JP7050261B2 - Toilet booth usage notification system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a usage status notification system for a toilet booth with a lockable door in a public facility such as a train toilet, a station, or a collective toilet installed in a commercial facility, and reliably detects a user's long stay in the booth. Then, it relates to a system for notifying this to the outside.

In the area where toilet bowls are installed in train toilets and collective toilets, there is a toilet booth that can lock the door. When the user of the toilet booth opens the door and goes inside, it locks from the inside, and when he finishes using it, he unlocks it, opens the door, and goes out. At this time, on the outer surface of the door, in conjunction with locking / unlocking, the usage status is switched and displayed by characters such as "Aki" and "In use", or the empty state is displayed in blue and the usage status is switched in colors such as red. Generally, a display unit is provided.

By the way, in a train toilet or the like, the user in the booth may become immobile due to illness or the like, and the staying time after locking may become abnormally long. Toilets are often installed on long-distance trains such as the Shinkansen and limited express trains, and conductors and attendants in the train regularly go back and forth inside the train to make patrols. By referring to the display section, it is possible to identify whether the booth is vacant or in use, but it is not possible to grasp the duration of use of the toilet booth. As a result, there is a problem that it is not possible to accurately determine that the door is opened to rescue a suddenly ill person by identifying only the booth that has passed a considerable amount of time after entering the room. These circumstances are generally the same for collective toilets other than trains.

For example, in Patent Document 1, although the purpose is different from the above, the user in the booth is detected by the Doppler sensor in order to exclude the user who illegally occupies the toilet booth for a long time for operating a smartphone or a game machine. At the same time, there is disclosed an invention in which the user's booth staying time is measured by a timer, and when the staying time exceeds a predetermined time, the voice information of the eviction arousal is output from the speaker in the booth. In the same document, the external management department describes the configuration in which a display unit that communicates the arousal status to the person waiting in line in conjunction with the voice output is installed on the wall near the turn queue, or the monitoring status in the booth by the Doppler sensor. The configuration for notifying communication is also disclosed.

Here, in Patent Document 1, the following algorithm is adopted for measuring the staying time of the user in the booth using the Doppler sensor. That is, when the user enters the toilet booth, a large body movement occurs due to opening / closing of the door, undressing, sitting, etc., and the entry start time is specified by detecting this body movement. After sitting, the user's body movements decrease, and only the tremors derived from heartbeat and breathing continue to be detected. I do. On the other hand, when the user leaves, the body movement becomes large again due to clothes, leaving the seat, and opening / closing the door. Therefore, this is detected to determine the exit, and the timer measurement is terminated.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-159033 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-74332

The method of Patent Document 1 has the following problems.
First, when the exit of the first user from the booth and the entry of the next user are made continuously, it is usually impossible for the exit of the first user and the entry of the next user to overlap in the booth. The detection interruption period of tremors derived from respiration and heartbeat always occurs significantly even if it is short. Therefore, if this can be reliably detected, it should be possible to identify the staying time of each user even when there are continuous comings and goings of people.

However, in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 4, the output of the Doppler sensor does not particularly distinguish between a waveform of a body movement having a large amplitude and a tremor waveform of breathing and heartbeat, and the waveform is displayed in the entire frequency band. It is detected, and the staying time of the user in the booth is specified by the length of the fine movement detection period sandwiched between the large body movement waveforms before and after entering and leaving the room. It is mentioned that the confirmation of exit is based on the interruption of the tremor waveform of breathing and heartbeat, but as mentioned as an issue in the document, when continuous entry and exit of people occur in the booth. In addition, there is a problem that the interruption of the fine movement waveforms of breathing and heartbeat is drowned out by the large body movement waveform of the entrance and exit, and it becomes impossible to separate the staying time of each user.

Then, two different staying times of different users are detected together, and it becomes easy to be erroneously detected in the direction of increasing the continuous staying time. When making a decision to open the door to deal with sudden illnesses that occur in the booth, if one mistake is made in the closed space of the toilet booth where the privacy of the user is especially respected, the above false positive will develop into a big problem. there's a possibility that. In order to solve this, in Patent Document 1, according to the paragraph 0064, the movement of the person who next enters the toilet booth also changes from the movement of sitting in the room to the movement of maintaining the sitting posture while sitting on the toilet seat. It is disclosed that when the movement is greatly reduced, it is determined that the next user is in the sitting posture maintenance motion, and the count of the time spent in the toilet booth should be reset.

However, in reality, it is impossible for the user in the toilet booth to make the body stand still even after sitting down, and the body shakes other than the heartbeat and breathing are continuously occurring. In addition, they often take selfish actions such as sitting back, changing their posture, touching their faces, and stretching their backs to improve their sitting comfort, so that they do not cause major physical movements until the end of their use. The reality is that things are extremely rare. As a result, the measured duration of use is finely chopped each time the user after sitting causes a large body movement in the middle of the continuous use by the same person. More importantly, the vibrational components of the user's breathing and heartbeat are very weak and have a relatively long cycle, while the macroscopic body movement of the user while sitting is unconscious and spontaneous. Except for the case where the body cannot move, the weak waveform shown in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1 is not derived from respiration or heartbeat and cannot be completely stationary. It is highly possible that the user inside is merely detecting the shaking of the body. It is considered that the method of Patent Document 1 is merely conceived without sufficiently examining the actual detection of the toilet user by the Doppler sensor at the experimental level, and the continuous stay time of the user is accurately specified by this method. I have to say that it is hopeless to do.

For example, a long-term stay in the toilet is not limited to the above-mentioned poor physical condition of the user or the purpose of operating a smartphone or a game machine, but a suspicious person may be involved in a criminal act, such as preparing for a terrorist act. It is possible to maliciously try to stay in the toilet booth for a long time. In this case, the user can avoid the detection of illegal long stays by intentionally causing large movements in the booth, which may be a blind spot in security. ..

An object of the present invention is that even if the user in the booth makes a large movement during his / her stay, it is difficult for the user to detect the entry / exit error, and the continuous stay time of the toilet booth by the same person can be accurately grasped. The purpose is to provide a toilet booth usage notification system that can be used.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in a usage status notification system for a toilet booth in which an entrance / exit is closed by a lockable door so as to be openable / closable.
A Doppler sensor module that sends detection microwaves toward the user's chest to detect at least one of the user's heartbeat and breathing to the user sitting on the toilet bowl in the toilet booth.
A frequency band that covers a signal component derived from at least one of a person's heartbeat and breath is defined as a detection target band, and the detection target band component is entered into the user's toilet booth from the detection signal of the Doppler sensor module. Detection target band component extraction means that selectively extracts while separating from the signal component of body movement accompanying leaving the room,
A detection target band component intensity evaluation means for evaluating the intensity of the extracted detection target band component, and a detection target band component intensity evaluation means.
The presence or absence of a user in the toilet booth is determined based on the evaluation result by the detection target band component intensity evaluation means, and the intensity of the detection target band component is the threshold from the person detection state in which the intensity of the detection target band component exceeds the threshold level. A user presence / absence determination means for determining that the user has moved out when a predetermined time or more has passed after shifting to the non-detection state of a person whose level is less than the level.
A usage duration measuring means that measures the usage duration after the judgment result by the user presence / absence determining means is switched from the state without a user to the state with a user, and
Based on the judgment result, the usage status notification information indicating the usage status of the toilet booth is output, and when the measured usage duration exceeds a predetermined threshold time, the usage continuation excess information is notified as the usage status notification information. It is characterized by being provided with a usage status notification information output means for output.

The Doppler sensor module extracts a Doppler shift component of a reflected wave with respect to a transmitted wave composed of microwaves, and detects a moving object based on the intensity of the Doppler shift component and the like. In the present invention, the user sitting on the toilet bowl in the toilet booth is detected by the Doppler sensor module. Such a Doppler sensor module can easily detect minute body movements (hereinafter referred to as "survival tremors") derived from the heartbeat or respiration of a user who stays in close proximity to the sensor module, but is used. Large movements such as movements when a person enters and exits and posture correction when sitting are also detected at the same time. In the method of Patent Document 1 in which this large body movement is used as a delimiter for the user's entry / exit, there is a possibility that a large body movement that is not particularly related to entry / exit is erroneously detected as an exit movement as described above. When the user repeatedly enters and exits the room, the signal of survival tremor is buried in the large body movement signal at the time of entry and exit, which causes a problem that the break between entry and exit cannot be detected.

