JP2026001328A - Care monitoring system for people requiring care - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a monitoring system for a person requiring care that detects when a person requiring care leaves their living space, when a fall occurs, or when the person requiring care calls a caregiver, and issues an alarm.
[Solution] A transmitting device 1 worn by a person requiring care transmits a beacon signal, acquires acoustic information and sends it to a communication terminal 2. The communication terminal 2 installed in the living space of the person requiring care transmits a call signal when the call operation unit is operated and transmits the reception status of the beacon signal and acoustic information. A management computer 3 receives the call signal and transmits a call sign display signal, transmits an absence alarm display signal when the reception status of the beacon signal by the communication terminal 2 is not within a set range, and transmits an accident alarm display signal when the acoustic information exceeds a predetermined volume. A display device 4 displays a call sign when it receives the call sign display signal, displays an absence alarm when it receives the absence alarm display signal, and displays an accident alarm when it receives the accident alarm display signal.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a care monitoring system that automatically detects the condition of care recipients, such as elderly people, dementia patients, and young children.

In recent years, society has been aging at a rapid pace, and with a shortage of caregivers due to the declining birthrate, there is a strong demand for automating the monitoring of people in need of care.
In particular, wandering by dementia patients and falls by elderly people can lead to serious consequences, and monitoring to prevent this places an excessive burden on caregivers.

A conventional technique for automatically watching over a person requiring care is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
This conventional technology comprises a transmitter that can be worn by a mobile person and emits radio waves conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, multiple beacon communication devices that can receive the radio waves from the transmitter, and a main control computer that can communicate with the beacon communication devices.The transmitters each transmit a different ID, and when the main control computer receives an ID transmission from a beacon communication device, it assigns points to that ID and transfers the accumulated points to other point systems within the person's living area, creating an incentive to participate in the system and making it possible to predict the behavioral patterns of mobile people.The location information of the beacon communication devices can also be output on a display and used to search for mobile people.

Furthermore, a passive patient monitoring device such as that described in Patent Document 2 has also been proposed.
The device includes at least two piezoelectric sensors mounted on a surface such as a bed, chair, etc., to sense at least one mechanical signal from the patient, and a processor coupled to the piezoelectric sensors to convert the mechanical signal into a digital signal and compare the digital signal corresponding to the piezoelectric sensors to provide data about the patient. An alarm is activated if the patient leaves the surface or falls and fails to meet a predetermined threshold range, or if there are abnormalities in respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, etc., indicating a negative physiological trend.

JP 2016-110618 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-512112

The technology described in Patent Document 1 above can detect when a care recipient approaches the location where a beacon communication device is installed, but searching for the care recipient requires a search request from a family member or caregiver, and it cannot automatically warn of the care recipient's absence. Furthermore, it does not have a function to notify the care recipient of a call or a function to notify the care recipient of an unexpected incident, such as a fall.

The device described in Patent Document 2 above can detect whether a person requiring care is touching a hospital bed or chair, but it cannot detect the condition of the person requiring care while they are living their normal life, and it cannot be used to call a caregiver.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a monitoring system for a care recipient that detects when a care recipient leaves their living space, when a serious incident such as a fall occurs, or when the care recipient calls a caregiver, and then issues an alarm.

The invention of claim 1 of the present application comprises a transmitter that transmits a beacon signal and can be worn by a person requiring care, a communication terminal that can be installed in the living space of the person requiring care and receives the beacon signal from the transmitter, a management computer that can communicate with the communication terminal, and a display device connected to the management computer, wherein the transmitter acquires acoustic information and transmits the acquired acoustic information to the communication terminal, and the communication terminal has a call operation unit that, when operated, transmits a call signal to the management computer and transmits to the management computer the reception status of the beacon signal transmitted by the transmitter, and displays the sound that the transmitter has launched. The management computer receives the call signal and transmits it to the management computer; when the management computer receives the call signal, it transmits a call sign display signal to the display device; when the reception status of the beacon signal by the communication terminal is not within a set range, it transmits an absence alarm display signal to the display device; when the received acoustic information exceeds a predetermined volume, it transmits an accident alarm display signal to the display device; and the display device displays a call sign when it receives the call sign display signal, displays an absence alarm when it receives the absence alarm display signal, and displays an accident alarm when it receives the accident alarm display signal.

The invention of claim 2 of the present application is the care-requiring person monitoring system described in claim 1, characterized in that the display device displays the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm in different colors.

The invention of claim 3 of the present application is the care-requiring person monitoring system described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the display device emits an alarm sound and displays the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm.

