JPH09238909A - Safety checking system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable checking for the contents to find events occurring in a subject by judging the safety of the subject with a non-invasion type bimetal sensor to report the results to a portable wireless apparatus while driving an annunciation means to send the contents showing the safety status of the subject when abnormality is determined in the subject. SOLUTION: An output of a non-invasion type bimetal sensor 3 is connected to a safety judging means 6 to judge the safety of a subject 1 through a wireless transmitter 4 and a wireless receiver 5. When judging abnormality in the subject 1, the safety judging means drives an annunciation means 7 and further, the annunciation means 7 automatically dials in a telephone number of a pocket pager. After the connection to the central station 11 of the pocket pager is completed, the safety judging means 6 transmits a code corresponding to an event of abnormality generated to the central station 11 of the pocket pager through the annunciation means 5. With the access to a slave means 16 from a portable telephone set 13, the slave means 16 drives the safety judging means 6 to call the output of the non-invasion type bimetal sensor 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for confirming the safety of an elderly person living alone, a physically handicapped person, a patient, etc. and making an emergency call when an abnormality is determined.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional safety confirmation system of this type is generally shown in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-46160. The configuration will be described below with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, on the dwelling unit side 100, a two-way communication terminal network control unit (T-NCU) 101 connected to a subscriber telephone line 200, an adapter device 102, an electronic water meter 103, Presence / absence detection means 104 including a moving body sensor and an electric lock for detecting presence / absence of a resident, abnormality detection means 105 such as a fire, emergency notification means 106 such as a push button, indicator lights, a buzzer, etc. An alarm means 107 is provided.

The adapter device 102 automatically notifies the user when the amount of water used by the electronic water meter 103 is not constant for a predetermined time and when there is an emergency notification signal from an emergency notification means 106 such as a push button. If the presence / absence detecting means 104 including a moving body sensor and an electric lock is absent, the notification is stopped. Further, when the abnormality detecting means 105 such as a fire sensor is activated, or when the electronic water meter 103 clearly determines that there is an abnormality in water equipment or water leakage, the resident is informed by an alarm means 107 such as an indicator light or a buzzer. It was.

[0004]

However, in the conventional safety confirmation system, since the information is indirectly determined only from the information of the electronic water meter and the presence / absence detection means, even if the emergency call is received, the target person will not be affected. I can't confirm what is happening. In particular, when the subject was a bedridden elderly person, the caregiver could not look away with peace of mind, and the mental burden on caregiving was extremely heavy.

Further, it was not possible to know even if a caregiver or family member wants to know the current safety condition of a subject from a remote place, rather than a report after the occurrence of an abnormality. There is a method to make a call to confirm that the target person is out, but it may bother you to wake up the sleeping person, and if you frequently make a phone call just to confirm the safety of the person, you may feel uneasy. It gives a feeling. In addition, it cannot support people who are hard of hearing and who are bedridden and cannot be answered.

Further, in order to continuously grasp the safety condition of the subject, it is conceivable to have the subject always wear a biometric device such as a Holter electrocardiograph, which is very important for the subject himself. It was annoying. In particular, elderly people are prone to skin irritation, and it is not desirable to wear electrodes or cuffs for a long time. A portable emergency call button system has also been put into practical use, but in many cases the target person does not wear it, and there was a problem that even in the event of a seizure or a fall, even the button could not be pressed. . This is especially true for the elderly with dementia and the physically handicapped.

Although it may be possible to specially equip a surveillance camera, the privacy of the subject is violated, and the subject himself becomes aware that he is always being watched. Further, there is a problem that the image transmission system becomes expensive.

Further, in order to grasp the safety condition without wearing the biometric device on the subject person, a large number of non-invasive vital sensors have to be installed and wired in the household goods, electric appliances or facility equipment in the house. However, there was also the problem that it took a lot of time and effort for the installation work.

Further, when the non-invasive vital sensor is installed in a household item such as a dwelling, an electric appliance or an equipment, the presence or absence of abnormality cannot be generally stated only from the instantaneous sensor output value. There is also a problem that noise caused by the movement of the target person or changes in the surrounding environment is mixed into the sensor signal, resulting in a false alarm.

There is also a problem that the individual's life behavior and biological signals are very different from one another, and if the criteria for normality and abnormality are fixed uniformly, many erroneous determinations cannot be put to practical use.

Further, even if the same person maintains a normal state, the biological signal changes depending on aging, season, time zone, etc. Therefore, if the criterion for making an abnormality is fixed, erroneous determination will gradually occur. There was also the issue of becoming.

