JP7690306B2 - Emergency detection systems and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an emergency detection system and program, and in particular to an emergency detection system and program for a bathing facility that has a sauna room used by multiple people.

According to the "2020 Sauna Survey in Japan" by the Japan Sauna and Hot and Cold Bath General Research Institute, an estimated 3.24 million people bathe in saunas at least four times a month, an estimated 6.512 million people at least once a month, and approximately 17.681 million people at least once a year, for a total of approximately 27.61 million people. Saunas are popular because of their many expected benefits, including health, beautiful skin and beauty, weight loss, and relaxation, but there are cases where people become unwell due to pre-existing conditions or alcohol consumption. In the worst cases, people can fall unconscious and be taken to the hospital, resulting in death.

Technology has been proposed for detecting abnormalities (poor physical condition) in bathers in home bathrooms, for the purpose of monitoring elderly people, etc. For example, JP 2019-174092 A (Patent Document 1) discloses a method of installing an infrared camera or the like in a bathroom and determining abnormalities in the bather from the captured image.

In addition, technologies for acquiring vital sign information in a non-contact manner have been proposed in the past, as shown in JP 2020-123447 A (Patent Document 2) and Utility Model Registration No. 3181084 A (Patent Document 3), etc.

JP 2019-174092 A JP 2020-123447 A Utility Model Registration No. 3181084

Sauna rooms are usually equipped with an emergency button. However, if a person using the sauna alone becomes ill and collapses due to a seizure, there is a possibility that they will not be able to press the emergency button. In such cases, it may take time for staff or other users to discover the person, increasing the risk of the user becoming seriously ill. For this reason, there is a demand for technology that can automatically detect situations in which a person is ill but unable to press the emergency button, i.e., the occurrence of an emergency.

As mentioned above, in a home bathroom, it is possible to monitor bathers using surveillance cameras, but because sauna rooms in bathing facilities are used by an unspecified number of people, surveillance cameras cannot be installed there from the standpoint of protecting privacy.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide an emergency detection system and program that can detect the occurrence of an emergency caused by a user's poor physical condition while protecting the user's privacy.

An emergency detection system according to one aspect of the present invention is an emergency detection system for a bathing facility having a sauna room used by multiple people, and includes a millimeter wave sensor attached so as to be oriented toward the interior space of the sauna room, a number of people determination means for determining whether there is multiple users or just one user in the sauna room based on the detection signal of the millimeter wave sensor, a measurement means for measuring the vital information and posture of the user based on the detection signal of the millimeter wave sensor when the number of people determination means determines that there is only one user in the sauna room, an estimation means for estimating that the user is in poor health when at least one of the vital information and posture measured by the measurement means falls outside the normal range, and a notification means for notifying the occurrence of an emergency in response to the estimation of poor health by the estimation means.

Preferably, the notification means notifies the user that there is a risk of an emergency occurring when the number-of-users determining means determines that there is only one user left in the sauna room.

The measuring means may start measuring vital information and posture when a predetermined time has elapsed since the number-of-persons determining means has determined that there is only one user left in the sauna room.

It is desirable for the emergency detection system to further include an adjustment control means for adjusting and controlling the air environment in the sauna room when the estimation means estimates that the user is in poor physical condition.

Preferably, the vital information includes at least one of heart rate and respiration.

Preferably, at least a portion of the wall surrounding the sauna room is made of a translucent material, and the millimeter wave sensor is attached to the back surface of the translucent material.

An emergency detection program according to another aspect of the present invention is an emergency detection program applied to a bathing facility having a sauna room used by multiple people, and causes a computer to execute the steps of: determining whether there are multiple users or just one user in the sauna room based on a detection signal from a millimeter wave sensor attached so as to be directed toward the interior space of the sauna room; measuring the user's vital information and posture based on the detection signal from the millimeter wave sensor when it is determined that there is only one user in the sauna room; inferring that the user is in poor health when at least one of the measured vital information and posture is outside the normal range; and notifying the occurrence of an emergency in response to the estimation of poor health.