Therefore, in the present invention, the Doppler sensor module is arranged so as to emit a detection microwave toward the user's chest, and a frequency band covering a signal component derived from at least one of the user's heartbeat and breathing. Is defined as the detection target band, and the detection target band component is selectively extracted from the detection signal of the Doppler sensor module while being separated from the signal component of the body movement accompanying the entry and exit of the user's toilet booth. Next, the presence or absence of a user in the toilet booth is determined based on the intensity evaluation result of the extracted detection target band component, and the detection target band component is detected from the person detection state in which the intensity of the detection target band component exceeds the threshold level. It is determined that the user has moved out when a predetermined time or more has passed after the transition to the non-detection state of a person whose intensity is less than the threshold level. Then, the usage duration after the determination result by the user presence / absence determining means is switched from the state without the user to the state with the user is measured, and the measured usage duration exceeds the predetermined threshold time. In some cases, the usage continuation excess information is notified and output. Thereby, the problems mentioned in the column of "Problems to be solved by the invention" can be solved as follows.

(1) Since the detection target band component indicating survival tremor is detected separately from the large body movement component, even if a person continuously enters and exits the toilet booth, survival tremor due to the user's entry and exit (detection target). The interruption of the band component) can be reliably detected without being buried in a large body motion waveform. This makes it possible to drastically reduce the possibility of false detection that the same toilet booth is continuously used by the same user even when the same toilet booth is replaced and occupied by different users when the toilet is crowded. As a result, in the toilet booth where privacy is particularly respected, emergency doors for rescue of suddenly ill people and detection of suspicious persons can be carried out without hesitation.

(2) Since the presence or absence of the user in the toilet booth is determined based on the intensity of the survival tremor (detection target band component) extracted from the large body movement, the user makes a large body movement while sitting. Even if it occurs, the possibility of falsely detecting this as leaving is eliminated in principle. As a result, as long as continuous use by the same person continues, there is no problem that the continuous use time measured by a large body movement after sitting is cut off. In addition, even if the user intentionally causes a large movement in the booth, it does not affect the measurement of the continuous stay time based on the intensity of the extracted detection target band component (survival tremor), resulting in an illegal long-term stay. It can be reliably detected and eliminated.

Next, the detection target band for determining the presence or absence of a user is set so as to cover 30% or more (preferably 50% or more) of the frequency range of 0.1 Hz or more and 3 Hz or less, so that a general person can use it. Can partially cover at least one of the respiratory frequency band (0.2 Hz or more and 0.5 Hz or less) and the heartbeat frequency band (0.5 Hz or more and 2 Hz or less), and can be seated, separated, and gestured on the toilet bowl. Since it is possible to reliably separate from the frequency band of large and steep body movements such as elongation, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining the presence or absence of a user.

Survival tremors associated with heartbeat and breathing are concentrated near the chest of the human body, so it is effective to install a Doppler sensor module so that the chest is irradiated with microwaves from either the front or the back as close as possible. be. Specifically, it should be installed on the wall surface of the toilet booth facing either the front side or the rear side of the user's chest so that the distance to the user's chest located on the toilet bowl is 1.5 m or less. good. When the distance to the chest of the Doppler sensor module exceeds 1.5 m, the S / N ratio of survival tremor detection decreases due to thick clothing or weakened heart rate level of the user due to the influence of sudden illness. , Even if the user exists, the problem of determining that the user is absent is likely to occur. The distance to the chest of the Doppler sensor module is more preferably 1 m or less. On the other hand, the Doppler sensor module can be attached to the ceiling (or attic) of the toilet booth within the range where the heartbeat or the tremor of breathing can be detected.

Many methods for measuring respiratory rate and heart rate using the Doppler sensor module have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 2, a Doppler sensor is installed in a hospital room or a nursing room to detect large body movements such as getting out of bed or walking. The invention relating to the monitoring system for confirming the safety of patients and facility residents is disclosed. The publication also discloses an embodiment in which the detection waveform of the Doppler sensor is filtered to extract heartbeat and respiration waveforms, and the heart rate and respiration rate are analyzed to manage the health condition of a patient or a resident. However, the technique of Patent Document 2 is intended for the purpose of confirming the health and safety of a subject whose stay in the room is confirmed from the beginning, and the object to be measured is also an object whose existence is confirmed. The number (frequency) of a person's heartbeat and respiration. On the other hand, in the present invention, the presence or absence of a user in the toilet booth can be grasped by selectively detecting a detection target band component (survival tremor signal) derived from heartbeat or respiration and evaluating its intensity, and the user. If there is, the user's exit is determined by the interruption of the extracted detection target band component, and the continuous detection time of the extracted detection target band component is used to notify the excess use of the toilet booth. It is added that the problem to be solved is completely different.

Further, in the present invention, it is sufficient if it is possible to determine whether or not the object in the toilet booth is a user (person), and it is sufficient to detect breathing and heartbeat in a particularly distinctive manner, or to dare to detect a detailed respiratory rate or the like. There is no need to specify the heart rate. In particular, if the presence or absence of a user is determined based on a representative value (for example, an average value) of the waveform intensity of the set detection target band, even an inexpensive microprocessor having a relatively low processing speed can be sufficiently real-time. Judgment can be made.

Further, although it may be configured to selectively detect only one of the respiration and the heartbeat, the component of the band including both the respiration and the heartbeat may be used to distinguish between the respiration and the heartbeat. It is also possible to perform waveform intensity analysis without. In this way, even if the signal strength of either breathing or heartbeat is insufficient, the presence or absence of a user can be determined without any problem as long as the signal strength of the other is secured. In particular, the heartbeat component with a small amplitude is easily concealed by layering or the like. In this case, the breathing component with a larger amplitude can be used, and the detection accuracy is significantly improved even in winter. Specifically, it is preferable to set the detection target band so as to include a frequency range of 0.3 Hz or more and 1 Hz or less (preferably 0.2 Hz or more and 1.5 Hz or less). Further, by eliminating the signal component outside this band as much as possible, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of malfunctions associated with detecting movements other than heartbeat and respiration.

The detection target band component extraction means includes a bandpass filter that extracts the detection target band component from the waveform of the detection signal, and a pass waveform signal intensity evaluation means that evaluates the strength of the pass waveform signal of the bandpass filter. Can be configured. That is, the idea is to remove the band component of a large body movement that may bury the band component to be detected by filtering, and the user presence / absence determining means makes a determination based on the intensity evaluation result of the passing waveform signal. By intensity analysis of the bandpass filter pass waveform of the detection target band component, it is possible to easily and surely identify the presence or absence of the survival tremor component derived from the heartbeat or respiration. The bandpass filter may be configured as an analog filter circuit, but since the detection target band is set in the low frequency region as described above, the digital filter can be easily configured even on inexpensive hardware that does not use a DSP or the like. , It can be sufficiently incorporated into a general-purpose microprocessor with a low clock frequency (for example, PIC) in terms of hardware.

As another method, the detection target band component extraction means includes a Fourier transform processing means that generates frequency spectrum information of the detection signal by performing a Fourier transform processing on the waveform of the detection signal, and a detection target band in the frequency spectrum information. It can also be configured to include a detection target band spectrum intensity evaluation means for evaluating the spectral intensity of the above. This is a method of converting the waveform output of the Doppler sensor module into frequency and intensity distribution information by Fourier transform, and grasping the detection target band component separately from the large body motion band component. The idea is different from the above-mentioned filtering that removes the band component of body movement, but the effect obtained is the same. In this case, the user presence / absence determining means makes a determination based on the evaluation result of the spectral intensity of the detection target band. In this method, the sampled detection signal (Doppler shift component) is subjected to Fourier transform processing to convert it into frequency spectrum information, and the spectral intensity of the detection target band is analyzed to determine the presence or absence of body movement components derived from heartbeat and breathing. It can be easily and surely identified. The Fourier transform processing means may be configured with a dedicated IC or the like, but since the detection target band is set in the low frequency region as described above, it is sufficiently incorporated as a software component on a general-purpose microprocessor having a low clock frequency. Is possible. In this case, the fast Fourier transform has a small amount of computation in terms of processing, and is advantageous in realizing an inexpensive system configuration.

