JP7373728B2 - Monitoring support device and monitoring support method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a monitoring support device and a monitoring support method that support a supervisor's patrol monitoring work for a plurality of subjects.

2. Description of the Related Art Monitoring devices for monitoring subjects such as infants are conventionally known. As an example of this type of monitoring device, Patent Document 1 discloses that a camera images a sleeping infant, determines whether or not the infant shows signs of sudden infant death syndrome, and detects if the infant shows signs of sudden infant death syndrome. A monitoring device that provides notification to the outside is disclosed.

International Publication No. 2016/151966

The present disclosure provides a monitoring support device and a monitoring support method that reduce the burden of a supervisor's patrol work on a subject.

A monitoring support device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a monitoring support device for supporting the work of a supervisor who monitors the plurality of subjects by sequentially looking around the plurality of subjects, and a measuring device that measures the plurality of subjects and the observer by emitting a detection wave toward the observer, and a measuring device that measures the plurality of subjects and the observer based on the information obtained by the measuring device. a position specifying circuit that specifies each position and the position of the observer; and a position specifying circuit that specifies the position of each of the plurality of subjects and the position of the observer identified by the position specifying circuit; At least one selected from the group consisting of a next target person who is a suitable target for the monitor to patrol next time, and a movement route of the monitor from the position of the monitor to the next target person. a determination circuit for determining.

Note that the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized by a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. It may be realized by any combination of programs and recording media.

It is possible to reduce the burden on the supervisor of patrolling and monitoring the subject.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a monitoring support device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the monitoring support device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the measuring instrument of the monitoring support device according to the embodiment, as well as a nurse and a cared person viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an input section of the monitoring support device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing measurement information and monitoring information stored in the memory of the monitoring support device according to the embodiment in chronological order. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a storage table stored in the memory of the monitoring support device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the notification device of the monitoring support device according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the monitoring support method according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the notification device of the monitoring support device according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of determining the next person to be cared for in the monitoring support device according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a storage table stored in the memory of the monitoring support device shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of determining the movement route of a nurse in the monitoring support device according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a storage table stored in the memory of the monitoring support device shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 14A is a diagram showing an example of a travel route determined by the monitoring support device shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 14B is a diagram showing an example of a travel route determined by the monitoring support device shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 15A is a diagram showing another example of the movement route determined by the monitoring support device shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 15B is a diagram showing another example of the movement route determined by the monitoring support device shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 16A is a diagram showing still another example of the movement route determined by the monitoring support device shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 16B is a diagram showing still another example of the movement route determined by the monitoring support device shown in FIG. 12.

(Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure)
For example, when monitoring a person to be cared for, such as an infant who is taking a nap, instead of monitoring only using a monitoring device, a nurse such as a childcare worker should regularly visit the person as a monitor. is needed. In conventional monitoring devices that monitor nurses using non-contact sensors such as cameras, nurses obstruct the detection range of non-contact sensors, and objects that are in the shadow of the nurse, that is, a blind spot from the perspective of the non-contact sensors, are used. There is a problem that the nurse cannot be detected. Furthermore, if the detection is not possible for a long time, the monitoring device will notify the nurse of the abnormality even though the patient is not in any abnormality, resulting in a problem of placing a burden on the nurse's patrol work.

The inventors of the present invention have studied this problem and have come up with a monitoring support device and a monitoring support method that reduce the burden of patrol monitoring work on the supervisor.

A monitoring support device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a monitoring support device for supporting the work of a supervisor who monitors the plurality of subjects by sequentially looking around the plurality of subjects, and a measuring device that measures the plurality of subjects and the observer by emitting a detection wave toward the observer, and a measuring device that measures the plurality of subjects and the observer based on the information obtained by the measuring device. a position specifying circuit that specifies each position and the position of the observer; and a position specifying circuit that specifies the position of each of the plurality of subjects and the position of the observer identified by the position specifying circuit; At least one selected from the group consisting of a next target person who is a suitable target for the monitor to patrol next time, and a movement route of the monitor from the position of the monitor to the next target person. a determination circuit for determining.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of deciding the next subject to be inspected or the trouble of deciding the travel route to the next subject to be inspected, which is a burden for the monitor. Thereby, the burden of patrol monitoring work on the supervisor can be reduced.

Further, the monitoring support device further includes an input unit for inputting monitoring information regarding monitoring results and monitoring times when the monitoring person monitors the plurality of subjects, and the determining circuit is configured to , the next target person, and the travel route.

