JP7592987B2 - CONTROL PROGRAM, OPERATION DEVICE, CONTROL SYSTEM, AND CONTROL METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control program, a computing device, a control system, and a control method.

In Japan, the standard of living has improved, the sanitary environment has improved, and the level of medical care has improved, all of which have come with the rapid economic growth since the war. This, combined with the declining birth rate, has resulted in an aging society with a high aging rate. In such an aging society, it is expected that the number of people who require care such as nursing care or nursing due to illness, injury, and aging will increase.
In such a situation, it is important to provide care such as rehabilitation to the care recipient so that the care recipient's motivation is maintained. Patent Document 1 discloses the following technology. The body movement of the user of a rehabilitation kendama is analyzed based on the detection results transmitted from the kendama, which is equipped with an acceleration sensor and a transmission unit that transmits the detection results from the acceleration sensor. This makes it possible to quantify the improvement in the user's physical function.

JP 2019-92943 A

However, as rehabilitation etc. continues, the motivation of the care recipient may decrease. Furthermore, a decrease in the motivation of the care recipient may also decrease the motivation of the care provider in providing support for rehabilitation etc. This may make it difficult to continue rehabilitation etc. The above-mentioned prior art cannot address such problems.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems. In other words, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control program, a computing device, a control system, and a control method that can present information regarding the motivation of the care recipient or the care provider.

The above-mentioned problems of the present invention are solved by the following means.

(1) A step (a) of acquiring information including at least two of the contents of care for a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider who provides the care to the care recipient;
A step (b) of calculating a mutual correspondence relationship between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired in the step (a), by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
and (c) outputting the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the care recipient and emotions of the care provider;
(d) calculating, based on the correspondence relationship, the care content when the sum of the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient and the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider is the highest, as a recommended care content;
A step (e) of outputting the recommended care content;
A control program for causing a computer to execute a process further comprising:
(2) A step (a) of acquiring information including at least two of the contents of care for a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider who provides the care to the care recipient;
A step (b) of calculating a mutual correspondence relationship between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired in the step (a), by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
and (c) outputting the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the caregiver and emotions of the care recipient ;
(f) determining a correlation between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient based on the information, and calculating a range of the emotional changes of the care provider that correlates with the emotional changes of the care recipient, and a relationship between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient ;
a step (g) of outputting a range of the emotional change of the care provider that correlates with the emotional change of the care recipient, and a relationship between the emotional change of the care provider and the emotional change of the care recipient ;
A control program for causing a computer to execute a process further comprising:
(3) The control program according to claim 1, wherein in the step (a), at least one of detection data acquired by a sensor, a questionnaire given to the care provider, and a care record is acquired as the information.
(4) The information includes the emotions of the care recipient or the emotions of the care provider,
A control program as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing further includes a step (h) of issuing an alert when the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient or the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider obtained in step (a) falls below a predetermined threshold.
(5) The control program according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is an image capturing device, and the detection data is an image captured by the image capturing device.
(6) An acquisition unit that acquires information including at least two of the contents of care for a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider providing the care to the care recipient;
a correspondence calculation unit that calculates a mutual correspondence between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
an output unit that outputs the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the care recipient and emotions of the care provider;
The system further includes a recommended care content calculation unit that calculates, based on the correspondence relationship, the care content when the sum of the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient and the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider is the highest, as a recommended care content;
The output unit is a calculation device that further outputs the recommended care content.
(7) An acquisition unit that acquires information including at least two of the contents of care for a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider who provides the care to the care recipient;
a correspondence calculation unit that calculates a mutual correspondence between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
an output unit that outputs the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the caregiver and emotions of the care recipient ;
The present invention further includes a correlation determination calculation unit that determines a correlation between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient based on the information, and calculates a range of the emotional changes of the care provider that correlates with the emotional changes of the care recipient, and a relationship between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient ,
The output unit is a calculation device that further outputs the range of emotional changes of the care provider that correlates with the emotional changes of the care recipient, and the relationship between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient .
(8) The arithmetic device according to claim 6, wherein the acquisition unit acquires at least one of detection data acquired by a sensor, a questionnaire for the care provider, and a care record as the information.
(9) The information includes the emotions of the care recipient or the emotions of the care provider,
A computing device as described in any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising an alarm unit that issues an alarm when the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient or the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider acquired by the acquisition unit falls below a predetermined threshold.
(10) The computing device according to claim 8, wherein the sensor is an image capturing device, and the detection data is an image captured by the image capturing device.
(11) a sensor that acquires detection data as the information;
A computing device according to any one of claims 6 to 10,
A control system having
(12) A method implemented by a computing device, comprising:
(a) acquiring information including at least two of the contents of care given to a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider providing the care to the care recipient;
(b) calculating a mutual correspondence relationship between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired in the step (a), by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
and (c) outputting the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the care recipient and emotions of the care provider;
(d) calculating, based on the correspondence relationship, the care content when the sum of the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient and the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider is the highest, as a recommended care content;
(e) outputting the recommended care content;
The control method further comprises:
(13) A method implemented by a computing device, comprising:
(a) acquiring information including at least two of the contents of care given to a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider providing the care to the care recipient;
(b) calculating a mutual correspondence relationship between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired in the step (a), by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
and (c) outputting the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the caregiver and emotions of the care recipient ;
(f) determining a correlation between the emotional changes of the caregiver and the emotional changes of the care recipient based on the information , and calculating a range of the emotional changes of the caregiver that correlates with the emotional changes of the care recipient and a relationship between the emotional changes of the caregiver and the emotional changes of the care recipient ;
( g) outputting a range of the emotional change of the care provider that correlates with the emotional change of the care recipient, and a relationship between the emotional change of the care provider and the emotional change of the care recipient ;
The control method further comprises:

Based on information covering at least two of the contents of care given to the care recipient and the emotions of the care recipient and the care provider, the system calculates and outputs the mutual relationships between at least two of the contents of care, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of the care provider. This makes it possible to present information regarding the motivation of the care recipient or the care provider.

1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a care support system. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a detection unit 10 installed around a bed in a room of a care recipient. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a detection unit. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a management server. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mobile terminal. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a care practice questionnaire screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a care practice questionnaire screen. 3 is a block diagram showing the functions of a control unit of the management server. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a graph showing the correspondence relationship between the emotions of a care recipient and the emotions of a care provider. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a graph showing the correspondence relationship between the emotions of a care recipient and the emotions of a care provider. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a graph showing the correspondence between the content of care and the emotions of a care recipient, and the correspondence between the content of care and a care provider. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a graph showing the correspondence relationship between the content of care and the emotions of the care recipient, and the correspondence relationship between the content of care and the care provider. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the care support system.

Below, a control program, a calculation device, a control system, and a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, identical elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings have been exaggerated for the convenience of explanation, and may differ from the actual ratios.

In this specification, the care recipient 80 who is the person receiving care broadly includes those who need to be found when a specific inconvenient event such as an abnormal condition occurs, such as a person requiring nursing care, a patient, and a person requiring support. The types of care broadly include care provided by a care provider (staff) to the care recipient 80, such as rehabilitation, excretion care, bathing care, meal care, mobility care, monitoring care, patrol care, and turning care, as well as assistance with daily life such as preparing meals and cleaning.
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a care support system 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a detection unit 10 installed around a bed 90 in a room of a care recipient 80.

As shown in FIG. 1, the care support system 1 has a plurality of detection units 10, a management server 20, a fixed terminal 30, and one or more mobile terminals 40. These are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a network 50 such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a telephone network, or a data communication network, by wire or wirelessly. The network 50 may include a repeater that relays communication signals. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 40, the detection unit 10, the management server 20, and the fixed terminal 30 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a network 50 such as a wireless LAN (e.g., a LAN based on the IEEE 802.11 standard) that includes an access point 51. The care support system 1 constitutes a control system. The management server 20 constitutes a calculation device. The detection unit 10 constitutes a sensor.

The care support system 1 is suitably installed in buildings such as hospitals and elderly care facilities. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the care support system 1 is installed in a building of a facility that has multiple rooms including multiple rooms in which multiple care recipients 80 each reside, a rehabilitation room, and a care station.

The detection units 10 are disposed in the rooms of each floor (floors A to C) which are the observation areas of the care recipients 80. In the example shown in FIG. 1, on floor A, four detection units 10 are disposed in the rooms of the care recipients 80, namely, Mr. a, Mr. b, Mr. c, and Mr. d. Although not shown, a plurality of detection units 10 are disposed in the rooms of the care recipients 80 on the other floors as well. Each of the users u001, u002, and u003 who are care providers carries a mobile terminal 40. The management server 20 may be an external server connected to the network 50. The fixed terminal 30 may be omitted, and the management server 20 or the mobile terminal 40 may have the function.
(Detection Unit 10)

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the detection unit 10. The detection unit 10 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a camera 13, and a care call unit 14, and these components are interconnected by a bus.

The control unit 11 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and controls each part of the detection unit 10 and performs calculations according to a program.

The communication unit 12 is an interface for communicating with other devices including, for example, the management server 20, the fixed terminal 30, and the mobile terminal 40 via the network 50, and may be, for example, a LAN card.

The camera 13 is placed, for example, on the ceiling or upper part of a wall of a room, captures an area including the bed 90 of the care recipient 80 as the observation area, and outputs a captured image (image data). Hereinafter, the captured image captured by the camera 13 will also be simply referred to as a "captured image". The captured image constitutes the detection data. This captured image includes still images and videos. The camera 13 may be, for example, a visible light camera or a near-infrared camera.

The control unit 11 recognizes the behavior of the care recipient 80 from the captured image. The recognized behaviors include, for example, rehabilitation, getting up, getting out of bed, falling, dropping, walking, and going outside.

