JP2023150978A - bathroom system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a bathroom system capable of providing a watching service with reduced troublesomeness for a user on a watching side.SOLUTION: The bathroom system comprises: family registration means 20 which registers information on a family structure and information on a person to be watched; biological information acquisition means which acquires biological information of a person being in a bathroom; family estimation means 30 which estimates which member of the family is in the bathroom, on the basis of the information registered by the family registration means 20 and the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition means, and determines whether the estimated family member is the person to be watched; and watching control means 40 which executes watching control when the family estimation means 30 determines that the person in the bathroom is the person to be watched.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to bathroom systems.

Patent Document 1 describes a bathroom system that measures and stores biological information of a bather. The bathroom system described in Patent Document 1 is capable of monitoring the condition of a bather, such as an elderly person or a person requiring care, for example.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-358125

A monitoring service for watching over elderly people in bathrooms has been put into practical use using the technology described in Patent Document 1. In conventional monitoring services, if the person being watched and the person watching live together, the watching service is applied to both parties. For this reason, there are problems such as unnecessary alerts being issued when, for example, a young person being watched is taking a long bath. As described above, in the conventional monitoring service, unnecessary monitoring of the person watching the service occurs, which poses a problem that it is troublesome for the user on the watching side.

The present disclosure is intended to solve such problems. An object of the present disclosure is to obtain a bathroom system that can provide a monitoring service that reduces the annoyance to the user on the monitoring side.

The bathroom system according to the present disclosure includes a family registration means for registering information on the family structure and information on the person to be watched over, a biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of the person in the bathroom, and a system registered by the family registration means. a family estimation means for estimating which family member the person in the bathroom is from the biological information acquired by the biometric information and the biometric information acquisition means, and determining whether the estimated family member is the person to be watched; The present invention includes a monitoring control unit that executes monitoring control when the family estimating unit determines that the person is the person to be monitored.

With the bathroom system according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a monitoring service that reduces the annoyance to the user on the monitoring side.

1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a bathroom system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing an example of family registration by the family registration means of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing an example of operation when starting monitoring control according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing an example of the operation of estimating a family by the family estimating means of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing an example of operation when ending the monitoring control of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing an example of the operation of monitoring control by the bathroom system of the first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an inference device according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

Embodiments for implementing a bathroom system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanations will be simplified or omitted as appropriate. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. Any constituent elements disclosed in the following embodiments and modifications thereof may be freely combined, any constituent elements may be modified, or any constituent elements may be omitted without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. be.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a bathroom system according to the first embodiment. First, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the bathroom system according to the present embodiment will be described.

A bathroom system is realized by, for example, a water heater that supplies hot water to the bathroom, a bathroom dryer that air-conditions the bathroom, and other sensor devices working together. At least some of the components of the bathroom system shown in FIG. 1 may be configured by any one of a water heater, a bathroom dryer, and other sensor equipment. Further, at least some of the components of the bathroom system may be provided in a home appliance outside the bathroom or a terminal device such as a smartphone. Furthermore, at least some of the components of the bathroom system may be provided in an external server device, cloud, or the like. The bathroom system according to the present disclosure can be realized by a single device, or can be realized by a plurality of devices communicating and cooperating.

The bathroom system according to the present disclosure includes biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a person in the bathroom. Examples of the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition means include heart rate, skin temperature, core body temperature, blood pressure, blood flow rate, perspiration rate, respiratory rate, parasympathetic nerve information, sympathetic nerve information, and line of sight. It will be done. The biological information acquisition means may be capable of acquiring at least one of various types of biological information. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the bathroom system includes a motion detection means 10, a heartbeat measurement means 11, a weight measurement means 12, a water level detection means 13, and a hot water temperature detection means 14 as examples of biological information acquisition means. , a photographing means 15, a skin temperature detecting means 16, and a behavior estimating means 17.

The motion detection means 10 detects the motion of a person in the bathroom. The motion detection means 10 is composed of, for example, a human sensor. The heart rate measuring means 11 measures the heart rate of a person in the bathroom. The heartbeat measuring means 11 is composed of, for example, a Doppler sensor or a millimeter wave radar. The weight measuring means 12 measures the weight of a person in the bathroom. The weight measuring means 12 is composed of, for example, a weight sensor installed under the bathtub. The water level detection means 13 measures the water level in the bathtub. The water level detection means 13 includes, for example, a sensor that detects the position of the water surface, or a sensor that measures the volume or weight of hot water. The hot water temperature detection means 14 measures the temperature of hot water in the bathtub. The hot water temperature detection means 14 is composed of, for example, a temperature sensor installed with a pipe that supplies hot water to the bathtub. The photographing means 15 is for photographing a visible image or a thermal image inside the bathroom. The photographing means 15 includes, for example, a camera installed in a bathroom. The skin temperature detection means 16 measures the skin temperature of a person in the bathroom. The skin temperature detection means 16 is composed of, for example, a thermal image camera or a thermopile. The behavior estimation means 17 detects the position of the person and the position of tools in the bathroom using the biological information acquired by each of the above-mentioned means, and estimates the behavior from the detection results. "Action" here means, for example, washing one's hair, washing one's body, taking a shower, or bathing in a bathtub.