The invention of claim 4 of the present application is the care-requiring person monitoring system described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the transmitter acquires vital sign information of the care-requiring person wearing the transmitter, transmits the acquired vital sign information to the management computer via the communication terminal, and the management computer transmits the received vital sign information to the display device for display.

The invention of claim 5 of the present application is the care-requiring person monitoring system described in claim 4, characterized in that the management computer compares the received vital information with an appropriate vital range, and if the vital information is outside the appropriate vital range, sends a vital danger alarm display signal to the display device, and the display device displays a vital danger alarm upon receiving the vital danger alarm display signal.

The invention of claim 6 of the present application is a care-requiring person monitoring system according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of transmitting devices and a plurality of communication terminals corresponding to the transmitting devices, the plurality of transmitting devices transmitting a different ID for each transmitting device, the communication terminal transmitting the received ID along with the call signal, the reception status of the beacon signal, and the acoustic information to the management computer, and the management computer transmitting the received ID, the call sign display signal, the absence alarm display signal, and the accident alarm display signal to the display device, thereby displaying the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm for each care-requiring person.

This invention makes it possible to automatically monitor the condition of a care recipient, and the same care recipient system can be used to prevent accidents caused by the care recipient wandering, or serious incidents caused by the care recipient falling out of bed or tripping, and can also be used to allow the care recipient to call a caregiver.

1 is a schematic diagram of a care-requiring person monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of a transmitting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view of a communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a management computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for monitoring a person in need of care according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a transmitting device according to an embodiment, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a communication terminal according to an embodiment, FIG. 4 is a front view of the communication terminal according to an embodiment, FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a management computer according to an embodiment, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a display device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a front view of the display device according to an embodiment.

In this embodiment, the care-requiring person monitoring system monitors multiple elderly care-requiring people, and as shown in Figure 1, it includes multiple transmitting devices 1, multiple communication terminals 2 corresponding to each transmitting device 1, a management computer 3 that manages the multiple care-requiring people, and a display device 4 connected to the management computer 3.

Each transmitting device 1 is assigned a different ID for identifying the transmitting device 1, and is formed in a wristband shape with belts attached to both sides of the main body so that it can be worn by wrapping it around the wrist of a person requiring care.
As shown in Figure 2, the transmitting device 1 includes an acoustic information acquiring unit 10 that acquires ambient sounds, a measuring unit 11 that acquires vital information such as the heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature of the person requiring care who is wearing the transmitting device 1, and a signal generating unit 12 that generates a beacon signal at predetermined intervals.
The acoustic information acquired by the acoustic information acquisition unit 10, the vital information of the person requiring care acquired by the measurement unit 11, and the beacon signal generated by the signal generation unit 12 are transmitted to the communication terminal 2 via the transmission unit 13 together with the ID.

The communication terminal 2 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and can be installed in the living space of the person requiring care (at home or in a room at a nursing home).
As shown in Figure 3, the communication terminal 2 includes a transmitting unit 20, a receiving unit 21 that receives acoustic information, vital information, beacon signals, and ID transmitted from the transmitting device 1, a calculation/control unit 22, and a display screen 23.
The acoustic information and vital information received by the receiving unit 21 are transmitted from the transmitting unit 20 to the management computer 3 together with the corresponding ID.

When the receiver 21 of the communication terminal 2 receives a beacon signal, the transmitter 20 transmits a beacon reception signal together with the corresponding ID to the management computer 3 .
Furthermore, by selecting the downloaded program, the calculation/control unit 22 of the communication terminal 2 displays a call operation unit 24 on its display screen 23 (FIG. 4). Note that the display screen 23 of the communication terminal 2 can also display vital signs of the care-requiring person simultaneously with the call operation unit 24.
When the call operation section 24 is pressed, the calculation and control section 22 generates a call signal, and the generated call signal is transmitted to the management computer 3 via the transmission section 20 together with the corresponding ID.

The management computer 3 is installed in an office or the like of the nursing care facility and is capable of communicating with a plurality of communication terminals 2 .
As shown in FIG. 5, the management computer 3 includes a receiving unit 30 , a storage unit 31 , a calculation/control unit 32 , and a transmitting unit 33 .

The receiver 30 of the management computer 3 receives the ID, acoustic information, vital information, beacon reception signal, and call signal transmitted by the transmitter 20 of the communication terminal 2 .
The storage unit 31 stores the allowable volume in the living space of the person requiring care, the appropriate range of a person's vital signs, and the allowable time for interruption of the beacon signal.