According to such a configuration, at least one of the target person to be patrolled next and the travel route can be determined by referring to the target person's monitoring information. Thereby, the burden of patrol monitoring work on the supervisor can be reduced.

The determination circuit also uses the monitoring information to obtain, for each of the plurality of subjects, an unmonitored time during which the monitor is unable to monitor the plurality of subjects, and At least one selected from the group consisting of the next target person and the movement route may be determined so that each unmonitored time is within a predetermined unmonitored time.

According to such a configuration, there is no fear that the unmonitored time will exceed the specified unmonitored time, so the supervisor can perform patrolling and monitoring work with peace of mind.

Further, the determining circuit uses the information to determine whether the measuring device measures the plurality of subjects in the shadow of the observer when the measuring device measures the plurality of subjects with respect to each of the plurality of subjects. from the group consisting of the next target person and the travel route so that the unmeasured time of each of the plurality of target people is within the specified unmeasured time. At least one to be selected may be determined.

According to such a configuration, there is no fear that the unmeasured time exceeds the prescribed unmeasured time, so that the supervisor can perform patrol monitoring work with peace of mind.

Further, the measuring device further measures biometric information of the plurality of subjects, and the determining circuit selects at least one selected from the group consisting of the next subject and the movement route based on the biometric information. You may decide on one of them.

According to such a configuration, at least one of the target person to be patrolled next and the travel route can be determined by referring to the target person's biological information. Thereby, the supervisor can perform patrol monitoring work with peace of mind.

The determination circuit also uses the monitoring information to obtain, for each of the plurality of subjects, an unmonitored time during which the monitor is unable to monitor the plurality of subjects, and Among them, the subject with the longest unmonitored time may be determined as the next subject.

According to such a configuration, at least one of the target person to be patrolled next and the travel route can be determined by referring to the target person who has been unmonitored for the longest time. Thereby, the supervisor can perform patrol monitoring work with peace of mind.

Further, the determining circuit may determine the moving route so that the distance traveled by the monitor when moving to the target person next time is the shortest.

According to such a configuration, the moving distance of the supervisor is shortened, so that the burden of patrolling and monitoring work on the supervisor can be reduced.

Further, the detection wave may be an electromagnetic wave.

According to such a configuration, the distance, azimuth, and elevation angle to the target object as well as the movement of the target object can be measured in a non-contact manner, so that the burden of patrolling and monitoring work on the supervisor can be reduced.

Further, the determination circuit determines the movement route so that when the supervisor moves to the next target person, the electromagnetic waves do not remain unirradiated to a predetermined target person among the plurality of target people. You may.

According to such a configuration, the unmeasured time for a predetermined subject can be shortened. As a result, it is possible to reduce the work of the supervisor to confirm the unmeasured time, and it is possible to reduce the burden of the supervisor's patrol monitoring work.

The determination circuit also determines which of the plurality of subjects cannot be measured by the measuring device based on the relationship between the position of each of the plurality of subjects, the position of the observer, and the position of the measuring device. The determination circuit includes an extraction circuit for extracting, and the determination circuit determines the moving route so that when the monitor moves to the target person next time, the electromagnetic wave is irradiated to the target person who cannot be measured by the measuring device. You may.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to return the unmeasured time of the subject who could not be measured with the measuring device to 0 seconds. As a result, it is possible to reduce the work of the supervisor to confirm the unmeasured time, and it is possible to reduce the burden of the supervisor's patrol monitoring work.

The monitoring support device may further include a notification device that notifies the supervisor of at least one selected from the group consisting of the next subject and the travel route.

According to such a configuration, at least one of the person to be patrolled next and the movement route can be shown to the supervisor, and the burden of patrol monitoring work on the supervisor can be reduced.

Further, the notification device may notify the monitor of the moving route by illuminating the moving route with visible light.

According to such a configuration, the supervisor can be moved along the movement route indicated by visible light, and the burden of patrol monitoring work on the supervisor can be reduced.

A monitoring support method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a monitoring support method for supporting the work of a supervisor who monitors the plurality of subjects by sequentially visiting the plurality of subjects, the method comprising: and measuring the plurality of subjects and the observer by irradiating a detection wave toward the observer, and measuring the plurality of subjects based on the information obtained by the measurement. specifying the location of each of the subjects and the location of the observer, and determining which of the plurality of subjects is suitable for the observer to patrol next based on the location of each of the subjects and the location of the observer; The method includes determining at least one selected from a group consisting of a next target person who is a target person, and a movement route of the monitor from the position of the monitor to the next target person.