Next, the Doppler sensor module has an output unit of a microwave transmission wave, a reception unit of a reflected wave formed by reflecting the transmitted wave by a moving body, and a detection unit for detecting a Doppler shift waveform component of the reflected wave. Analyzing digital waveform information, including an analog circuit unit, an A / D conversion unit that digitally converts the Doppler shift waveform extracted by the detection unit to generate digital waveform information, an input / output unit that inputs digital waveform information, and an input / output unit that inputs digital waveform information. The ROM that stores the moving object determination program that determines the presence or absence of a moving object, the RAM that forms the execution area of the moving object determination program, and the moving object determination program are executed, and the determination result is output to the determination output port of the input / output unit. It can be configured as having a microprocessor unit provided with a CPU to be used. At this time, a part of the program storage area of the ROM is configured as a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory) area that can be written from the outside, and the functions of the detection target band component extraction means and the user presence / absence determination means are realized. The program is written and stored in the PROM area in a form readable by the CPU, and the CPU can be configured to execute the motion determination program in a form incorporating these function realization programs and output the determination result from the determination output port. ..

If the Doppler sensor module includes a microprocessor unit that serves as a signal processing unit and a part of the ROM that serves as the program storage area is composed of a PROM as in the above configuration, the detection target band component extraction means (and) The function realization program of the user presence / absence determination means) can be additionally stored by writing to the PROM area from the outside. As a result, the presence or absence of a moving object is normally determined based on the intensity of the entire band of the A / D converted Doppler shift waveform, but it is detected without adding any hardware component around the Doppler sensor module. The operation of the Doppler sensor module can be customized so that the presence or absence of the user can be determined in a form that reflects the analysis result specialized for the target band component (that is, the analysis result of the presence or absence of breathing or heartbeat), and the usage status of the toilet booth of the present invention. The main part of the notification system can be realized with an extremely simple configuration.

The usage status notification information output means can be configured to display and output usage continuation excess information on a notification display unit incidentally installed outside the toilet booth. By displaying and outputting the usage continuation excess information on the notification display unit attached to the toilet booth, when a toilet patrol person finds a toilet booth in use, the booth is occupied for a long time by seeing the display. It is possible to grasp at a glance what is happening, and to promptly shift to an emergency response such as calling out to the user inside to confirm the safety or opening the door if there is no response.

Most of the toilet booths are equipped with a door locking mechanism that can be operated from the inside of the booth and an existing locking display unit that switches and displays the locked state of the door in conjunction with the door locking mechanism at a position that can be identified from the outside of the door. ing. In this case, the notification display unit in the present invention can be provided separately from the locking display unit (for example, it can be retrofitted), and the usage status notification information is displayed regardless of the operating state of the door locking mechanism. Can be configured for display output. The state of the existing lock display of the toilet booth may not reflect the actual occupied state of the toilet booth, as will be described later. However, in the present invention, by using the survival tremor detection by the Doppler sensor module, the internal occupation state by the user can be determined with a high reliability rate, and the content can be output to the usage status notification information output means. The user can grasp the usage status of the toilet booth with higher accuracy regardless of the status of the existing lock display unit.

The usage status notification information output means is used to indicate that the toilet booth is in use on the notification display unit when the determination result indicates that there is a user and the usage duration does not exceed the threshold time. It can also be configured to display and output the medium information so that it can be distinguished from the usage continuation excess information. Even if the usage duration does not exceed the threshold time, it is possible to easily grasp that the toilet booth is in a normal use state by intentionally displaying the contents different from those at the time of exceeding. At this time, even if the user of the toilet booth forgets to lock the door and enters the room, it is notified that the user is in the booth by the display state of the usage status notification information output means. As a result, it is possible to prevent or suppress the flow in which the door of the booth in the "open" display state in which the user is present is inadvertently opened by the next user and the user inside is upset. This is a problem that tends to occur when a sliding door type door is adopted (for example, a train toilet), which forms a seemingly strong closed state even if it is not locked, and it is more effective to adopt the above configuration. A solution can be achieved. For example, when the above-mentioned door locking mechanism is in the unlocked state for the door and the locked display unit displays the unlocked state, and the determination result indicates the state with the user, the usage status notification information. The output means can be configured to output in-use information to the notification display unit.

On the other hand, when the determination result indicates that there is no user, the usage status notification information output means provides the space information indicating that the toilet booth is in the open state on the notification display unit, such as continuous use excess information and in use. It can also be configured to be displayed and output so that it can be distinguished from information. This has the advantage that the toilet booth can be easily recognized from the outside as being in an open state. In addition, although it is rare, the internal key of the door may move due to vibration when the door is closed when a person leaves the toilet booth, and the unmanned booth may be locked. However, since the above display indicates that the booth is in a genuine "open state" based on the absence of a survival tremor signal, the booth that is "in use" is actually in the "open state". You will be able to visually grasp something from the outside. As a result, it is possible to effectively avoid a problem that the booth is "in use" even though it can be used, which hinders the next use.

For general users, if the existing lock display unit and notification display unit are installed side by side in the same toilet booth, and if the display states of the two display units are different, which is the actual booth occupancy state? It may become a cause of confusion because it becomes impossible to grasp whether it is reflected in the display part of. In this case, if the notification display unit is installed at a position that hides the existing lock display unit, the display becomes unique and the cause of confusion can be eliminated.

On the other hand, the notification display unit is in the width direction of the toilet booth door so that the light emitting state can be visually recognized when a standing viewer looks at the toilet booth door in a field of view that is closer to one of the left and right fields of view. It can be mounted on the outer surface of the wall portion adjacent to one of them, and can be configured as a light emitting display unit that outputs usage status notification information having different contents in a distinctive manner depending on the difference in light emitting state. When the booth door is installed parallel to the aisle like a collective toilet or a train toilet, such a light emitting display unit is used by users and patrols walking in the aisle even if the booth is far away. The occupancy status of the booth can be easily grasped from the light emitting state of the booth, and especially for a booth that is occupied over time, there is an advantage that this can be found early and the necessary response can be promptly taken. Further, even if the existing locked display unit has a non-light emitting form, the light emitting display unit can be easily retrofitted as a new locked display unit.

Further, the usage status notification information output means may be configured to have a communication output means for outputting the usage status notification information to the external network by wireless or wired communication means. As a result, even if there is no patrol observer for the toilet booth, when an abnormality such as excessive use continues, it is possible to remotely notify the outside by communication, and it is possible to take a more generous response. ..

The details of the action and effect of the present invention have already been described in the column of "Means for Solving the Problem" and will not be repeated here.

The figure which shows typically the example of installing the toilet booth usage condition notification system of this invention in a train toilet. Enlarged view of the door locking mechanism. The figure which shows an example of the lock display part together with the display example. The front view which shows the 1st example of the notification display part configured as a light emission display part. Schematic diagram showing an example of the detection area of the Doppler sensor module in the toilet booth. A block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the toilet booth usage status notification system. A block diagram showing details of the Doppler sensor module. The figure which shows the concept of the bandpass filter processing of the detection signal of a Doppler sensor module. The figure which shows an example of the intensity analysis of the waveform after the bandpass filter processing. The figure which shows the concept of performing the intensity analysis of the detection target band component of the frequency spectrum generated by the Fourier transform. A flowchart showing the flow of the first example of the user detection process. Similarly, a flowchart showing the flow of the second example. A flowchart showing the flow of the judgment program. The figure which shows the 1st example of the toilet booth usage situation and the display form of a lock display part and a notification display part. Similarly, the figure which shows the second example. Similarly, the figure which shows the third example. Similarly, the figure which shows the 4th example. The figure which shows the different use form of the notification display part configured as a light emission display part. The figure which shows the detail of the light emission display part of FIG. The figure which shows typically the example of installing the toilet booth usage status notification system of this invention in a collective toilet. The figure which shows the example which installs the notification display part in the form of concealing the existing lock display part. The front view which shows the 3rd example of the notification display part configured as a light emission display part. The figure which shows the example which configured the notification display part by a flat display.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration example when the toilet booth usage status notification system of the present invention is installed in a train toilet. The toilet booth 200 is provided with an entrance / exit on the side facing the aisle near the deck of the vehicle, and the entrance / exit is closed by a lockable door 202 so as to be openable / closable. A Western-style toilet bowl 201 is provided on the inner floor surface. The door 202 is configured as a sliding door, and a doorknob 203 for opening / closing operation is provided on the outer surface.