[0012]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a bed, toilet, bathtub, air conditioner,
Safety determination means for determining the safety status of a subject by stages or types by non-invasive vital sensors such as a thermometer, a blood pressure monitor, a heart rate monitor, a respirometer, and a weight scale attached to equipment such as a carpet, an electric blanket, and a chair. And a reporting means for reporting to a portable wireless device such as a pager or a mobile phone, and the safety determining means drives the reporting means to display the content of the safety of the target person when determining the abnormality of the target person. It is what is sent.

According to the above invention, since the non-invasive vital sensor is attached to the daily necessities, electric appliances or facility equipment in the house, the subject person can watch without feeling any discomfort. The safety status of the target person is judged by stages or types, and the details of the abnormality can be grasped in detail even at the emergency call destination, so that appropriate measures can be suggested. When an abnormality occurs, the notification means reports to a predetermined portable wireless device and a message is displayed, so that the caregiver can take his eyes off the target person if he / she even carries this portable wireless device.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention comprises safety determining means for determining the safety status of a subject by stage or type by a non-invasive vital sensor, and reporting means for reporting to a predetermined portable wireless device. The safety determining means drives the notifying means and sends the content of the safety of the target person when the abnormality of the target person is determined.

When an abnormality occurs, the contents of the safety information are clearly displayed on a predetermined portable wireless device, so that the caregiver can look away from the target person if he or she carries even this portable wireless device. In particular, it is possible to eliminate the feeling of emotional pressure that was heavy on family members and caregivers who have bedridden elderly people or elderly people living alone in remote areas.

Further, the safety determining means comprises a safety determining means for determining the safety condition of the subject by a non-invasive vital sensor in stages or by type, and a receiving means for receiving a calling signal from a predetermined portable wireless device. When called from the portable wireless device, the contents of the safety of the subject are transmitted.

Even after the occurrence of the abnormality, the caregiver or family member can grasp the current safety condition of the target person from a remote place actively and without bothering the target person.

In addition, the non-invasive vital sensor is equipped with a safety judgment means for judging the safety condition of the subject by stage or type by the non-invasive vital sensor mounted on the household goods, electric appliances or equipments in the house. It is a thing.

Since the non-invasive vital sensor is attached to daily life goods, electric appliances or equipments in the dwelling, even if the subject himself or herself is not aware, the subject's natural living behavior in the dwelling can be used to determine the safety condition. It can be judged continuously.

Further, vibration, temperature, weight,
A plurality of non-invasive vital sensor for detecting physical signals such as sound, light, wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the output signals of the plurality of non-invasive vital sensors, and wireless reception for receiving signals from the wireless transmission means Means, and safety determination means for classifying the safety status of the subject person by stage or by type through the wireless reception means.

Vibration, temperature, weight, sound, etc. originating from the subject
Since multiple non-invasive vital sensors that detect physical signals such as light are provided, it is possible to directly detect current life and life activities. Since the output signals of a plurality of non-invasive vital sensors are wirelessly transmitted within the house, the installation work of each non-invasive vital sensor is dramatically simplified. Since it is wireless, there is no need to disturb the wiring code or spoil the aesthetics of the room.

Further, since the continuation judging means for judging the safety condition of the subject based on the predetermined range duration of the output signal of the non-invasive type vital sensor is provided, it is possible to use the transient noise caused by the action of the subject or the change of the surrounding environment. There is no wrong decision. False detection is reduced by determining an abnormality with a short duration if the sensor output has a very high risk and with a long duration if the sensor output has a low risk.

Further, by providing the manual adjusting means capable of manually adjusting the output signal of the non-invasive vital sensor or the safety judgment condition, it is possible to flexibly cope with living activities and biological signals having a large individual difference and remarkably reduce erroneous judgment.

Further, since the learning determination means for automatically adjusting the output signal of the non-invasive vital sensor or the safety determination condition is provided, the safety determination condition follows the biological signal which changes according to aging, season, time zone and the like. The erroneous determination can be reduced.

