JP7808435B2 - Monitoring system and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed herein relates to a monitoring system and a control method thereof.

A variety of monitoring systems have been proposed that use network technology to allow relatives living separately to check on the living conditions of people who are the target of monitoring, such as elderly people. For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses technology that uses a water usage monitoring system as such a monitoring system. In such monitoring systems, information about the living conditions of the person being monitored may be sent to the user who requested monitoring via email or other means.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-153721 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-109572

In a monitoring system like the one described above, if notifications other than those reporting abnormalities are frequently sent from the system to users, users may become negligent in checking the content of the notifications, which could result in the user overlooking notifications reporting abnormalities for the target person. On the other hand, some users may become anxious about the target person's safety if they do not receive a notification from the system for a long period of time. As such, in a monitoring system, it is desirable for notifications reporting the target person's status to be sent at a frequency that is appropriate for each user. There is still room for improvement in adjusting the frequency of notifications from the monitoring system to users.

The technology disclosed herein can be realized in the following forms:

(1) One embodiment of the technology disclosed herein is a monitoring system that enables a user to check the living conditions of a target person via a network based on their water usage. The monitoring system includes a water monitoring unit that transmits measurement results of the target person's water usage via the network, and a management server that receives the measurement results from the water monitoring unit and executes a notification process that transmits a notification regarding the target person's water usage based on the measurement results to the user's pre-registered contact information via the network. The management server has a function of detecting an abnormality in the target person's water usage based on the measurement results and predetermined judgment conditions, a function of accepting changes to notification settings that define execution conditions for the notification process, and a function of executing the notification process in accordance with a selection set in the notification settings, either a regular notification that notifies the target person that the abnormality has not been detected or an abnormality notification that notifies the target person that the abnormality has been detected, or an irregular notification that does not send the regular notification but sends the abnormality notification when the abnormality is detected, according to a selection set in the notification settings.
This type of monitoring system allows users to choose whether to receive periodic notifications about any abnormalities in their water usage, or to receive notifications only when an abnormality is detected. This allows users to receive notifications from the monitoring system at a frequency that is appropriate for them.

(2) In the monitoring system of the above aspect, the management server may be configured to be able to variably set the determination condition for each of the subjects.
This type of monitoring system allows for the setting of judgment criteria that are tailored to the daily water usage trends of each individual, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting abnormalities based on water usage. This prevents situations in which notifications of abnormalities are frequently sent to users even when the individual is safe, causing the user to neglect to check the notifications, or prevents situations in which notifications are not sent to users even when an abnormality has occurred.

(3) In the monitoring system of the above type, the management server may accept, as one of the notification settings, the setting of a notification suspension period during which the sending of notifications regarding whether or not the target person has experienced an abnormality to the user's contact information is suspended.
This type of monitoring system allows a notification suspension period to be set in advance for a period of time when the target person is not using the water supply as usual, such as when the target person is away from home for an extended period of time. This prevents notifications of abnormalities occurring in the target person from being sent to the user even when the user is aware that the target person is not using the water supply as usual. This reduces the frequency of unnecessary or erroneous notifications being sent to the user.

(4) In the monitoring system of the above type, when the management server determines, based on the measurement results, that a usage determination condition indicating the water usage history of the target person is satisfied while the notification suspension period is set, the management server may cancel the setting of the notification suspension period and resume the execution of the notification.
This type of monitoring system can prevent situations in which notifications to the user remain suspended even though the target person has resumed their normal life during the set notification suspension period.

(5) Another aspect of the technology disclosed herein is provided as a control method for a monitoring system that monitors the daily life of a target person based on water usage. This control method includes the steps of: receiving measurement results of the target person's water usage via a network; accepting changes to notification settings that determine execution conditions for a notification process that sends a notification about the target person's water usage based on the measurement results to pre-registered user contacts via the network; detecting an abnormality in the target person's water usage based on the measurement results and predetermined determination conditions; and executing, in the notification process, one of the following notifications, according to a selection set in the notification settings: a regular notification that notifies that the abnormality has not been detected, or an abnormality notification that notifies that the abnormality has been detected, at regular intervals; or an irregular notification that does not send the regular notification but sends the abnormality notification when the abnormality is detected.
This type of monitoring system control method allows users to choose whether to receive notifications periodically about any abnormalities in the water usage of the person they are monitoring, or to receive notifications only when an abnormality occurs. This allows users to receive notifications from the monitoring system at a frequency that is appropriate for them.

