JP2008252852A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely record surrounding of a user from before an abnormal condition occurs. <P>SOLUTION: An image recorder 1 comprises: a biological information detection unit 11 for detecting biological information of a user; a CCD camera 12 as an image capturing means for capturing an image; an image data storage unit 13 for storing image data; a monitor 14 for displaying image data captured by the CCD camera 12; and a control unit 15 for controlling the respective components. In accordance with a detection result of the biological information of the user, the CCD camera 12 starts capturing images of surroundings including the user and when a characteristic signal (feature signal) indicating an abnormal condition is detected from the biological information, a nursing person or the like is notified thereof. Thus, the surroundings including the user can be surely recorded from before an abnormal condition occurs. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, and more particularly, to an image recording apparatus for recording a situation when an accident, physical abnormality, or the like occurs in a cared person / nursing person.

  In recent years, in welfare facilities, medical facilities, etc., accidents that occur in facilities such as the fall of care recipients and nurses have been regarded as problems. In particular, there is a high possibility that a serious accident such as a fracture caused by a fall from the bed or a sudden change in the physical condition of a bedridden patient will occur in the vicinity of the bed used by the care recipient / nurse. Of course, this kind of accident in the facility can be prevented, but in the unlikely event that an accident occurs, the status of the caregiver / nurse, room environment, staff response, etc. It is required to grasp various information. If the situation before and after the accident can be known, the cause of the accident can be clarified, which can be used for future countermeasures. If the staff's response situation is known, it can lead to an improvement in the quality of care.

  Therefore, various methods have been proposed and reported for grasping the situation before and after the accident. The most direct method is to shoot and record a camera in the room of the care recipient / nurse.

  For example, a technique has been disclosed in which a sensor capable of measuring biological information such as pulse and body temperature is attached to a patient and when an abnormality occurs in the patient, an image of the patient with the abnormality is output to the monitor. (See Patent Document 1). In this technique, images from the present to a predetermined period before are recorded, and images from the occurrence of abnormality to a predetermined period before are stored. In addition, a technique is disclosed in which a bed user's getting out of bed is determined, and the surveillance camera is activated after the bed is determined to be released (see Patent Document 2).

JP 2006-247014 A Japanese Patent No. 3352935

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is designed to accumulate images from a time when a patient's abnormality is detected to a predetermined period before it is detected. I can't. That is, not all the states up to the abnormality indicated by the life sensor are necessarily recorded.

  In the technique of Patent Document 2, since the surveillance camera is activated when the bed user's getting out of bed is confirmed, all of the state of the bet user, the room environment, the response of the staff, etc. when an accident or the like occurs. It may not be possible to record reliably.

  Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described conventional situation, and the situation around the user including the care recipient and the nurse can be reliably recorded from the previous stage of occurrence of the abnormality. An object is to provide an image recording apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, an image recording apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a biological information detection unit that detects biological information of a user, and an image acquisition unit that acquires a surrounding image including the user. The image data storage means for storing the image data acquired by the image acquisition means, the notification means for informing the user's condition, and when the biological information detection means detects the first feature signal, the image acquisition means Image acquisition control means for starting acquisition of an image, and notification control means for notifying by the notification means when the second feature signal is detected after the biological information detection means detects the first feature signal.

  The image recording apparatus according to the present invention starts acquiring surrounding images including the user when the first feature signal of the user is detected, and further notifies when the second feature signal is detected. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably record the surrounding situation including the user from the previous stage when the report is required.

  An image recording apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention is the image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition control means has passed a predetermined period after the biological information detection means detects the first feature signal. However, when the second feature signal is not detected, image acquisition is stopped, and the image data stored in the image data storage means is erased after the first feature signal is detected.

  Furthermore, an image recording apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the image recording apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the first characteristic signal is a signal indicating body movement and the second characteristic signal is a bed leaving action or body movement. The signal is characterized by an increase in the number.