As described above, the biological information acquisition means is composed of various sensor devices and the like. Here, the biological information acquisition means may be composed of a contact type sensor device or a non-contact type sensor device. In particular, it is more desirable that the biometric information means be configured to be able to acquire biometric information of people in the bathroom without contact. By making it possible to acquire biological information without contact, it is possible to reduce the burden on the bather and suppress the annoyance to the user.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the bathroom system includes family registration means 20. The family registration means 20 is for registering information on the family structure and information on the person to be watched over. The user inputs information about the family members who use the bathroom using the family registration means 20. "Family information" here means information on family structure such as attributes, age, and gender within the family, such as father, mother, child, or grandfather. Furthermore, the "family information" also includes whether each individual member of the family is a person to be watched over.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the bathroom system includes family estimation means 30. The family estimation means 30 estimates which family member the person in the bathroom is from the information registered by the family registration means 20 and the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means, and the estimated family member is the person to be watched over. This is to determine whether the The family estimation means 30 estimates which family member is present in the bathroom, for example, based on the characteristics of the heartbeat waveform. The family estimation means 30 may estimate which family member is present in the bathroom, for example, based on the physique shown in the thermal image. Further, the family estimation means 30 may estimate which family member is in the bathroom based on information such as whether the person turns off the ventilation when taking a bath or the person who does not turn it off. . Further, the family estimation means 30 may estimate which family member is present in the bathroom based on, for example, body movements or actions. "Body movement" here means, for example, the amount by which the body moves when it is at rest. In addition, "actions" include "first take a shower and wash your head", "wash your head in a tub", "wash your body and then take a bath, then take a bath and wash your hair in the middle", etc. refers to various activities in the bathroom. Further, the family estimation means 30 may estimate which family member is present in the room, for example, based on information about tools such as shampoo or towels used.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the bathroom system includes a monitoring control means 40. The monitoring control means executes the monitoring control when the family estimating means 30 determines that the person in the bathroom is the person to be watched over.

"Watching control" in the present disclosure refers to various equipment controls for realizing a watching service for watching over a person to be watched in a bathroom. An example of "monitoring control" is equipment control that brings biometric information within the normal range when biometric information such as heart rate acquired by the biometric information acquisition means is outside the normal range. Device control for bringing biological information within a normal range includes, for example, water heater control to lower the temperature of water in the bathtub, notification device control to encourage bathing, and the like. In addition, for example, if biometric information such as heart rate acquired by the biometric information acquisition means is outside the normal range, or if a fall of the person being watched is detected, a notification is sent to family members outside the bathroom or to a security company. It's okay. Control may be performed to automatically drain the hot water in the bathtub when an abnormality is detected in the person to be watched over. If the bathing time of the person to be watched exceeds a preset threshold, device control or various notifications may be performed to bring the biological information within the normal range. When executing the "watching control" in the present disclosure, the watching operation is performed when the state of the person to be watched in the bathroom satisfies preset conditions. As described above, this "watching operation" refers to equipment control, various notifications, automatic drainage, etc. to bring the bather into a normal state.

As described above, the bathroom system according to the present embodiment includes the family registration means 20 for registering information on the family structure and information on the person to be watched over, and the biometric information acquisition unit 20 for obtaining biometric information of the person in the bathroom. From the information registered by the family registration means 20 and the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means, it is estimated which family member is in the bathroom, and whether the estimated family member is the person to be watched over. The device includes a family estimating means 30 for making a determination, and a watching control means 40 for executing watching control when the family estimating means 30 determines that the person in the bathroom is the person to be watched over. With the bathroom system configured in this manner, personal authentication is performed and monitoring control is performed only on the monitoring target, so unnecessary monitoring of users who are not the monitoring target can be avoided. With the bathroom system according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a monitoring service that reduces the annoyance to the user on the monitoring side.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing an example of family registration by the family registration means 20 of the first embodiment. The family registration means 20 includes, for example, a family registration button that is a user interface installed in a water heater remote control, a kitchen remote control, or an application on a terminal such as a smartphone. Family registration by the family registration means 20 is started when the user presses this family registration button. In family registration by the family registration means 20, first, it is determined whether the family registration is a new family registration (step S100).