The technology disclosed herein can also be realized in various forms other than a monitoring system or a control method thereof. For example, it can be realized in the form of a server that controls a monitoring system, a program that causes a computer to execute the functions of the monitoring system or the control method thereof, a storage medium on which that program is recorded, etc.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system. FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the configuration of a water monitoring unit. FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the configuration of a management server. A flowchart of a control process of a monitoring system; 10 is a flowchart of a notification process executed by the management server. 10 is a flowchart of a notification suspension period process executed in the notification process.

1. Embodiment:
1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system 100 according to this embodiment. The monitoring system 100 is a network system that enables a user who has requested a monitoring service to check the living conditions of a person who is the target of monitoring based on the amount of water usage by the person.

In this embodiment, the monitoring system 100 uses the Internet as the network NT, and by incorporating IoT (Internet of Things) technology, collects information on the water usage of the monitored person. The monitoring system 100 also sends notifications regarding the monitored person's water usage to the user's pre-registered contact information via the network NT. Notifications to users are sent, for example, by email, a messaging service using a phone number, or a messaging function using a social networking service (SNS).

The monitoring system 100 comprises a water monitoring unit 10 installed in the residential facility of the person being monitored and connected to the network NT, and a management server 50 connected to the network NT and controlling the monitoring system 100.

The water monitoring unit 10 includes a water meter 11 that measures the amount of water used in the subject's residential facility, and a receiver 12 that is connected to the water meter 11 and transmits the measurement results of the water meter 11 to the management server 50 via the network NT. The configurations of the water meter 11 and receiver 12 will be described in detail below.

The management server 50 is connected to the network NT, receives water usage measurement results from the water monitoring unit 10 via the network NT, and manages the measurement results for each target person. The management server 50 also executes a notification process to send notifications regarding the target person's water usage status based on the measurement results received from the water monitoring unit 10 to the user's pre-registered contact information via the network NT in accordance with the pre-set notification settings described below. The detailed configuration of the management server 50, the control of the monitoring system 100 by the management server 50, and the notification process will be described later.

Users of the monitoring system 100 can receive notifications from the monitoring system 100 via their own user terminals UT connected to the network NT. The user terminals UT are configured as devices that can be connected to the network NT. The user terminals UT may be configured as, for example, personal computers (PCs), tablet terminals, smartphones, or mobile phones other than smartphones.

Figure 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the configuration of the water monitoring unit 10. As described above, the water monitoring unit 10 includes a water meter 11 and a receiver 12. The water meter 11 is, for example, an electronic water meter. The water meter 11 includes a detection unit 20, a meter control unit 21, a communication unit 24, a display unit 26, and an operation unit 28.

The detection unit 20 is installed in a water pipe and generates a pulse signal representing the water flow rate in the pipe, outputting it to the meter control unit 21. In this embodiment, the water meter 11 uses a tangential flow impeller measurement method, and the detection unit 20 generates a pulse signal representing the water flow rate by rotating an impeller installed in the pipe. The measurement method of the water meter 11 is not particularly limited, and the water meter 11 may use a measurement method other than the tangential flow impeller method. The measurement method of the water meter 11 may be an axial flow impeller method, or an electromagnetic method that does not use an impeller and applies a magnetic field to the water flow to measure.

The meter control unit 21 is configured using an integrated circuit (LSI) and has the function of controlling the detection unit 20 described above and the components 24, 26, and 28 of the water meter 11 described below. The meter control unit 21 also functions as a calculation unit 23 that calculates the current instantaneous flow rate, the amount of water used per unit time, and the integrated value of that water usage based on the output signal of the detection unit 20. The current instantaneous flow rate refers to the amount of water flowing per minute unit time of, for example, a few seconds or less.

The communication unit 24 communicates with the receiver 12 under the control of the meter control unit 21. In this embodiment, the communication unit 24 exchanges signals with the meter communication unit 33 of the receiver 12 via the transmission line TL. The meter control unit 21 transmits the pulse signal output by the detection unit 20 via the communication unit 24 to the receiver 12 as the measurement result of the water meter 11. The meter control unit 21 also transmits the calculation results of the calculation unit 23 and status information indicating the operating status of the water meter 11 to the receiver 12 via the communication unit 24.

In other embodiments, the communication unit 24 may perform wireless communication with the receiver 12 without using the transmission line TL. Furthermore, the meter control unit 21 may transmit only the calculation results of the calculation unit 23 to the receiver 12 as the measurement results of the water meter 11.

The display unit 26 is composed of an LCD panel, various LED lamps, etc. Under the control of the meter control unit 21, the display unit 26 displays the accumulated amount of water usage. Also, under the control of the meter control unit 21, the display unit 26 can display signs indicating the operating status of the water meter 11 and the communication status with the receiver 12, etc.

The operation unit 28 is made up of various buttons and switches, and accepts operations such as starting up the water meter 11, resetting measurement values, and other operations to control the water meter 11 and for maintenance. The operation unit 28 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the accepted operation to the meter control unit 21. The meter control unit 21 controls each component of the water meter 11 in response to the output signal from the operation unit 28.

The receiver 12 includes a receiver control unit 30, a meter communication unit 33, a server communication unit 35, a display unit 36, and an operation unit 38. The receiver control unit 30 is configured by a circuit including a central processing unit (CPU), a main memory device (RAM), and a storage unit, and has the function of controlling each component of the receiver 12.

The receiver control unit 30 also functions as a meter management unit 31, which manages communication with the water meter 11 and the operating status of the water meter 11, and a measurement processing unit 32, which processes measurement results received from the water meter 11. The meter management unit 31 has the function of detecting water meter 11 malfunctions, leaks, and backflows based on signals received from the water meter 11. The measurement processing unit 32 calculates the current instantaneous flow rate, water usage per unit time, and the integrated value of that water usage based on pulse signals received from the water meter 11, and stores the calculation results as measurement results. The measurement processing unit 32 stores and archives measurement results for a predetermined period using a first-in, first-out method.

The meter communication unit 33 is connected to the transmission line TL and communicates with the water meter 11 under the control of the receiver control unit 30. As described above, the meter communication unit 33 may be configured to perform wireless communication with the communication unit 24 of the water meter 11 without going through the transmission line TL.

The server communication unit 35 can connect to the network NT and, under the control of the receiver control unit 30, communicates with the management server 50 via the network NT. The server communication unit 35 connects wirelessly to the network NT, for example, via LPWA (Low Power Wide Area). The receiver control unit 30 receives requests from the management server 50 via the server communication unit 35. In response to requests from the management server 50, the receiver control unit 30 also transmits measurement results recorded by the measurement processing unit 32 and information regarding the operating status of the water meter 11 or receiver 12.

The display unit 36 is composed of an LCD panel and various LED lamps. Under the control of the receiver control unit 30, the display unit 36 displays the measurement results of the water meter 11, such as the accumulated water usage amount and the current instantaneous flow rate. In addition, under the control of the receiver control unit 30, the display unit 36 can display signs indicating the operating status of the receiver 12, the operating status of the water meter 11, the communication status with the water meter 11 or the management server 50, etc.

The operation unit 38 is made up of various buttons and switches, and accepts operations such as starting up and resetting the receiver 12, connecting to the water meter 11, switching the display content of the display unit 36, and other operations for controlling and maintaining the receiver 12. The operation unit 38 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the accepted operation to the receiver control unit 30. The receiver control unit 30 controls each component of the receiver 12 in response to the electrical signal output by the operation unit 38.

In other embodiments, the water monitoring unit 10 may have a configuration in which the water meter 11 and receiver 12 are integrated. The water monitoring unit 10 may be configured as a water meter that has communication capabilities that allow it to connect to the network NT and is installed on the water pipes. Furthermore, the receiver 12 is not limited to a configuration that allows it to connect to a dedicated water meter 11. The receiver 12 may, for example, be retrofitted to an existing water meter and configured as a communications terminal that can read the measurement results of the water meter and transmit them to the management server 50.

Figure 3 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management server 50. The management server 50 is configured as a computer terminal and accepts operations by the administrator of the monitoring system 100. The management server 50 includes a control unit 51, a communication unit 56, an input unit 57, a display unit 58, and a memory unit 60. The components 51, 56, 57, 58, and 60 are connected via a bus.

Although not shown in the figure, the management server 50 is equipped with a CPU and RAM as a processor, and the CPU functions as a control unit 51 by reading and executing commands and programs prepared in advance on the RAM. The control unit 51 executes the control processing of the monitoring system 100, which will be described later. In the control processing of the monitoring system 100, the control unit 51 also functions as a measurement result management unit 52, a determination unit 53, and a notification control unit 55.

The measurement result management unit 52 collects the measurement results of the subject's water usage from the water monitoring unit 10 and stores and manages the measurement results in the memory unit 60. The determination unit 53 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the subject's water usage status based on the measurement results of the subject's water usage and pre-set determination conditions. In this embodiment, the determination conditions can be variably set for each subject, and the determination unit 53 has a function to accept the setting and change of the determination conditions for each subject. The notification control unit 55 executes notification processing in accordance with notification settings that define the execution conditions for notification processing for each user. The notification settings can be variably set for each user, and the notification control unit 55 has a function to accept the setting and change of the notification settings for each user. Details of the processing executed by the measurement result management unit 52, determination unit 53, and notification control unit 55 will be described later.