According to the present invention, the millimeter wave sensor estimates the poor physical condition of users who are left alone in the sauna room, making it possible to detect the occurrence of an emergency while protecting the privacy of the users. In addition, since it is equipped with a notification means for notifying the occurrence of an emergency, it is possible to reduce the risk of a user's condition worsening due to a delay in discovering that they are unwell.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an emergency detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an emergency detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing an emergency situation detection process according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a diagram illustrating a series of operations of the emergency detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

<Outline of emergency detection system>
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an emergency detection system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 1, the emergency detection system 1 is applied to a bathing facility having a sauna room 100 used by multiple people, and detects the occurrence of an emergency due to poor physical condition of a user of the sauna room 100.

The sauna room 100 is surrounded by walls 110, and sauna equipment 101 is provided inside. The walls 110 are typically made of wood materials. A portion of the walls 110 is made of a translucent member 120, such as wire glass, that has translucency. The translucent member 120 may be a window for installing a television 130. An emergency button 140 may be installed on the walls 110, as in a normal sauna room.

In this embodiment, the millimeter wave sensor 3 is installed so that it is directed toward the interior space of the sauna room 100. "Millimeter waves" are electromagnetic waves with a frequency band of 30 GHz to 300 GHz. The main features of the millimeter wave sensor 3 are that it has excellent environmental resistance due to its strong linearity (straight-line propagation), that it can detect movement with high accuracy due to its short wavelength (1 to 10 mm), and that the antenna can be made smaller.

The radio waves from the millimeter wave sensor 3 can pass through any material other than metal, such as wood, glass, or plastic, even if the sensing unit is shielded. For this reason, in this embodiment, the millimeter wave sensor 3 is attached not inside the sauna room 100, but on the back side of the wall 110 of the sauna room 100 (outside the wall 110) so as to be oriented toward the internal space of the sauna room 100. Specifically, the millimeter wave sensor 3 is attached to the back side of the translucent member 120 on which the television 130 is installed. This prevents the millimeter wave sensor 3 from being directly exposed to high temperatures, allowing it to properly sense the interior of the sauna room 100. The millimeter wave sensor 3 may also be attached to the back side of the ceiling of the sauna room 100.

By including one such millimeter wave sensor 3, the emergency detection system 1 according to this embodiment can analyze the detection signal of the millimeter wave sensor 3 to measure the number of users in the sauna room 100, as well as the vital signs and posture of each user. The vital signs and posture are each indicators for identifying the physical condition of a user. Furthermore, by measuring the vital signs and posture of a user in this manner, it is possible to detect (estimate) whether or not the user is feeling unwell. This makes it possible to detect the occurrence of an emergency while protecting the privacy of users.

In addition, if the emergency detection system 1 detects that a user is feeling unwell, it issues an alert to notify the staff room or staff on duty of the occurrence of an emergency. This allows the staff to know that an emergency has occurred (or that there is a high possibility of an emergency) without having to constantly monitor the situation inside the sauna room 100. This reduces the risk of a user's condition worsening due to a delay in discovering that they are feeling unwell.

In addition, if the emergency detection system 1 detects that a user is feeling unwell, it controls and adjusts the air environment in the sauna room 100 by turning off the power to the sauna equipment 101. This reduces the risk of the user's condition worsening in the short time it takes for staff to arrive.

The analysis of the detection signal from the millimeter wave sensor 3, the processing of issuing an alert, and the adjustment and control of the air environment in the sauna room 100 are performed by the control device 2.

<Functional configuration of emergency detection system>
2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the emergency detection system 1 according to this embodiment. The emergency detection system 1 includes, as its functions, a number-of-person determination unit 61, a measurement unit 62, an estimation unit 63, a notification processing unit 64, and an adjustment control unit 65. These functional blocks are included in the control device 2.

Figure 2 also shows the hardware configuration of the control device 2. The control device 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21 that executes various types of calculation processing, a memory unit 22 that stores various types of data and programs, a timing unit 23 that performs timing operations, and a communication unit 24 that communicates with communication devices such as the terminals 4 and 5 via a network. Although not shown, the control device 2 includes an input/output I/F (interface) that inputs signals from the millimeter wave sensor 3 and outputs control signals to the sauna equipment 101. The control device 2 is realized, for example, by a general-purpose computer.

The number of people determination unit 61 measures the number of users in the sauna room 100 based on the detection signal of the millimeter wave sensor 3, and determines whether there is multiple users or one user. Measuring the number of users using the millimeter wave sensor 3 can be performed using known analysis techniques. Such analysis techniques may use AI.

