquiry control unit 106 of the equipment management apparatus 100 transmits a message including information on the name and position of the staff member who has transmitted a response indicating that the device is not used to the terminal of the inquiry source staff member (step 304). In the case of FIG. 12, the name of the staff near the equipment (unused) related to the inquiry is displayed on the terminal of the inquiry source staff. For example, the staff of the inquiry source can contact the staff by touching the name of the staff displayed on the terminal.

  In the above example, the inquiry destination is the staff near the equipment, but the inquiry is made to the selected inquiry destination by selecting any or all of the administrator / importer / final user. You may do it.

  Next, another example of processing performed by the inquiry control unit 106 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 13, the inquiry control unit 106 periodically refers to the location management information, so that the staff A having a certain equipment enters the room (step 401), and the staff leaves the equipment (staff). It is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed (from step 402). If it is determined in step 402 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the inquiry control unit 106 transmits a message asking whether or not the equipment is in use to the staff A terminal (step 403). Staff A answers whether the equipment is in use or not in use according to the use status of the equipment (eg, touching a predetermined button).

(Other examples)
In the example described so far, whether the reader has received ID information transmitted from the ID transmission device (whether or not the ID information has been notified to the equipment management device 100), the management target associated with the reader ( ) And the ID transmission device (the management target associated with the ID information) are close to each other (for example, in the same room). And the information on the distance may be further used.

  For example, the reader can estimate the distance from the ID transmission device based on the reception intensity (reception power) of the radio wave carrying the ID information received from the ID transmission device. Then, in addition to the detected ID information and its own ID information, the reader includes the distance from the ID transmission device that is the transmission source of the detected ID information in a signal and transmits the signal to the equipment management device 100.

  In the equipment management apparatus 100 that receives a signal including such distance information, the equipment characteristic information storage unit 103 stores, for example, equipment characteristic information shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, the equipment characteristic information includes a “patient distance in use” indicating a distance between the equipment and the patient when the equipment is used.

  The location management information generation unit 102 can generate location management information as shown in FIG. 15 and store it in the location management information storage unit 104. In the equipment table shown in FIG. 15A, more detailed information (window side, etc.) is added to the “position” than in FIG. 5A. Also included is the distance between fixtures and neighbors. For “window side”, etc., for example, “window side” if the distance from the reader installed near the entrance of the room is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and “path side” (side closer to the entrance) if the distance is less than the predetermined value It can be performed. Also in the patient / staff table shown in FIG. 15B, more detailed information (window side, etc.) is added to the “position” than in FIG. 5B. Further, by using the distance information, when there are a plurality of neighbors (mobile readers) that receive ID information transmitted from a certain equipment (ID transmission device), the person who is present at the closest distance to the equipment is selected. It is possible to record “neighbor” in the equipment table, or record a person present at a distance equal to or less than a predetermined threshold from the equipment as “neighbor” in the equipment table.

  Further, by using the distance information, as shown in FIG. 16, it is possible to include detailed information such as “window side etc.” in the equipment list, and it is possible to determine the equipment usage state with higher accuracy. It becomes. For example, even when certain equipment is in the same room as the patient and nurse, if the distance between the equipment and the patient is larger than the “patient distance in use” shown in FIG. 14, it is determined that the equipment is not in use. Can do.

(Summary of embodiment)
According to the present embodiment, an equipment management apparatus capable of communicating with a user terminal via a network, equipment characteristic information storage means for storing equipment characteristic information, and position estimation for estimating a position of a management target including the equipment Means, a relationship between the position of the equipment and the position of another management target, and a use state determination means for judging the use state of the equipment based on the property information of the equipment, and the position and use state of the equipment There is provided an equipment management device comprising information providing means for transmitting information to the user terminal.

  The other management object is, for example, a person involved in the use of the equipment. In addition, for example, when the use state determination unit detects that the position of the equipment does not change beyond a predetermined time set as the characteristic information, the use state of the equipment is not used. Can be determined.

  The equipment management device further includes inquiry control means for notifying a person who is a management target existing around the equipment when an inquiry about the use state of the equipment is received from the user terminal. Also good.

  In addition, the equipment management device determines that the equipment usage state is in use by the use state judging means because the position of the equipment is close to the position of the person who is another management target. Later, when it is detected that the equipment is separated from the person, a notification means for notifying the person may be provided.

  According to the present embodiment, the user can easily grasp the location and use state of the equipment without performing a reservation operation.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Mobile reader 20 ID transmission apparatus 30 Fixed reader 100 Equipment management apparatus 101 ID information acquisition part 102 Position management information generation part 103 Equipment characteristic information storage part 104 Position management information storage part 105 Equipment list provision part 106 Inquiry control part

Claims (6)

An equipment management device capable of communicating with a user terminal via a network,
Equipment characteristic information storage means for storing equipment characteristic information;
Position estimation means for estimating a position of a management target including the equipment;
A use state determination means for determining a use state of the equipment based on the relationship between the position of the equipment and the position of another management target, and the property information of the equipment;
An equipment management device comprising: information providing means for transmitting information indicating a position and use state of the equipment to the user terminal.   The equipment management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other management target is a person involved in the use of the equipment. The use state determination means determines that the use state of the equipment is not used when it is detected that the position of the equipment does not change beyond the predetermined time set as the characteristic information. The equipment management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 2. An inquiry control means for notifying a person who is a management target in the vicinity of the equipment when receiving an inquiry about the use state of the equipment from the user terminal. The equipment management device according to any one of 3. After the use state determining means determines that the use state of the equipment is in use because the position of the equipment is close to the position of the person to be managed, the equipment and the person 5. The equipment management device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to notify the person when it is detected that the two are separated from each other. An equipment information providing method executed by an equipment management apparatus capable of communicating with a user terminal via a network and comprising equipment characteristic information storage means for storing equipment characteristic information,
A position estimation step for estimating a position of a management target including the equipment;
A use state determination step for determining a use state of the equipment based on the relationship between the position of the equipment and the position of another management target, and the property information of the equipment;
An equipment information providing method comprising: an information providing step of transmitting information indicating a position and use state of the equipment to the user terminal.

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