The control unit 11 detects image silhouettes (hereinafter referred to as "human silhouettes") from multiple captured images (e.g., video images). Human silhouettes can be detected, for example, by extracting a range of pixels with a relatively large difference by time subtraction, which subtracts images captured before and after. Human silhouettes may be detected by a background subtraction method, which subtracts a background image from a captured image. The behavior of the care recipient 80 can be detected from the temporal change in the posture (e.g., standing, sitting, and lying) of the care recipient 80 recognized based on the human silhouette, and the relative positional relationship with objects installed in the room, such as the bed 90. When the control unit 11 detects a predetermined behavior, it transmits information including the detected predetermined behavior, a unique ID (e.g., MAC address) that identifies the detection unit 10, and the detection time (hereinafter referred to as "sensor transmission information") to the management server 20 via the communication unit 12. The predetermined behavior includes, for example, the care recipient 80 getting up, getting out of bed, walking, and going out. The sensor transmission information can be repeatedly transmitted at regular intervals while a certain behavior is detected.

The control unit 11 may detect the execution of care by the care provider to the care recipient 80 from the captured image. The control unit 11 may detect the execution of care by the care provider, for example, as follows. When the detected silhouettes of two people move for a predetermined time or more while maintaining a predetermined distance, the control unit 11 may recognize the rehabilitation care of walking. In this case, the care recipient 80 may walk using a walker or a cane, and the care provider may accompany and watch over the care recipient 80 to prevent the care recipient 80 from falling, etc. In addition, when the detected silhouettes of two people approach the toilet and disappear, the control unit 11 may recognize the start of excretion care by detecting that two people have entered the toilet in the room. When the silhouettes of two people that were no longer detected are redetected near the toilet, the control unit 11 may recognize the end of excretion care by detecting that two people have left the toilet in the room. The execution of excretion care by the care provider may be detected, for example, by detecting the entry and exit of the care provider to the toilet in the room of the care recipient 80 using the function of a beacon provided in the mobile terminal 40. The control unit 11 transmits the detected execution of care by the care provider as care execution information to the management server 20 via the communication unit 12. The care execution information may include a unique ID (e.g., a MAC address) that identifies the detection unit 10, the care provider (or a unique ID that identifies the care provider), the type of care, the time when care was started, the time when care was ended, and the captured image. The unique ID that identifies the detection unit 10 and the care recipient 80 may be stored in advance in the control unit 11. The care provider may be detected by a known image recognition technique using the captured image. The control unit 11 may constantly transmit the captured image to the management server 20 via the communication unit 12. In this case, the care execution information does not need to include the captured image.

As described later, when providing care, the care provider may input the name of the care recipient 80, as well as the intention to start and end care, into the mobile terminal 40 carried by the care provider. After providing care, the care provider may also input a response to the care execution questionnaire (see Figs. 6 and 7). As a result, care execution information including a unique ID (e.g., the number of the mobile terminal 40) that identifies the mobile terminal 40, the care recipient 80, the type of care, the time when care started, the time when care ended, and the response to the care execution questionnaire is transmitted from the mobile terminal 40 to the management server 20, thereby notifying the care provider that care has been provided to the care recipient 80. The care execution information transmitted from the mobile terminal 40 to the management server 20 may be a care record (care record). The care record may contain information similar to the response to the care execution questionnaire.

The detection of the specified behavior of the care recipient 80 and the detection of the execution of care for the care recipient 80 may be performed by the management server 20. In this case, the control unit 11 transmits the captured image to the management server 20.

The care call unit 14 includes a push button switch, and detects a care call when the care recipient 80 presses the switch. Instead of a push button switch, a care call may be detected by an audio microphone. When the care call unit 14 detects a care call when the switch of the care call unit 14 is pressed, the care call unit 14 transmits information including a unique ID (e.g., a MAC address) that identifies the care call unit 14 and the time of detection (hereinafter referred to as "care call information") as a care call to the management server 20 via the communication unit 12. The care call unit 14 may also be equipped with a microphone and speaker for audio communication with the mobile terminal 40.

The detection unit 10 may further include a Doppler shift type body movement sensor that transmits and receives microwaves to and from the bed 90 and detects the Doppler shift of microwaves caused by body movements (e.g., breathing movements) of the care recipient 80. This body movement sensor detects chest body movements (up and down movement of the chest) caused by the breathing movements of the care recipient 80, and recognizes abnormal micro-body movements when it detects a disruption in the period of the chest body movements and an amplitude of the chest body movements below a preset threshold. This abnormal micro-body movement is transmitted to the management server 20, for example, as sensor transmission information.

The predetermined behavior of the care recipient 80 contained in the sensor transmission information and the care call based on the care call information constitute an event of the care recipient 80. Hereinafter, information related to an event will be referred to as "event information".
(Management Server 20)

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the management server 20. The management server 20 includes a control unit 21, a communication unit 22, and a storage unit 23. The basic configurations of the control unit 21 and the communication unit 22 are similar to those of the control unit 11 and the communication unit 12, which are the corresponding components of the detection unit 10. The components are interconnected by a bus.