When the number-of-persons determination unit 61 determines that there is only one user left in the sauna room 100, the measurement unit 62 measures vital information and posture based on the detection signal of the millimeter wave sensor 3. The vital information includes at least one of heart rate and respiration, and preferably includes both. In other words, it is desirable for the measurement unit 62 to measure heart rate, respiration, and posture. Measurement of these indicators using the millimeter wave sensor 3 can also be performed by known analysis techniques using, for example, AI. Note that the vital information may include indicators other than heart rate and respiration.

In general, since physical condition tends to deteriorate when the sauna room 100 is used for a long time, the measurement unit 62 may start the measurement process when a predetermined time has elapsed since the number-of-persons determination unit 61 determined that there is only one user left in the sauna room 100. The predetermined time is, for example, 3 to 15 minutes, and in this embodiment, is 10 minutes as an example. By doing so, the processing load on the CPU can be reduced.

The estimation unit 63 determines whether the vital information and posture measured by the measurement unit 62 are each within a predetermined normal range, and estimates that the physical condition is normal if they are within the normal range. In other words, the estimation unit 63 estimates that the physical condition is normal if the heart rate, breathing, and posture are all within the normal range. In contrast, if at least one of the vital information and posture is outside the normal range, the estimation unit 63 estimates that the user is in poor physical condition. In other words, if at least one of the heart rate, breathing, and posture is outside the normal range, the estimation unit 63 estimates that the user is in poor physical condition (worsening physical condition). The normal range of the vital information is specified by a predetermined upper threshold and a predetermined lower threshold. The normal range of posture can be set, for example, by learning a large number of posture data measured in advance.

When the number-of-users determination unit 61 determines that only one user is left in the sauna room 100, the notification processing unit 64 notifies the user that "single user use has begun" and notifies the user that there is a risk of an emergency occurring. In addition, after single user use has begun, the notification processing unit 64 issues an alert in response to the estimation unit 63 estimating that the user is in poor physical condition, thereby notifying the user of the occurrence of an emergency.

Specifically, the notification processing unit 64 transmits signals representing each situation to at least one of the terminal in the staff room (hereinafter referred to as the "staff room terminal") 4 and the terminal of the staff member at work (hereinafter referred to as the "staff terminal") 5 via the communication unit 24. In other words, the notification processing unit 64 and the communication unit 24 function as a notification means for notifying the occurrence of an emergency and the risk of it.

The notification method executed by the notification processing unit 64 is not limited to sending signals indicating each situation to the terminals 4 and 5, and may be, for example, turning on an emergency lamp in the staff room or outputting a sound from a speaker in the staff room. Also, although it is desirable for the notification processing unit 64 to notify of the risk of an emergency occurring at the time when one person begins using the facility, such risk notification processing may be omitted.

When the estimation unit 63 estimates that the user is in poor physical condition, the adjustment control unit 65 adjusts and controls the air environment in the sauna room 100. Specifically, as described above, it is desirable to turn off the power to the sauna equipment 101 and lower the temperature of the sauna room 100.

The staff room terminal 4 is realized, for example, by a tablet. The staff terminal 5 is realized, for example, by a smartphone. As a hardware configuration, the staff room terminal 4 and the staff terminal 5 typically include a processor such as a CPU that executes various arithmetic processes, a memory unit that stores various data and programs, a display unit that displays various information, a vibration generating unit that generates vibrations, a sound generating unit that generates sound, and a communication unit that communicates with other communication devices via a network. They may also further include a light generating unit that generates light.

<Operation of emergency detection system>
3 is a flowchart showing the emergency detection process in this embodiment. The emergency detection process is realized by the CPU 21 of the control device 2 reading and executing a program (emergency detection program) pre-stored in the storage unit 22. This process is executed during the time period when the sauna room 100 is available.

Referring to FIG. 3, first, the number-of-people determination unit 61 determines whether there is one or more users in the sauna room 100 based on the detection signal of the millimeter wave sensor 3 (step S2). If it is determined that there are multiple users in the sauna room 100 (YES in step S4), even if one of the users becomes unwell, the other users can notify the staff of the abnormality by, for example, pressing the emergency button 140, so the number-of-people determination continues without proceeding to the next step.