  The image recording apparatus according to the present invention starts acquiring surrounding images including the user when the user's body movement is detected, and notifies when the user's getting-off behavior or an increase in the number of body movements is detected. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to start recording the surrounding situation including the user from the stage of body movement, that is, the stage before the user's bed leaving action or body movement number increases. When an increase in the number of people appears, the caregiver is informed so that the user moves from the stage where he / she is in bed and moves to a bed leaving action, or the user moves in the bed while in bed It is possible to reliably record from the stage until the number of body movements increases.

  Furthermore, in the image recording apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to claim 1, the biological information detecting means measures a value related to respiration of the user from the detected signal, and the value related to respiration. Is detected as the first feature signal, and when the value related to respiration becomes the second threshold value, the signal is the second feature signal. It is characterized by detecting.

  The image recording apparatus according to the present invention, when the value related to the user's respiration becomes the first threshold value, uses this as a first feature signal to start acquiring surrounding images including the user. When the second threshold value is reached, this is notified as a second feature signal. Therefore, according to the present invention, when the value relating to the user's breathing reaches the first threshold, recording of the surrounding situation including the user is started, and when the value relating to the breathing reaches the second threshold, Since the notification is made to the person, for example, it is possible to reliably record the situation from the stage before the user reaches the abnormal breathing interval until the abnormality appears.

  Furthermore, the image recording apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention includes stop input means for receiving a stop input from a caregiver, and the image acquisition control means is configured to receive a stop input by the stop input means. The image acquisition is stopped.

  Since the image recording apparatus according to the present invention stops the image acquisition in response to the stop input from the caregiver, the surroundings including the user from when the start of recording until the caregiver performs the stop input are included. The situation can be recorded reliably.

  According to the present invention, when the first feature signal of the user is detected, the acquisition of the surrounding image including the user is started, and when the second feature signal is detected, the notification is made. This situation can be recorded from the previous stage when notification is required.

  Hereinafter, an image recording apparatus shown as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and ratios of dimensions and the like are different from actual ones. Therefore, specific dimensions and the like should be determined in consideration of the following description. Moreover, it is a matter of course that portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included between the drawings.

  An image recording apparatus 1 shown as an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 stores a biological information detection unit 11 that detects biological information of a user, a CCD camera 12 as an image acquisition unit that acquires an image, and image data. An image data storage unit 13, a monitor 14 for displaying image data acquired by the CCD camera 12, and a control unit 15 for controlling each component. The term “user” used in the present embodiment includes a cared person and a cared person.

  The biological information detection unit 11 is a detection sensor that acquires heart rate, respiration, and the like of a user who is in a bedded position, such as a pressure sensor, an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, and an electrocardiographic sensor. Sensors can be used alone or in combination. In the present embodiment, a sheet-type sensor that can detect a pressure change as a change in capacitance is used. Use it in a state where it is worn on bedding. Details of the biological information detection unit 11 will be described later. The biological information detection unit 11 supplies the state of the user detected by the sensor to the control unit 15.

  The CCD camera 12 is set so that surrounding images including the user can be acquired and that it can be taken even in the dark. In addition, as the image acquisition means, any device capable of taking an image, such as an infrared camera, can be used. The CCD camera 12 is activated in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 15 and supplies the acquired image data to the control unit 15.

  The image data storage unit 13 is, for example, a non-contact type disk-shaped recording medium such as an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), a CD (Compact Disc), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a semiconductor memory, a tape-shaped recording medium, or the like. Recording means (or storage means) can be applied. The image data storage unit 13 stores the image data acquired by the CCD camera 12 based on a control signal from the control unit 15.

  The monitor 14 is for informing the caregiver / nurse of the state of the user imaged by the CCD camera 12, and displays the user and its surrounding images and uses acquired by the sensor. The biological information of the person is displayed.

