JP7499464B2 - Deterioration level estimation device, deterioration level estimation method, and deterioration level estimation system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a deterioration level estimation device, a deterioration level estimation method, and a deterioration level estimation system.

In recent years, there has been an increased demand for hygiene due to the fear of infectious diseases caused by viruses and the like, and antibacterial methods have been proposed that use antibacterial agents or antibacterial sheets on fixtures and the like to improve the hygiene of the fixtures and the like. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an antibacterial deodorizing sheet in which an antibacterial deodorizing sheet made of a thin film of titanium oxide is attached to furniture and the like, suppressing the activity of microorganisms through an oxidation effect that utilizes the photocatalytic reaction of titanium oxide.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-38191

However, the antibacterial (deodorizing) sheet disclosed in Patent Document 1 loses its antibacterial effect over time. The degree of deterioration of the antibacterial sheet also differs depending on the degree of dirt on the antibacterial sheet. In particular, when the antibacterial sheet is used on fixtures, the degree of dirt on the antibacterial sheet differs depending on the degree of contact with the fixtures by the people who use the fixtures. In other words, the degree of dirt on the antibacterial sheet differs depending on the degree of contact with the fixtures by the people, and this leads to a difference in the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial sheet. This makes it difficult for users (e.g., people who manage the fixtures) to grasp the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial sheet and the timing for replacement.

The present invention was made in consideration of the problems inherent in the conventional technology. The object of the present invention is to provide a deterioration degree estimation device that can estimate the deterioration degree of antibacterial sheets used on fixtures.

In order to solve the above problem, the deterioration degree estimation device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a user information receiving unit that receives, from a human detection device equipped with a sensor, user information about a user involved in fixtures in which antibacterial material is used, the user information being acquired by the sensor; a storage unit that stores antibacterial material information indicating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over the time the antibacterial material has been used, and fixture information including the type of antibacterial material used in the fixture and the time of use; an involvement degree calculation unit that calculates a user involvement degree indicating the degree of involvement of the user in the fixture based on the user information, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information; and a deterioration degree estimation unit that estimates the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixture based on the user involvement degree, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information.

The deterioration degree estimation system according to the second aspect of the present invention is a deterioration degree estimation system including a human detection device equipped with a sensor that acquires user information, which is information about users involved in fixtures in which antibacterial materials are used, a deterioration degree estimation device, and a user terminal. The deterioration degree estimation device includes a user information reception unit that acquires user information from the human detection device, a storage unit that stores antibacterial material information indicating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over the time the antibacterial material has been used, and fixture information including the type of antibacterial material used in the fixture and the time of use, an involvement degree calculation unit that calculates a user involvement degree that indicates the degree of involvement of the user in the fixture based on the user information, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information, a deterioration degree estimation unit that estimates the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixture based on the user involvement degree, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information, and an output unit that transmits the estimated result of the deterioration degree of the antibacterial material to the user terminal.

The deterioration degree estimation method according to the third aspect of the present invention is a deterioration degree estimation method executed by a computer, which acquires user information of users involved with fixtures in which antibacterial materials are used from a sensor, calculates a user involvement level indicating the degree of involvement of the user with the fixtures based on the user information, antibacterial material information stored in a memory unit indicating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over the time the antibacterial material has been used, and fixture information stored in the memory unit including the type of antibacterial material used in the fixtures and the time of use, and estimates the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures based on the user involvement level, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information.

The deterioration degree estimation program according to the fourth aspect of the present invention acquires user information of users involved with fixtures in which antibacterial materials are used from a sensor, calculates a user involvement level indicating the degree of involvement of the user with the fixtures based on the user information, antibacterial material information stored in a memory unit indicating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over time of use, and fixture information stored in the memory unit including the type of antibacterial material used in the fixtures and the duration of use, and causes a computer to execute a process of estimating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures based on the user involvement level, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information.

This disclosure makes it possible to provide a deterioration degree estimation device that can estimate the deterioration degree of antibacterial sheets used on fixtures.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a deterioration level estimation system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a deterioration level estimating device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of user information according to the first embodiment; 4 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the usage time of the antibacterial material according to the first embodiment and the amount of antibacterial activity. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of fixture information according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display of a degradation level estimation result according to the first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a human detection device according to a first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart (sequence diagram) for explaining processing of the deterioration level estimation system according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of user information according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram for explaining functions of a deterioration level estimating device 105 according to a third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining other detection information according to another embodiment.

The deterioration level estimation system according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection states, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim that indicates a top-level concept will be described as optional components. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

(Outline of the deterioration estimation system)
The deterioration level estimation system 1 according to the present embodiment is a system for estimating the deterioration level of an antibacterial sheet used for fixtures. The deterioration level estimation system 1 will be described below with reference to several specific embodiments.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a deterioration level estimation system 1. The deterioration level estimation system 1 includes a server 10, a user terminal 30, a network 40, and a human detection device 200. The server 10 receives information from the human detection device 200 via the network 40. The human detection device 200 is a plurality of devices provided with sensors that are installed on the ceiling of a specific area of, for example, an office or a conference room (hereinafter, referred to as a room 20) and detect the presence or absence of a person. In addition, a fixture 21 is installed in the room 20, and an antibacterial sheet 22 is attached to the fixture 21 as an antibacterial material. The antibacterial material used in the antibacterial sheet 22 is a material that has a function of suppressing the growth of microorganisms on the surface of a material or reducing the number of live bacteria. For example, the antibacterial material is given antibacterial properties by mixing or coating an organic or metallic antibacterial substance such as copper or silver into the material. In the first embodiment, the antibacterial sheet 22 is coated with titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) and utilizes the antibacterial effect of the photocatalyst of titanium oxide. The antibacterial material used in the antibacterial sheet 22 is not limited to titanium oxide, and it is also possible to use an antibacterial material having an antibacterial effect other than titanium oxide.