When the management server 20 receives sensor transmission information, care call information, etc. from the detection unit 10, it notifies the fixed terminal 30 and the mobile terminal 40 in a specified case. The management server 20 is configured, for example, by a computer with a communication function. The management server 20 may be provided in the same building as the building in which the detection unit 10 is installed, or may be provided in a location away from the building in which the detection unit 10 is installed. The management server 20 may be a cloud server virtually configured by multiple servers installed on a network such as the Internet.

The control unit 21 identifies the event name, the care recipient 80, and the start and end times of the event as event information based on the sensor transmission information. The event name is identified from the detected predetermined behavior. The care recipient 80 is identified by referring to a table in which a correspondence between a unique ID that identifies the detection unit 10 and the care recipient 80 is registered. The table is stored in advance in the memory unit 23. The start and end times of the event can be identified as the start time of reception of sensor transmission information related to the event and the time when the sensor transmission information is no longer received, respectively.

The control unit 21 identifies the event name, the care recipient 80, and the start and end times of the event as event information based on the care call information. The event name is identified as a care call upon receipt of the care call information. The care recipient 80 is identified by referring to a table in which a correspondence between a unique ID that identifies the care call unit 14 and the care recipient 80 is registered. The table is stored in advance in the memory unit 23. The start and end times of the event are identified as the start and end times of reception of the care call information (care call release time), respectively.

When the control unit 21 first receives sensor transmission information or care call information regarding an event, it notifies the occurrence of the event by sending event information identified based on the sensor transmission information or care call information to the mobile terminal 40 or the fixed terminal 30.
The control unit 21 receives the care execution information from the detection unit 10 and the mobile terminal 40 .
The specific functions of the control unit 21 will be described later.

The memory unit 23 stores various data including a table in which the correspondence between a unique ID identifying the detection unit 10 and the care recipient 80 is registered, a table in which the correspondence between a unique ID identifying the mobile terminal 40 and the care recipient 80 is registered, a table in which the correspondence between a unique ID identifying the care call unit 14 and the care recipient 80 is registered, a table in which information for identifying the care provider is associated with the care provider, and information regarding the care recipient 80.

The above-mentioned care execution information is also stored in the storage unit 23. The care execution information is stored every time the care execution information is received from the detection unit 10 and the mobile terminal 40.
(Fixed terminal 30)

The fixed terminal 30 is a PC (Personal Computer) and includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, a display unit, a communication unit, and an input unit. The input unit accepts various information inputs by the administrator. A table in which a unique ID for identifying the detection unit 10 and a care recipient 80 are registered, which is stored in the storage unit 23 of the management server 20, can be input from the input unit and transmitted to the management server 20 and stored in the storage unit 23. Similarly, a table in which a unique ID for identifying the mobile terminal 40 and a care recipient 80 are registered, and a table in which a unique ID for identifying the care call unit 14 and a care recipient 80 are registered can also be input from the input unit and transmitted to the management server 20 and stored in the storage unit 23. Similarly, a table in which information for identifying a care provider and a care provider are associated can also be input from the input unit and transmitted to the management server 20 and stored in the storage unit 23.
(Mobile terminal 40)

5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the mobile terminal 40. The mobile terminal 40 includes a control unit 41, a wireless communication unit 42, a display unit 43, an input unit 44, a voice input/output unit 45, and a position detection unit 46, which are connected to each other by a bus. The mobile terminal 40 can be configured by a communication terminal device that can be carried by the care provider, such as a tablet computer, a smartphone, or a mobile phone.
The control unit 41 has basic components such as a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM, similar to the configuration of the control unit 11 of the detection unit 10 .

The wireless communication unit 42 has the function of performing wireless communication according to standards such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (registered trademark), and communicates wirelessly with each device via the access point 51 or directly.

The display unit 43 and the input unit 44 are touch panels, and a touch sensor as the input unit 44 is provided on the display surface of the display unit 43, which is composed of a liquid crystal or the like. The display unit 43 and the input unit 44 display various operation screens, including a screen for inputting the care recipient 80 for whom care is about to be performed, the contents of the care, and the intention to start and end the care, and a care execution questionnaire screen for answering the care execution questionnaire, to the care provider, and accept various operations through the operation screens. When care execution information is input on the operation screen (including the care execution questionnaire screen) that accepts the input of the care execution information, the control unit 41 transmits care execution information including a unique ID (e.g., the number of the mobile terminal 40) that identifies the mobile terminal 40, the care recipient 80, the type of care, the time when care was started, the time when care was ended, and the answer to the care execution questionnaire to the management server 20 via the wireless communication unit 42. The time when care was started may be set to the time when the event information that triggered the execution of care was received by the mobile terminal 40. As a result, the mobile terminal 40 notifies the management server 20 that the care provider has provided care to the care recipient 80. That is, for example, the care provider provides care for an event of the care recipient 80, such as getting up, getting out of bed, falling, or apnea, by transmitting care execution information including the care recipient 80, the type of care, and the time (date and time) when the care started and the time (date and time) when the care ended from the mobile terminal 40 to the management server 20. Note that instead of the care recipient 80, the current location of the care provider detected by the location detection unit 46 may be transmitted to the management server 20. By transmitting the current location of the care provider to the management server 20, the management server 20 identifies the area in the facility that corresponds to the current location of the care provider, and identifies the care recipient 80 whose room is in the identified area.