On the other hand, when it is determined that there is only one user left in the sauna room 100 (that there is only one user left), the notification processing unit 64 notifies the staff room terminal 4 and the staff terminal 5 via the communication unit 24 that "single use has begun" and notifies them of the risk of an emergency occurring (step S6). Specifically, for example, a pop-up screen indicating "single use has begun" is displayed on the display unit of the staff room terminal 4 and the staff terminal 5. Alternatively, the terminals 4 and 5 may generate vibrations or sounds. This allows each staff member to understand that the situation in the sauna room 100 requires caution.

After that, if 10 minutes have passed since the number of people determined by the number of people determination unit 61 to be one person (YES in step S8), the process proceeds to step S12, where the measurement process by the measurement unit 62 begins. On the other hand, if the number of people has changed within 10 minutes since it was determined that one person had started using the sauna room, that is, if the number of people becomes zero or multiple (NO in step S8, YES in step S10), the process ends without proceeding to step S12. Note that this process is executed repeatedly during the time period when the sauna room 100 can be used.

In step S12, the measurement unit 62 measures the heart rate, breathing, and posture of the user based on the detection signal of the millimeter wave sensor 3, and outputs the measurement results to the estimation unit 63. The estimation unit 63 determines whether (1) the heart rate is within a normal range, (2) the breathing is within a normal range, and (3) the posture is within a normal range (step S14). If all of these conditions (1) to (3) are within the normal range, this determination process is repeatedly executed until the number of users of the sauna room 100 changes (YES in step S14, NO in step S16).

If the estimation unit 63 determines in the above determination process that at least one of the conditions (1) to (3) is outside the normal range (NO in step S14), the process proceeds to step S18. Specifically, (1) if the heart rate is less than 60 beats per minute or more than 100 beats per minute, the heart rate is determined to be outside the normal range. (2) if the breathing rate is less than 10 beats per minute or more than 20 beats per minute, the breathing rate is determined to be outside the normal range. (3) if the posture is not constant but is flopping around or the patient is in a crouched position, the posture is determined to be abnormal (outside the normal range).

In step S18, the notification processing unit 64 issues an alert to the staff room terminal 4 and the staff terminal 5 via the communication unit 24 to notify them of the occurrence of an emergency. Specifically, for example, a pop-up screen indicating "emergency has occurred" is displayed on the display unit of the staff room terminal 4 and the staff terminal 5. Alternatively, these terminals 4 and 5 may generate vibrations or sounds. This allows each staff member to understand that a user in the sauna room 100 is likely to be feeling unwell and that an emergency has occurred, and therefore allows them to rush to the scene and immediately check the user's condition. This reduces the risk of the user becoming seriously ill due to a delay in discovery.

In addition, emergency lights and buzzers may be installed on the outside of the wall 110 of the sauna room 100 (for example, near the entrance/exit) to alert people near the sauna room 100 of an emergency using an "alert light" or "emergency alert sound." This increases the chances that users inside the sauna room 100 can be rescued early, preventing the condition from worsening.

The estimation unit 63 may vary the degree of urgency depending on the type (condition) of the index that is outside the normal range. For example, if the index that is outside the normal range is the heart rate, it may be set to "Level 1," and if the index that is outside the normal range is breathing or posture, it may be set to "Level 2," which is a higher degree of urgency than Level 1. In this case, the notification processing unit 64 issues a "warning alert" if the level is 1, and an "emergency alert" if the level is 2. This allows staff to know the degree of urgency and to take appropriate action depending on the degree of urgency. For example, when an "emergency alert" is received, it is possible to call for an ambulance before checking the scene.

In parallel with the above-described notification process by the notification processor 64, the adjustment controller 65 turns off the power to the sauna equipment 101 (step S20). This lowers the temperature of the sauna room 100, thereby reducing the risk of the user's condition worsening compared to when a high temperature of 70 degrees or higher is maintained.

The adjustment control unit 65 may further promote ventilation by a ventilation device (not shown) provided in the sauna room 100. Furthermore, when the above-mentioned emergency level is "Level 2," the adjustment control unit 65 may perform control to automatically open the entrance door (not shown) of the sauna room 100. This can more reliably reduce the risk of users becoming seriously ill.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by simply providing one millimeter wave sensor 3 in the sauna room 100, the heart rate, breathing, and posture of the user can be measured, thereby protecting the user's privacy. Furthermore, since an alert is issued if at least one of the heart rate, breathing, and posture is determined to be outside the normal range, even if the user is unable to press the emergency button 140, such as when the user is in poor health and unable to move or has lost consciousness, the staff can be notified of the occurrence of an emergency. This reduces the risk of the user becoming seriously ill due to delayed discovery.