On the other hand, a door locking mechanism 204 is provided on the inner surface of the door 202 at a position slightly higher than the door knob 203. As shown in FIG. 2, the door locking mechanism 204 has a hook metal fitting 204t that can be operated from the inside of the booth, and can rotate in a plane parallel to the door surface with respect to the door 202 via the rotation support portion 204p. It is attached to. At the unlocked position, the hook metal fitting 204t is positioned so that the tip faces vertically upward, and when the hook metal fitting 204t is operated by turning it down with a finger from this state, the tip is inside the hook receiving recess 202c on the door frame wall portion 202a side. It gets stuck in the locked position and engages with the hook engaging portion 210 formed inside to form a locked state. Further, when unlocking, the hook metal fitting 204t may be rotated in the opposite direction so as to flip up and returned to the unlocking position.

Returning to FIG. 1, a locking display unit 205 is attached to the outside of the door frame wall portion 202a so that the display plate slides in conjunction with the rotational operation of the hook metal fitting 204t of the door locking mechanism 204. As shown in FIG. 3, the lock display unit 205 is in a character display state (hereinafter referred to as “open” display) indicating that the toilet booth 200 is in an open state when the hook metal fitting 204t is flipped up to the unlocked position. When the hook metal fitting 204t is tilted to the locked position, the display board slides and moves to the overlapping position that hides the "open" display, and the character display indicating that the toilet booth 200 is in use (hereinafter, "in use" display). It becomes a state. Since it is a well-known mechanism, further detailed description is omitted.

Returning to FIG. 1, a Doppler sensor module 3 that forms a detection area DA by transmitting a detection microwave is installed in the toilet booth 200. The Doppler sensor module 3 sends a detection microwave toward the chest of the user PP in order to detect at least one of the heartbeat and the respiration of the user PP sitting on the toilet bowl 201. Is. Specifically, the installation height is such that the detection microwave can be transmitted from the front of the user PP toward the chest at a position corresponding to the chest of the user PP to be seated (for example, 50 cm or more and 1 m or less from the floor surface). Has been adjusted. In the present embodiment, the toilet booth 200 has a door 202 installed on the side of the user PP, and the Doppler sensor module 3 is an inner wall surface on the front side of the user PP in the form of a sensor unit 4 housed in a housing. It is attached to. The Doppler sensor module 3 may be attached so as to emit a detection microwave from behind the user PP as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure, or the toilet may be attached within the range where the heartbeat or the tremor of respiration can be detected. It can also be mounted on the ceiling (or attic) of the booth. However, in order to obtain a large signal intensity of survival tremors associated with respiration and heartbeat, it is more advantageous to attach it to the anterior chest side of the user PP.

In the present embodiment, the toilet booth usage status notification system 1 determines the presence or absence of the user PP in the toilet booth 200 based on the detection state of the user PP by the Doppler sensor module 3, and the toilet booth is based on the determination result. The usage status notification information indicating the usage status of the 200 is configured to be output to the notification display unit 13 incidentally installed outside the toilet booth 200. The notification display unit 13 is located on the outer surface of the door frame wall portion 202a at a position where the patrol person PI walking in the aisle next to the toilet booth 200 can be seen in a standing position, in the present embodiment, on the door 202 side. It is attached at a height position adjacent to the lock display unit 205, and is connected to the sensor unit 4 in the booth via a cable 5.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the notification display unit 13. The notification display unit 13 is configured as a light emitting display unit, and two LEDs 6 and 7 are mounted on a flat housing 13 m whose upper surface is a display surface so that the lighting state can be visually recognized. Of these, when the detection state (determination result) of the user PP by the Doppler sensor module 3 indicates the state of "no user", the LED 6 (for example, blue) is lit and the toilet booth 200 is in the open state. Is notified (hereinafter, also referred to as "" Aki "LED 6"). On the other hand, when the detection state (determination result) of the user PP indicates that there is a user, the LED 7 (for example, red) lights up, and it is notified that the toilet booth 200 is in use (hereinafter,). , Also referred to as "in use" LED7).

Then, when the continuous duration with the user, that is, the continuous use time of the toilet booth 200 exceeds a predetermined threshold time, the "in use" LED 7 shifts to the blinking state, and the continuous use information is exceeded. It is notified and output as. That is, depending on the lighting state of the "open" LED 6 and the "in use" LED 7, the user is absent from the toilet booth 200 (open state), and the user is in the room and the usage duration is less than the threshold value (normal state). The three states of the in-use state) and the use continuation time exceeding the threshold value (use continuation excess state) are displayed and output separately. Further, the notification display unit 13 is retrofitted separately from the lock display unit 205, and notification information indicating the above-mentioned usage status of the toilet booth 200 is irrespective of the operating (display) state of the door locking mechanism 204. Is displayed and output.

Next, the configuration of the Doppler sensor module 3 is well known, and a microwave is sent to the detection area as a detection wave, a reflected wave by a moving body is received, and a frequency component (Doppler shift component) derived from the Doppler shift of the reflected wave is received. Is extracted and the movement of the moving body is detected. The frequency of the transmitted wave is in the microwave band (GHz band), while the Doppler frequency indicating the movement of a person is in the low frequency band of 0.2 to several tens of Hz, and the reflected wave is a frequency-modulated wave due to Doppler shift. Can be seen. Therefore, in a general Doppler sensor module, a method of orthogonally detecting a reflected wave and extracting a Doppler shift component is adopted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the Doppler sensor module 3 is mounted on the substrate 4S and further housed in the housing 4c to form the sensor unit 4. The housing 4c is made of a resin material (for example, ABS resin, PBT resin, etc.) capable of transmitting microwaves output by the Doppler sensor module 3. The Doppler sensor module 3 is designed to transmit microwaves in the direction of the main surface normal NL of the module package, and the microwave transmission area, that is, the detection area DA is the main surface normal NL in a plan view. It has a fan-shaped spread as the central axis. Regarding the sensitivity, in order to selectively recognize only the user PP, the survival of a person located at a distance of 3 m or more, more preferably 2 m or more in the direction of the central axis of the detection area DA of the Doppler sensor module 3. It is desirable that the selection is made to the extent that the detection ability for fine movements disappears (or becomes less than the set threshold value).

In this embodiment, NJR4265J1 (transmitted wave frequency: 24.25 GHz) manufactured by New Japan Radio Co., Ltd. is used as a commercially available product of the Doppler sensor module 3 satisfying the above preferable conditions. In FIG. 5, the spread angle φ of the detection area DA in the plan view is about 40 ° to the left and right with respect to the main surface normal NL. Further, the substrate 4S is incorporated so that the main surface normal NL of the mounted Doppler sensor module 3 and the front surface of the housing 4c are perpendicular to the housing 4c. Further, the detection area DA has a strong directivity on one side of the main surface normal NL (the side on which the patch antenna or the like is mounted), and the spread to the opposite side is very small. Therefore, by directing the detection area DA toward the user PP side, there is almost no concern that survival tremors outside the booth will be erroneously detected.