According to such a method, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of deciding the next subject to be patrolled or the trouble of deciding the travel route to the next subject to be patrolled, which is a burden for the monitor. Thereby, the burden of patrol monitoring work on the supervisor can be reduced.

The monitoring support method further includes acquiring monitoring information regarding monitoring results and monitoring times of the plurality of subjects, and in determining, based on the monitoring information, the next subject, and At least one selected from the group consisting of the movement routes may be determined.

According to such a method, at least one of the target person to be patrolled next and the travel route can be determined by referring to the target person's monitoring information. Thereby, the burden of patrol monitoring work on the supervisor can be reduced.

In the present disclosure, all or part of a circuit, unit, device, member, or section, or all or part of a functional block in a block diagram is, for example, a semiconductor device, a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC), or a large scale integration (LSI). ) may be implemented by one or more electronic circuits. An LSI or IC may be integrated into one chip, or may be configured by combining a plurality of chips. For example, functional blocks other than the memory element may be integrated into one chip. Here, it is called LSI or IC, but the name changes depending on the degree of integration, and may be called system LSI, VLSI (very large scale integration), or ULSI (ultra large scale integration). A field programmable gate array (FPGA), which is programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a reconfigurable logic device that can reconfigure the connection relationships within the LSI or set up circuit sections within the LSI can also be used for the same purpose.

Furthermore, the functions or operations of all or part of the circuit, unit, device, member, or section can be performed by software processing. In this case, the software is recorded on one or more non-transitory storage media such as ROM, optical disk, hard disk drive, etc., and when the software is executed by a processor, the functions specified by the software are executed. It is executed by a processor and peripheral devices. A system or apparatus may include one or more non-transitory storage media on which software is recorded, a processor, and required hardware devices, such as interfaces.

Hereinafter, a monitoring support device and a monitoring support method according to one aspect of the present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

Note that the following embodiments will be described using, as examples, a person to be cared for, such as a napping infant, and a nurse, such as a nursery teacher, as representative subjects and supervisors, respectively.

Furthermore, the embodiments described below are all specific examples of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, steps, order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are examples, and do not limit the present disclosure. Further, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the most significant concept will be described as arbitrary constituent elements.

(Embodiment)
[1. Configuration of monitoring support device]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a monitoring support device 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the monitoring support device 100.

FIG. 1 shows a monitoring support device 100 that supports monitoring of patients 1 to 12 in a building. The monitoring support device 100 detects whether there is an abnormality in the cared persons 1 to 12 by, for example, measuring the breathing or heartbeat of each cared person 1 to 12. Note that the number of patients to be cared for is not limited to 12, but may be 3 or more.

Also shown in FIG. 1 is a nurse 50 moving within a building. The nurse 50 checks whether or not there is any abnormality in the cared persons 1 to 12 by patrolling and monitoring the cared persons 1 to 12 who are taking a nap.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the monitoring support device 100 includes a measuring device 110, an input section 120, a control section 130 having a position specifying circuit 140 and a determining circuit 150, and a notification device 180. As shown in FIG. 1, the measuring device 110 and the notification device 180 are installed on the ceiling of a building, and the control unit 130 is installed in one corner of the building. The input unit 120 is carried by the nurse 50.

The measuring device 110 is a device that measures the carers 1 to 12 or the nurse 50 in the building by emitting electromagnetic waves as an example of detection waves. Specifically, the measuring device 110 measures the distance, direction, elevation angle, etc. with respect to the measuring device 110 for each of the cared for persons 1 to 12 or the nurse 50. Furthermore, the measuring device 110 measures the movements (for example, breathing or heartbeat) of the cared for persons 1 to 12 by emitting electromagnetic waves, and detects the biological information of the cared for persons 1 to 12. Detection of biological information is realized using a known radar signal processing method (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-214876).

The measuring instrument 110 is, for example, a Doppler radar, which transmits electromagnetic waves as detection waves into a building and receives reflected waves from the object to be measured, thereby determining the distance, azimuth, and elevation angle to the object to be measured, as well as the object to be measured. The movement of the robot is measured without contact. Detection of the object to be measured is realized using a known radar signal processing method (for example, Japanese Patent No. 4977806). As the frequency of the electromagnetic waves, for example, a millimeter wave band in the range from 30 GHz to 300 GHz is used. The measuring device 110 may measure the measurement object in an omnidirectional mode that does not control either the transmission directivity of the detection wave or the reception directionality of the reflected wave, or may measure the object in an omnidirectional mode that does not control either the transmission directivity of the detection wave or the reception directionality of the reflected wave, or The object to be measured may be measured in the controlled directional mode. Measurement information obtained by the measuring instrument 110 is output to the control unit 130.