The calculation/control unit 32 compares the acoustic information received by the receiving unit 30 with the allowable volume stored in the memory unit 31, and generates an accident alarm display signal when the volume of the acoustic information exceeds the allowable volume.
In addition, the calculation/control unit 32 compares the vital information received by the receiving unit 30 with the appropriate vital range stored in the memory unit 31, and generates a vital danger warning display signal when the vital information is outside the appropriate vital range.

Furthermore, the calculation/control unit 32 compares the elapsed time from when the receiving unit 30 received the beacon reception signal with the allowable time for interruption of the beacon signal stored in the memory unit 31, and if the receiving unit 30 does not receive the next beacon reception signal even after the allowable time for interruption of the beacon signal has elapsed, it generates an absence alarm display signal.
Furthermore, when the receiving unit 30 receives a call signal, the calculation and control unit 32 generates a call sign display signal.

The transmitter 33 transmits vital sign information, accident warning display signals, vital sign danger warning display signals, absence warning display signals, and call sign display signals along with the corresponding IDs to the display device 4.

As shown in FIG. 6, the display device 4 includes a receiving unit 40, a display screen 41, and a speaker 42. The display device 4 may be incorporated into the management computer 3, or may be separate from the management computer 3 and have a large display screen 41.

The receiver 40 of the display device 4 receives vital information, accident alarm display signals, vital danger alarm display signals, absence alarm display signals, call sign display signals, and IDs transmitted by the transmitter 33 of the management computer 3.

When the management computer 3 and the display device 4 are installed in an office of a facility for the elderly or a hospital, it is necessary to manage as many as 30 to 40 people requiring care.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, a vital sign display section 412 is provided on one side of the display screen 41, and the names and vital sign information of 10 to 12 care-requiring persons are displayed on this vital sign display section 412 in correspondence with their IDs.
In addition, the lower part of the display screen 41 is divided into blocks 10 to 12 411, and images from a camera of a communication terminal 2 installed in the living space of the person requiring care are displayed in these blocks 411, corresponding to the display on the vital sign display unit 412.
By simultaneously moving the name and vital information of the person requiring care displayed on the vital display unit 412 and the image displayed on the block 411 every few seconds, it is possible to monitor the condition of 30 to 40 people requiring care.
When the number of people requiring care to be monitored is small, the images from the cameras of all communication terminals 2 are displayed without moving.

When the receiving unit 40 receives the absence alarm display signal and the ID, it emits an alarm sound from the speaker 42 and displays an absence alarm in the block 411 of the care-requiring person corresponding to the ID.
The absence alarm is displayed by changing the color of the block 411 of the relevant care-requiring person to, for example, pink.
When the caregiver confirms the absence alarm, he/she checks whether the care recipient is absent and calls out to the care recipient, and if necessary, searches for the care recipient together with other caregivers or passersby.
If a photograph of the care-requiring person is displayed on the display screen 41 together with the vital signs, the face of the care-requiring person to be searched for can be confirmed.

When the receiver 40 receives the accident alarm signal and the ID, it issues an alarm sound from the speaker 42 and displays an accident alarm in the block 411 of the care-requiring person corresponding to the ID.
The accident alarm is displayed by changing the color of the block 411 of the relevant care-requiring person to a color different from that of the absence alarm, for example, yellow.
The accident alarm display indicates that a loud noise such as a fall or tumble from the bed or a scream has been heard near the person requiring care, so the caregiver must check the condition of the person requiring care.

When the receiving unit 40 receives the call sign display signal and the ID, it issues an alarm sound from the speaker 42 and displays a call sign in the block 411 of the care-requiring person corresponding to the ID.
The call sign is displayed by changing the color of the block 411 of the relevant care-requiring person to a color different from the absence alarm and accident alarm, for example, vermilion.
The call sign is displayed when the care recipient operates the call operation unit 24 of the communication terminal 2, and the caregiver calls out to the called care recipient and checks on their situation.

When the receiving unit 40 receives the vital danger alarm display signal and the ID, it issues an alarm sound from the speaker 42 and displays a vital danger alarm in the block 411 of the care-requiring person corresponding to the ID.
The vital danger alarm is displayed by changing the color of the block 411 of the corresponding care-requiring person to a color different from the absence alarm, accident alarm, or call sign, or by flashing a light to indicate an emergency.
The display of a vital danger alarm means that there is concern about the health condition of the care recipient, so the caregiver needs to immediately check the condition of the care recipient.

When any of an absence alarm, an accident alarm, a call sign, and a vital danger alarm is displayed, by clicking on the image of the camera of the communication terminal 2 displayed at the bottom of the display screen 41, the image can be enlarged and displayed at the top of the display screen 41.
In addition, if any of the absence alarm display signal, accident alarm signal, sign display signal and vital danger alarm display signal is transmitted corresponding to the ID of a person requiring care who is not displayed on the display screen 41, the name, vital information and image of that person requiring care will be displayed at the top of the display screen 41 along with the absence alarm, accident alarm, call sign and vital danger alarm, even if it is not the timing to display them.

This care-requiring person monitoring system allows the care-requiring person to move around while wearing the transmitter 1 and move the communication terminal 2 with the care-requiring person, so the care-requiring person can be used whether they are at a senior care facility receiving day care services or at home.

The same care recipient monitoring system can also be used to prevent accidents caused by care recipients wandering off, as well as serious incidents caused by falling out of bed or poor health, and can also respond to calls from care recipients.

Call signs, absence alerts, accident alerts, and vital sign danger alerts are displayed in different colors and styles, so you can understand what kind of alert it is at a glance.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the following are also included:

In the present embodiment, the management computer transmits an absence alarm display signal when the communication mobile phone does not receive a beacon signal within a certain period of time. However, the absence alarm display signal may also be transmitted when the distance between the transmitting device that transmits the beacon signal and the communication terminal that receives the beacon signal exceeds a predetermined value.

In the embodiment of the present application, the transmitter is formed in a wristband shape, but it may also be formed in other shapes that can be attached to the care recipient, such as a key chain or pendant.
In addition, the transmitting device may not be in a form that is worn on the body, but may be configured to transmit to a communication terminal information that is manually entered, such as vital signs of the person requiring care measured by other measuring equipment, their sleeping habits, appetite, medical condition, etc.

In the embodiment of the present application, multiple transmitting devices and multiple communication terminals are provided, but if one caregiver is watching over one care-requiring individual, only one transmitting device and one communication terminal are required.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Transmitting device 10 Acoustic information acquiring section 11 Measuring section 12 Signal generating section 13 Transmitting section 2 Communication terminal 20 Transmitting section 21 Receiving section 22 Calculating and controlling section 23 Display screen 24 Calling operation section 3 Management computer 30 Receiving section 31 Storage section 32 Calculating and controlling section 33 Transmitting section 4 Display device 40 Receiving section 41 Display screen 411 Block 412 Vital display section 42 Speaker

The invention according to claim 1 of the present application comprises a transmitting device that transmits a beacon signal and is wearable by a person requiring care, a communication terminal that can be installed in the living space of the person requiring care and receives the beacon signal from the transmitting device, a management computer that can communicate with the communication terminal, and a display device connected to the management computer, wherein the transmitting device acquires acoustic information and transmits the acquired acoustic information to the communication terminal, the communication terminal has a call operation unit that, when the call operation unit is operated, transmits a call signal to the management computer and transmits to the management computer a reception status of the beacon signal transmitted by the transmitting device, receives the acoustic information transmitted by the transmitting device and transmits it to the management computer, the management computer transmits a call sign display signal to the display device when it receives the call signal, and when the reception status of the beacon signal by the communication terminal is not within a set range, transmits an absence alarm display signal to the display device, and when the received acoustic information exceeds a predetermined volume, and when the communication terminal is turned on, the display device transmits an accident alarm display signal to the display device; when the display device receives the call sign display signal , it displays a call sign regardless of whether it is a specified display timing or not; when it receives the absence alarm display signal, it displays an absence alarm ; and when it receives the accident alarm display signal, it displays an accident alarm; the display device displays the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm in different colors, emits an alarm sound, and displays the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm; the transmitting device acquires vital sign information of the person in need of care who is wearing the transmitting device, and transmits the acquired vital sign information to the management computer via the communication terminal, and the management computer transmits the received vital sign information to the display device for display; and when any of the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm is displayed, the display device enlarges and displays the displayed image by touching a specified location on the display device.

The invention of claim 2 of the present application is a system for monitoring a person requiring care as described in claim 1, characterized in that the management computer compares the received vital information with an appropriate vital range, and if the vital information is outside the appropriate vital range, sends a vital danger alarm display signal to the display device, and the display device displays a vital danger alarm when it receives the vital danger alarm display signal .

The invention of claim 3 of the present application is a system for monitoring people requiring care as described in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of transmitting devices and a plurality of communication terminals corresponding to each of these transmitting devices, wherein the plurality of transmitting devices transmit a different ID for each transmitting device, the communication terminal transmits the received ID along with the call signal, the reception status of the beacon signal, and the acoustic information to the management computer, and the management computer transmits the received ID, the call sign display signal, the absence alarm display signal, and the accident alarm display signal to the display device, thereby displaying the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm for each person requiring care.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present application comprises a transmitting device that transmits a beacon signal and is wearable by a person requiring care, a communication terminal that can be installed in the living space of the person requiring care and receives the beacon signal from the transmitting device, a management computer that can communicate with the communication terminal, and a display device connected to the management computer, wherein the transmitting device acquires acoustic information and transmits the acquired acoustic information to the communication terminal, the communication terminal has a call operation unit that, when the call operation unit is operated, transmits a call signal to the management computer and transmits to the management computer a reception status of the beacon signal transmitted by the transmitting device, receives the acoustic information transmitted by the transmitting device and transmits it to the management computer, the management computer transmits a call sign display signal to the display device when it receives the call signal, and when the reception status of the beacon signal by the communication terminal is not within a set range, transmits an absence alarm display signal to the display device, and when the received acoustic information exceeds a predetermined volume, and when the communication terminal is turned on, the display device transmits an accident alarm display signal to the display device; when the display device receives the call sign display signal , it displays a call sign regardless of whether it is a specified display timing or not; when it receives the absence alarm display signal, it displays an absence alarm ; and when it receives the accident alarm display signal, it displays an accident alarm; the display device displays the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm in different colors, emits an alarm sound, and displays the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm; the transmitting device acquires vital sign information of the person in need of care who is wearing the transmitting device, and transmits the acquired vital sign information to the management computer via the communication terminal, and the management computer transmits the received vital sign information to the display device for display; and when any of the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm is displayed, the display device enlarges and displays the displayed image by touching a specified location on the display device.

The invention of claim 2 of the present application is a system for monitoring a person requiring care as described in claim 1, characterized in that the management computer compares the received vital information with an appropriate vital range, and if the vital information is outside the appropriate vital range, sends a vital danger alarm display signal to the display device, and the display device displays a vital danger alarm when it receives the vital danger alarm display signal .

The invention of claim 3 of the present application is a system for monitoring people requiring care as described in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of transmitting devices and a plurality of communication terminals corresponding to each of these transmitting devices, wherein the plurality of transmitting devices transmit a different ID for each transmitting device, the communication terminal transmits the received ID along with the call signal, the reception status of the beacon signal, and the acoustic information to the management computer, and the management computer transmits the received ID, the call sign display signal, the absence alarm display signal, and the accident alarm display signal to the display device, thereby displaying the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm for each person requiring care.

Claims (6)

The system comprises a transmitter that transmits a beacon signal and is wearable by a person requiring care, a communication terminal that can be installed in a living space of the person requiring care and receives the beacon signal from the transmitter, a management computer that can communicate with the communication terminal, and a display device connected to the management computer;
the transmitting device acquires acoustic information and transmits the acquired acoustic information to the communication terminal;
the communication terminal has a call operation unit, and when the call operation unit is operated, transmits a call signal to the management computer, transmits to the management computer a reception status of the beacon signal transmitted by the transmitting device, receives acoustic information transmitted by the transmitting device and transmits the acoustic information to the management computer;
the management computer, when receiving the call signal, transmits a call sign display signal to the display device; when the reception status of the beacon signal by the communication terminal is not within a set range, transmits an absence alarm display signal to the display device; and when the received acoustic information exceeds a predetermined volume, transmits an accident alarm display signal to the display device;
The display device displays a call sign when it receives the call sign display signal, displays an absence alarm when it receives the absence alarm display signal, and displays an accident alarm when it receives the accident alarm display signal. The care-requiring person monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the display device displays the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm in different colors. The care-requiring person monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display device emits an alarm sound and displays the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm. The system for monitoring a person requiring care as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the transmitting device acquires vital information of the person requiring care wearing the transmitting device, transmits the acquired vital information to the management computer via the communication terminal, and the management computer transmits the received vital information to the display device for display. The system for monitoring a person requiring care as described in claim 4, characterized in that the management computer compares the received vital information with an appropriate vital range, and if the vital information is outside the appropriate vital range, sends a vital danger alarm display signal to the display device, and the display device displays a vital danger alarm when it receives the vital danger alarm display signal. 3. The system for monitoring care recipients according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising: a plurality of transmitting devices and a plurality of communication terminals corresponding to the transmitting devices, wherein the plurality of transmitting devices transmit a different ID for each transmitting device; the communication terminal transmits the received ID together with the call signal, the reception status of the beacon signal, and the acoustic information to the management computer; and the management computer transmits the received ID, the call sign display signal, the absence alarm display signal, and the accident alarm display signal to the display device, thereby displaying the call sign, the absence alarm, and the accident alarm for each care recipient.