Next, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the overall electrical configuration of the toilet booth usage status notification system 1. The toilet booth usage status notification system 1 includes a microcomputer 50 as a processing subject. The microcomputer 50 is composed of, for example, a PIC (for example, PIC12F683: manufactured by Microchip Technology Co., Ltd., etc.), and connects the CPU 51, the RAM 52 as the program execution area, the ROM 54 in which the program is stored, the input / output unit 53, and the like to each other. The bus 55 and the like are integrated into one chip. In the present embodiment, the number of ports is expanded by the I / O expansion IC 56 (for example, MCP2308: manufactured by MICROHIP) connected to the input / output unit 53 (therefore, in a broad sense, the microcomputer 50 and the I / O expansion IC 56 are used. At the same time, it may be considered that the concept of a general microcomputer is constructed). In the ROM 54, a program group for embodying each function realization means already described, specifically, an in-booth user determination program 54a and a communication control program 54b are written.

The above-mentioned Doppler sensor module 3 is connected to the I / O expansion IC 56. Further, current adjustment resistors 6a and 7a are connected to the "open" LED 6 and the "in use" LED 7 incorporated in the notification display unit 13, via a cable 5 that bundles the drive lines and the grounding lines of the LEDs 6 and 7. Is connected to the I / O expansion IC 56. Each port of the I / O expansion IC56 is one of a state interrupt port in which the signal change edge is enabled (either the rising edge or the falling edge is enabled depending on the setting) and a bidirectional input / output port by weak pull-up. Or function as both. Whether or not it can be used as a state interrupt port is determined by the setting of the control register. Specifically, the connection port of the Doppler sensor module 3 is pulled up via the resistor 3a and used as an output port of bit information corresponding to the presence or absence of the user. Further, the connection ports of the LEDs 6 and 7 are used as output ports of bit information for corresponding to two control states of lighting and extinguishing.

Further, the I / O expansion IC 56 is connected to a WiFi module 61 for wireless LAN connection to the Internet 100 via a wireless access point (WiFi router) 68 connected to the hub 66, and the toilet booth 200 is the same user. It is possible to wirelessly transmit information such as the state of continuous use excess to the management server on the Internet 100. This information may be transmitted by wire communication via the USB interface 63, the connector 64, the personal computer 65, etc. connected to the I / O expansion IC 56.

Further, the sensor unit 4 is provided with a power connector 58, and a predetermined external power supply voltage (for example, AC100 or AC24V) is input from the power supply line in the toilet booth 200. The external power supply voltage is converted into a signal control voltage such as DC5V by the power supply circuit 57 and supplied to each part of the circuit. Further, the grounding line (GND) of each part of the circuit is shared with the grounding line of the external power supply input.

Next, FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing details of the internal configuration of the sensor unit 4. The Doppler sensor module 3 includes a high-frequency circuit unit (Doppler sensor RF circuit) 38 that generates microwaves as a detection probe, and is connected to a transmitting antenna 37t and a receiving antenna 37r composed of a patch antenna or the like. The high frequency circuit unit 38 has a transmission circuit having a transmission frequency, amplifies it, transmits it to an object from the transmission antenna 37t, and receives the reflected wave by the reception antenna 37r. As described above, the reflected wave has a waveform in which the transmitted wave is modulated by the Doppler shift component, but in the high frequency circuit unit 38, the phase is shifted by 90 ° by the in-phase wave (Ich) of the input reflected wave and a phase shift circuit (not shown). By generating an orthogonal wave (Qch) and inputting it to an orthogonal detection circuit (orthogonal detection unit (MUX)) 40 composed of a multiplier via a high frequency amplifier 39, a Doppler shift waveform which is a modulation component is extracted. .. These blocks form the analog circuit unit 3a of the Doppler sensor module 3.

On the other hand, the Doppler sensor module 3 is provided with a microprocessor unit (digital circuit unit) 3d for performing signal processing. The microprocessor unit 3d digitally converts the detection waveform (detection signal) of the Doppler shift component from the CPU 31, RAM 32, ROM 34, PROM 36, the input / output unit 33 and the bus 42 connecting them, and the orthogonal detection circuit 40 for input / output. It has an A / D converter (converter) 41 to be input to the unit 33. The signal processing program is stored in the read-only memory (ROM) section, and the program storage area of the ROM section is the area of the ROM 34 that cannot be rewritten and the area of the FROM 36 that can be rewritten or written. It is composed of and.

For example, the ROM 34 is composed of a mask ROM, and is a standard program that determines the presence or absence of a moving object by removing noise from the detected waveform and evaluating its intensity in the entire frequency band covering the moving object velocity range specified in the specifications. Is installed indelibly. This is to prevent the motion detection / output function disclosed in the product specifications of the Doppler sensor module 3 from being lost due to an erroneous program rewriting by the user.

On the other hand, the PROM 36 is composed of an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM) or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), and is configured so that the contents can be erased by applying a higher voltage than when reading data or by irradiating with ultraviolet rays. Rewriting is possible by applying a voltage. The bandpass filter module 36a and the user detection program 36c are stored in the area of the PROM 36. These two programs constitute a detection target band component extraction means, a detection target band component intensity evaluation means, a user presence / absence determination means, and a usage duration measuring means.

At the head of the operation control program of the Doppler sensor module 3, an execution specification routine that specifies information (program name or program storage address) as to which program module is used for processing is placed, and this routine is written in the PROM 36. In the initial state (factory default state), the contents that specify the standard program in the ROM 34 are written. Then, in the present embodiment, the contents are rewritten to the contents for designating the bandpass filter module 36a and the user detection determination program 36c, and unnecessary routines of the standard program in the ROM 34 are not executed (). For example, routines that do not interfere with the implementation of the present invention, such as noise reduction processing, are programmed so as to be inherited as they are).

On the other hand, the RAM 32 functions as an execution area of the program, and the input waveform data is taken into the waveform buffer memory 32a for a constant sampling time (for example, 5 seconds or more and 20 seconds or less), and the presence or absence of a moving object is present in the waveform processing memory 32b. Performs a judgment operation. The determination result is output from the determination output port 35 of the input / output unit 33. Specifically, the determination output port 35 has an output voltage of a high (H) level (for example, + 3V) when it is determined that there is a moving object, and is open when it is determined that there is no moving object. In the present embodiment, the determination output port 35 is pulled up via an additional resistor (reference numeral 3a in FIG. 6) in order to output binary values, for example, with a moving body as an H level and without a moving body as an L level (or vice versa). ing.

The bandpass filter module 36a defines as a pass band (detection target band) a frequency band that covers a signal component derived from at least one of a person's heartbeat and respiration with respect to the detected Doppler shift waveform. The respiratory frequency band of a general person is about 0.2 Hz or more and 0.5 Hz or less, and the heart rate frequency band is about 0.5 Hz or more and about 2 Hz or less. For example, if the detection target band is set so as to cover 30% or more (preferably 50% or more) of the frequency range of 0.1 Hz or more and 3 Hz or less, at least one of respiration and heartbeat can be partially covered. Moreover, it can be reliably separated from the frequency band of large and steep body movements such as sitting, leaving, and gesturing.

In the present embodiment, in order to further improve the detection accuracy of the user PP due to the heartbeat or the breathing, as shown in FIG. 8, the component of the band including both the breathing and the heartbeat is used to particularly distinguish between the breathing and the heartbeat. I try to analyze the waveform intensity without doing it. Specifically, the detection target band is set to include a frequency range of 0.2 Hz or more and 1.5 Hz or less. For example, the lower limit of the pass band is 0.1 Hz or more and 0.2 Hz or less, and the upper limit is 1.5 Hz or more. Set to 2 Hz or less. Then, as a passing waveform, a waveform obtained by mixing and extracting a heartbeat component and a respiratory component from the input orthogonal detection waveform is obtained. By doing so, even if the signal strength of either breathing or heartbeat is insufficient, the presence or absence of the user PP can be determined without any problem if the signal strength of the other is secured. In particular, the heartbeat component with a small amplitude is easily hidden by layering, etc., but by using the breathing component with a larger amplitude, the detection accuracy is significantly improved even in winter.

The user detection program 36c calculates the intensity (amplitude) of the waveform that has passed through the bandpass filter, and determines whether or not there is a user, for example, by whether or not the intensity exceeds a predetermined threshold value. As shown in FIG. 9, when the amplitude A of the sampled passing waveform is expressed by the function A (t) of time t, the average amplitude Am mathematically has the time average value A0 of A (t) as the amplitude center. As a result, | A (t) -A0 | can be calculated as a value obtained by integrating the sampling period T and dividing the integrated value by T. In digital data processing, the flow chart shown in FIG. 11 is obtained.