Figures 6 and 7 show the care execution questionnaire screen. After care is performed, the care provider who performed the care inputs answers into the care execution questionnaire screen. The care execution questionnaire constitutes a questionnaire.

Figure 6 shows the facial expression of the care recipient 80, Mr. A, when care is being provided, and a screen for selecting the content of care. For the facial expression of the care recipient 80, one of five options, best, good, average, bad, and worst, is displayed as a selectable answer using a button with an expression. Here, the best, good, average, bad, and worst facial expressions correspond to 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, respectively, which are the degree of goodness of the emotions of the care recipient 80. In other words, for example, the facial expression of the care recipient 80 being "good" corresponds to the care recipient 80 having good emotions in terms of the content of care. In the example of Figure 6, "good" is selected for the facial expression of the care recipient 80.

In the example of FIG. 6, as examples of rehabilitation care content, walking (using a walker), walking (using a cane), and pedaled wheelchair are displayed as selectable answers using check boxes. A pedaled wheelchair is a rehabilitation device that ensures leg momentum by pedaling while sitting in the wheelchair, and allows the user to move independently to a destination. Pedaled wheelchairs can be equipped with a function to detect and output the amount of momentum and range of movement. In the example of FIG. 6, rehabilitation using a pedaled wheelchair is selected as the care content.

The care execution questionnaire screen may display a capture button for taking a facial photograph to obtain the facial expression of the care recipient 80. When the capture button is selected, a facial photograph of the care recipient 80 can be taken.
By selecting the "Next" arrow button on the care execution questionnaire screen of FIG. 6, the care execution questionnaire screen of FIG. 7 is displayed.

FIG. 7 shows a screen for selecting the care provider's feelings when providing care. The care provider's feelings are displayed in five stages, with one of best, good, average, bad, and worst being selectable as an answer by a button with an expression. Here, the best, good, average, bad, and worst expressions correspond to 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, respectively, which are the degree of goodness of the care provider's feelings. That is, for example, the care provider's feeling of "good" corresponds to the care provider having good feelings in the content of the care. In the example of FIG. 7, "good" is selected for the care provider's feelings. Hereinafter, the degree of goodness of the feelings is also referred to as "emotion value".
Responses to the care execution questionnaire may include a facial photograph of the care recipient 80, as described above.

The voice input/output unit 45 is, for example, a speaker and a microphone, and enables voice communication between care providers and other mobile terminals 40 via the wireless communication unit 42. The voice input/output unit 45 may also have a function that enables voice communication with the detection unit 10 via the wireless communication unit 42.

The position detection unit 46 has, for example, a beacon function or a GPS function, and detects the current position of the care provider carrying the mobile terminal 40. The position detection unit 46 may have an IC tag function, and detect the current position of the care provider by reading it with an RFID reader provided in each room.
(Control Unit 21 of Management Server 20)
The functions of the control unit 21 of the management server 20 will now be described in more detail.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functions of the control unit 21 of the management server 20. As shown in FIG.

The control unit 21 functions as an acquisition unit 211, a correspondence calculation unit 212, a recommended care content calculation unit 213, a correlation identification calculation unit 214, a warning unit 215, and an output unit 216.

The acquisition unit 211 receives care execution information including the responses to the care execution questionnaire from the mobile terminal 40 via the communication unit 22. The acquisition unit 211 receives care execution information including the captured image from the detection unit 10 via the communication unit 22. The care execution information is information including the content of care given to the care recipient 80, the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the emotions of the care provider providing care to the care recipient 80, and constitutes information including at least two of the content of care given to the care recipient 80, the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the emotions of the care provider providing care to the care recipient 80. Note that information including at least two of the content of care given to the care recipient 80, the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the emotions of the care provider providing care to the care recipient 80 can be constituted by the captured image alone.

The correspondence calculation unit 212 calculates the mutual correspondence between the contents of care, the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the emotions of the care provider based on the care execution information. That is, the correspondence calculation unit 212 calculates the correspondence between the emotions of the care recipient 80 and the emotions of the care provider, the correspondence between the contents of care and the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the correspondence between the contents of care and the care provider. Specifically, the correspondence calculation unit 212 calculates the mutual correspondence between the contents of care, the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the emotions of the care provider based on the answers to the care execution questionnaire included in the care execution information. The emotional value of the care recipient 80 in the answers to the care execution questionnaire constitutes the emotions of the care recipient 80. The emotional value of the care provider in the answers to the care execution questionnaire constitutes the emotions of the care provider. The correspondence calculation unit 212 calculates the correspondence between the emotions of the care recipient 80 and the emotions of the care provider, the correspondence between the contents of care and the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the correspondence between the contents of care and the care provider. The emotions of the care recipient 80 may be estimated by known machine learning techniques using a trained model of a neural network based on a facial photograph of the care recipient 80 included in the response to the care implementation questionnaire. Similarly, the emotional values of the care recipient 80 and the care provider may be determined by reading the facial expressions of the care recipient 80 and the care provider from the images captured by the camera 13.