In the measuring instrument 110 having the above configuration, when the nurse 50 performs patrol work, the nurse 50 may come between the measuring instrument 110 and the cared for 1 to 12. Therefore, a state (occlusion) occurs in which the measuring device 110 cannot measure the patient who is in the shadow of the nurse 50 when viewed from the measuring device 110.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the measuring instrument 110 of the monitoring support device 100, the nurse 50, and the cared for 1 to 12 viewed from above.

FIG. 3 shows a measurable area A1 in which the person to be cared for can be measured using the measuring instrument 110, and an unmeasurable area (area of hatched dots) A2 in which the person to be cared for cannot be measured. Specifically, patients 1 to 3, 5, 6, and 9 to 12 shown in FIG. 3 are included in the measurable area A1, and patients 4, 7, and 8 are included in the non-measurable area A2. . In addition, in FIG. 3, for example, even if a part of the area where the cared person 4 is present is in the shadow, it is assumed that sufficient measurement information regarding the cared person 4 cannot be obtained, and the cared person who is in the shade is 4 is included in the unmeasurable area A2.

The monitoring support device 100 of the present embodiment supports the nurse 50's patrol monitoring work so that the measuring device 110 is less likely to be unable to measure the patients 1 to 12. The configuration and method for supporting patrol monitoring work will be described below.

The input unit 120 is a device for inputting monitoring information when the nurse 50 monitors the patients 1 to 12 to be cared for. Input unit 120 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The nurse 50 performs patrol monitoring work while carrying the input unit 120 and inputs the monitoring information of the cared for persons 1 to 12 individually.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the input section 120 of the monitoring support device 100.

The screen of the input unit 120 shown in FIG. 4 displays, as an example of monitoring information, the patient 7 to be monitored, the monitoring time that is the time when monitoring was performed, and the quality of the monitoring result. The nurse 50 inputs monitoring information by operating the screen of the input unit 120. The monitoring information input to the input unit 120 is output to the control unit 130 using, for example, wireless communication.

The control unit 130 is composed of, for example, a computer having a processor, a memory, a communication circuit, and the like. Individual components of the control unit 130, which will be described later, may be, for example, software functions performed by a processor executing a program recorded in a memory.

The control unit 130 includes a position specifying circuit 140 and a determining circuit 150, as shown in FIG. Further, the determination circuit 150 includes an extraction circuit 160 and a memory 170. The configuration of the control unit 130 will be described in detail below.

The position specifying circuit 140 specifies the positions of the cared for persons 1 to 12 and the current position of the nurse 50 in the building based on the information obtained by the measuring device 110. The position specifying circuit 140 specifies the positions of the carers 1 to 12 and the nurse 50 in the building, for example, by determining the center of gravity of the scattered points of the object to be measured. The positions of the cared for persons 1 to 12 and the current position of the caregiver 50 specified by the position specifying circuit 140 are output to the extraction circuit 160.

The extraction circuit 160 extracts the measuring device 110 from among the cared people 1 to 12 based on the positions of the cared people 1 to 12 specified by the position specifying circuit 140, the current position of the nurse 50, and the position of the measuring device 110. The system distinguishes and extracts care recipients who cannot be measured and care recipients who can be measured.

The extraction circuit 160 takes the nurse 50 as a cylindrical approximation model, for example, and derives an unmeasurable area A2 that is in the shadow of the nurse 50 when viewed from the measuring instrument 110. Then, the extraction circuit 160 extracts the care recipients that cannot be measured and the care recipients that can be measured, depending on whether or not the care recipients 1 to 12 are included in the non-measurable area A2. In the example shown in FIG. 3, patients 4, 7, and 8 are extracted as patients who cannot be measured by the measuring device 110, and patients 1 to 3, 5, 6, and 9 to 12 are extracted as patients who can be measured. Extracted. Information regarding the measurability of the cared for persons 1 to 12 extracted by the extraction circuit 160 is output to the memory 170. Note that the non-measurable area A2 shown above may be derived by the position specifying circuit 140.