The person 23 is a user who uses the fixture 21. Note that the person 23 (user) detected by the human detection device 200 is not limited to a person who directly uses the fixture 21, but also includes, for example, a person 23 who has stayed near the fixture 21 for a certain period of time.

The user terminal 30 is, for example, a personal computer, and is usually operated by a manager of the fixture 21. The manager of the fixture 21 can check the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial sheet 22 used in the fixture 21 through the user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 may be a mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone. The user terminal 30 can communicate with the server 10 via the network 40. In other words, the network 40 is a communication network that allows the server 10, the human detection device 200, and the user terminal 30 to communicate with each other, and is, for example, a carrier network such as a mobile phone network, or the Internet.

The server 10 includes a deterioration level estimation device 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the deterioration level estimation device 100 includes a control unit 110, a memory unit 120, an input/output IF 130, and a network IF 140. Note that the example configuration of the deterioration level estimation device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and the present embodiment is not limited to this example. For example, the server 10 can be replaced with one or more computers capable of implementing each function performed by the control unit 110.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining the functions of the deterioration level estimation device 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 110 includes a user information receiving unit 111, a contribution calculation unit 112, and a deterioration degree estimation unit 113 as functions. The control unit 110 controls the entire server 10 by, for example, operating an operation system. Furthermore, the control unit 110 operates based on a program (not shown) stored in the storage unit 120, and executes each function of the user information receiving unit 111, the contribution calculation unit 112, and the deterioration degree estimation unit 113. Note that the program is not limited to being stored in the storage unit 120, and may be stored in, for example, a ROM (not shown) in the deterioration degree estimation device 100. Note that the details of the user information receiving unit 111, the contribution calculation unit 112, and the deterioration degree estimation unit 113 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the memory unit 120 stores user information 121, antibacterial material information 122, fixture information 123, user involvement level 124, and deterioration level 125 as data. There may be one or more memory units 120 storing each of these data. For example, a single memory unit 120 may be configured to store the data in separate areas. Alternatively, the data may be distributed and stored in multiple storage devices installed in physically separate locations.

The input/output IF 130 is, for example, a component (interface) for the user to exchange data with the server 10, and is configured to include, for example, an input unit 131 and an output unit 132 as shown in FIG. 2.

The input unit 131 has an interface function for inputting various information by the user, and information is input from outside the server 10. The user inputs information to the input unit 131 through, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a trackball, or a voice recognition device connected to the server 10. The input unit 131 can also input information as a data input terminal for inputting data from an external storage device (not shown). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the antibacterial material information 122 and the fixture information 123 are input via the input unit 131. However, the antibacterial material information 122 and the fixture information 123 may also be input from the network IF 140 by the user's operation via the input unit 131.

The output unit 132 displays the degradation level estimation result, etc. on a display device (not shown) connected to the server 10. The display device is, for example, a display device or a projector device. The display device on which the degradation level estimation result, etc. is displayed can also be the user terminal 30, in which case the degradation level estimation result, etc. is sent to the user terminal 30 via the network IF 140.

The network IF 140 is an interface for communicating between the human detection device 200 and the user terminal 30 and the server 10 via a wired and/or wireless network.

(Functional Configuration of Deterioration Level Estimation Device 100)
Next, the functions of the deterioration degree estimating device 100 will be described with reference to the functional block diagram shown in FIG.

The user information receiving unit 111 receives information about users detected by the human detection device 200 via the network IF 140, and stores the information in the memory unit 120 in an area that stores user information 121. FIG. 3 shows an example of user information 121 stored in the memory unit 120. The user information 121 shown in FIG. 3 stores the date of use, number of users, and cumulative usage time for fixture 21, for example, fixture number 001. Note that in this embodiment, the cumulative usage time is the total time (cumulative time) for each user.

The involvement calculation unit 112 calculates a user involvement level 124 indicating the degree to which the user was involved with the fixtures 21 based on the user information 121, the antibacterial material information 122, and the fixture information 123.