Under the control of the control unit 51, the communication unit 56 controls communications with the management server 50 via the network NT. The input unit 57 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, etc., and receives input operations from the administrator to the management server 50. The display unit 58 is composed of a display device and displays various information to the administrator, including information about the monitoring system 100.

The storage unit 60 is configured as a large-capacity storage device, such as a hard disk or solid-state disk, that stores information non-volatilely; that is, stores information not only temporarily but also so that it can be retained even after power is turned off. The storage unit 60 stores measurement result information D1, contact information D2, notification setting information D3, and judgment condition information D4.

Measurement result information D1 corresponds to information including measurement results of water usage over a certain period of time collected from the water monitoring unit 10 and managed for each subject. Contact information D2 corresponds to information including contact information on the network NT for pre-registered users. Notification setting information D3 corresponds to information including notification settings set for each user. Determination condition information D4 corresponds to information including determination conditions set for each subject. Notification settings and determination conditions are described below.

A database is constructed in the storage unit 60 that manages this information D1, D2, D3, and D4 by linking them to users and target individuals. Note that the storage unit 60 may be configured separately from the management server 50 and may be configured as network storage connected to the management server 50 via the network NT.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of the control process of the monitoring system 100 executed by the control unit 51 of the management server 50.

Step S10 is the process of accepting registration of a user who will begin using the monitoring system 100 and the target person who will be monitored by that user. Based on a request from the user, the administrator executes this registration process, links and registers the user and target person, and also registers various information linked to the user and target person.

In step S10, at least the contact information on the network NT that is the destination of notifications for the user is registered in the storage unit 60 as contact information D2. The contact information D2 records the type of contact method and information about the destination of notifications for that contact method. Types of contact method include, for example, email, mobile phone, SNS, etc. Information about the destination of notifications for the contact method includes, for example, an email address, mobile phone number, SNS account information, etc.

When the user and target person are registered in step S10, the control unit 51 begins recording the measurement results of water usage for that target person in the measurement result information D1. It also begins providing a notification service to the user using the notification process described below.

Steps S20 and S25 are processes in which the control unit 51 accepts changes to the settings of the monitoring system 100. The control unit 51 executes steps S20 and S25 when the administrator operates the input unit 57 to change the settings of the monitoring system 100, or when the user logs in to the management server 50 via the user terminal UT and operates to change the settings.

Step S20 corresponds to the process in which the notification control unit 55 of the control unit 51 accepts a change to the notification settings that define the execution conditions for the notification process for each user. The notification settings can be changed by the administrator based on a request from the user, or by the user using the user terminal UT. The notification control unit 55 updates the notification setting information D3 in the memory unit 60 based on the changes to the settings accepted in step S10.

In the monitoring system 100 of this embodiment, the user can select either periodic notification or irregular notification as the notification process, as described below. The notification settings include the user's selection.

"Periodic notification" corresponds to the process of periodically sending notifications to users informing them of any abnormalities in their water usage. If a user selects periodic notification in their notification settings, a notification informing them of any abnormalities in their water usage is sent to them at a predetermined notification timing. If periodic notification is selected and no abnormality is detected by the abnormality determination process described below, a normal notification informing them of the no abnormality is sent to them at the notification timing. The normal notification may include, for example, a message informing them that the user is using the water normally and information indicating the user's water usage, such as the amount of water used. If periodic notification is selected and an abnormality is detected by the abnormality determination process described below, an abnormality notification is sent to the user at the notification timing to inform them of the abnormality. Periodic notifications are sent, for example, at a specified time, on a daily cycle. The periodic notification cycle and notification time may be freely set for each user as notification settings.

"Irregular notifications" correspond to a process in which, when no abnormality is detected in the abnormality determination process, a notification equivalent to the normal notification described above is not sent, but when an abnormality is detected, a notification equivalent to the abnormality notification described above is sent to the user. Irregular notifications may be sent not only when an abnormality is detected in the abnormality determination process, but also when other events related to the target person's water usage are detected, informing the user of the occurrence of the event. Furthermore, when irregular notifications are set, in addition to abnormality notifications, periodic notifications reporting the target person's water usage may also be sent to the user at predetermined intervals, such as monthly. In this case, the periodic notifications differ from the periodic notifications described above in that they do not inform the target person of whether or not an abnormality has occurred. Furthermore, the notification interval for periodic notifications in this case may be longer than the notification interval for periodic notifications.

In addition, the monitoring system 100 of this embodiment allows the setting of a notification suspension period as a notification setting. Details will be described later, but once this notification suspension period is set, the sending of notifications to users regarding the presence or absence of abnormalities in the target user's water usage will be suspended until the setting is canceled, regardless of whether regular or irregular notifications are selected.

Step S25 corresponds to the process in which the determination unit 53 of the control unit 51 accepts changes to the determination conditions for each subject used in the abnormality determination process. The abnormality determination process corresponds to the process of detecting the occurrence of an abnormality in the subject's water usage by making a determination based on the measurement results of the subject's water usage stored in the memory unit 60 and predetermined determination conditions. In this embodiment, the determination conditions for the abnormality determination process can be changed by the administrator based on a request from the user. The determination conditions may also be changed at the user's discretion via the user terminal UT. The determination unit 53 stores the determination conditions accepted in step S25 in the memory unit 60 as determination condition information D4. The determination conditions include at least the water usage threshold at which an abnormality is expected to occur and the measurement period of water usage to be determined.

In this embodiment, a lower limit and an upper limit are set as thresholds for water usage in the judgment conditions. The lower limit is preferably set to a value that indicates that the subject is likely to continue not using water. The lower limit is preferably greater than 0 L (liters). This prevents false detection of water usage due to fluctuations in water pressure in the water pipes, even when water is not being used. The upper limit is preferably set to a value that indicates that the subject's water usage is significantly higher than normal. For example, the upper limit is preferably set to a value greater than the average water usage under normal circumstances. The upper limit may be, for example, the average water usage plus a value of approximately 1 to 5 L.

In this embodiment, the measurement period of one day can be specified as the measurement period for the water usage amount to be determined, which is included in the determination conditions. For example, the user can set the measurement period to be the time period during which the subject person normally uses water most frequently. Note that the measurement period can be specified in one-hour increments, or in minute increments such as 30 minutes. Furthermore, the measurement period can also be specified as the number of measurement days over which the measurement results for the aforementioned measurement period will be accumulated.

In step S30, the measurement result management unit 52 of the control unit 51 collects and records the measurement results of each subject's water usage from each water monitoring unit 10. The measurement result management unit 52 requests each water monitoring unit 10 to send its measurement results at a predetermined interval. The receiver 12 of each water monitoring unit 10 sends back the recorded measurement results in response to the request. The measurement result management unit 52 stores the received measurement results in the memory unit 60 as measurement result information D1. Step S30 is executed at a predetermined execution interval. This execution interval may be set for each water monitoring unit 10.

In step S40, the notification control unit 55 of the control unit 51 executes notification processing for each user. The notification processing is executed periodically for each user at a predetermined execution timing according to the notification settings for each user.

Figure 5 is a flowchart of the notification process executed by the notification control unit 55 of the management server 50. In step S100, the notification control unit 55 reads the notification settings associated with the user to whom the notification is to be sent from the notification setting information D3 stored in the memory unit 60. It also reads the judgment conditions for the target person associated with that user from the judgment condition information D4 stored in the memory unit 60.

In step S110, the notification control unit 55 reads the measurement result information of the subject linked to the user from the measurement result information D1 stored in the memory unit 60. The notification control unit 55 acquires the amount of water usage by the subject per unit time during a predetermined period as the measurement result information. The "predetermined period" here is, for example, a period corresponding to the execution cycle of the notification process set for each user, and is the period corresponding to the time from the previous execution of the notification process for the relevant user to the execution of the current notification process. If the notification process is executed on a daily cycle, the "predetermined period" may be, for example, one day. The "unit time" may also be, for example, one hour.

In step S120, the notification control unit 55 determines whether a notification pause period is set in the notification settings. If a notification pause period is set, the notification control unit 55 executes notification pause period processing in step S125. The notification pause period processing will be described later. If a notification pause period is not set, the notification control unit 55 causes the determination unit 53 to execute abnormality determination processing in step S130.

In the abnormality determination process of step S130, the determination unit 53 detects the occurrence of an abnormality in the subject's water usage by making a determination based on the determination conditions read by the notification control unit 55 in step S100 and the measurement results acquired by the notification control unit 55 in step S110. The determination unit 53 calculates the integrated value of the subject's water usage during the measurement period set as the determination conditions, and compares the calculated integrated value of water usage with the upper and lower limit values, which are threshold values set as the determination conditions. The determination unit 53 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the subject's water usage when the calculated integrated value of water usage is greater than the lower limit value and less than the upper limit value. Furthermore, the determination unit 53 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the subject's water usage when the calculated integrated value of water usage is less than the lower limit value or greater than the upper limit value.

Step S140 is executed if the determination unit 53 determines in step S130 that no abnormality has occurred. In step S140, the notification control unit 55 determines whether irregular notification has been selected in the notification settings. If irregular notification has not been selected, the notification control unit 55 executes step S150.

In step S150, the notification control unit 55 sends a regular notification as a periodic notification. The notification control unit 55 reads the user's contact information stored in the contact information D2 in the memory unit 60, and sends a regular notification to that contact information when the notification timing for the periodic notification preset in the notification settings arrives.

If it is determined in step S140 that irregular notifications have been selected, the notification control unit 55 skips step S150 and terminates the notification process without sending a regular notification to the user. This is because no abnormality that should be notified by irregular notification has been detected.

If the determination unit 53 determines in step S130 that an abnormality has occurred, the notification control unit 55 sends an abnormality notification in step S155 to notify the user of the occurrence of the abnormality. The notification control unit 55 reads the user's contact information stored in the contact information D2 in the memory unit 60 and sends the abnormality notification to that contact. The abnormality notification includes, for example, a message notifying the user of the occurrence of the abnormality, the measurement period set in the determination conditions, and the target user's water usage during that measurement period.

If periodic notification is selected in the notification settings, the abnormality notification in step S155 is sent when the predetermined notification timing for periodic notification arrives. On the other hand, if irregular notification is selected in the notification settings, the abnormality notification is sent to the user when an abnormality is detected.

In this way, in the monitoring system 100 of this embodiment, the user can select between periodic notifications and irregular notifications as the notification process. If periodic notifications are selected, the user will be periodically notified of the occurrence of any abnormalities in the target person's water usage, regardless of whether or not the abnormalities have occurred. On the other hand, if irregular notifications are selected, the user will not receive notifications equivalent to the regular notifications in periodic notifications, but will receive an abnormality notification informing them of the occurrence each time an abnormality in the target person's water usage is detected.

Furthermore, in the monitoring system 100 of this embodiment, regardless of whether periodic or irregular notifications are selected in the notification settings, notifications regarding whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the target person's water usage will not be sent to the user during the period in which the notification suspension period is set, as described below.

Figure 6 is a flowchart of the notification suspension period processing executed by the notification control unit 55 in step S125 of the notification processing. As described above, the notification control unit 55 executes this processing when a notification suspension period is set in the notification settings.

In step S200, the notification control unit 55 determines whether the current date and time is within the set communication suspension period. If the current date and time is before the communication suspension period, the notification control unit 55 ends the notification suspension period processing, returns to the notification processing of FIG. 5, and executes the processing from step S130 onwards described above. If the notification suspension period has passed, the notification control unit 55 cancels the notification suspension period setting in step S230, returns to the notification processing, and executes the processing from step S130 onwards in FIG. 5. If the current date and time is within the notification suspension period in step S200, the notification control unit 55 executes the determination of step S210.

In step S210, it is determined whether there is a history of water usage at the subject's residence after the notification suspension period has begun. The notification control unit 55 determines whether a usage determination condition indicating a water usage history at the subject's residence is met based on the measurement results obtained in step S110 of the notification process shown in FIG. 5. In step S210, if the usage determination condition is met, it is determined that there is a water usage history at the subject's residence, and if the usage determination condition is not met, it is determined that there is no water usage history for the subject.

In this embodiment, the notification control unit 55 determines that the usage determination condition is met and that there is a history of water usage at the subject's residence if the cumulative amount of water usage up to the present during the notification suspension period exceeds a predetermined threshold, the usage history determination value. It is preferable that the usage history determination value be greater than 0 L. This can prevent erroneous determinations due to fluctuations in water pressure in the water pipes.

If, in step S210, it is determined that the usage determination conditions are not met and there is no water usage history, the notification control unit 55 returns to the notification process in FIG. 5 and terminates the notification process without sending a notification to the user. In this way, if a notification suspension period is set and no water usage history of the target person is detected, no notification will be sent from the management server 50 to the user, regardless of whether regular or irregular notification is selected in the notification settings.

If it is determined in step S210 that the usage determination conditions are met and that there is a history of water usage, the notification control unit 55 cancels the notification suspension period setting in step S230, returns to the notification processing, and executes the processing from step S130 onwards in Figure 5. In other words, even if a notification suspension period has been set, if the target person's water usage history is detected, the notification suspension period is automatically canceled and normal notification processing is resumed. This prevents the notification suspension period from remaining set even though the target person has resumed their normal daily life, resulting in a situation where notifications to the user are not sent.

In step S210, the presence or absence of a water usage history may be determined based on usage determination conditions other than the integrated value of water usage. For example, in step S210, the water usage determination condition may be met and it may be determined that there is a water usage history when the number of times the instantaneous water flow rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value exceeds a predetermined threshold number.

Furthermore, if the notification suspension period is cancelled in step S230 based on the determination of the water usage history in step S210, the notification control unit 55 may notify the user that the notification suspension period has been cancelled. This allows the user to know that a situation has occurred in which water usage has been detected despite the notification suspension period.

As described above, with the monitoring system 100 of this embodiment, users can select periodic notifications if they would prefer to be notified periodically about the target person's water usage status and be able to confirm the target person's safety with each notification. Alternatively, if such periodic notifications about the target person's safety are not necessary and it would be better to receive an abnormality notification each time a possible abnormality is detected in the target person, users can select irregular notifications. This allows users to receive notifications from the monitoring system at a frequency that is appropriate for them.

Furthermore, with the monitoring system 100 of this embodiment, the judgment conditions for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in water usage can be variably set for each subject. This makes it possible to set judgment conditions that suit the daily water usage trends of each subject, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting abnormalities based on water usage. This prevents situations in which notifications informing users of abnormalities in the subject are sent frequently even when there is no abnormality in the subject, causing the user to neglect to check the content of the notifications, or situations in which notifications are not sent to users even when an abnormality has occurred in the subject.

With the monitoring system 100 of this embodiment, the user can, as one of the notification settings, set in advance a notification suspension period during which the sending of notifications regarding whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the target person's water usage will be suspended. For example, if the target person is away from home for an extended period of time and there is a prolonged period of time during which the water is not being used as usual, setting a notification suspension period for that period allows the management server 50 to suspend notifications to the user during that period. This prevents notifications from being sent to the user informing them of an abnormality in the target person, even when the user is aware that the target person is not using the water as usual, reducing the frequency of unnecessary notifications or notifications with incorrect content being sent to the user.

Furthermore, according to the monitoring system 100 of this embodiment, if a water usage history of the target person is detected during the notification setting period, the notification suspension period setting is automatically canceled. This prevents situations from occurring where notifications to the user remain suspended even though the target person has resumed their normal daily life during the set notification suspension period.

2. Other embodiments:
The technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and can be modified, for example, as follows.

(1) In the above embodiment, a network other than the Internet may be used as the network NT. The monitoring system 100 may use, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) as the network NT.

(2) In the above embodiment, the management server 50 does not have to be configured as a single computer. The management server 50 may be configured as multiple computers connected to the network NT and working together. In this configuration, the functions of the management server 50 described in the above embodiment may each be realized by a separate computer connected to the network NT. For example, the management server 50 may be configured by a computer that collects and manages measurement results, a computer that executes notification processing, and a computer that executes abnormality determination processing that are separately connected to the network NT and working together.

(3) In the above embodiment, the management server 50 may be configured to send notifications unrelated to water usage to users via the network NT in addition to notifications regarding water usage sent to users in the notification process. Notifications unrelated to water usage include, for example, maintenance notifications that provide information regarding the operation of the monitoring system 100. Maintenance notifications include, for example, notifications regarding the operating status of the monitoring system 100, the setting status for each user or target person, and notifications regarding the execution status of processes executed by the monitoring system 100. For example, when a user's contact settings are changed, the control unit 51 of the management server 50 may notify the user that the changes have been successfully registered. Furthermore, when the judgment conditions for the abnormality judgment process or the usage judgment conditions for determining whether or not there is a water usage history are changed, the control unit 51 may notify the user that the changes have been successfully registered. Additionally, the control unit 51 may issue and send to the user a notification including a monthly periodic report for the monitoring system 100. The periodic report may include information indicating, for example, the operating status history of the water monitoring unit 10 and the communication status history between the water monitoring unit 10 and the management server 50.

(4) In the above embodiment, the judgment conditions for the abnormality judgment process that determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the subject's water usage may not be changeable for each subject. The judgment conditions may be changeable for some subjects, or may be changed for all subjects.

(5) In the above embodiment, the monitoring system 100 may be configured such that a notification suspension period cannot be set. Furthermore, even if a notification suspension period can be set, the monitoring system 100 may not have a function to automatically cancel the notification suspension period setting when the target person's water usage history is detected. In the above embodiment, even if a notification suspension period is set, the monitoring system 100 may be configured to send notifications to the user other than notifications regarding whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the target person's water usage.

(6) In the above embodiment, the management server 50 may record the frequency with which abnormality notifications are sent for each user during the notification process, and may send a notification prompting a change to the judgment criteria to users for whom the frequency is higher than a predetermined standard.