If it is a new family registration, it is determined whether the number of family members has been input (step S101). The process in step S101 continues until the number of family members is input. If the number of family members has been input, it is determined whether family information, that is, whether the person is the person to be watched over, and various information such as age and gender has been input (step S102). The process in step S102 continues until family information is input. When the processes of step S101 and step S102 are completed, that is, when the user completes the input of the family structure information, the family registration by the family registration means 20 ends.

In this embodiment, the user can modify family information. For example, after operating the family registration button, if the family registration is not new, the system determines that the family information is to be modified by the user. If it is determined in step S100 that the family registration is not new, it is determined whether a family whose information is to be corrected has been selected (step S103). The process in step S103 continues until a family to be corrected is selected. When the family to be corrected is selected, it is determined whether the corrected family information, that is, whether the family is the person to be watched over, and whether various information such as age and gender has been input (step S104). The process in step S104 continues until the corrected information is input.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation when starting the monitoring control according to the first embodiment. First, as a process for determining whether to start monitoring control, for example, it may be determined whether the bathroom system is in a monitoring permission state (step S200). As shown in FIG. 1, the bathroom system may include a monitoring permission button 41 for setting the status of the bathroom system to a monitoring permission state. By pressing the monitoring permission button 41, the user can enable monitoring of the bathroom system. In step S200, if it is determined that the monitoring is not permitted, the subsequent processing may not be performed and the monitoring control may not be started. In this example, since the user can select whether or not to execute the monitoring control, it is possible to prevent unnecessary monitoring control from being performed, for example, when the person to be monitored is not at home. I can do it. Note that the watching permission button 41 may be operated only by the user on the watching side. That is, even if the person to be watched operates the watch permission button 41, the state of the bathroom system may not be changed.

If it is in the monitoring permission state, it is determined whether or not a person in the bathroom has been detected using biometric information etc. acquired by the biometric information acquisition means (step S201). The process in step S201 continues until a person in the bathroom is detected.

When a person in the bathroom is detected in step S201, various types of sensing are started by the biometric information acquisition means in order to estimate which family member the person is (step S202). Then, based on the information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means and the information registered by the family registration means 20, the family estimation means estimates which family member the person in the bathroom is (step S203). Then, it is determined whether the estimated family member is the person to be watched over (step S204). If the estimated family member is not the person to be watched over, the process of step S203 is performed again. If the estimated family member is the person to be watched over, the watching control means 40 starts watching control (step S205).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of family estimation by the family estimation means 30 of the first embodiment. The family estimation by the family estimation means 30 starts when a predetermined amount of biometric information is acquired by the biometric information acquisition means (step S300). The family estimating means 30 analyzes various biological information in order to estimate the family (step S301).

As shown in FIG. 1, the bathroom system may include bathing family designation means 31 for inputting information about the family member who is in the bathroom. The family estimating means 30 may estimate which of the family members is present in the bathroom according to the information input by the bathing family specifying means 31. In this example, the family members can be estimated after knowing who is in the bathroom. In this example, machine learning is performed using correct answer data on who is in the bathroom as training data, making it possible to improve the accuracy of family estimation. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the bathroom system may include a teacher data learning means 32. The teacher data learning means 32 learns that the family estimation result obtained from the analysis result of the data obtained by the biological information acquisition means is the family designated by the bathing family designation means 31. Note that the teacher data learning means 32 may be included in the family estimation means 30.

After the family estimating means 30 analyzes various biological information in step S301, it may be determined whether a family member currently taking a bath is designated by the bathing family member designating means 31 (step S302). If specified, the person estimated from the analysis result learns that the person is a member of the specified family (step S303).

In step S302, if the family member currently taking a bath is not specified, the family member is estimated from the analysis result (step S304). Here, the estimation result may be notified by any notification means (step S305). Then, the user may input whether the estimation result is correct or not using, for example, the bathing family specifying means 31. If it is input that the estimation result is correct, the estimation result is determined to be correct and the family estimation and learning are ended (step S306). If it is input that the estimation result is incorrect, learning of the estimation result is redone (step S307).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation when ending the monitoring control according to the first embodiment. First, as a process for determining whether to end the monitoring control, for example, it is determined whether the bathroom system is in a monitoring prohibited state (step S400). For example, by pressing the monitoring permission button 41, the user can set the bathroom system to a monitoring prohibited state. If the monitoring is not prohibited, it is determined whether a person in the bathroom is detected (step S401). If a person in the bathroom is detected, the process of step S401 is continued.