As shown in FIG. 4, the antibacterial material information 122 is information showing the degree of decrease in the antibacterial activity amount of the antibacterial material used in the antibacterial sheet 22 over time of use. The antibacterial activity amount is a numerical value showing the state of suppressing bacterial growth on the surface of a material, and the larger this value, the stronger the ability to suppress bacterial growth. In FIG. 4, the antibacterial activity amount AS shows the antibacterial activity amount at the start of use of the antibacterial material. The antibacterial activity amount AE shows the antibacterial activity amount that is the timing of replacing the antibacterial material. The value of the antibacterial activity amount decreases over time, and the ability to suppress bacterial growth decreases. That is, the antibacterial material information 122 shows the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over time of use. In FIG. 4, the line L1 shows the degree of natural deterioration of the antibacterial material. At the usage time 0 in FIG. 4, the antibacterial activity amount is AS, and at the time TE, the antibacterial activity amount is AE (replacement timing). The line L2 shows the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material when it is continuously used by a person. Line L2 is a graph that examines the degree of deterioration when used by a person for a certain period of time and supplements it with line L2. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, it is shown that the antibacterial activity level (AE), which is the timing for replacing the antibacterial material, is reached at time TU. Note that in the graph showing the relationship between the use time of the antibacterial material and the antibacterial activity level shown in FIG. 4, lines L1 and L2 are shown as straight lines to explain the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material, but this is not limited to this, and lines L1 and L2 may be shown as curved lines.

As shown in FIG. 5, the fixture information 123 is stored including the type of antibacterial material used in the fixture 21, the start date of use of the antibacterial material, and the use time of the antibacterial material. In this embodiment, the involvement calculation unit 112 extracts the use time of the antibacterial material of the fixture 21 to be calculated, and calculates the difference value between the line L1 and the line L2 at this use time in the graph shown in FIG. 4. Then, the involvement calculation unit 112 divides the cumulative use time of the user information 121 by the use time of the antibacterial material to calculate a ratio. The product of this ratio and the difference value becomes the user involvement degree 124. That is, the user involvement degree 124 at a certain time T can be expressed by formula (1). In formula (1), the user involvement degree 124 is represented by UR. Note that L1(T) and L2(T) respectively indicate the antibacterial activity amounts of L1 and L2 at time T. Also, C indicates the cumulative use time in the user information 121.
UR = (L1(T) - L2(T)) x (C/T) ... (1)

In other words, if the fixture 21 is not used by any user at all, the cumulative usage time C will be 0, and the user involvement level 124 will be 0. On the other hand, if it is assumed that one user continues to use the fixture 21, the cumulative usage time C will be T, and the user involvement level 124 will be the difference (L1(T)-L2(T)). Furthermore, if it is assumed that multiple users continue to use the fixture 21, the cumulative usage time C will be a value greater than T, and the user involvement level 124 will be a value greater than the difference (L1(T)-L2(T)).

The user involvement level 124 is stored in the memory unit 120. The user involvement level 124 is stored in association with the fixture number of the target fixture. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it may be stored in association with the fixture information 123.

The deterioration level estimation unit 113 estimates the deterioration level 125 of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures 21 based on the user involvement level 124, the antibacterial material information 122, and the fixture information 123.

Specifically, the deterioration degree estimation unit 113 identifies a point on the line L1 indicating natural deterioration that corresponds to the usage time of the antibacterial material shown in the fixture information 123. The deterioration degree estimation unit 113 further calculates a point that is deteriorated (moved in the negative direction in the graph) from that point by the amount of user involvement level 124. This point is the deterioration degree 125 (degree of deterioration) of the antibacterial material. For example, in FIG. 4, the deterioration degree D1 is calculated at usage time T1. Also, in FIG. 4, the deterioration degree D2 is calculated at usage time T2. It is determined whether this deterioration degree 125 is located above (on the positive side) or below (on the negative side) the antibacterial activity amount AE of the timing to replace the antibacterial material, and the timing to replace the antibacterial sheet 22 is determined.

When the deterioration level 125 is higher (positive) than the antibacterial activity level AE, it is determined that it is not time to replace the antibacterial material because there is still antibacterial activity. On the other hand, when the deterioration level 125 is lower (negative) than the antibacterial activity level AE, it is determined that it is time to replace the antibacterial material because the antibacterial activity is less than the antibacterial activity level AE, which is the replacement timing. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the deterioration level D1 at the usage time T1 is higher than the antibacterial activity level AE, so it is determined that it is not time to replace the antibacterial material. On the other hand, the deterioration level D2 at the usage time T2 is lower than the antibacterial activity level AE, so it is determined that it is time to replace the antibacterial material.

The estimated deterioration level 125 is stored in the storage unit 120. The estimated deterioration level 125 is stored in association with the fixture number of the fixture 21 to be inspected. The estimated deterioration level 125 may be coded and, for example, indicated as a judgment result in a number of stages. As shown in FIG. 5, the estimated deterioration level 125 may be judged in six stages from A to F, with a deterioration level 125 that requires replacement being indicated as F, a deterioration level 125 in which there is little deterioration being indicated as A, and the levels in between being indicated as judgment results in stages, for example, B to E. In this way, by coding the judgment result of the estimated deterioration level 125 and indicating it in a number of stages, it is possible to quantitatively grasp the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial sheet 22.

The deterioration degree 125 estimated by the deterioration degree estimation unit 113 is associated with the fixture information 123 and output by the output unit 132. For example, the screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on a display connected to the server 10. However, the output of the deterioration degree 125 is not limited to the form displayed on the display of the server 10. For example, the deterioration degree 125 can be sent to the user terminal 30 via the network IF 140 instead of the output unit 132, and the estimated deterioration degree 125 of the fixture can be confirmed from each user terminal 30. For example, the example shown in FIG. 6 shows an example in which the fixture information is displayed by clicking the cursor 300 on the target fixture 21 on a floor map.