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, 1 is a subject, 2 is a bed, and 3 is a non-invasive vital sensor. The output of the non-invasive vital sensor 3 is connected to the safety determination means 6 for determining the safety status of the subject 1 via the wireless transmitter 4 and the wireless receiver 5. A 400 MHz band specific low-power radio is used between the wireless transmitter 4 and the wireless receiver 5, and wireless communication with a line of sight of about 200 m is possible in the house. If the safety determination means 6 determines that the subject 1 is abnormal, the safety determination means 6 drives the notification means 7, and further notifies the notification means 7.
Automatically dials a given pager phone number. By the automatic dialing operation of the reporting means 7, the first exchange 8,
After the connection of the public telephone network 9, the second exchange 10 and the pager central office 11 is completed, the safety judgment means 6 transmits a code corresponding to the abnormal event to the pager central office 11 via the notification means 5. When the pager central station 11 sends a code corresponding to an abnormal occurrence event to the pager terminal device 12, an alarm sound sounds at the pager terminal device 12, for example, "There is no movement on the bed for a long time. The message of an abnormal event such as "." And the output data content of each non-invasive vital sensor are displayed. Also, from the mobile phone 13 to the mobile phone central office 1
4, third exchange 15, public telephone network 9, first exchange 8
When the incoming call means 16 is accessed via
Drives the safety determining means 6 to drive the non-invasive vital sensor 3
It is a configuration that calls the output of. The output contents of the non-invasive vital sensor 3 called up here are transmitted from the safety determination means 6 to the mobile phone 13 via the voice response means 17 by a voice synthesis sound. Wireless receiver 5, safety determination means 6,
The notification means 7, the incoming call means 16 and the voice response means 17 are housed in one case, and the telephone 18 can be switched and used.

The structure of the non-invasive vital sensor 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The non-invasive vital sensor 3 has a vibration sensor 3b, a temperature sensor 3c, a humidity sensor 3d, a voice sensor 3e, and a weight sensor 3f incorporated in a mattress 3a. The output signal of the vibration sensor 3b is further connected to the body movement extraction unit 3g, the heartbeat extraction unit 3h, and the respiration extraction unit 3i, and detects the body movement, heart rate, and respiration rate associated with the movement and life activity of the target person 1. Similarly, the temperature, humidity, weight, and voice data derived from the subject 1 are also detected at the same time. Although not shown here, the vibration sensor 3b, the temperature sensor 3c, the humidity sensor 3
The sound sensor 3e and the sound sensor 3e are provided at the upper portion and the lower portion of the mattress, respectively, and cancel dark vibration, temperature, air humidity, and external dark noise components from the outside. That is, the non-invasive vital sensor 3 has a configuration in which the body movement, heart rate, respiration rate, temperature, humidity, and utterance amount derived from the subject 1 existing above the mattress 3a can be effectively extracted.

Next, the structure of the safety determining means 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the body movement extraction unit 3g, the heartbeat extraction unit 3h, and the respiration extraction unit 3 of the non-invasive vital sensor 3
i, temperature sensor 3c, humidity sensor 3d, voice sensor 3
e, the output of each of the weight sensors 3f is the body movement abnormality determination unit 6
1, heartbeat abnormality determination unit 62, respiratory abnormality determination unit 63, temperature abnormality determination unit 64, humidity abnormality determination unit 65, voice abnormality determination unit 6
6. The weight abnormality determination section 67 is connected to each abnormality determination section. Further, the abnormality determination units 61 to 67 are the notification event generation unit 6
8 and the in-bed determination unit 69. The presence determination unit 69 determines whether or not a human body is present on the mattress 3a, and plays a role of a gate switch that permits the operation of the notification event generation unit 68 only when the human body is present. In the notification event generation unit 68, if any of the abnormality determination conditions of 61 to 67 is satisfied, the output content of the non-invasive vital sensor 3 (not only the sensor information involved in the abnormality determination) is output. The items are coded and output to the safety determination means 6. Of the abnormality determination operations of the abnormality determination units 61 to 67, the body movement abnormality determination unit 61 will be described as an example.
In FIG. 4, the classification means 61a calculates the amount of body movement from the output signal of the body movement extractor 3g.
It is defined as the vibration acceleration level (effective value) in the 0.1 to 30 Hz band generated at the upper part. Abnormal level conversion means 61
b indicates the amount of body movement calculated by the amount of body movement calculating means 61a.
It is classified into 8 levels as shown in the table and converted to an abnormal level. The continuity determination means 61c is the abnormality level conversion means 61b and the first
Is connected to the timer 61d.