First, waveform sampling is performed in S1 (the number of data points is n), and in S2, the sampled waveform data is subjected to digital bandpass filter processing in the above-mentioned band (the processing content is well known, so a detailed description thereof will be given. Is abbreviated). In S3, the sum of the amplitude level values Ai (ΣAi) of each data point of the obtained passing waveform is obtained, and in S4, this is divided by the number of data points n to obtain the amplitude center A0 (= ΣAi / n). Subsequently, the total absolute value Sd (= Σ | Ai-A0 |) of the deviation of the amplitude level value Ai from the amplitude center A0 is calculated in S5, and the average amplitude Am (= Sd /) is divided by the number of data points n in S6. n) is obtained.

In S7, the average amplitude Am is compared with the threshold Amc. If Am> Amc, it is determined that there is a user, and the process proceeds to S8 to set the output of the determination output port 35 to "H" (with a user). In the remaining case, it is determined that there is no user, and the process proceeds to S9 to set the output of the determination output port 35 to “L” (no user). If there is no end instruction in S10, the process returns to S1 to acquire the next sampling waveform, and the same process is repeated. In addition to Σ | Ai-A0 | / n, the variance σ ² (= Σ (Ai-A0) ² / n) of the amplitude level value Ai and the standard deviation σ should be adopted as values reflecting the average amplitude Am. You can also. Further, the same determination can be made by using a deviation from an appropriately determined reference value such as the minimum amplitude value Amin instead of the deviation from the amplitude center A0.

On the other hand, the presence or absence of a user can be determined based on the heartbeat or respiratory component by Fourier transforming the orthogonal detection waveform (detection signal) to generate a frequency spectrum and performing spectral intensity analysis of the detection target band as shown in FIG. good. In this case, instead of the bandpass filter module 36a in FIG. 7, a Fourier transform module (Fourier transform processing means) for obtaining frequency spectrum data from an input waveform, and in this embodiment, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) module 36b are incorporated. do.

In this case, the user detection program 36c cuts out a section of the detection target band from the frequency spectrum curve obtained by the Fourier transform, calculates the average intensity Im in the band, and for example, the average intensity Im is a predetermined threshold value. It is determined whether or not there is a user in the counter 10 based on whether or not it exceeds Imc (detection target band spectrum intensity evaluation means). The processing in this case is as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, waveform sampling is performed in S101 (the number of data points is n), and fast Fourier transform processing is performed on the waveform data sampled in S102 (detailed description is omitted because the processing content is well known). In S103, among the intensity data points of the obtained frequency spectrum, those belonging to the detection target band are extracted (the number is k), and in S104, the sum of the extracted intensity Ii (= ΣIi) is calculated, and in S105. This is divided by the number of data points k in the band to obtain the average intensity Im (= ΣIi / k).

In S106, the average intensity Im is compared with the threshold Imc. If Im> Imc, it is determined that there is a user, and the process proceeds to S107 to set the output of the determination output port 35 to “H”. In the remaining case, it is determined that there is no user, and the process proceeds to S108 to set the output of the determination output port 35 to “L”. If there is no end instruction in S109, the process returns to S101 to acquire the next sampling waveform, and the same process is repeated.

The Doppler sensor module 3 has a communication interface (in this embodiment, a UART interface: a communication interface) for directly extracting an orthogonal detection waveform output or the like (necessary when, for example, a heart rate or a respiratory rate is to be measured) to the outside. Tx is a transmission side terminal, and Rx is a reception side terminal) 43, which is connected to the input / output unit 33 of the microprocessor unit 3d. In the present embodiment, whether or not the heart rate or respiration is detected as a survival tremor at a predetermined level or higher is indispensable for determining the presence or absence of the user, and the respiratory rate or the heart rate is not specifically specified. Therefore, the communication interface 43 is not used and nothing is connected to the terminals Tx and Rx. As a matter of course, this communication interface 43 can be omitted (and a commercially available product of the omitted Doppler sensor module can be used).

FIG. 13 shows an example of a flowchart showing the processing flow of the determination program 54a in the sensor unit 4. In this program 54a, a first timer T1 for measuring the duration of stay in the booth of the user and a second timer T2 for measuring the duration of stay in the booth of the user are incorporated by software. When the process starts up, H1 resets these timers T1 and T2.

Next, in H2, the process of initializing the LEDs 6 and 7 of FIG. 4 is performed, in which the "in use" LED 7 is turned off and the "open" LED 6 is turned on. Subsequently, the current determination result of the user detection process is acquired by H3. If there is no person in the toilet booth, it should be judged as "no user". In this case, the process returns to H1, the timer is reset, and the process up to H4 is repeated. On the other hand, in the case of "with user" in H4, the process proceeds to H5 and the time counting by the first timer T1 is started. In H6, it is determined whether or not the time elapsed time by the first timer T1 exceeds the lower limit threshold value T1m, and if not, it returns to H2 and repeats the following processing. If the state transitions to the "no user" state within the lower limit threshold value T1m, the processing returns to H1 at the judgment branch of H4 in the immediately following iterative loop, and the first timer T1 is reset.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an operating state of the toilet booth usage status notification system 1 in the “no user” state. When the determination result indicates the state of "no user", the "open" LED 6 of the notification display unit 13 is lit, and it is easy to grasp from the outside that the toilet booth 200 is in the "open" state. There are advantages that can be achieved. Further, when a person leaves the toilet booth 200, the hook metal fitting of the locking mechanism 204 may move due to the vibration when the door 202 is vigorously closed, and the toilet booth 200 may be locked in an unmanned state. At this time, the existing lock display unit 205 becomes "in use", but the notification display unit 13 has the "open" LED 6 lit. The latter indicates the "open state" with higher reliability based on the absence of the survival tremor signal, so the booth in which the lock display unit 205 is "in use" is actually in the "open state" state. It can be easily visually grasped from the outside, and the patrol person (conductor, etc.) PI can quickly shift to the unlocking process. As a result, it is possible to effectively avoid a problem that the toilet booth 200 is "in use" even though it can be used, which hinders the next use.

On the other hand, if the duration of receiving the judgment of "with user" in H6 exceeds the lower limit threshold value T1m, the judgment of "with user" is confirmed, the process proceeds to H7, the "Aki" LED6 is turned off, and "Aki" LED6 is turned off. "In use" Turns on the LED 7. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an operating state of the toilet booth usage status notification system 1 in the state of “with user”. When the determination result indicates the state of "with user", the "in use" LED 7 of the notification display unit 13 is lit, and it is easy from the outside that the toilet booth 200 is in the "in use" state. There is an advantage that can be grasped. Further, as described later, if the "in use" LED 7 is not blinking, it means that the user's staying time does not exceed the threshold value T1c for exceeding the continuous use. It can be judged as the usage status of.

On the other hand, FIG. 17 shows a case where the user PP forgets to lock the door 202 and enters the toilet booth 200. When using a public toilet, it is good manners to knock on the door before entering, but if the lock display 205 is "open", the PI who wants to use the train usually hesitates. The door 202 will be opened without any notice. The user PP inside is upset when the door 202 is inadvertently opened, and depending on the situation, it may be difficult to advance or retreat, and the user PI who wants to open the door 202 feels very bad. .. In the case of a sliding door type train toilet as in this embodiment, the door seems to be closed tightly even if it is not locked, so that the above-mentioned problem of forgetting to lock occurs relatively frequently. it is conceivable that.

However, if the toilet booth usage status notification system 1 is used, the existing lock display unit 205 becomes "open", but the notification display unit 13 is lit with the "in use" LED 7. Since the latter indicates the "in use" state with higher reliability based on the presence of the survival tremor signal, the booth in which the lock display unit 205 is "open" is actually "in use". The state can be easily visually grasped from the outside. Therefore, the user PI who sees this, even if the lock display unit 205 is "open", senses the possibility that there is a user inside, refrains from opening the door immediately, and knocks. Since it is guided by the act, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems.