Next, the human detection device 200 will be described. The human detection device 200 detects the presence or absence of a human based on changes in the intensity of infrared light received from the detection area. As shown in FIG. 7, the human detection device 200 includes a pyroelectric sensor 210 and a detection device 220.

The pyroelectric sensor 210 has a light receiving element 211, a conversion circuit 212, an amplifier circuit 213, and an A/D converter 214. The light receiving element 211 is a pyroelectric element that outputs a signal (electrical signal) according to changes in the intensity of infrared light received from the area to be detected. The conversion circuit 212 converts the electrical signal output from the light receiving element 211 from a current signal to a voltage signal. The amplifier circuit 213 amplifies the voltage signal output from the conversion circuit 212. The A/D converter 214 converts the analog signal (voltage signal) output from the amplifier circuit 213 into a digital signal.

The signal from the A/D converter 214 is input to the pyroelectric filter section 222 via the pyroelectric buffer 221. The pyroelectric filter section 222 attenuates or amplifies specific frequency components.

In the first embodiment, the detection device 220 is configured, for example, with a microcomputer having a processor and a memory. The processor executes a program stored in the memory, causing the microcomputer to function as a control unit. The program executed by the processor is pre-recorded in the memory of the microcomputer here, but may also be provided by being recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card, or may be provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet.

As described above, the signal output from the light receiving element 211 is input to the detection control unit 223 via the conversion circuit 212, the amplifier circuit 213, the A/D converter 214, the pyroelectric buffer 221, and the pyroelectric filter unit 222. The pyroelectric filter unit 222 extracts AC components from the output of the pyroelectric sensor 210. The frequency band that the pyroelectric filter unit 222 passes is set to, for example, 0.3 Hz to 1 Hz. The output signal from the pyroelectric filter unit 222 is an AC signal from which low frequency components (including DC components) have been removed.

The memory unit 224 has a device selected from ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory unit 224 stores a threshold value (entry detection threshold) used when detecting entry into an area (room 20) and a threshold value (stay detection threshold) used when detecting a stay. Furthermore, the memory unit 224 stores a minimum value (minimum threshold) set for stay detection. In other words, the human detection device 200 detects a person's entry or stay in the location where it is installed using either the entry detection threshold or the stay detection threshold.

In the human detection device 200 that detects the presence of a person, the detection control unit 223 detects the presence or absence of a person within the detection target area based on the output value of the output signal from the pyroelectric sensor 210. That is, it determines whether the output signal from the pyroelectric filter unit 222 exceeds the presence detection threshold. If the output signal from the pyroelectric filter unit 222 exceeds the presence detection threshold, it is determined that a person is present. On the other hand, if the output signal from the pyroelectric filter unit 222 does not exceed the presence detection threshold, it is determined that no person is present.

In addition, in places where there are no fixtures 21, human detection devices 200 for detecting intrusion are provided, and the detection control unit 223 detects people entering and exiting based on the intrusion detection threshold. The human detection device 200 determines whether the intrusion detection threshold is exceeded when a person passes through, and if the intrusion detection threshold is exceeded, it detects that a person has passed through. In other words, the detection states of multiple human detection devices 200 detect the intrusion and exit of people, and by detecting people heading toward and leaving the fixtures 21, it is possible to count the number of people involved with the fixtures 21.

The number of people detected by the human detection device 200 and the time the people stayed are stored in the memory unit 224 and sent to the server 10 via the network IF 225 at a specified timing.

(Outline of processing flow of deterioration level estimation system 1)
Next, a flowchart of an example of the operation of the deterioration level estimation system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S801, the human detection device 200 detects people 23 (users) involved with the fixture 21. Specifically, the human detection device 200 detects the number of people 23 involved with the fixture 21 and the cumulative time of their involvement.

In step S802, the user information receiving unit 111 of the deterioration degree estimation device 100 receives information about the person 23 (user) detected by the human detection device 200 from the human detection device 200, and stores it in the user information 121 area of the memory unit 120. Next, proceed to step S803.

In step S803, the involvement calculation unit 112 of the deterioration degree estimation device 100 calculates a user involvement level 124 indicating the degree of involvement of the user with the fixture 21 based on the user information 121, the antibacterial material information 122, and the fixture information 123, and stores the user involvement level 124 in the area of the user involvement level 124. Note that the details of the calculation of the user involvement level 124 are as described above, and therefore will not be explained here. Next, proceed to step S804.

In step S804, the deterioration degree estimation unit 113 of the deterioration degree estimation device 100 estimates the deterioration degree 125 of the antibacterial material used in the fixture 21 based on the user involvement degree 124, the antibacterial material information 122, and the fixture information 123. Furthermore, the deterioration degree estimation unit 113 encodes the estimated deterioration degree 125 at multiple levels and stores it in the deterioration degree 125 area of the storage unit 120. Note that the details of estimating the deterioration degree 125 are as described above, so a description thereof will be omitted here. Next, proceed to step S805.