  Although not shown, the control unit 15 includes a CPU that executes various arithmetic processes, a RAM as a work area of the CPU, a ROM that stores various data necessary for processes to be described later, programs, and the like. Has overall control. Further, in particular, a process for causing the CCD camera 12 to start acquiring an image according to a detection result in the biological information detection unit 11 and a characteristic signal indicating abnormality from the biological information detected by the biological information detection unit 11 ( A process of notifying a caregiver / nurse or the like when a feature signal is detected is executed. That is, the control unit 15 functions as an image acquisition control unit and a notification control unit.

  Specifically, the control unit 15 causes the CCD camera 12 to start acquiring an image when the user's body movement is determined from the signal detected by the biological information detection unit 11. When the user's getting-off behavior is detected from the biological information, an image is transmitted to the monitor 14 to notify the caregiver or the like. At this time, a warning sound, flashing light, or the like may be performed so as to call the caregiver's attention.

  In addition, breathing, heart rate, and the like, which are higher-level biological information than staying in bed, can be used as a trigger for starting imaging. In this case, the control unit 15 analyzes a signal indicating the breathing interval of the user from the signal detected by the biological information detection unit 11. That is, it functions as a measuring means for measuring the breathing interval. The control unit 15 sends a control signal for starting image acquisition to the CCD camera 12 when the breathing interval of the user becomes a value indicating “decrease” (referred to as a first threshold) from the measured breathing interval. Further, when the measured breathing interval becomes a value indicating “abnormal” (referred to as a second threshold), a process of notifying a caregiver or the like is performed. The first threshold value, the second threshold value, information on signal components indicating respiration, and the like are prepared in advance in the ROM.

  By performing the above operations, a state where there is a possibility that the user has an abnormality (for example, a state that may lead to an abnormality such as “body movement” or “decrease in the breathing interval of the user”) is detected. Recording is started, and a notification can be sent when an abnormal state of the user (for example, “getting out of bed” or “abnormal breathing interval of the user”) appears.

  The image recording apparatus 1 also includes an operation input unit 16 that receives input from a caregiver. When a stop operation is input from the caregiver in the operation input unit 16, image acquisition by the CCD camera 12 is stopped. It has become so.

  Next, an example of a sensor capable of simultaneously measuring bed leaving, breathing, and heart rate will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a specific example of the biological information detection unit 11. In the present embodiment, the biological information detection unit 11 uses a sheet-type sensor that allows the user to detect biological information in a natural bed state. Examples of the sheet type sensor include a capacitance type, a strain gauge type, and a piezoelectric element. In this embodiment, a capacitance type sheet type sensor is used.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a sheet-type sensor used as the biological information detection unit 11. The sheet-type sensor includes a detection unit 21 including a sheet-shaped dielectric and a sheet-shaped conductor, and a protective cover 22, and the detection unit 21 is covered with the protective cover 22.

  The structure of the detection unit 21 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. An elastically deformable sheet-like dielectric 23 and sheet-like conductors 24 and 25 disposed on both surfaces of the sheet-like dielectric 23 are provided. The sheet-like dielectric 23 has a rectangular shape, and the sheet-like conductors 24 and 25 have a shape corresponding to the size of the sheet-like dielectric 23. The detection unit 21 forms a so-called capacitor (capacitor) by sandwiching a sheet-like dielectric 23 having elasticity in all directions between a pair of sheet-like conductors 24, 25, and is a deformation of the whole sheet-type sensor. Is detected as a change in the capacitance of the capacitor. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the biological information detection unit 11 is used by being disposed at a position corresponding to the upper body of the user on the surface of the bedding 31.

  In this embodiment, the sheet-like conductors 24 and 25 are used. However, any material that is processed into a sheet shape and has conductivity may be used. In addition to a conductive cloth in which fibers are metal-plated, a metal mesh is used. A sheet-like conductor such as can be applied. Moreover, the shape of the detection unit 21 (biological information detection unit 11) illustrated in the present embodiment is an example, and is not limited to a rectangular shape.