The memory 170 stores information obtained by the measuring instrument 110, information obtained by the extraction circuit 160, and information obtained by the input section 120. Further, the memory 170 stores in advance layout information of the patients 1 to 12, the measuring device 110, and the notification device 180 in the building.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing measurement information and monitoring information stored in the memory 170 of the monitoring support device 100 in chronological order.

FIG. 5 shows biological information of carers 1 to 12, which is one of the measurement information. Specifically, the breathing conditions of the cared for persons 1 to 12 are expressed in waveforms as biological information.

FIG. 5 also shows unmeasured time, which is one of the measurement information. The unmeasured time refers to the time when the measuring device 110 is unable to measure the predetermined patient due to the shadow of the nurse 50 when measuring the predetermined patient. The unmeasured time is accumulated when the patient is not irradiated with the electromagnetic wave ew from the measuring device 110, and is returned to 0 seconds when the electromagnetic wave ew is irradiated. The monitoring support device 100 performs patrol monitoring so that the unmeasured time of each of the cared persons 1 to 12 is within a specified unmeasured time, or so that the shadow time for the cared persons 1 to 12 is shortened. Provide work support. The specified unmeasured time in this embodiment is, for example, 30 seconds.

Further, FIG. 5 shows the presence or absence of a monitoring input, which is one type of monitoring information. The presence or absence of this monitoring input is stored when the nurse 50 finishes monitoring a predetermined patient and inputs the monitoring result and monitoring time into the input unit 120.

Further, FIG. 5 shows unmonitored time, which is one of the monitoring information. The unmonitored time refers to the time during which the nurse 50 is unable to monitor the person being cared for. The unmonitored time is the time from when a monitoring input is made until the next monitoring input is received, and is returned to 0 seconds when the next monitoring input is received. The monitoring support device 100 supports the patrol monitoring work so that the unmonitored time of each of the cared persons 1 to 12 is within the specified unmonitored time. The unmonitored time in this embodiment is, for example, within 300 seconds.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a storage table stored in memory 170 of monitoring support device 100. Note that FIG. 6 is an example showing a different scene from FIG. 5.

The storage table in FIG. 6 shows the unmonitored time and unmeasured time for each of the 12th to 12th cared person. In FIG. 6, the unmonitored time of the cared person 5 is 225 seconds, and the unmonitored time of the cared person 5 is the longest among the cared people 1 to 12. In addition, the unmeasured time for patients 4, 7, and 8 is 10 seconds, 18 seconds, and 12 seconds, respectively, which is longer than that for other patients 1 to 3, 5, 6, and 9 to 12. is getting longer. Note that the unmeasured time occurs for cared persons 2 and 11 because when cared persons 2 and 11 turn over and move, measurement becomes temporarily impossible. . In this case, the unmeasured time returns to 0 seconds relatively quickly, so it is not considered a particular problem.

Using this information stored in the memory 170, the determining circuit 150 determines which of the plurality of patients 1 to 12 should be looked after next, and which nurse 50 should be looked after next. Determine a moving route R1 that connects the. Specifically, the determination circuit 150 determines that the unmonitored time of the cared people 1 to 12 is determined by the specified unmonitored time based on the positions of the cared people 1 to 12 specified by the position specifying circuit 140 and the current position of the nurse 50. The patient to be looked after next and the travel route R1 are determined so that the time is within the specified time. Further, the determination circuit 150 determines the next patient to be looked after and the travel route R1 so that the unmeasured time of the patients 1 to 12 is within the specified unmeasured time. At this time, the decision circuit 150 uses mathematical programming or The patient to be looked after next and the travel route R1 may be determined using artificial intelligence or the like.

In addition to the above-mentioned various information, the determination circuit 150 may determine the next patient to be looked after based on the biological information of the patients 1 to 12 measured by the measuring device 110. For example, when cared for patients 1 to 12 are in an unstable condition, the determination circuit 150 may determine that the cared for in an unstable condition is the highest priority to be visited.

The notification device 180 is a device that notifies the nurse 50 of the patient to be looked after next and the travel route R1 determined by the determination circuit 150. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the notification device 180 of the monitoring support device 100.

The notification device 180 is, for example, a projection mapping device, and uses visible light L1 to navigate a moving route R1 from the current position of the nurse 50 to the next person to be cared for N1 (for example, the person to be cared for 5). By moving along the movement route R1, the nurse 50 can efficiently patrol and monitor the patients 1 to 12 to be cared for. That is, according to the monitoring support device 100 having the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the burden on the nurse 50 of patrolling and monitoring the patients 1 to 12.