The correspondence calculation unit 212 may calculate the mutual correspondence between the content of care, the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the emotions of the care provider based on the care execution information received from the detection unit 10. In this case, the correspondence calculation unit 212 may calculate the correspondence between the content of care and the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the correspondence between the content of care and the care provider, using the emotions of the care recipient 80 and the care provider estimated by a known machine learning technique using a trained model of a neural network based on the captured image included in the care execution information.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a graph showing the correspondence between the emotions of the care recipient 80 and the emotions of the care provider. Figure 10 is a diagram showing another example of a graph showing the correspondence between the emotions of the care recipient 80 and the emotions of the care provider. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a graph showing the correspondence between the content of care and the emotions of the care recipient 80 (solid line), and the correspondence between the content of care and the care provider (dashed line). Figure 12 is a diagram showing another example of a graph showing the correspondence between the content of care and the emotions of the care recipient 80 (solid line), and the correspondence between the content of care and the care provider (dashed line). In the graphs, the numbers in parentheses indicate the emotion values.

In the example of FIG. 9, there is a tendency that the better the care recipient 80's mood is, the better the care provider's mood is during the care provision. This also means that the better the care provider's mood is, the better the care recipient 80's mood is.

On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 10, when the care recipient 80's emotions become worse than normal, the care provider's emotions tend to improve. This may be because the care provider, who senses that the care recipient 80's facial expression (emotions) are worse than normal, feels joy in having an increased sense of mission in raising the care recipient 80's motivation.

In the graph of FIG. 11, the content of care on the horizontal axis is the amount of exercise of the care recipient 80 during rehabilitation care. The amount of exercise of the care recipient 80 is on a five-level scale, with the higher the level, the greater the amount of exercise. In the example of FIG. 11, the care recipient 80's mood changes from normal to good as the care recipient progresses from the first stage to the second stage, and the care recipient 80's mood remains good from the second stage to the fourth stage. This suggests that as the amount of exercise increases, the care recipient 80 feels the effects of rehabilitation and is more motivated. On the other hand, the care recipient 80's mood worsens as the care recipient progresses from the fourth stage to the fifth stage. This suggests that the care recipient 80's motivation is declining due to the physical burden of the maximum amount of exercise in rehabilitation being too great, etc. In addition, reflecting the facial expressions, etc. of the care recipient 80 during rehabilitation care, if the facial expressions, etc. (emotions) of the care recipient 80 are good, the care provider's emotions will also be good, and if the facial expressions, etc. of the care recipient 80 deteriorate, the care provider's emotions will also deteriorate.

In the graph of FIG. 12, the content of care on the horizontal axis is the type of rehabilitation in rehabilitation care, and examples include rehabilitation of walking using a walker, rehabilitation of walking using a pedaled wheelchair, and rehabilitation of walking using a cane. In the example of FIG. 12, it can be seen that the emotions of both the care recipient 80 and the care provider are at their best during rehabilitation using a pedaled wheelchair.

In this way, the emotions of the care recipient 80 and the care provider change depending on the content of the care and the facial expression of the other person. Furthermore, such emotional changes differ for each individual care recipient 80 and care provider.

The recommended care content calculation unit 213 calculates the care content when the sum of the emotional value of the care recipient 80 and the emotional value of the care provider is the highest as the recommended care content based on the mutual correspondence between the care content, the emotion of the care recipient 80, and the emotion of the care provider. For example, referring to FIG. 11, when the amount of exercise of the care recipient 80 in rehabilitation is the third stage and the fourth stage, the sum of the emotional value of the care recipient 80 and the emotional value of the care provider is the highest. In this case, either the third stage or the fourth stage of the amount of exercise of the care recipient 80 is calculated as the recommended care content. Note that in this case, it is preferable that the fourth stage, which has a larger amount of exercise, is calculated as the recommended care content. Also, for example, referring to FIG. 12, when rehabilitation is performed using a pedal wheelchair in the rehabilitation care content, the sum of the emotional value of the care recipient 80 and the emotional value of the care provider is the highest. In this case, rehabilitation (menu) using a pedal wheelchair is calculated as the recommended care content.

The correlation determination calculation unit 214 identifies correlation elements that correlate with changes in the care provider's emotions, and calculates the relationship between the changes in the care provider's emotions and the correlation elements. For example, referring to FIG. 10, when the emotions of the care recipient 80 become worse than normal, there is a tendency (correlation) that the emotions of the care provider improve. In this case, the correlation determination calculation unit 214 identifies the range of the emotional value of the care recipient 80 that is 3 or less, and the emotional value of the care provider, as correlation elements. In addition, as the relationship between the changes in the emotions of the care provider and the correlation elements, a relationship is calculated in which the emotional value of the care recipient 80 changes (decreases) from 3 to 1, and the emotional value of the care recipient 80 changes (improves) from 3 to 5. The correlation determination calculation unit 214 can identify correlation elements that correlate with changes in the emotions of the care provider, and calculate the relationship between the changes in the emotions of the care provider and the correlation elements, using known statistical methods.