In step S805, the output unit 132 of the deterioration degree estimation device 100 outputs the deterioration degree 125 of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixture 21. The output of step S805, for example, displays the deterioration degree 125 of the antibacterial sheet 22 for the fixture 21 specified by the user via the screen of the display device on a screen specified by the user. Note that the screen on which the deterioration degree 125 is displayed is displayed on a display device connected to the server 10 or a display device of the user terminal 30. Here, the explanation will be given assuming that the deterioration degree 125 is displayed on the display device of the user terminal 30.

In step S806, the estimation result of the degradation level 125 is displayed on the user terminal 30 (display device). The user checks the estimation result of the degradation level 125 displayed on the display device.

In step S807, the user determines whether or not action is required based on the estimated result of the deterioration degree 125 displayed on the display device. If the antibacterial sheet 22 of the fixture 21 has deteriorated and action is required for the fixture 21 (step S807: YES), proceed to S808. On the other hand, if the user determines that the antibacterial sheet 22 of the fixture 21 has not deteriorated and action such as replacement is not required for the fixture 21 (step S807: NO), end the processing related to the deterioration degree estimation system 1.

In step S808, the user gives instructions from the screen of the user terminal 30 to control the area equipment. In this embodiment, for example, the blinds (not shown) in the area (room 20) where the fixtures 21 are placed are controlled to be opened so that the antibacterial sheet 22 of the fixtures 21 is exposed to more ultraviolet light. For example, the antibacterial sheet 22 used in this embodiment is made of titanium oxide, and the antibacterial effect can be improved by irradiating the antibacterial sheet 22 with ultraviolet light. Also, in step S808, an air purifier (not shown) in the area (room 20) where the fixtures 21 are placed is controlled to clean the air in the space near the fixtures 21, which can delay the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixtures 21.

In step S809, the equipment in the area (room 20) in which the fixture 21 is placed is controlled according to the details controlled in step S808 described above. Also, if the estimated deterioration level 125 indicates that the antibacterial sheet 22 used in the fixture 21 has deteriorated and needs to be replaced, the antibacterial sheet 22 is replaced directly by the user.

As described above, the deterioration degree estimation system 1 according to the first embodiment can estimate the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixture 21 based on the user information 121, which is information about a user involved in the fixture 21 in which an antibacterial material is used. This allows the person managing the fixture 21 to recognize the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 more accurately and to know the timing of replacing the antibacterial sheet 22, etc. Furthermore, the involvement degree calculation unit 112 of the deterioration degree estimation device 100 calculates the user involvement degree 124 using information about the time the user is involved in the fixture 21 as the user information 121. This allows the involvement degree calculation unit 112 to calculate the user involvement degree 124 that more accurately reflects the user's involvement degree.

Second Embodiment
As described above, one specific embodiment has been described, but the above-described embodiment is merely an example and is not intended to limit the embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been given in which the human detection device 200 detects the usage time of the user by the pyroelectric sensor 210. Here, a description will be given of a configuration different from that of the first embodiment for the deterioration level estimation system 1 according to the second embodiment in which the human detection device 200 detects the usage mode of the user by an imaging device such as a camera or a microphone that collects sound.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of user information 121 acquired by the human detection device 200 according to the second embodiment. The user information 121 shown in Figure 9 includes "distance from fixtures," "speaking time," and "dustproofing" in addition to the user information 121 in the first embodiment. Note that "distance from fixtures," "speaking time," and "dustproofing" correspond to the user's usage of the fixtures 21.

"Distance from fixture" indicates the physical distance between the user and the target fixture 21. In the second embodiment, "distance from fixture" is quantified in five stages, for example, 1 when the distance from the fixture 21 is close, and 5 when the distance from the fixture 21 is far. For example, 1 is set when the user actually touches the fixture 21, and 5 is set when the user is a predetermined distance away from the fixture 21. In the second embodiment, the predetermined distance at which "distance from fixture" is 5 is, for example, 1 m, and the value decreases as the user approaches the fixture 21. This "distance from fixture" is reduced from the user involvement level 124 by a percentage of the value. More specifically, as the value of "distance from fixture" changes from 5 to 1, the corresponding values (0), (0.25), (0.5), (0.75), and (1) are accumulated in the cumulative usage time. That is, if the "distance from fixtures" is 5, 0 is used as the cumulative usage time in calculating the user engagement level 124 for that time. On the other hand, if the "distance from fixtures" is 1, the cumulative usage time is used as is in calculating the user engagement level 124.

"Speaking time" is, for example, the time spent by the user talking or speaking on the phone, collected by a microphone attached to an imaging device or the like. This "speaking time" is used to calculate the involvement level, for example, by adding it to the cumulative usage time. In other words, the longer the user's "speaking time", the higher the user involvement level 124.

"Dustproofing" indicates whether the user is dustproofing by, for example, using an imaging device such as a camera to recognize whether the user is wearing dustproofing such as gloves, a mask, or a hat. If "dustproofing" is in place, the value of the user involvement level 124 is subtracted in the involvement level calculation. For example, during the time when "dustproofing" is in place, the effect of "dustproofing" is reflected in the cumulative usage time by adding a value (0.5) to the cumulative usage time. Note that "dustproofing" is not limited to the use of gloves, masks, hats, etc. as described above, and may take into account the type of clothing the user is wearing, whether glasses are worn, etc.

As described above, the deterioration level estimation system 1 according to the second embodiment obtains more detailed information about how users use the fixtures and reflects this in the user involvement level 124. Depending on the specific manner in which the user uses the fixtures 21, the user involvement level 124 will vary greatly, which means that the estimation accuracy of the actual deterioration level 125 will also vary greatly. The deterioration level estimation system 1 according to the second embodiment can calculate a more accurate user involvement level 124, improving the estimation accuracy of the deterioration level 125 of the antibacterial material.

Third Embodiment
Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the following description, when the same reference numerals as those in the first and/or second embodiment are used, the same configuration as in the first and/or second embodiment is indicated, and the preceding description is referred to unless otherwise specified. Below, a description is given of the configuration of the degradation level estimation system 1 according to the third embodiment, which calculates the user involvement level 124 using a trained model that has been machine-learned in advance, that is different from that of the first and/or second embodiment.

Figure 10 shows a functional block diagram for explaining the function of the deterioration level estimation device 105 according to the third embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the deterioration level estimation device 105 differs from the deterioration level estimation device 100 according to the first and second embodiments in that it includes a learning unit 150.

The learning unit 150 includes a machine learning unit 151. The memory unit 120 includes user information 152 and an involvement level 153 as information stored in the memory unit 120. The user information 152 of the learning unit 150 and the user information 121 may be the same.

The degree of involvement 153 is calculated by measuring the actual degree of deterioration of the antibacterial sheet 22 in advance through experiments, etc., based on the user information 152. Specifically, the user examines the degree of inhibition of bacterial growth in the state of use of the fixtures 21 in various pieces of user information 152, measures the degree to which the amount of antibacterial activity has decreased, and determines the degree of decrease in the amount of antibacterial activity as the degree of involvement 153. A set of this user information 152 and the degree of involvement 153 determined by actual measurement is used as learning data. Note that the degree of involvement 153 corresponds to the actually measured degree of involvement.

The machine learning unit 151 inputs the above-mentioned learning data as teacher data to the machine learning unit 151, and generates the involvement calculation unit 115 as a learned model by having the machine learning unit 151 learn the relationship between the user information 152 and the involvement degree 153. Specifically, the user information 152 and the corresponding involvement degree 153 are used as teacher data and input data to the machine learning unit 151. For example, a neural network model is used in the machine learning unit 151. The neural network model used in the machine learning unit 151 may be a model such as a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), or a recurrent neural network (RNN, LSTM). However, the type of neural network model is not limited to this embodiment.

The learning unit 150 is not limited to being provided within the deterioration degree estimation device 105. For example, the involvement degree 153 may be generated based on the extracted user information 152, and these learning sets may be trained in a system other than the server 10 to generate the involvement degree calculation unit 115 as a trained model. In this case, the involvement degree calculation unit 115 is taken into the control unit 110 of the deterioration degree estimation device 105 from outside the server 10 via the input unit 131 or the network IF 140.

As described above, in the deterioration level estimation device 105 according to the third embodiment, the user involvement level 124 is calculated by using the involvement level calculation unit 115, which is a trained model that has actually been trained. This makes it possible to obtain a more accurate user involvement level 124, enabling more accurate estimation of the deterioration level.

Other Embodiments
Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present embodiment is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the embodiment. In addition, it is also possible to combine a part or all of the various embodiments to form a new embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the deterioration degree estimation system 1 acquires information about users involved in the fixtures 21, estimates the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixtures 21 based on the degree of involvement of the users, and outputs the estimation result. However, the information used to estimate the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 is not limited to the degree of involvement of the users, and may be, for example, the congestion degree of the area or the temperature. For example, the user can confirm the information about the congestion degree of the area shown in FIG. 11(a) and the estimation result of the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixtures 21, and recognize the influence of the congestion degree on the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 of the fixtures 21. Similarly, the user can confirm the information about the temperature of the area shown in FIG. 11(b) and the estimation result of the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixtures 21, and recognize the influence of the temperature on the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 of the fixtures 21.

In addition, by using the above-mentioned information on the congestion level and temperature as input parameters for the machine learning unit 151 shown in FIG. 10, the accuracy of the involvement calculation unit 115 can be improved. In addition to the congestion level and temperature, the illuminance of the area can also be used as an input parameter for the machine learning unit 151. By using the illuminance of the area as an input parameter for the machine learning unit 151, it becomes possible to reflect the influence of the antibacterial action of the photocatalyst in the learning, particularly when an antibacterial material such as titanium oxide is used as the antibacterial sheet 22, and the accuracy of the involvement calculation unit 115 can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the deterioration degree estimation system 1 is configured as a so-called cloud computing system that aggregates user information and the like from the human detection device 200 via the network 40 and estimates the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used in the fixture 21. However, the configuration of the deterioration degree estimation system 1 is not limited to this. For example, the deterioration degree estimation device 100 may be configured as so-called edge computing, in which a deterioration degree estimation device 100 is provided for each room 20, and user information is received from the human detection device 200 via the network 40 to estimate the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22. In this case, the network 40 can be configured as a wired or wireless network for short-distance communication. Furthermore, when the deterioration degree estimation system 1 is configured as edge computing, a user terminal 30 can be associated with each fixture 21, and a simple display unit that displays the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 can be provided for each fixture 21. This allows the user of the fixture 21 to select the fixture 21 to use according to the displayed deterioration degree when using the fixture 21.