[2. Monitoring support method]
Next, a monitoring support method using the monitoring support device 100 will be explained. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the monitoring support method according to the embodiment.

First, the measuring device 110 measures the cared persons 1 to 12 and the nurse 50 by emitting electromagnetic waves toward the plurality of cared persons 1 to 12 and the nurse 50 (step S10).

Next, the position specifying circuit 140 of the control unit 130 specifies the positions of the cared for persons 1 to 12 and the current position of the nurse 50 in the building based on the information obtained in step S10 (step S20). .

On the other hand, the nurse 50 patrols and monitors the patients 1 to 12, and inputs into the input unit 120 the monitoring results of the patients 1 to 12 and monitoring information regarding the time of monitoring. Thereby, the input unit 120 acquires the monitoring information (step S11).

Next, the determination circuit 150 of the control unit 130 selects a plurality of Of the patients 1 to 12, the next person to be looked after N1 and the moving route R1 that connects the nurse 50 and the next person to be looked after N1 are determined (step S30).

Note that in step S30, the determination circuit 150 may determine the next person to be cared for N1 and the travel route R1 based only on the information regarding the position specified in step S20. Further, in step S30, the determination circuit 150 may determine at least one of the next person to be looked after N1 and the travel route R1.

Next, the notifier 180 notifies the nurse 50 of the next person to be cared for N1 and the travel route R1 determined by the determination circuit 150 (step S40). Thereafter, steps S10 to S40 are repeatedly executed as necessary.

As a notification method, notification may be made using visible light L1 as shown in FIG. 7, or as shown in FIG. The moving route R1 may also be displayed.

According to such a monitoring support method, the nurse 50 can save the time and effort of thinking about which person to look after next and what kind of travel route to take. This makes it possible to reduce the burden of patrolling and monitoring work on the patients 1 to 12 to be cared for.

[3. Specific examples of monitoring support device and monitoring support method]
Next, a first specific example of the monitoring support device 100 and the monitoring support method will be described.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of determining the next care recipient N1 in the monitoring support device 100. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a storage table stored in memory 170 of monitoring support device 100 shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 10 shows the state at the time when the nurse 50 has finished monitoring the patient 7. The unmonitored time of cared persons 1 to 12 at this point is as shown in FIG. 11, and the unmonitored time of cared person 5 is the longest. Therefore, the determination circuit 150 of the monitoring support device 100 determines the person to be cared for, N1, who is the next person to be patrolled, among the people to be cared for 1 to 12.

In this way, the determination circuit 150 determines the patient N1 who has not been monitored for the longest period of time among the plurality of patients 1 to 12 as the patient N1 to be patrolled next, so that the nurse 50 can visit the patient N1 next. It is possible to save time and effort in deciding which patient N1 should be cared for. Thereby, the burden on the nurse 50 can be reduced.

Next, a second specific example of the monitoring support device 100 and the monitoring support method will be described.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a specific example of determining the movement route R1 of the nurse 50 in the monitoring support device 100. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a storage table stored in memory 170 of monitoring support device 100 shown in FIG. 12.

In FIG. 12, the state at the time when the nurse 50 has finished monitoring the person to be cared for 7 is shown. As shown in FIG. 13, the unmeasured time for patients 1 to 12 at this point is 10 seconds, 18 seconds, and 12 seconds for patients 4, 7, and 8, respectively. The unmeasured time is longer than for patients 1 to 3, 5, 6, and 9 to 12. Further, among the cared for persons 1 to 12, cared person 5 has the longest unmonitored time. Therefore, the decision circuit 150 of the monitoring support device 100 is designed to ensure that the nurse 50 reaches the next care recipient N1 as soon as possible, or that the unmeasured time for the care recipients 4, 7, or 8 is as short as possible. The moving route R1 is determined as follows.

Three examples of determination will be explained below. The next person to be cared for N1 may be determined in advance by the method shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, or may be determined by receiving a command from another external device.

First, a first determination example will be described with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B. 14A and 14B are diagrams showing an example of the movement route R1 determined by the monitoring support device 100 shown in FIG. 12.

In the first determination example, the moving route R1 is determined so that the moving distance when the nurse 50 moves to the next person to be looked after N1 is the shortest. For example, when the next patient N1 to be patrolled is the patient 5, the determination circuit 150 determines the movement route R1, which is a straight line connecting the current position of the nurse 50 to the next patient 5 to be patrolled. Determine as. The nurse 50 can reach the person to be cared for in a short time by moving from the state shown in FIG. 14A along the moving route R1 as shown in FIG. 14B.