The warning unit 215 issues a warning when the emotional value of the care recipient 80 or the emotional value of the care provider falls below a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold can be set to an appropriate value through experiments, etc. The warning unit 215 can issue a warning by transmitting information indicating that the emotional value of the care recipient 80 or the emotional value of the care provider has deteriorated to the mobile terminal 40 or the fixed terminal 30.

The output unit 216 outputs the correspondence between the emotions of the care recipient 80 and the emotions of the care provider, the correspondence between the care content and the emotions of the care recipient 80, the correspondence between the care content and the care provider, recommended care content, and the relationship between changes in the emotions of the care provider and correlating factors, by transmitting them to a mobile terminal 40 or a fixed terminal 30.
(Operation of care support system 1)

13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the care support system 1. This flowchart can be executed by the control unit 21 of the management server 20 in accordance with a program.
The control unit 21 receives care execution information from the mobile terminal 40, and thereby acquires a response to the care execution questionnaire included in the care execution information (S101).
The control unit 21 calculates the content of care, the emotion value of the care recipient 80, and the emotion value of the care provider based on the responses to the care execution questionnaire (S102).
The control unit 21 determines whether the emotion value of the care recipient 80 or the emotion value of the care provider is equal to or lower than a threshold value (S103).

When the control unit 21 determines that the emotion value of the care recipient 80 or the emotion value of the care provider is not equal to or lower than the threshold value (S104: NO), the control unit 21 proceeds to step S105 and executes processing.
When the control unit 21 determines that the emotion value of the care recipient 80 or the emotion value of the care provider is equal to or lower than the threshold value (S104: YES), it issues a warning (S104).

The control unit 21 calculates and outputs the relationship between the emotional value of the care recipient 80 and the emotional value of the care provider, the relationship between the care content and the emotional value of the care recipient 80, and the relationship between the care content and the emotional value of the care provider (S105).
The control unit 21 calculates and outputs, as a recommended care content, the care content when the sum of the emotion value of the care recipient 80 and the emotion value of the care provider is the highest (S106).
The embodiment provides the following advantages.

Based on information including the content of care given to the care recipient 80 and the emotions of the care recipient 80 and the care provider, the system calculates and outputs the mutual correspondence between the content of care, the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the emotions of the care provider. This makes it possible to present information regarding the motivation of the care recipient 80 or the care provider.

Furthermore, at least one of the detection data acquired by the sensor, the questionnaire of the care provider, and the care record is acquired as the above information. This makes it possible to easily present information that can identify the content of care that will increase the motivation of both the care recipient 80 and the care provider.

Furthermore, based on the mutual correspondence between the care content, the emotions of the care recipient 80, and the emotions of the care provider, the care content that results in the highest sum of the emotion value of the care recipient 80 and the emotion value of the care provider is calculated and output as the recommended care content. This makes it possible to present the care content that will most increase the motivation of the care recipient 80 and the care provider.

Furthermore, based on the above information, correlation factors that correlate with changes in the care provider's emotions are identified, and the relationship between the changes in the care provider's emotions and the correlation factors is calculated and output. This makes it possible to present characteristic trends of improvement or decrease in the motivation of the care recipient 80 and the care provider for each care recipient 80 and each care session.

Furthermore, when the emotional value of the care recipient 80 or the emotional value of the care provider falls below a predetermined threshold, a warning is issued. This makes it easy to detect a deterioration in the emotional state of the care recipient 80 or the emotional state of the care provider during care.

Furthermore, the sensor is an imaging device, and the detection data is an image captured by the imaging device. This makes it possible to present information that can identify the content of care that will increase the motivation of both the care recipient 80 and the care provider, while avoiding the hassle of having the care provider fill out a questionnaire.

The above-described configuration of the care support system 1 is a main configuration described in order to explain the features of the above-described embodiment, but is not limited to the above-described configuration and may be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, configurations that are included in general care support systems are not excluded.
For example, the emotion values of the care recipient 80 and the care provider may be detected based on biological information such as heart rate.
Furthermore, the relationship between the care content, the emotional value of the care recipient 80, and the emotional value of the care provider may be output as a three-dimensional graph or the like.
Furthermore, the detection unit 10 may be provided with the functions of the management server 20 .

Furthermore, the detection unit 10, management server 20, and mobile terminal 40 may each be configured with multiple devices, or any two or more devices may be configured as a single device.

In addition, some steps may be omitted from the above-described flowchart, and other steps may be added. Some of the steps may be executed simultaneously, and one step may be divided into multiple steps and executed.

The means and methods for performing the various processes in the care support system 1 described above can be realized by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The above programs may be provided by computer-readable recording media such as USB memory or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the programs recorded on the computer-readable recording media are usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. The above programs may be provided as standalone application software, or may be incorporated as a function into the software of the device such as the detection unit.

