Monitoring system

• US 9,728,060 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2013
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ishii, Tomoyuki, Nakagawa, Tatsuo, Ishibashi, Masayoshi, Kato, Midori
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai
• Application Number:
  US14/762,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20150356849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 3405731
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0438 Sensor means for detecting

Abstract

The present invention is a system for monitoring a health state of a subject. The system is provided with: a measuring unit that chronologically measures the position of the subject in a facility in which the subject resides or stays; and an information processing unit that determines a health state of the subject by determining whether a chronological change in the position of the subject satisfies a predetermined determination condition.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a health state of a subject, the system comprising:

a measuring unit that chronologically measures a position of the subject in a facility in which the subject resides or stays;

the measuring unit includes a plurality of sensors that sense a sound or a vibration from the subject;

the measuring unit estimates a position of the subject by using a time difference in an arrival of a signal to the plurality of sensors from the subject; and

an information processing unit that determines the health state of the subject by determining whether a chronological change in the position of the subject satisfy a predetermined determination condition.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of sensors are installed at proximate positions in the facility, and sense signals propagating in mutually different media; and

the measuring unit estimates the position of the subject by using a propagation speed difference of the signals in the different media.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit estimates the position of the subject by using at least one of a sensor for sensing reflection of an electromagnetic wave from the subject, an image acquisition unit for sensing a position from an image including the subject, and a sensor for sensing a change in electric capacity when the subject approaches.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the measuring unit includes a temperature sensor that senses a temperature in the facility, and a sound output part installed at a predetermined distance from the plurality of sensors; and

the measuring unit performs calibration of an expression for estimating the position of the subject by using the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor and the time difference in the arrival of the signal to the plurality of sensors from the sound output part.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the sound output part is a speaker that outputs a signal of a same kind as a signal of the sound from the subject.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein:

the sound output part is a door in the facility; and

the measuring unit performs the calibration by using calibration information in which data characterizing a sound from the door and data from the temperature sensor are recorded.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the information processing unit calculates at least one of a walking speed and a walking period of the subject from a chronological change in the position of the subject; and

the determination condition includes a condition concerning at least one of the walking speed and the walking period.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the measuring unit includes a plurality of sensors that sense a sound or a vibration from the subject; and

the measuring unit determines a walking sound of the subject by using chronological data of a signal intensity of a signal sensed by the plurality of sensors.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein:

the measuring unit determines the walking sound of the subject by determining whether a peak signal of the chronological data satisfies a predetermined walking discriminating condition; and

the walking discriminating condition includes a condition concerning at least one of an intensity range in a predetermined frequency region with respect to the peak signal, and a decay time of the peak signal.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the measuring unit determines whether the subject is in walking state by determining whether a time difference between two successive peak signals determined to be the walking sound of the subject is within a predetermined time.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein:

the information processing unit calculates an intensity of the walking sound of the subject and a walking period of the subject from a signal determined to be the walking sound of the subject; and

the determination condition includes a condition concerning at least one of the walking sound intensity and the walking period.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the information processing unit includes a storage unit in which layout information of a room in the facility is stored; and

the information processing unit determines, by using the chronological change in the position of the subject and the layout information, the room in the facility in which the subject is staying.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the determination condition includes a condition concerning at least one of movement in the facility, the staying room in the facility, and a staying time in the room in the facility.

14. The system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one terminal including a display unit that displays the state of the subject, wherein the information processing unit, when the health state of the subject is determined to be abnormal, performs a process of notifying the at least one terminal.