In this manner, the determination circuit 150 determines the moving route R1 so that the moving distance of the nurse 50 is the shortest, thereby reducing the labor of the nurse 50.

Next, a second determination example will be described with reference to FIGS. 15A and 15B. 15A and 15B are diagrams showing other examples of movement routes determined by the monitoring support device 100 shown in FIG. 12.

In the second determination example, when the nurse 50 moves to the next patient 5 to be looked after, it is determined that the electromagnetic wave ew has not been irradiated to a predetermined patient among the multiple patients 1 to 12. The moving route R1 is determined so as to avoid the following. For example, the determination circuit 150 determines whether the nurse 50 is in a position to prevent the electromagnetic wave ew from being irradiated to the patient 6 who is located between the patient 7 who has finished monitoring and the patient 5 to be looked after next. A moving route R1 is determined so as to go around the outside of the patient 6 when viewed from the measuring instrument 110. By moving the caregiver 50 from the state shown in FIG. 15A along this moving route R1 as shown in FIG. 15B, the unmeasured time of the cared person 6 can be shortened.

In this manner, the determining circuit 150 determines the moving route R1 so that the predetermined care recipient is not unirradiated with the electromagnetic waves ew, thereby making it possible to shorten the unmeasured time for the predetermined care recipient. Thereby, the work of the nurse 50 to confirm the unmeasured time can be reduced, and the burden of the nurse 50's patrol monitoring work can be reduced.

Next, a third determination example will be described with reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B. 16A and 16B are diagrams showing still another example of the movement route determined by the monitoring support device 100 shown in FIG. 12.

In the third determination example, when the nurse 50 moves to the next patient 5 to be looked after, the moving route is set so that the electromagnetic wave ew is irradiated to the patient included in the non-measurable area A2. Determine R1. For example, the determination circuit 150 may be configured to irradiate the electromagnetic waves EW anew to the cared persons 4, 7, and 8 whose unmeasured time has occurred due to interruption by the nurse 50; , 8, the moving route R1 is determined so as to temporarily remove the nurse 50 from between. By moving along this moving route R1 from the state shown in FIG. 16A to the state shown in FIG. 16B, the nurse 50 can return the unmeasured time of the patients 4, 7, and 8 to 0 seconds. can.

In this way, the determination circuit 150 determines the moving route R1 so that the electromagnetic wave ew is irradiated to the patient whose unmeasured time has occurred, so that the unmeasured time of the patient can be returned to 0 seconds. can. Thereby, the work of the nurse 50 to confirm the unmeasured time can be reduced, and the burden of the nurse 50's patrol monitoring work can be reduced.

(Other forms)
Although the monitoring support device and the monitoring support method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments. Unless departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, various modifications that can be thought of by those skilled in the art may be made to the present embodiment, and embodiments constructed by combining components of different embodiments may also include one or more of the present disclosure. may be included within the scope of the embodiments.

For example, although FIG. 1 of the embodiment shows an example in which the control unit 130 is installed in one corner of the building, the control unit 130 is not limited thereto. For example, the control unit 130 may be included in the measuring device 110, the notification device 180, or the input unit 120, and may be integrated with each of them. Further, for example, the notification device 180 may be included in the measuring device 110 and may be integrated with the measuring device 110.

Further, the determination circuit 150 may cause a display to be displayed on the screen of the input unit 120 to call attention when the unmeasured time of the cared persons 1 to 12 exceeds a predetermined threshold. Further, the unmonitored time and unmeasured time of each of the cared for persons 1 to 12 may be displayed on the screen of the input unit 120 in correspondence with the time.

Further, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the subject and the monitor are described using, as an example, a cared person such as a napping infant and a nurse such as a nursery teacher, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the subject and the observer are, respectively, a seated customer at a restaurant and a staff member who takes orders from the customer. Good too.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, electromagnetic waves have been used as an example of the detection waves irradiated toward the subject and the supervisor, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, ultrasonic waves may be applied in consideration of the type of medium in which the detection wave propagates, the frequency or wavelength of the detection wave, and other conditions. By emitting waves toward a measurement object and receiving the reflected waves from the measurement object in the target environment, the distance, azimuth, and elevation angle to the measurement object and the movement of the measurement object can be determined. Any wave may be used as the detection wave as long as it can be measured without contact.

The monitoring support device and the monitoring support method of the present disclosure can be widely used in, for example, devices that monitor biological information, such as monitoring systems in daycare centers, nursing care facilities, hospitals, etc., service systems in restaurants, etc.

1 to 12 Person to be cared for 50 Nurse 100 Monitoring support device 110 Measuring device 120 Input section 130 Control section 140 Position identification circuit 150 Determination circuit 160 Extraction circuit 170 Memory 180 Notifier A1 Measurable area A2 Unmeasurable area ew Electromagnetic wave L1 Visible light N1 Next patient to be looked after R1 Travel route

Claims (14)

A monitoring support device for supporting the work of a monitor who monitors a plurality of subjects by sequentially looking around the plurality of subjects,
a measuring device that measures the plurality of subjects and the observer by irradiating detection waves toward the plurality of subjects and the observer;
a position specifying circuit that specifies the position of each of the plurality of subjects and the position of the observer based on information obtained by the measuring device;
Based on the position of each of the plurality of subjects specified by the position specifying circuit and the position of the observer, the observer is a suitable subject to patrol next among the plurality of subjects. a determination circuit that determines at least one selected from the group consisting of a next target person and a movement route of the monitor from the position of the monitor to the next target person;
A monitoring support device comprising: moreover,
an input unit for inputting monitoring information regarding monitoring results and monitoring times when the monitor monitors the plurality of subjects;
The determination circuit determines at least one selected from the group consisting of the next target person and the travel route, based on the monitoring information.
The monitoring support device according to claim 1. The decision circuit is
Using the monitoring information, obtain, for each of the plurality of subjects, an unmonitored time during which the monitor is unable to monitor the plurality of subjects;
determining at least one selected from the group consisting of the next target person and the movement route so that the unmonitored time of each of the plurality of targets is within a predetermined unmonitored time;
The monitoring support device according to claim 2. The decision circuit is
When the measuring device measures each of the plurality of subjects using the information, there is a case where the measuring device is unable to measure the plurality of subjects due to the shadow of the observer. get the time,
determining at least one selected from the group consisting of the next target person and the travel route so that the unmeasured time of each of the plurality of targets is within a prescribed unmeasured time;
A monitoring support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The measuring device further measures biological information of the plurality of subjects,
The determination circuit determines at least one selected from the group consisting of the next target person and the travel route, based on the biological information.
The monitoring support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The decision circuit is
Using the monitoring information, obtain, for each of the plurality of subjects, an unmonitored time during which the monitor is unable to monitor the plurality of subjects;
Of the plurality of subjects, the subject with the longest unmonitored time is determined as the next subject;
The monitoring support device according to claim 2. The determining circuit determines the moving route so that the distance traveled by the monitor when moving to the target person next time is the shortest.
A monitoring support device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. the detection wave is an electromagnetic wave;
A monitoring support device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The determination circuit determines the movement route so that when the monitor moves to the next target person, the electromagnetic waves do not remain unirradiated to a predetermined target person among the plurality of target people.
The monitoring support device according to claim 8. The decision circuit is
an extraction circuit that extracts a subject who cannot be measured by the measuring instrument from among the plurality of subjects from the relationship between the position of each of the plurality of subjects, the position of the observer, and the position of the measuring instrument;
The determining circuit determines the moving route so that when the monitor moves to the target person next time, the electromagnetic wave is irradiated to the target person who cannot be measured by the measuring device.
The monitoring support device according to claim 8. moreover,
comprising a notification device that notifies the monitor of at least one selected from the group consisting of the next target person and the travel route;
The monitoring support device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The notification device notifies the observer of the moving route by illuminating the moving route with visible light.
The monitoring support device according to claim 11. A monitoring support method performed by a computer for supporting the work of a monitor who monitors a plurality of subjects by sequentially looking around the plurality of subjects, the method comprising:
measuring the plurality of subjects and the observer by irradiating a detection wave toward the plurality of subjects and the observer;
Specifying the position of each of the plurality of subjects and the position of the observer based on the information obtained by the measurement;
Based on the position of each of the subjects and the position of the observer, the next subject who is suitable for the observer to patrol next among the plurality of subjects, and the position of the observer. determining at least one selected from a group consisting of a movement route of the monitor from to the next target person;
monitoring support methods including; moreover,
Obtaining monitoring information regarding monitoring results and monitoring times of the plurality of subjects,
In the determining, at least one selected from the group consisting of the next target person and the travel route is determined based on the monitoring information;
The monitoring support method according to claim 13.

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