1. Care support system,
10 detection unit,
11 control unit,
12 Communications Department,
13 Camera,
14 Care Call Department,
20 Management server,
21 control unit,
22 Communications Department,
23 memory unit,
30 fixed terminal,
40 Mobile terminal,
41 control unit,
42 wireless communication unit,
43 display unit,
44 input unit,
45 Audio input/output unit,
46 position detection unit,
50 networks,
51 Access point 80 Care recipient.

Claims (13)

A step (a) of acquiring information including at least two of the contents of care for a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider who provides the care to the care recipient;
A step (b) of calculating a mutual correspondence relationship between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired in the step (a), by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
and (c) outputting the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the care recipient and emotions of the care provider;
(d) calculating, based on the correspondence relationship, the care content when the sum of the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient and the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider is the highest, as a recommended care content;
A step (e) of outputting the recommended care content;
A control program for causing a computer to execute a process further comprising: A step (a) of acquiring information including at least two of the contents of care for a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider who provides the care to the care recipient;
A step (b) of calculating a mutual correspondence relationship between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired in the step (a), by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
and (c) outputting the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the caregiver and emotions of the care recipient ;
(f) determining a correlation between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient based on the information, and calculating a range of the emotional changes of the care provider that correlates with the emotional changes of the care recipient, and a relationship between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient ;
a step (g) of outputting a range of the emotional change of the care provider that correlates with the emotional change of the care recipient, and a relationship between the emotional change of the care provider and the emotional change of the care recipient ;
A control program for causing a computer to execute a process further comprising: The control program according to claim 1, wherein in step (a), at least one of the detection data acquired by the sensor, a questionnaire given to the care provider, and a care record is acquired as the information. The information includes emotions of the care recipient or the care provider,
A control program as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing further includes a step (h) of issuing an alert when the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient or the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider obtained in step (a) falls below a predetermined threshold. The control program according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is a photographing device, and the detection data is an image photographed by the photographing device. An acquisition unit that acquires information including at least two of the contents of care for a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider providing the care to the care recipient;
a correspondence calculation unit that calculates a mutual correspondence between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
an output unit that outputs the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the care recipient and emotions of the care provider;
A recommended care content calculation unit is further provided for calculating, based on the correspondence relationship, the care content when the sum of the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient and the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider is the highest, as a recommended care content;
The output unit is a calculation device that further outputs the recommended care content. An acquisition unit that acquires information including at least two of the contents of care for a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider providing the care to the care recipient;
a correspondence calculation unit that calculates a mutual correspondence between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotion of the care recipient, and the emotion of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
an output unit that outputs the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the caregiver and emotions of the care recipient ;
The present invention further includes a correlation determination calculation unit that determines a correlation between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient based on the information, and calculates a range of the emotional changes of the care provider that correlates with the emotional changes of the care recipient, and a relationship between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient ,
The output unit is a calculation device that further outputs the range of emotional changes of the care provider that correlates with the emotional changes of the care recipient, and the relationship between the emotional changes of the care provider and the emotional changes of the care recipient . The computing device according to claim 6, wherein the acquisition unit acquires at least one of the detection data acquired by a sensor, a questionnaire given to the care provider, and a care record as the information. The information includes emotions of the care recipient or the care provider,
A computing device as described in any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising an alarm unit that issues an alarm when the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient or the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider acquired by the acquisition unit falls below a predetermined threshold. The computing device according to claim 8, wherein the sensor is an image capturing device, and the detection data is an image captured by the image capturing device. A sensor that acquires detection data as the information;
A computing device according to any one of claims 6 to 10,
A control system having 1. A method implemented by a computing device, comprising:
(a) acquiring information including at least two of the contents of care given to a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider providing the care to the care recipient;
(b) calculating a mutual correspondence relationship between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired in the step (a), by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
and (c) outputting the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the care recipient and emotions of the care provider;
(d) calculating, based on the correspondence relationship, the care content when the sum of the degree of emotional well-being of the care recipient and the degree of emotional well-being of the care provider is the highest, as a recommended care content;
(e) outputting the recommended care content;
The control method further comprises: 1. A method implemented by a computing device, comprising:
(a) acquiring information including at least two of the contents of care given to a care recipient, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of a care provider providing the care to the care recipient;
(b) calculating a mutual correspondence relationship between at least two of the contents of the care, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of the care provider, which are included in the information, based on the information acquired in the step (a), by associating at least two of the contents of the care, the emotions of the care recipient, and the emotions of the care provider, which are included in the information, with each other;
and (c) outputting the correspondence relationship,
The information includes emotions of the caregiver and emotions of the care recipient ;
(f) determining a correlation between the emotional changes of the caregiver and the emotional changes of the care recipient based on the information , and calculating a range of the emotional changes of the caregiver that correlates with the emotional changes of the care recipient and a relationship between the emotional changes of the caregiver and the emotional changes of the care recipient ;
( g) outputting a range of the emotional change of the care provider that correlates with the emotional change of the care recipient, and a relationship between the emotional change of the care provider and the emotional change of the care recipient ;
The control method further comprises: