ACTIVITY AMOUNT CALCULATION SYSTEM, ACTIVITY AMOUNT CALCULATION DEVICE, ACTIVITY AMOUNT CALCULATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20180082562A1
• Filed: 03/30/2016
• Published: 03/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kanazawa University, NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kanazawa University, NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: ISHIDA, Kazuo, KATO, Mayumi, KITAOKA, Kazuyo, SHOGENJI, Miho
• Granted Patent: US 10,559,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0415 detecting absence of activity per se
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0469 Presence detectors to detect unsafe condition, e.g. infrared sensor, microphone G08B21/0476 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/04 using a single signalling line, e.g. in a closed loop

Abstract

An activity amount calculation system (100) includes a plurality of detection units (D1, D2) and an activity amount calculation device (10). The plurality of detection units (D1, D2) detect a resident and output detection signals when the resident passes through doorways of a plurality of rooms. The calculation device (10) includes a calculation unit (11) and a summation unit (12). Upon detection of the resident by the detection units (D1, D2), the calculation unit (11) calculates an activity amount of the resident based on relationships between detection units and reference activity amounts. The summation unit (12) repeatedly calculates a total activity amount of the resident in a predetermined period by summing activity amounts calculated by the calculation unit (11).

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

7. An activity amount calculation device for calculating activity amounts of a resident of a dwelling equipped with a plurality of rooms, the activity amount calculation device comprising:

a calculation unit configured to calculate activity amounts of the resident based on detection signals output from a plurality of detection devices that detect the resident when the resident passes through doorways of the plurality of rooms; and

a summation unit configured to repeatedly calculate a total activity amount of the resident in a predetermined period by summing the activity amounts calculated by the calculation unit, wherein

upon detection of the resident by different detection devices included among the plurality of detection devices, the calculation unit calculates an activity amount of the resident based on a preset relationship between the different detection devices and a reference activity amount.

8. The activity amount calculation device according to claim 7, wherein

upon detection of the resident by the different detection devices, the calculation unit uses the reference activity amount obtained from the relationship between the different detection devices and the reference activity amount as the activity amount of the resident when an elapsed period between detection by one of the different detection devices that has detected first and detection by another of the different detection devices that has detected second is longer than or equal to a preset reference period, and uses a product of the reference activity amount obtained from the relationship between the different detection devices and the reference activity amount and a coefficient larger than one as the activity amount of the resident when the elapsed period is shorter than the reference period.

9. The activity amount calculation device according to claim 7, further comprising an alert unit configured to issue an alert when a difference between the total activity amount calculated by the summation unit and an average value of a predetermined number of total activity amounts calculated by the summation unit in and before the last calculation exceeds a preset threshold.

10. The activity amount calculation device according to claim 7, further comprising an alert unit configured to issue an alert when the total activity amount calculated by the summation unit exceeds a preset upper limit.

11. The activity amount calculation device according to claim 7, further comprising an alert unit configured to issue an alert when the total activity amount calculated by the summation unit falls below a preset lower limit.

12. The activity amount calculation device according to claim 7, wherein each activity amount is expressed as a distance.

13. An activity amount calculation method of calculating activity amounts of a resident of a dwelling equipped with a plurality of rooms using an activity amount calculation device, the activity amount calculation method comprising:

(a) a step of calculating activity amounts of the resident based on detection signals output from a plurality of detection devices that detect the resident when the resident passes through doorways of the plurality of rooms; and

(b) a step of repeatedly calculating a total activity amount of the resident in a predetermined period by summing the activity amounts calculated in step (a), wherein

in step (a), upon detection of the resident by different detection devices included among the plurality of detection devices, an activity amount of the resident is calculated based on a preset relationship between the different detection devices and a reference activity amount.

14. The activity amount calculation method according to claim 13, wherein

in step (a), upon detection of the resident by the different detection devices, the reference activity amount obtained from the relationship between the different detection devices and the reference activity amount is used as the activity amount of the resident when an elapsed period between detection by one of the different detection devices that has detected first and detection by another of the different detection devices that has detected second is longer than or equal to a preset reference period, and a product of the reference activity amount obtained from the relationship between the different detection devices and the reference activity amount and a coefficient larger than one is used as the activity amount of the resident when the elapsed period is shorter than the reference period.

15. The activity amount calculation method according to claim 13, further comprising:

(c) a step of issuing an alert when a difference between the total activity amount calculated in step (b) and an average value of a predetermined number of total activity amounts calculated in and before the last calculation exceeds a preset threshold.

16. The activity amount calculation method according to claim 13, further comprising:

(d) a step of issuing an alert when the total activity amount calculated in step (b) exceeds a preset upper limit.

17. The activity amount calculation method according to claim 13, further comprising:

(e) a step of issuing an alert when the total activity amount calculated in step (b) falls below a preset lower limit.

18. The activity amount calculation method according to claim 13, wherein each activity amount is expressed as a distance.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein a program for calculating activity amounts of a resident of a dwelling equipped with a plurality of rooms using a computer, the program including an instruction for causing the computer to execute:

(a) a step of calculating activity amounts of the resident based on detection signals output from a plurality of detection devices that detect the resident when the resident passes through doorways of the plurality of rooms; and

(b) a step of repeatedly calculating a total activity amount of the resident in a predetermined period by summing the activity amounts calculated in step (a), wherein

in step (a), upon detection of the resident by different detection devices included among the plurality of detection devices, an activity amount of the resident is calculated based on a preset relationship between the different detection devices and a reference activity amount.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 19, wherein

in step (a), upon detection of the resident by the different detection devices, the reference activity amount obtained from the relationship between the different detection devices and the reference activity amount is used as the activity amount of the resident when an elapsed period between detection by one of the different detection devices that has detected first and detection by another of the different detection devices that has detected second is longer than or equal to a preset reference period, and a product of the reference activity amount obtained from the relationship between the different detection devices and the reference activity amount and a coefficient larger than one is used as the activity amount of the resident when the elapsed period is shorter than the reference period.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 19, wherein the program further includes an instruction for causing the computer to execute:

(c) a step of issuing an alert when a difference between the total activity amount calculated in step (b) and an average value of a predetermined number of total activity amounts calculated in and before the last calculation exceeds a preset threshold.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 19, wherein the program further includes an instruction for causing the computer to execute:

(d) a step of issuing an alert when the total activity amount calculated in step (b) exceeds a preset upper limit.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 19, wherein the program further includes an instruction for causing the computer to execute:

(e) a step of issuing an alert when the total activity amount calculated in step (b) falls below a preset lower limit.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 19, wherein each activity amount is expressed by a distance.