[0028]

[Table 1]

The first timer 61d calculates the duration of each abnormal level, and when the duration exceeds a predetermined allowable duration, the first timer 61d regards the notification condition as being satisfied and sends a signal to the notification event generator 68. In the example of Table 1, the abnormal level and the duration time corresponding to each classification number are sequentially accumulated, and the product is 1.0
When it exceeds, the reporting condition is met. Even if the classification number shifts from 3 to 2, the accumulated value is not cleared and is accumulated, but the area where the amount of body movement is once abnormal level 0 (classification number 5
If it moves to 7), the integrated value is cleared to 0. On the other hand, the output of the body movement amount calculating means 61a is also connected to the difference means 61e. The output of the difference method / body movement amount calculating means 61a is also connected to the difference means 61e. The difference means 61e calculates the time change of the body movement amount. The non-variation judging means 61f is connected to the difference means 61e and the second timer 61g, and conversely, the body movement amount time change exceeding the predetermined value is kept for a predetermined time or more, as opposed to the case where the body movement amount time change for the predetermined time or more continues for a predetermined time or more. When it continues, it is considered that the notification condition is satisfied and a signal is sent to the notification event generation unit 68.

Similarly, regarding the heartbeat, respiration, temperature, humidity, voice, and weight, the abnormality is judged for the continuation of the abnormal level and the continuation of the excessive fluctuation or the excessive fluctuation, so that the description will be omitted.

The operation and action will be described. Since the non-invasive vital sensor 3 is attached to the bed 2, it is possible to continuously determine the safety condition without impairing the feeling of sleep of the subject 1, and the pager terminal device when an abnormality occurs. Since the safety information is clearly displayed in 12, it is possible to provide the caregiver with a sense of security that "don't worry if you take your eyes off temporarily." Even after the occurrence of an abnormality, the caregiver and family can use the mobile phone 13 to grasp the current safety condition without bothering the target person.

Further, since the non-invasive vital sensor 3 for detecting physical signals such as vibration, temperature, humidity, voice, and weight originating from the subject 1 is provided, it is less susceptible to the influence of disturbance and the present life and life are comprehensively affected. Can detect activity. Further, since the output signal of the non-invasive vital sensor 3 is wirelessly transmitted in the house, the installation work of each non-invasive vital sensor is dramatically simplified. Since it is wireless, there is no need to disturb the wiring code or spoil the aesthetics of the room. Installation in an existing house is also easy.

Further, since the continuation judging means 61c for judging the safety condition of the subject based on the duration of the predetermined range of the output signal of the non-invasive vital sensor 3 is provided, the transient noise caused by the action of the subject and the change of the surrounding environment. There is no erroneous judgment. If the sensor output has a very high risk such as "no life activity", it is judged to be abnormal in a short duration, and if the sensor output has a low risk such as "not rolling over for a long time", it is judged to be abnormal in a long duration. By doing so, it is possible to take appropriate measures at the report destination. Also, the fluctuation determination means 61
By f, it is possible to determine that there is no fluctuation that is peculiar to the living body, even if abnormality is not determined based on the amount of body movement itself. Therefore, in some cases, even if one individual person does not notice it It is possible to detect an abnormality quickly.

Although the non-invasive vital sensor 3 is attached to the bed 2 here, it is attached to daily commodities such as toilet seats, bathtubs, chairs, doors, rugs, carpets, blankets, etc., for electrocardiogram and blood pressure. , Vital signs such as body temperature may be measured in combination. This will eliminate the time and space gaps in the dwelling. In addition, as a remote notification / confirmation destination, the public telephone network 1
Pager terminal device 12 and mobile phone 13 through 9
However, the communication medium is not limited to this. A private line such as a local wireless transmission / reception system, CATV, or high speed ISDN may be used.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the body movement abnormality determining means 61 in the safety confirmation system of Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Although only the configurations of the abnormality determination units 61 to 67 are different from the first embodiment, the body movement abnormality determination unit 61 will be described as an example here. In FIG. 5, the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment have the same structure, and the description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 61h denotes a switching means, which is a switch for transmitting the output signal of the body movement amount calculating means 61a as it is without processing it, or passing the manual adjusting means 61i or the learning determining means 61j in one of three directions. The manual adjustment means 61i changes the body movement amount calculated by the body movement amount calculation means 61a from -30 dB to +30 d.
It is an attenuator / amplifier configuration that manually applies a bias to B. Further, the manual adjustment means 61i is also provided with a switch for forcibly outputting a body movement amount corresponding to a situation such as classification number 1 or 8 that rarely occurs, and making a test error report.

A room temperature detecting means 61k, which is an external environment, is connected to the learning determining means 61j, and virtual body movement amount correction processing is performed so that the abnormality determination is more likely to occur as the room temperature is lower. Further, the body movement amount is corrected from the past movement amount transition during the bed time. The body movement amount of the subject 1 in the normal living state is always measured based on the history of the past several days, and the abnormality determination condition is updated within a certain range from here.