If the bathroom system is in a monitoring prohibited state or if it no longer detects people in the bathroom, it is determined whether the above-mentioned teacher data is being learned (step S402). If learning of teacher data is in progress, learning of teacher data is ended (step S403), and if learning is not in progress, monitoring control is ended (step S404). Here, information regarding the bather, such as sensing data obtained by acquiring biological information during bathing or bathing time, may be recorded (step S405). The information recorded here may be used to improve the accuracy of family estimation.

The bathroom system may include, for example, a family bathing information storage unit 33 that stores biological information during normal bathing. The family bathing information storage unit 33 stores the data obtained by the biological information acquisition means for each estimated family. In the family bathing information storage unit 33, a database of biological information during normal bathing is constructed from the accumulated data. As the "biological information during normal bathing", for example, the median value of data from multiple past bathing times can be used. Alternatively, the average value of a plurality of data excluding outliers may be used.

For example, the bathroom system performs a monitoring operation when the difference between the biometric information during normal bathing stored in the family bathing information storage unit 33 and the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means exceeds a specific threshold. A monitoring parameter adjustment means 34 may be provided that relaxes the conditions for performing the monitoring operation to conditions that make it easier to perform the monitoring operation. For example, under normal circumstances, a watch-over action is performed when a bath is taken for 20 minutes or more, and when the current situation is significantly different from normal, a watch-over action is performed when a bath is taken for 15 minutes or more. shall be. In this example, when a person takes a bath while feeling unwell, for example, the problem can be detected early by comparing the current condition with the usual condition and correcting the condition.

Further, FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing an example of the operation of monitoring control by the bathroom system of the first embodiment. For example, for a subject whose usual bathing time is longer than the threshold Th1, that is, who usually takes long baths (step S500), device control may be performed to lower the water temperature (step S501). For example, for a subject whose skin temperature change per unit time during normal bathing is larger than the threshold Th2, that is, who is prone to hot flushes (step S502), the ventilation fan may be strengthened to cool the head. Good (step S503). For subjects who are prone to overheating, the conditions for reheating may be made stricter (lowering the threshold of the water temperature at which reheating starts), for example. In addition, for subjects whose heart rate increase per unit time during normal bathing is greater than the threshold Th3 (step S504), monitoring operations such as setting an earlier alert timing compared to other subjects are performed. The conditions may be relaxed to conditions that make it easier for the monitoring operation to be performed (step S505).

Further, the bathroom system according to the present embodiment may include, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, an outside bathroom information acquisition means 50. The outside bathroom information acquisition means 50 is for acquiring biometric information of a person outside the bathroom. The outside-bathroom information acquisition means 50 is composed of sensor equipment, similar to the various biological information acquisition means described above. The family estimation means 30 may also use the biometric information acquired by the outside bathroom information acquisition means 50 to estimate which family member the person in the bathroom is. In this example, estimation accuracy can be improved. For example, when a person in the living room is detected by the bathroom outside information acquisition means 50 installed in the air conditioner in the living room, it can be estimated that someone other than the person in question is taking a bath. Alternatively, if the GPS function of a smartphone is used as the outside bathroom information acquisition means 50, it can be estimated that someone other than the person outside the home is taking a bath. Moreover, according to the outside bathroom information acquisition means 50, before the person to be watched over takes a bath, it is possible to detect in advance that the person to be watched over is taking a bath. Thereby, for example, monitoring operations such as lowering the water temperature can be performed in advance.

For example, the family estimation means 30 estimates which family member is outside the bathroom from the biometric information acquired by the outside bathroom information acquisition means 50, and determines whether the estimated family member is the person to be watched over. You may. Using this determination result, the bathroom system includes bathroom exterior monitoring control means 60 that notifies the inside of the bathroom when an abnormality of the person to be watched is detected when the person to be watched is outside the bathroom. It's okay. In this example, if an abnormality occurs in the person to be watched outside the bathroom while the user watching is taking a bath, immediate action can be taken.

Further, FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the inference device 70 according to the first embodiment. Some of the functions of the bathroom system, particularly the functions of the family estimation means 30 and the teacher data learning means 32, can be realized by using the inference device 70. By using the inference device 70, it becomes possible to automatically perform more appropriate estimation and learning.

The inference device 70 includes a data acquisition section 71 and an inference section 72. The processing circuit of the inference device 70 includes, for example, a processor and a memory (not shown). The inference device 70 controls the operation of the inference device 70 by executing preset processing by a processor executing a program stored in a memory. That is, the processor executes the program stored in the memory in the inference device 70, and the hardware and software of the inference device 70 cooperate, so that the functions of the data acquisition section 71 and the inference section 72 included in the inference device 70 are performed. Realized.