  The biological information detection unit 11 has, for example, a size of 50 mm × 500 mm, and the sheet-like conductors 42 and 43 are each made of a highly flexible material (for example, “SUI-13-55” manufactured by Seiren Co., Ltd.). Is adopted. On the other hand, the sheet-like dielectric 41 is formed of, for example, a urethane sheet having a thickness of 3 mm.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the biological information detection unit 11 is pressed by the body when the user's upper body is on the sensor, such as a supine position, a lateral position, or a prone position. Pressure fluctuations associated with the person's heartbeat and respiratory motion. Accordingly, the sheet-like dielectric 23 is elastically deformed not only in the thickness direction but also in all directions according to the outer shape of the user, and the sheet-like dielectric 23 is bent and deformed along the curved surface shape of the human body. As a result, the distance between the sheet-like conductors 24 and 25 varies, and the capacitance of the sheet-type sensor 1 varies. This change in capacitance includes heartbeat and respiration frequency components, which are user's biological information. In addition, before that, it is possible to detect an operation such as “the user has woken up (leaved)” or “becomes a flooring posture (being in bed)”.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the biological information detection unit 11 is connected to a resonance circuit 41 having the detection unit 21 as an oscillation capacitor, and the resonance circuit 41 further includes an arithmetic process including a microcomputer or the like. The part 42 is connected.

  The resonance circuit 41 can be configured by, for example, an LC oscillation circuit in which an inductor 43 is connected to the detection unit 21 as shown in FIG.

  The arithmetic processing unit 42 also includes a frequency detection unit 44 that detects a change in the oscillation frequency of the resonance circuit 41, and a heart rate based on the frequency component of bed leaving, bed presence, heart rate, and / or respiration included in the change in the oscillation frequency. And / or a heart rate / respiration rate calculating unit 45 for calculating a respiration rate. The rectangular wave voltage signal output from the resonance circuit 41 is supplied to the arithmetic processing unit 42. In the arithmetic processing unit 42, the number of pulses of the rectangular wave voltage signal is counted by a built-in counter, and the frequency (oscillation frequency) is measured. The variation in the measured value represents the variation in the capacitance of the detection unit 21. The variation in the capacitance includes the frequency components of heartbeat and respiration. Also, it is possible to determine bed leaving or bed presence from a pulse that exceeds a predetermined threshold in a short time.

  Note that the measurement of the oscillation frequency is not limited to the method of counting the number of pulses every certain time (for example, 50 msec), but can also be performed by measuring the time when the number of pulses reaches a certain value. The resonance circuit 41 and the arithmetic processing unit 42 in FIGS. 5 and 7 are for explaining in principle the detection of biological information by the sheet type sensor of the present embodiment. 41 is provided inside the biological information detection unit 11 shown in FIG. 1, and the arithmetic processing unit 42 is realized as one function in the control unit 15.

  Next, processing in which the image recording apparatus 1 shown as the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 starts image recording in accordance with the user's biometric information will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a process of acquiring a user image based on getting out of bed, and FIG. 9 is a process of acquiring a user image based on a breathing interval (respiration rate) as biological information. It is a flowchart to explain.

  In step S1 of FIG. 8, the control unit 15 inputs the detection signal from the biological information detection unit 11, and in step S2, analyzes the input rectangular wave voltage signal. In step S3, the control unit 15 determines whether or not a signal related to body movement is included. As this determination method, for example, a plurality of body movement patterns of a user who is in bed are prepared in a memory and compared with the acquired signal pattern.

  In step S3, when a signal pattern representing body movement, which is the first feature signal, is included, image acquisition by the CCD camera 12 and recording of the acquired image are started in step S4. On the other hand, if no pattern representing body movement is detected in step S3, the CCD camera 12 and the image data storage unit 13 remain in a standby state in step S9.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 5, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the signal pattern supplied from the biological information detection unit 11 includes a signal pattern representing “getting out” as the second feature signal. When a signal pattern representing bed leaving is detected in step S5, the control unit 15 supplies the image data acquired by the CCD camera 12 to the monitor 14 in step S6. In addition, a warning sound, blinking display, etc. are performed to notify the caregiver or the like of getting out of bed.