Next, the operation and action will be described. By manually biasing the output signal of the body movement amount calculating means 61a by the manual adjusting means 61i, the strictness of the safety judgment condition can be freely changed, and the individual difference of It can flexibly respond to large living activities and biological signals, and can significantly reduce false determinations. In addition, since the learning determination means 61j is provided, the safety determination condition is automatically adjusted according to the body movement that normally changes depending on the room temperature. In addition, the distribution of the body movements that the subject 1 generates in daily life is measured from the average value and the standard deviation of the body movements over the past several days, and the body movements are determined to be abnormal when the deviation from the distribution range is large. A correction process is performed, and this correction amount is also updated sequentially. As a result, it corresponds to the amount of body movement that varies with each individual, each season, or with the aging of the target person 1, and reduces false judgments such as frequent occurrence of abnormal reports even though they are not abnormal, or conversely not reporting. Will be done.

Similarly, regarding heartbeat, respiration, temperature, humidity, voice, and weight, an abnormality determination is made for continuation of an abnormal level and continuation of undervariation or overvariation, and a description thereof will be omitted.

Here, the manual adjustment means 61i and the learning determination means 61j are switched and connected to the body movement amount calculation means 61a to perform the body movement amount correction. However, in the abnormal level classification (Table 1) in the first embodiment. You can change the content itself.

[0040]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the safety confirmation system of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) The portable wireless device enables the caregiver to look away from the target person. In particular, it is possible to eliminate the feeling of emotional pressure that was constantly exerted on the family and caregiver who have bedridden elderly people or elderly people living alone in remote areas.

(2) By providing the receiving device, the caregiver or family member does not have to worry about the target person from a remote place even after the occurrence of the abnormality, and the safety status of the target person is always available when necessary. Can be grasped.

(3) Since the non-invasive vital sensor is attached to the device in the residence, the safety condition can be continuously determined from the natural living behavior of the subject in the residence without the awareness of the subject. .

(4) Since the plurality of non-invasive vital sensors are connected by the wireless transmission means, the installation work is dramatically simplified and the aesthetics of the room is not spoiled.

(5) Since the safety condition is determined based on the duration of the predetermined range, there is no erroneous determination due to transient noise caused by the motion of the subject or changes in the surrounding environment.

(6) Since the safety judgment conditions can be manually adjusted, it is possible to flexibly deal with living activities and biological signals with large individual differences, and erroneous judgments can be significantly reduced.

(7) Since the safety determination condition is automatically adjusted, the safety determination condition follows the biomedical signal that changes with age, season, time zone, etc., and erroneous determination can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a safety confirmation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a non-invasive vital sensor according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a safety determining means of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a body movement abnormality determination unit in the safety determination means of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a body movement abnormality determination unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional safety confirmation system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 target person 2 bed 3 non-invasive vital sensor 4 wireless transmitter 5 wireless receiver 6 safety determination means 7 reporting means 12 pager terminal 13 mobile phone 61c continuation determination means 61i manual adjustment means 61j learning determination means

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A safety judgment device for judging the safety condition of a subject by a non-invasive vital sensor in stages or by type, and a notification device for notifying the safety condition to a predetermined portable wireless device. The safety confirmation system, wherein the determination means drives the notification means and sends the content of the safety of the target person when the abnormality of the target person is determined. 2. A safety determining means for determining the safety condition of a subject by a non-invasive vital sensor in stages or by type, and a receiving means for receiving a calling signal from a predetermined portable wireless device, the safety determining means. Is a safety confirmation system that sends out the content of the safety of the target person when called from the portable wireless device. 3. The safety confirmation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-invasive vital sensor is mounted on a living article, an electric appliance, or a facility equipment in a house. 4. Vibration, temperature, weight, sound, etc. originating from the subject
A plurality of non-invasive vital sensors for detecting physical signals such as light, a wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the plurality of non-invasive vital sensor output signals, and a wireless receiver for receiving signals from the wireless transmitter. The safety confirmation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: safety determination means for classifying the safety status of the target person by stages or types through the wireless reception means. 5. The safety confirmation system according to claim 1, further comprising: continuation determination means for determining the safety status of the subject based on the duration of a predetermined range of the output signal of the non-invasive vital sensor. 6. The safety confirmation system according to claim 1, further comprising a manual adjustment unit capable of manually adjusting a non-invasive vital sensor output signal or a safety determination condition of the safety determination unit. 7. The safety confirmation system according to claim 1, further comprising learning determination means for automatically adjusting a non-invasive vital sensor output signal or a safety determination condition of the safety determination means.