Returning to FIG. 13, in H8, it is determined whether or not the timing state of the first timer T1 exceeds the threshold value T1c for exceeding the continuous use. If it does not exceed, H9 is skipped and the process proceeds to H10, and the user detection determination result is acquired again. When the determination content is "with user" in H11, the process proceeds to H12 to reset the second timer T2, returns to H8, and the process up to H11 is repeated. During this process, if the timekeeping state of the first timer T1 acquired by H8 exceeds the threshold value T1c for continuous use, H9 is processed and the "in use" LED7 (in continuous lighting state) is overused. Switch to the blinking state indicating.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing an operating state of the toilet booth usage status notification system 1 in a continuous usage excess state. When the determination result indicates the continuous use excess state, the "in use" LED 7 of the notification display unit 13 is blinking, and it is possible to quickly grasp from the outside that the toilet booth 200 is in the continuous use excess state. Further, the patrol person PI can determine that some abnormality has occurred in the user in the toilet booth 200 being used, and can carry out the door opening operation without hesitation.

As already explained in detail, in the toilet booth usage status notification system 1, the survival tremors of heartbeat and respiration are subjected to the filtering process of FIG. 8 and the Fourier transform process (frequency spectrum transform process) of FIG. It is detected separately from the formed components. As a result, even when consecutive people enter and leave the toilet booth 200, the detection interruption of the survival tremor (detection target band component) due to the entry and exit of the user PP is sure without being buried in a large body movement waveform. Can be detected. Therefore, even when the same toilet booth 200 is replaced and occupied by different user PPs when the toilet is crowded, the possibility of false detection that the same user PP is continuously used is drastically reduced.

Further, since the presence or absence of the user PP in the toilet booth 200 is determined based on the intensity of the survival tremor (detection target band component) extracted from the large body movement, the user PP has a large body while sitting. Even if a motion is generated, the possibility of falsely detecting this as an exit is eliminated in principle. As a result, as long as continuous use by the same person continues, there is no problem that the continuous use time measured by a large body movement after sitting is cut off. In addition, even if the user PP intentionally generates a large motion in the booth, the measurement of the continuous stay time based on the intensity of the extracted detection target band component (survival tremor) is not affected, and an illegal long-term stay is performed. Can be reliably detected and eliminated.

Returning to FIG. 13, when the determination content is "no user" in H11, that is, when the biological tremor in the booth is interrupted, the process proceeds to H13 and the time counting by the second timer T2 is started. In H14, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time measured by the second timer T2 exceeds the threshold value T2c, and if not, the process returns to H8 and the following processing is repeated. As a result, even if a person is temporarily not detected within the range of less than the threshold value T2c (that is, noise, etc.), the timekeeping of the first timer T1 is continued, and the timekeeping of the continuous use duration becomes fragmented. Is prevented.

On the other hand, when the determination of "there is a user" is made in H11, the process proceeds to H12 to reset the second timer T2 as described above, returns to H8, and the following processing is repeated. That is, if the duration of "without user" has transitioned to the state of "with user" by the time the threshold value T2c is reached, the process returns to H8 by the judgment branch at H11 in the immediately following iterative loop. , The second timer T2 is reset and waits until the next "no user" state occurs. As a matter of course, the timing of the continuous use duration by the first timer T1 is still continued during this period.

Then, if the timing of the second timer T2 exceeds the threshold value T2c in H14, the determination of "no user" is confirmed, the process returns to H1 via H15, and the following processing is repeated. In the subsequent step of H2, the "in use" LED 7 of the notification display unit 13 is turned off, and the "open" LED 6 is turned on.

Hereinafter, various modifications of the toilet booth usage status notification system 1 will be described (the same reference numerals are given to the elements common to the parts already described, and detailed description thereof will be omitted).
FIGS. 18 and 19 show a modified form of the light emitting display unit. The light emitting display unit 513 has a translucent cover 513c (here, a semicircular cross section), and the above-mentioned LEDs 6 and 7 mounted on the base 513b are provided inside. FIG. 20 is an example in which the system 1 including the light emitting display unit 513 is individually installed in a plurality of toilet booths 200 of the collective toilet. The doors 202 of the individual booths are hinged to open and close back and forth, and can be locked from the inside by a well-known sliding locking mechanism (not shown).

In the light emitting display unit 513, the standing patrol person (or user (viewer)) PI moves the door 202 of the toilet booth 200 to one of the left and right fields of view (in the figure, the left side when viewed from the patrol person PI). It is mounted on the outer surface of the wall adjacent to one of the width directions of the door 202 of the toilet booth 200, here above the front surface of the mounting frame 202a of the door 202, so that the light emitting state can be visually recognized when viewed in the field of view. Has been done. In the collective toilet of FIG. 20, the booth door 202 is installed in parallel with the aisle, and by attaching the light emitting display unit 513 as described above, the user walking in the aisle and the patrol person PI can use the booth in the distance. Even if there is, the occupancy status of the booth can be easily grasped by the light emitting state of the light emitting display unit 513.

And, especially for booths that are overused, there is an advantage that they can be found early and the necessary measures can be taken promptly. It is also possible to notify the outside by wirelessly transmitting the occurrence of excessive use to the wireless access point 68 in the collective toilet. Further, even if the existing locked display unit attached to each booth 200 is of a non-light emitting form, the light emitting display unit 513 can be easily retrofitted as a new locked display unit 205. .. A user who has entered the collective toilet can easily grasp which of the vacant toilet booths 200 is, even if he / she does not approach the toilet booth 200 or from the direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, when the existing lock display unit 205 and the notification display unit 13 are installed side by side in the same toilet booth 200, if the display states of the two display units are different, the actual booth It may not be possible to grasp which display unit the occupied state is reflected in, which may cause confusion. In this case, as shown in FIG. 21, if the notification display unit 13 is installed at a position that hides the existing lock display unit 205, the display becomes unique and the cause of confusion can be eliminated. In FIG. 21, the mounting base 13b is integrated on the side surface of the housing 13m of the notification display unit 13, and is assembled to the door frame wall portion 202a by the fastening member 202s at the mounting base 13b in a cantilevered manner. As a result, the notification display unit 13 overlaps the lock display unit 205 on the door 202 in the closed state and conceals it.

FIG. 22 shows an example in which the “in use” LED in the notification display unit 13 is divided into an LED 7 (for example, orange) indicating a normal use state and an LED 8 (for example, red) indicating an excess of continuous use. .. The LED 8 may be blinked or continuously lit when the usage is exceeded. Further, FIG. 23 is an example in which the notification display unit is configured by the flat display 9, and each state is displayed in characters. The flat display 9 can be composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or a self-luminous dot matrix display (for example, an organic EL display, an inorganic EL display, an LED matrix display, etc.), and as shown in FIG. 6, the I / O expansion IC 56 On the other hand, it is connected via the graphic interface 9a.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

1 Toilet booth usage status notification system 3 Doppler sensor module 3a Analog circuit section 3d microprocessor section 6 "Aki" LED (usage status notification information output means, light emission display unit)
7 "In use" LED (Usage status notification information output means, light emission display unit)
13 Notification display unit 31 CPU
32 RAM
33 Input / output unit 34 ROM
36 FROM
36a Bandpass filter module (detection target band component extraction means)
36b FFT module (detection target band component extraction means, Fourier transform processing means)
36c User detection program (detection target band component intensity evaluation means, passing waveform signal intensity evaluation means, detection target band spectrum intensity evaluation means, user presence / absence determination means)
37 Antenna (transmitted wave output, reflected wave receiver)
38 Doppler sensor RF circuit 40 Orthogonal detection section (detection section)
50 microprocessor 51 CPU
52 RAM
53 Input / output unit 54 ROM
54a Judgment program (use duration measuring means, user presence / absence judgment means)
200 Toilet booth 201 Toilet bowl 202 Door

Claims (13)