The processor is also referred to as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. Examples of the memory include nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM, magnetic disks, flexible disks, optical disks, compact disks, minidisks, and DVDs.

Note that the processing circuit may be formed as dedicated hardware, for example. A portion of each of the processing circuits may be formed as dedicated hardware, and these processing circuits may be equipped with a processor and memory. Processing circuits that are partially formed as dedicated hardware include, for example, single circuits, composite circuits, programmed processors, parallel programmed processors, ASICs, FPGAs, or combinations thereof.

The learned model storage unit 80 stores learned models. The trained model stored in the trained model storage unit 80 is for inference from the input data to the data acquisition unit 71. The trained model stored in the trained model storage unit 80 is generated by, for example, a learning device. The learned model storage unit 80 is provided, for example, in a server device or the like that is provided to be able to communicate with the inference device 70. Further, the learned model storage unit 80 may be provided in the inference device 70.

The data acquisition unit 71 of the inference device 70 acquires input data to the inference device 70 . The input data includes the various biological information described above. The inference unit 72 of the inference device 70 uses the learned model stored in the learned model storage unit 80 to perform family estimation etc. from the input data acquired by the data acquisition unit 71. The inference unit 72 can output an estimation result inferred from the input data by inputting the input data acquired by the data acquisition unit 71 into the learned model. In this way, the inference unit 72 outputs an estimation result from the input data acquired by the data acquisition unit 71 using the learned model for estimating the family from the input data.

Further, the inference device 70 may further include a model updating section 73. The model update unit 73 of the inference device 70 updates the learned model based on the estimation result output from the inference unit 72. When updating this model, the data acquisition unit 71 acquires input data again after the estimation result is output from the inference unit 72. Then, the model updating unit 73 updates the trained model stored in the trained model storage unit 80 using the input data acquired again by the data acquisition unit 71. The model update unit 73 can update the learned model by the same process as the learning device generates the learned model. The learned model updated by the model updating section 73 is stored in the learned model storage section 80 and used for the next inference by the inference section 72.

In updating the learned model, for example, it is evaluated whether the estimation result by the family estimating means 30 matches the teacher data input by the bathing family specifying means 31. The learned model is updated according to the evaluation result. The evaluation may be performed automatically by the environmental control system itself, or may be performed using subjective evaluation information input by the user.

10 Movement detection means 11 Heart rate measurement means 12 Weight measurement means 13 Water level detection means 14 Hot water temperature detection means 15 Photography means 16 Skin temperature detection means 17 Behavior estimation means 20 Family registration means 30 Family estimation means 31 Bathing family designation means 32 Teacher data Learning means 33 Family bathing information storage unit 34 Monitoring parameter adjustment unit 40 Monitoring control unit 41 Monitoring permission button 50 Bathroom outside information acquisition unit 60 Bathroom external monitoring control unit 70 Inference device 71 Data acquisition unit 72 Inference unit 73 Model update unit 80 Learned model storage

Claims (6)

a family registration means for registering information on the family structure and information on the person being watched over;
a biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a person in the bathroom;
From the information registered by the family registration means and the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means, it is estimated which family member the person in the bathroom is, and it is determined whether the estimated family member is the person to be watched over. family estimation means,
a monitoring control unit that executes monitoring control when the family estimating unit determines that the person in the bathroom is the person to be monitored;
Bathroom system with. A method for specifying a family member while taking a bath, which inputs information about the family member who is in the bathroom;
Equipped with
2. The bathroom system according to claim 1, wherein the family estimating means estimates which of the family members is the person in the bathroom, according to information input by the bathing family specifying means. 3. The bathroom system according to claim 1, wherein the biological information acquisition means is capable of acquiring biological information of a person in the bathroom in a non-contact manner. a family bathing information storage unit that stores biological information during normal bathing;
When the difference between the biometric information during normal bathing stored in the family bathing information storage unit and the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means exceeds a specific threshold, the monitoring operation is performed when the monitoring control is executed. monitoring parameter adjustment means for relaxing the conditions for performing the monitoring operation to conditions that make it easier to perform the monitoring operation;
The bathroom system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: An outside bathroom information acquisition means for acquiring biological information of a person outside the bathroom;
Equipped with
The bathroom according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the family estimation means estimates which family member the person in the bathroom is based on the biological information acquired by the outside bathroom information acquisition means. system. Bathroom exterior monitoring control means for notifying the inside of the bathroom when an abnormality of the person to be watched is detected when the person to be watched is outside the bathroom;
The bathroom system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

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