In addition, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, an example has been shown in which an antibacterial sheet 22 is used for the fixture 21, but the antibacterial material used for the fixture 21 is not limited to the antibacterial sheet 22. For example, it is also possible to configure the fixture 21 to be coated with an antibacterial agent instead of the antibacterial sheet 22. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiments can be applied to, for example, home furniture and store showcases instead of the fixture 21.

The following describes the features of the deterioration level estimation device 100, deterioration level estimation method, and deterioration level estimation system 1 according to this embodiment.

(1) The deterioration level estimation device 100 has the following configuration:
(i) The system includes a user information receiving unit 111 that receives user information 121 obtained by a sensor from a human detection device 200 equipped with a sensor, the user information being information about users involved with fixtures 21 that use antibacterial material.
(ii) Includes a memory unit 120 that stores antibacterial material information 122 indicating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over time that the antibacterial material has been used, and fixture information 123 including the type of antibacterial material used in the fixture 21 and the time of use.
(iii) Includes an involvement level calculation unit 112 that calculates a user involvement level 124 indicating the degree to which the user was involved with the fixtures based on user information 121, antibacterial material information 122, and fixture information 123.
(iv) A deterioration degree estimation unit 113 that estimates the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures 21 based on the user involvement level 124, the antibacterial material information 122, and the fixture information 123.

According to the present disclosure, the deterioration degree estimation device 100 can estimate the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixture 21 based on the user information 121, which is information about the user involved in the fixture 21 in which the antibacterial material is used. This allows the person managing the fixture 21 to recognize the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 more accurately and to know the timing for replacing the antibacterial sheet 22, etc.

(2) It is preferable that the user information 121 includes information regarding the time the user interacts with the fixture 21.

According to the present disclosure, the involvement calculation unit 112 of the deterioration degree estimation device 100 calculates the user involvement level 124 by using information regarding the time that the user is involved with the fixture 21 as the user information 121. This enables the involvement calculation unit 112 to calculate the user involvement level 124 that more accurately reflects the user's involvement level.

(3) It is preferable that the user information 121 further includes information regarding the user's usage of the fixtures 21.

According to the present disclosure, more detailed information about how users use fixtures 21 is obtained and reflected in user involvement level 124. This allows the involvement level calculation unit 112 to calculate a more accurate user involvement level 124, thereby improving the accuracy of estimating the deterioration level 125 of the antibacterial material.

(4) It is preferable that the deterioration level estimation device 105 further has the following configuration.
(v) It is preferable that the system further includes a learning unit 150 having a machine learning unit 151.
It is preferable that the storage unit 120 further stores an actual involvement degree that measures the user's involvement degree in the deterioration degree of the antibacterial material based on the user information. Furthermore, it is preferable that the machine learning unit 151 learns the relationship between the user information 152 and the actual involvement degree based on the user information 152 and the actual involvement degree, and generates the involvement degree calculation unit 115.

According to the present disclosure, the deterioration level estimation device 105 calculates the user involvement level 124 by using the involvement level calculation unit 115, which is a trained model that has actually been trained. This makes it possible to obtain a more accurate user involvement level 124, and thus enables more accurate estimation of the deterioration level.

(5) The deterioration level estimation system 1 has the following configuration.
(i) It includes a human detection device 200 equipped with a sensor that acquires user information 121, which is information about users who are involved with fixtures that use antibacterial material, a deterioration degree estimation device 100, and a user terminal 30.
Furthermore, the deterioration level estimation device 100 has the following configuration.
(ii) The system includes a user information receiving unit 111 that acquires user information 121 from the human detection device 200 .
(iii) Includes a memory unit 120 that stores antibacterial material information 122 indicating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over time that the antibacterial material has been used, and fixture information 123 including the type of antibacterial material used in the fixture and the time of use.
(iv) Includes an involvement level calculation unit 112 that calculates a user involvement level 124 indicating the degree to which the user was involved with the fixtures 21 based on user information 121, antibacterial material information 122, and fixture information 123.
(v) A deterioration degree estimation unit 113 that estimates the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures 21 based on the user involvement level 124, the antibacterial material information 122, and the fixture information 123.
(vi) An output unit 132 that transmits the estimated result of the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material to a user terminal 30.

According to the present disclosure, the deterioration degree estimation device 100 of the deterioration degree estimation system 1 can estimate the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixture 21 based on the user information 121, which is information about the user involved in the fixture 21 in which the antibacterial material is used. This allows the person managing the fixture 21 to recognize the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 more accurately and to know the timing for replacing the antibacterial sheet 22, etc.

(6) It is preferable that the deterioration level estimation method executed by a computer includes the following steps:
(i) This process includes a process of acquiring user information 121 of users who use fixtures 21 that use antibacterial material from a sensor.
(ii) The method includes a process of calculating a user involvement level 124 based on user information 121, antibacterial material information 122, and fixture information 123. The antibacterial material information 122 is stored in the storage unit 120, and indicates the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over the time the antibacterial material is used. The fixture information 123 is stored in the storage unit 120, and includes the type of antibacterial material used in the fixture 21 and the time of use. The user involvement level 124 indicates the degree to which the user has been involved with the fixture.
(iii) The process includes a process of estimating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures based on the user involvement level 124, the antibacterial material information 122, and the fixture information 123.

According to the present disclosure, the deterioration degree estimation method can estimate the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixture 21 based on the user information 121, which is information about the user involved in the fixture 21 in which the antibacterial material is used. This allows the person managing the fixture 21 to recognize the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 more accurately and to know the timing for replacing the antibacterial sheet 22, etc.

(7) A deterioration level estimation program to be executed by a computer includes the following processes.
(i) This process includes a process of acquiring user information 121 of users who use fixtures 21 that use antibacterial material from a sensor.
(ii) The method includes a process of calculating a user involvement level 124 based on user information 121, antibacterial material information 122, and fixture information 123. The antibacterial material information 122 is stored in the storage unit 120, and indicates the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over the time the antibacterial material is used. The fixture information 123 is stored in the storage unit 120, and includes the type of antibacterial material used in the fixture 21 and the time of use. The user involvement level 124 indicates the degree to which the user has been involved with the fixture.
(iii) The process includes a process of estimating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures 21 based on the user involvement level 124, the antibacterial material information 122, and the fixture information 123.

According to the present disclosure, the deterioration degree estimation program can estimate the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixture 21 based on the user information 121, which is information about the user involved in the fixture 21 in which the antibacterial material is used. This allows the person managing the fixture 21 to recognize the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 more accurately and to know when to replace the antibacterial sheet 22, etc.

(8) The deterioration degree estimation program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

According to the present disclosure, a recording medium having a deterioration degree estimation program recorded thereon can estimate the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 used on the fixture 21 based on user information 121, which is information about users involved with the fixture 21 in which antibacterial material is used. This allows the person managing the fixture 21 to recognize the deterioration degree of the antibacterial sheet 22 more accurately, and to know when to replace the antibacterial sheet 22, etc.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Deterioration degree estimation system 10 Server 20 Room 30 User terminal 40 Network 100, 105 Deterioration degree estimation device 110 Control unit 111 User information reception unit 112, 115 Involvement degree calculation unit 113 Deterioration degree estimation unit 120 Storage unit 130 Input/output IF
131 Input section 132 Output section 140 Network IF
150 Learning unit 151 Machine learning unit 200 Human detection device

Claims (8)

A user information receiving unit that receives user information relating to a fixture using an antibacterial material, the user information being acquired by a sensor from a human detection device equipped with the sensor;
A storage unit that stores antibacterial material information indicating a degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over time of use of the antibacterial material, and fixture information including the type of the antibacterial material used in the fixture and the time of use;
an involvement degree calculation unit that calculates a user involvement degree indicating a degree of involvement of the user with the fixture based on the user information, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information;
A deterioration degree estimation device comprising: a deterioration degree estimation unit that estimates the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures based on the user involvement level, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information. The deterioration degree estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the user information includes information regarding the time the user is involved with the fixture. The deterioration degree estimation device according to claim 2, wherein the user information further includes information regarding the manner in which the user uses the fixture. A learning unit having a machine learning unit is further provided,
The storage unit further stores an actual involvement degree that measures the user's involvement degree with respect to the deterioration degree of the antibacterial material based on the user information,
The deterioration level estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the machine learning unit learns the relationship between the user information and the measured degree of involvement based on the user information and the measured degree of involvement, and generates the degree of involvement calculation unit. A deterioration degree estimation system including a human detection device having a sensor for acquiring user information, which is information on users involved in fixtures using antibacterial materials, a deterioration degree estimation device, and a user terminal,
The deterioration degree estimation device comprises:
a user information receiving unit that acquires the user information from the human detection device;
A storage unit that stores antibacterial material information indicating a degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over time of use of the antibacterial material, and fixture information including the type of the antibacterial material used in the fixture and the time of use;
an involvement degree calculation unit that calculates a user involvement degree indicating a degree of involvement of the user with the fixture based on the user information, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information;
a deterioration degree estimation unit that estimates a deterioration degree of the antibacterial material used in the fixture based on the user involvement degree, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information;
An output unit that transmits the estimated result of the deterioration degree of the antibacterial material to the user terminal. A deterioration degree estimation method executed by a computer, comprising the steps of:
The user information of the user who interacts with the fixtures using antibacterial materials is acquired from the sensor,
calculate a user involvement level indicating the degree to which the user has been involved with the fixture based on the user information, antibacterial material information indicating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over the time period during which the antibacterial material has been used, which is stored in a storage unit, and fixture information including the type of the antibacterial material used in the fixture and the time of use, which is stored in the storage unit;
A deterioration degree estimation method for estimating a degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures based on the user involvement level, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information. The user information of the user who interacts with the fixtures using antibacterial materials is acquired from the sensor,
calculate a user involvement level indicating the degree to which the user has been involved with the fixture based on the user information, antibacterial material information indicating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material over the time period during which the antibacterial material has been used, which is stored in a storage unit, and fixture information including the type of the antibacterial material used in the fixture and the time of use, which is stored in the storage unit;
A deterioration degree estimation program for causing a computer to execute a process of estimating the degree of deterioration of the antibacterial material used in the fixtures based on the user involvement level, the antibacterial material information, and the fixture information. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 7 is recorded.

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