In addition, in this embodiment, the risk of an emergency occurring is notified as soon as there is only one user left in the sauna room 100, so staff can be informed early on that an emergency may occur.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, if at least one of the heart rate, breathing, and posture is determined to be outside the normal range, the air environment in the sauna room 100 is adjusted, thereby reducing the risk of the user's condition becoming more severe.

The series of operations of the emergency detection system 1 described above is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, the control device 2 is described as the "AI server."

In this embodiment, an example in which one millimeter wave sensor 3 is installed in the sauna room 100 has been described, but multiple millimeter wave sensors 3 may be installed depending on the shape of the sauna room 100, etc.

The emergency detection process executed by the control device 2 may also be provided as a program. Such a program may be provided by recording it on an optical medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM) or a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card. The program may also be provided by downloading it over a network.

The program according to the present invention may execute processing by calling necessary modules in a specified sequence at a specified timing among program modules provided as part of a computer's operating system (OS). In such a case, the program itself does not include the above modules, and executes processing in cooperation with the OS. Programs that do not include such modules may also be included in the program according to the present invention.

The program according to the present invention may also be provided as being incorporated into a part of another program. In this case, the program itself does not include modules included in the other program, and the processing is carried out in cooperation with the other program. Such a program incorporated into another program may also be included in the program according to the present invention.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

1 Emergency detection system, 2 Control device, 3 Millimeter wave sensor, 4 Staff room terminal, 5 Staff terminal, 61 Number of people determination unit, 62 Measurement unit, 63 Estimation unit, 64 Notification processing unit, 65 Adjustment control unit, 100 Sauna room, 101 Sauna equipment, 110 Wall, 120 Light-transmitting member, 140 Emergency button.

Claims (6)

An emergency detection system for a bathing facility having a sauna room used by multiple people, comprising:
A millimeter wave sensor is attached so as to be oriented to the interior space of the sauna room;
A number-of-users determination means for determining whether the number of users in the sauna room is one or more based on a detection signal from the millimeter wave sensor;
a measuring means for measuring vital information including heart rate and respiration of the user and posture including flapping and crouching based on a detection signal of the millimeter wave sensor when the number-of-users determining means determines that there is only one user left in the sauna room ;
an estimation means for estimating that the user is in poor health when at least one of the vital information and posture measured by the measurement means is outside a normal range;
a notification means for notifying an occurrence of an emergency in response to the estimation means estimating a poor physical condition ,
The notification means issues a warning alert when the indicator that is outside the normal range is heart rate, and issues an emergency alert that is more urgent than the warning alert when the indicator that is outside the normal range is breathing or posture . The emergency detection system according to claim 1, wherein the notification means notifies the user that there is a risk of an emergency occurring when the number-of-users determining means determines that there is only one user left in the sauna room. The emergency detection system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the measuring means starts measuring vital information and posture when a predetermined time has elapsed since the number-of-occupants determining means has determined that only one user remains in the sauna room. The emergency detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an adjustment control means for adjusting and controlling the air environment in the sauna room when the estimation means estimates that the user is in poor physical condition. At least a part of the wall surrounding the sauna room is made of a translucent material having translucency,
5. The emergency detection system according to claim 1, wherein the millimeter wave sensor is attached to a rear surface of the light-transmitting member. An emergency detection program applied to a bathing facility having a sauna room used by multiple people, comprising:
A step of determining whether there are multiple users or only one user in the sauna room based on a detection signal from a millimeter wave sensor attached so as to be oriented toward the interior space of the sauna room;
When it is determined that the user is alone in the sauna room, measuring vital information including the user's heart rate and breathing , and posture including flapping and crouching , based on the detection signal of the millimeter wave sensor;
A step of estimating that the user is in poor health when at least one of the measured vital information and posture is outside a normal range;
a notification step of notifying the occurrence of an emergency in response to the estimation of poor physical condition ;
In the notification step, an emergency detection program issues a warning alert if the indicator that is outside the normal range is heart rate, and issues an emergency alert that is more urgent than the warning alert if the indicator that is outside the normal range is breathing or posture .

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