(7) In the above embodiment, the management server 50 may have a function to determine the time period during which the subject uses water most and the amount of water used during that time period from the measurement results recorded in the memory unit 60, and to automatically generate judgment conditions for the abnormality judgment process based on this information. The judgment conditions may be generated using, for example, learning results using AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology.

10...Water monitoring unit, 11...Water meter, 12...Receiver, 20...Detection unit, 21...Meter control unit, 23...Calculation unit, 24...Communication unit, 26...Display unit, 28...Operation unit, 30...Receiver control unit, 31...Meter management unit, 32...Measurement processing unit, 33...Meter communication unit, 35...Server communication unit, 36...Display unit, 38...Operation unit, 50...Management server, 51...Control unit, 52...Measurement result management unit, 53...Determination unit, 55...Notification control unit, 56...Communication unit, 57...Input unit, 58...Display unit, 60...Memory unit, 100...Monitoring system, D1...Measurement result information, D2...Contact information, D3...Notification setting information, D4...Determination condition information, NT...Network, TL...Transmission line, UT...User terminal

Claims (6)

A monitoring system that allows users to check the living conditions of a target person via a network based on water usage,
a water monitoring unit that transmits the measurement results of the water usage of the subject through the network;
a management server that receives the measurement results from the water monitoring unit and executes a notification process to send a notification regarding the water usage status of the subject person based on the measurement results to the user's pre-registered contact information via the network;
Equipped with
The management server
A function of detecting an occurrence of an abnormality in the water usage situation of the subject based on the measurement result and predetermined judgment conditions;
A function of accepting an input operation for changing a notification setting by an administrator of the monitoring system or the user, the notification setting determining an execution condition of the notification process;
a function of executing periodic notification in the notification processing, which transmits, at regular intervals, either a normal notification that notifies that the occurrence of the abnormality has not been detected or an abnormality notification that notifies that the occurrence of the abnormality has been detected;
a function of executing irregular notification in the notification process, which does not send the normal notification, but sends the abnormality notification as the notification when the occurrence of the abnormality is detected;
a function of executing either the periodic notification or the irregular notification in accordance with the user's selection based on the input operation set in the notification setting;
A monitoring system that has the following features. The monitoring system according to claim 1,
the management server is capable of variably setting the judgment condition for each of the target persons in accordance with an input operation by an administrator of the monitoring system or the user ,
the determination conditions include an upper limit and a lower limit of the water usage amount and a measurement period of the water usage amount;
A monitoring system in which the management server detects the occurrence of an abnormality when the water usage during the measurement period is less than the lower limit value or greater than the upper limit value . The monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2,
the management server is capable of variably setting the judgment condition for each of the subjects in accordance with an input operation by an administrator of the monitoring system or the user,
A monitoring system in which, if the frequency of sending the abnormality notification is higher than a predetermined standard, the management server sends a notification in the notification process prompting the user to change the judgment condition. The monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The management server accepts, as one of the notification settings, the setting of a notification suspension period, which is set by the input operation to suspend the sending of notifications regarding whether or not the target person has experienced an abnormality to the user's contact information, and suspends the sending of the notifications if the current date and time is included in the notification suspension period.This is a monitoring system. The monitoring system according to claim 4 ,
A monitoring system in which the management server cancels the setting of the notification suspension period and resumes the execution of the notifications when it determines that the accumulated value of the water usage during the notification suspension period has exceeded a predetermined threshold, or when it determines that the number of times the instantaneous water flow rate during the notification suspension period has exceeded a predetermined threshold has exceeded a predetermined threshold number. A control method for a monitoring system that monitors the lives of subjects based on water usage,
receiving the measurement results of the water usage of the subject via a network ;
Detecting an abnormality in the water usage status of the subject based on the measurement results and predetermined judgment conditions;
A step of executing a notification process to send a notification regarding the water usage status of the subject based on the measurement results, including the detection result of the occurrence of the abnormality, to a pre-registered contact address of the user via the network in accordance with a notification setting that defines an execution condition of the notification process;
A step of receiving an input operation by an administrator of the monitoring system or the user to change the notification setting;
a step of executing , in the notification processing, either periodic notification or irregular notification in accordance with the user's selection based on the input operation set in the notification setting;
Equipped with
the periodic notification is a process of transmitting, at regular intervals, either a normal notification informing that the occurrence of the abnormality has not been detected or an abnormality notification informing that the occurrence of the abnormality has been detected;
A control method for a monitoring system , wherein the irregular notification is a process of not sending the normal notification but sending the abnormality notification when the occurrence of the abnormality is detected .