  On the other hand, even if the body movement pattern is detected, when the bed leaving pattern is not detected (step S5: No), it is determined that the normal state has been restored, and in step S10, the recording of the image data is stopped and used for accumulation. The memory area is erased, and the processes from step S1 are repeated. In this way, when no abnormality is detected, unnecessary image data is erased, so that the privacy of the user can be improved.

  In step S7, the control unit 15 determines whether or not a stop operation has been performed. When the stop operation is performed by a caregiver or the like, the control unit 15 stops image recording (step S8).

  Next, a process of acquiring a user image based on a breathing interval (respiration rate) as biological information will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S11 of FIG. 9, the control unit 15 inputs a detection signal from the biological information detection unit 11, and analyzes the input rectangular wave voltage signal in step S12. In step S13, the control unit 15 determines whether or not a signal relating to respiration, which is the first feature signal, is included. As this determination method, for example, a pattern of capacitance change when a standard breathing of a user in bed is being performed is prepared in advance in a memory and compared with the acquired signal pattern.

  When it is determined that the interval is longer than the standard breathing pattern, image acquisition by the CCD camera 12 and recording of the acquired image are started in step S14. The breathing interval at this time is, for example, 10 seconds (first threshold). On the other hand, if the breathing interval is not larger than the first threshold value in step S13, the CCD camera 12 and the image data storage unit 13 remain in the standby state in step S19.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 15, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the respiration signal pattern supplied from the biological information detection unit 11 includes a signal pattern representing “abnormal” as the second feature signal. As an index indicating abnormality, for example, it is assumed that a state where the breathing interval is repeated for 10 seconds or more is repeated three times (second threshold). When a signal pattern indicating abnormality is detected in step S15, the control unit 15 supplies the image data acquired by the CCD camera 12 to the monitor 14 in step S16. In addition, a warning sound, blinking display, etc. are performed to notify the caregiver that the user's breathing is abnormal.

  On the other hand, if a condition corresponding to the second threshold value does not occur even if the condition that the breathing interval becomes the first threshold value is generated (step S15: No), it is determined that the state has returned to the normal state. Is stopped, the memory area used for accumulation is erased, and the processes from step S11 are repeatedly executed. In this way, when no abnormality is detected, unnecessary image data is erased, so that the privacy of the user can be improved.

  In step S17, the control unit 15 determines whether or not a stop operation has been performed. When the stop operation is performed by a caregiver or the like, the control unit 15 stops recording an image (step S18).

  In FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the recording stop operation by the caregiver means until a series of responses by the caregiver is completed. Therefore, the acquisition and recording of the image data is automatically performed not only when the stop operation is input by the operation input unit 16 but also after the notification until the caregiver leaves the user's room. It may be. For example, if a caregiver carries a wireless tag, an IC card, etc., and a reading device is provided for each entrance of the room or each user's bet, the presence or absence of the caregiver can be easily detected. . In addition, a simple method such as counting the open / close state and the number of times of the entrance door may be used.

  As described above, according to the image recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, acquisition of surrounding images including the user is started from the previous stage of “getting out bed” and “abnormal breathing” according to the biological information of the user. For example, when a characteristic signal pattern such as “getting out of bed” or “abnormal breathing” is detected from the biological information, it is displayed on the monitor 14 or the like to notify the caregiver. It can be recorded reliably.

  In particular, in the judgment of getting out of bed, recording is started when body movement during bedtime is detected, and when a bed leaving action is performed, the caregiver is notified, so that the user is in bed and the body is It is possible to record reliably from the stage of moving to getting out of bed.

  When determining the breathing interval, when the breathing interval reaches the first threshold value (for example, 10 sec), that is, when the breathing interval begins to decrease, acquisition of surrounding images including the user is started, and further abnormalities are indicated. Since the caregiver is notified when the value, that is, the second threshold (the 10-second apnea period has continuously occurred), until the user develops an abnormality from the stage before the abnormal breathing interval occurs The situation can be recorded reliably.

  The notification condition at the time of breathing stop is the number of occurrences of the first threshold for the breathing interval, that is, “the number of times the breathing has stopped for a certain period”, but the notification is made when the first threshold <the second threshold. It may be. In this case, if the second threshold is set to 60 sec, the setting is notified when the care recipient's breathing interval exceeds 60 sec. In addition, the second threshold, which is the timing to notify the caregiver or the like, is based on various general judgment criteria (for example, a drinker survival curve, etc.) that are judged to be life risk or biological abnormality, Settings or changes can be made as appropriate. Moreover, it is preferable that these threshold values can be freely set for individual users in accordance with physical characteristics, medical conditions, and the like.

  In the sheet type sensor 1, the sheet-like dielectric 23 is described as being formed of, for example, a urethane sheet having a thickness of 3 mm. However, as the dielectric, vinyl chloride having a thickness of about 1 mm can be used. It is. When vinyl chloride is used, elastic deformation does not occur, but since the sensor body is deformed, a change in electrostatic capacity accompanying the deformation can be detected.

  As described above, according to the image recording apparatus 1, the state of the user is determined, and by using the determination result, the state of the user is recorded from the “predictive state” that is the stage before the abnormality. can do. Thereby, the caregiver can confirm the information before and after the occurrence of the accident with the image, which is useful for the accident prevention measures in the facility. If the situation before the accident, that is, the circumstances until the occurrence of the abnormality can be known, the cause of the accident can be clarified, and it can be used for the subsequent countermeasures. In addition, the situation after the accident occurs and the caregiver's way of responding can be understood, leading to improved quality of care. Furthermore, since necessary information can be reliably recorded, the capacity of the recording medium can be saved.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image recording apparatus shown as an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view explaining the biometric information detection part of the said image recording apparatus. It is a perspective view explaining the biometric information detection part applied to embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view explaining the biometric information detection part applied to embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the biometric information detection part which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of the biometric information detection part which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the resonance circuit and arithmetic processing part in the said biometric information detection part. It is a flowchart explaining the image acquisition and recording process in the said image recording apparatus. It is a flowchart explaining the image acquisition and recording process in the said image recording apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image recording device, 11 ... Biological information detection part, 12 ... CCD camera, 13 ... Image data storage part, 14 ... Monitor, 15 ... Control part, 16 ... Operation input part

Claims (5)

Biological information detection means for detecting the biological information of the user;
Image acquisition means for acquiring a surrounding image including the user;
Image data storage means for storing image data acquired by the image acquisition means;
An informing means for informing the state of the user;
Image acquisition control means for causing the image acquisition means to start acquiring an image when the biological information detection means detects a first feature signal;
An image recording apparatus comprising: notification control means for informing by the informing means when the biological information detecting means detects the second feature signal after detecting the first feature signal.   The image acquisition control means stops the acquisition of the image when the biological information detection means detects the first feature signal and does not detect the second feature signal even after a predetermined period of time has passed. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data stored in the image data storage means is erased after detecting one feature signal.   The first characteristic signal is a signal indicating body movement, and the second characteristic signal is a signal indicating bed movement or an increase in the number of body movements. The image recording apparatus described. The biological information detection means measures a value related to the user's respiration from the detected signal,
Detecting that the detected signal is the first characteristic signal when the value relating to respiration becomes the first threshold;
4. The image according to claim 1, wherein the signal is detected as the second feature signal when the value relating to respiration becomes a first threshold value. 5. Recording device. Comprising stop input means for receiving a stop input from the caregiver;
5. The image according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition control unit stops image acquisition in the image acquisition unit when a stop input is made in the stop input unit. 6. Recording device.

Images