A toilet booth usage notification system that opens and closes the doorway with a lockable door.
A Doppler sensor module that sends a detection microwave toward the user's chest to detect at least one of the user's heartbeat and respiration to the user sitting on the toilet bowl in the toilet booth.
A frequency band that covers a signal component derived from at least one of a person's heartbeat and breath is defined as a detection target band, and the detection target band component is obtained from the detection signal of the Doppler sensor module in the toilet booth of the user. Detection target band component extraction means that selectively extracts while separating from the signal component of body movement accompanying entry and exit from the room,
A detection target band component intensity evaluation means for evaluating the intensity of the extracted detection target band component, and a detection target band component intensity evaluation means.
The presence or absence of the user in the toilet booth is determined based on the evaluation result by the detection target band component intensity evaluation means, and the detection target band is detected from the person detection state in which the intensity of the detection target band component exceeds the threshold level. A user presence / absence determining means for determining that the user has moved out when a predetermined time or more has passed after shifting to a person non-detection state in which the intensity of the component is less than the threshold level.
A usage duration measuring means for measuring the usage duration after the determination result by the user presence / absence determining means is switched from the state without a user to the state with a user.
Based on the determination result, the usage status notification information indicating the usage status of the toilet booth is output, and when the measured usage duration exceeds a predetermined threshold time, the usage continuation is continued as the usage status notification information. Usage status notification information output means to notify and output excess information,
The Doppler sensor module has a wall surface of the toilet booth facing either the front side or the rear side of the chest of the user, and the distance to the chest of the user who is attached to the toilet bowl is 1.5 m or less. A toilet booth usage status notification system that is characterized by being installed so as to be. The toilet booth usage status notification system according to claim 1, wherein the detection target band is set to cover 30% or more of a frequency range of 0.1 Hz or more and 3 Hz or less. The toilet booth usage status notification system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the detection target band is set to include a frequency range of 0.3 Hz or more and 1 Hz or less. The detection target band component extraction means includes a bandpass filter that extracts the detection target band component from the waveform of the detection signal, and a pass waveform signal intensity evaluation means that evaluates the strength of the pass waveform signal of the bandpass filter. ,
The toilet booth usage status notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the user presence / absence determining means makes the determination based on the intensity evaluation result of the passing waveform signal. The detection target band component extraction means obtains a Fourier transform processing means that generates frequency spectrum information of the detection signal by Fourier transform processing the waveform of the detection signal, and a spectral intensity of the detection target band in the frequency spectrum information. Equipped with a detection target band spectrum intensity evaluation means to be evaluated,
The toilet booth usage status notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the user presence / absence determining means makes the determination based on the evaluation result of the spectral intensity of the detection target band. A toilet booth usage notification system that opens and closes the doorway with a lockable door.
A Doppler sensor module that sends a detection microwave toward the user's chest to detect at least one of the user's heartbeat and respiration to the user sitting on the toilet bowl in the toilet booth.
A frequency band that covers a signal component derived from at least one of a person's heartbeat and breath is defined as a detection target band, and the detection target band component is obtained from the detection signal of the Doppler sensor module in the toilet booth of the user. Detection target band component extraction means that selectively extracts while separating from the signal component of body movement accompanying entry and exit from the room,
A detection target band component intensity evaluation means for evaluating the intensity of the extracted detection target band component, and a detection target band component intensity evaluation means.
The presence or absence of the user in the toilet booth is determined based on the evaluation result by the detection target band component intensity evaluation means, and the detection target band is detected from the person detection state in which the intensity of the detection target band component exceeds the threshold level. A user presence / absence determining means for determining that the user has moved out when a predetermined time or more has passed after shifting to a person non-detection state in which the intensity of the component is less than the threshold level.
A usage duration measuring means for measuring the usage duration after the determination result by the user presence / absence determining means is switched from the state without a user to the state with a user.
Based on the determination result, the usage status notification information indicating the usage status of the toilet booth is output, and when the measured usage duration exceeds a predetermined threshold time, the usage continuation is continued as the usage status notification information. Usage status notification information output means that notifies and outputs excess information,
The Doppler sensor module comprises an output unit for a microwave transmission wave, a reception unit for a reflected wave formed by reflecting the transmitted wave by a moving body, and a detection unit for detecting a Doppler shift waveform component of the reflected wave. An analog circuit unit having the above, an A / D conversion unit that digitally converts the Doppler shift waveform extracted by the detection unit to generate digital waveform information, an input / output unit into which the digital waveform information is input, and the above. A ROM that stores a moving object determination program that analyzes digital waveform information to determine the presence or absence of a moving object, a RAM that forms an execution area for the moving object determination program, and the moving object determination program are executed, and the determination result is input. Judgment of output unit Equipped with a microprocessor unit equipped with a CPU to output to the output port,
A part of the program storage area of the ROM is configured as a PROM area that can be written from the outside, and the CPU performs the function realization program of the detection target band component extraction means and the user presence / absence determination means. A toilet that is written and stored in the ROM area in a readable form, the CPU executes the motion determination program in a form incorporating these function realization programs, and outputs the determination result from the determination output port. Booth usage notification system. A toilet booth usage notification system that opens and closes the doorway with a lockable door.
A Doppler sensor module that sends a detection microwave toward the user's chest to detect at least one of the user's heartbeat and respiration to the user sitting on the toilet bowl in the toilet booth.
A frequency band that covers a signal component derived from at least one of a person's heartbeat and breath is defined as a detection target band, and the detection target band component is obtained from the detection signal of the Doppler sensor module in the toilet booth of the user. Detection target band component extraction means that selectively extracts while separating from the signal component of body movement accompanying entry and exit from the room,
A detection target band component intensity evaluation means for evaluating the intensity of the extracted detection target band component, and a detection target band component intensity evaluation means.
The presence or absence of the user in the toilet booth is determined based on the evaluation result by the detection target band component intensity evaluation means, and the detection target band is detected from the person detection state in which the intensity of the detection target band component exceeds the threshold level. A user presence / absence determining means for determining that the user has moved out when a predetermined time or more has passed after shifting to a person non-detection state in which the intensity of the component is less than the threshold level.
A usage duration measuring means for measuring the usage duration after the determination result by the user presence / absence determining means is switched from the state without a user to the state with a user.
Based on the determination result, the usage status notification information indicating the usage status of the toilet booth is output, and when the measured usage duration exceeds a predetermined threshold time, the usage continuation is continued as the usage status notification information. Usage status notification information output means to notify and output excess information,
The usage status notification information output means is a toilet booth usage status notification system that displays and outputs the usage continuation excess information on a notification display unit incidentally installed outside the toilet booth. The usage status notification information output means uses the toilet booth for the notification display unit when the determination result indicates the state with the user and the usage duration does not exceed the threshold time. The toilet booth usage status notification system according to claim 7 , wherein the in-use information indicating that the system is in use is displayed and output so as to be distinguishable from the usage continuation excess information. The usage status notification information output means, when the determination result indicates a state without the user, the usage continuation excess of the space information indicating that the toilet booth is in the open state on the notification display unit. The toilet booth usage status notification system according to claim 8 , which displays and outputs information and information in use so as to be distinguishable from the information. The toilet booth has a door locking mechanism that can be operated from the inside of the booth, and an existing locking display unit that switches and displays the locked state of the door in conjunction with the door locking mechanism at a position that can be identified from the outside of the door. It is prepared and
The use of the toilet booth according to claim 9 , wherein the notification display unit is provided separately from the lock display unit and displays and outputs the usage status notification information regardless of the operating state of the door locking mechanism. Status notification system. The toilet booth usage status notification system according to claim 10 , wherein the notification display unit is installed at a position where the existing lock display unit is concealed. The notification display unit is such that the door of the toilet booth can be visually recognized when the viewer in a standing position looks at the door of the toilet booth in a field of view that is closer to one of the left and right fields of view. 7 to 10 is a light emitting display unit which is mounted on the outer surface of the wall portion adjacent to one of the width directions and outputs the usage status notification information having different contents in a distinctive manner depending on the difference in the light emitting state. The toilet booth usage status notification system according to any one of the above items. The toilet booth according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein the usage status notification information output means has a communication output means for outputting the usage status notification information to an external network by wireless or wired communication means. Usage notification system.

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