JP2018005820A - Danger notification system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable quick and intuitive recognition of a dangerous situation being present around a user.SOLUTION: There are provided a notification unit 20 and a suit 11 for attaching the notification unit to a body. The notification unit includes a measurement section 21 for determining distance to an object, a processing section 22 for processing the measured distance to control a physical stimulation section 23, and the physical stimulation section for stimulating the body of a user. In the state in which the user wears the suit and the notification unit is attached to the body, the measurement section determines distance to an object present in a normal direction from the body surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a danger notification system, and more specifically, to a system that is worn on a person and notifies the person of the danger existing in the surroundings.

  There are various systems for detecting and notifying an abnormality existing in the monitoring area. For example, the system images the surroundings with a camera, performs image recognition processing on the acquired image, and issues an alarm when an abnormality such as the presence of a dangerous object is detected. This type of technology is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

  Such a system sounds an alarm sound when there is an abnormality in the monitoring area. The monitor who notices the alarm sound checks the situation by, for example, going to the site of the monitoring area or looking at the monitoring monitor that images the monitoring area.

JP2012-118716

  Recently, like a wearable camera, there is a camera that can photograph surrounding images in a hands-free state by being worn. Thus, for example, a danger notification system that informs the user by imaging the rear of the user with a camera worn in a hands-free state and issuing an alarm when an abnormality is detected using the technology of the system described above can be considered. However, such a danger notification system takes time for image recognition processing and is not suitable for emergency danger avoidance for a user who has been wearing it. Further, since the alarm is informed by, for example, a buzzer or voice, it is difficult to intuitively recognize the direction or the like where the dangerous substance exists. Although the camera can be mounted hands-free, it is troublesome to wear the camera all the time, and there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes (1) a notification unit and a mounting tool for mounting the notification unit on the body, and the notification unit may cause damage to a person. A measurement unit that obtains a physical quantity related to an object that represents the object, a processing unit that processes the physical quantity obtained by the measurement unit to control the operation of the physical stimulation unit, and the physical stimulation unit that gives a stimulus to the body In the state where the notification unit is mounted on the body, the measurement unit is configured to obtain a physical quantity related to the object in a normal direction from the surface of the body. The physical quantity related to the object includes a physical quantity of the object itself such as the temperature of the object, and a relative physical quantity representing a relationship with the user such as a distance to the object.

  The measurement unit, the processing unit, and the physical stimulation unit are integrated to form a notification unit. In the present invention, the notification unit is mounted on the body using the mounting tool. The user wearing the notification unit can recognize the stimulation by the physical stimulation unit and know the presence of an object that may cause damage. Since the stimulus is given to the body, the user instantly recognizes the notification unit that has detected the object. And since a measurement part calculates | requires the physical quantity regarding the object in the normal line direction from the body surface, the user can recognize the direction of an object intuitively from the site | part of the body which felt the irritation | stimulation. Therefore, the user can quickly and intuitively recognize in which direction the object is present, and can easily avoid the danger associated with the article.

  (2) A plurality of the notification units may be provided, and the detection direction of the measurement unit may be set in different directions. If it does in this way, the dangerous situation which exists around a user can be recognized quickly and intuitively.

  (3) The physical quantity is a distance to the object, and the stimulus is vibration. Vibration is a safe stimulus for humans, and if a plurality of notification units are attached to different locations, it is possible to easily recognize where the vibration is occurring. The measurement unit for obtaining the distance is preferably an ultrasonic sensor. The ultrasonic sensor can obtain the distance with high accuracy without being affected by the surrounding environment, and since it is small in size, it does not have to be an obstacle even if it is attached.

  (4) The vibration state may be made different depending on whether the object is in an approaching state or a separated state, and the vibration in which the approaching state is more conspicuous. Since an object in an approaching state has a high possibility of causing damage to the user due to a collision or the like, it is possible to reliably notify danger by using conspicuous vibration. On the other hand, since an object in a separated state is less likely to cause damage to the user, the user is not surprised by an inconspicuous stimulus.

  (5) The wearing tool may be clothes. The notification unit can be easily worn by wearing clothes. Moreover, it is only necessary to be able to easily cope with the case where a plurality of notification units are mounted.

  In the present invention, it is possible to quickly and intuitively recognize a dangerous situation existing around the user.

It is a schematic structure figure showing one suitable embodiment of a danger information system concerning the present invention. It is a front view which shows the alerting | reporting unit which comprises a danger alerting | reporting system. It is a perspective view which shows the alerting | reporting unit which comprises a danger alerting | reporting system. It is a schematic block diagram which shows other suitable embodiment of the danger alerting | reporting system which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not construed as being limited thereto, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 shows an overall view of a danger notification system according to the present invention. The danger notification system 10 of this embodiment is configured by attaching a plurality of notification units 20 to a suit 11. The plurality of notification units 20 operate independently, and have a function of detecting and notifying the approach of the object 5. The danger notification system 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a large number of notification units 20 arranged throughout the body, but the number of the notification units 20 is arbitrary and may be one.

  The suit 11 has a jacket 11a and slacks 11b. The user 1 who is a human wears the suit 11 and sets the notification unit 20 in a desired posture. In the present embodiment, the notification unit 20 is provided on both the front side and the back side of the user 1, but may be provided at least on the back side. The back side is a blind spot of the user 1 in the basic posture facing forward, and is an area that the user 1 cannot directly confirm visually. Therefore, it is preferable because a danger from such a direction can be detected and notified to the user 1. In addition, when the notification unit 20 is attached to the front side, it is possible to know in advance the presence of an obstacle in the traveling direction, particularly when moving in a region with a poor forward field of view such as darkness. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the mounting tool 12 to heads, such as a hat, is provided, and the some alerting | reporting unit 20 is attached to the mounting tool 12. FIG. The user 1 can also detect an object around the head, such as overhead, by wearing the wearing tool 12 on the head.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the notification unit 20 includes a measurement unit 21, a processing unit 22, and a physical stimulation unit 23. The measuring unit 21 has a function of measuring the distance to the object 5. Specifically, the measurement unit 21 is configured by, for example, a reflective ultrasonic sensor. As shown in FIG. 3, the measuring unit 21 including an ultrasonic sensor has a sensor main body 21b built in a cylindrical case 21a. The sensor main body 21b obtains the distance to the object 5 based on the time difference until the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmitter and the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmitter is reflected by the object 5 and returns, and the calculated distance is obtained. A sensor control unit that outputs a corresponding output signal is provided. In the present embodiment, the output signal is a voltage, and a voltage value corresponding to the distance is analog-output. For example, the voltage value gradually increases from 0 V as it approaches the maximum detection distance, and 3.3 V is output at the minimum detection distance. The maximum detection distance is 5 m, for example.

  The processing unit 22 and the physical stimulation unit 23 are housed in a single rectangular case 25, but they may be housed in separate cases and connected to each other. Further, the case 21 a of the measurement unit 21 is arranged in a state of being stacked on the case 25. The bottom surface 21d and the top surface 21c of the case 21a and the connection-side surface 25a of the case 25 are arranged in parallel.

  The processing unit 22 controls the physical stimulation unit 23 based on the distance measured by the measurement unit 21. The processing unit 22 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, nonvolatile memory, I / O, a power supply unit, a drive unit that controls the operation of the physical stimulation unit 23, and the like. As described above, the danger notification system 10 of this embodiment includes a plurality of notification units 20. Therefore, the danger notification system 10 further includes a power supply unit incorporating a battery, and supplies power to the plurality of notification units 20 from the power supply unit. As the battery, for example, a small battery such as a button battery or a rechargeable secondary battery is used.

  The power supply unit provided in each processing unit 22 includes, for example, a regulator, generates a power supply voltage having a desired voltage value, and supplies power to the microcomputer of the processing unit 22, the measurement unit 21, and the physical stimulation unit 23. The microcomputer acquires a voltage value (analog) given from the measurement unit 21 via an A / D converter. The microcomputer performs predetermined processing based on the acquired voltage value (digital), controls the operation of the physical stimulation unit 23 via the drive unit, and performs predetermined notification.

  The physical stimulation unit 23 gives physical stimulation (vibration) to the tactile sense of the user 1. Specifically, a vibration motor is used. The vibration motor is configured by attaching an eccentric weight to the output shaft of the DC motor. The maximum drive voltage of the vibration motor is 3.3 V, for example, and the minimum drive voltage is about 1.2 to 1.5 V.

  This drive motor is driven by PWM control. The drive unit is a switching circuit using a transistor. The predetermined process executed by the microcomputer controls, for example, the switching duty ratio. In other words, the processing unit 22 increases the number of rotations of the vibration motor constituting the physical stimulation unit 23 and the generated vibration as the distance to the object 5 detected by the measurement unit 21 is shorter. In this embodiment, the vibration is continuously increased gradually as the distance to the object approaches. Specifically, when the acquired voltage value exceeds a threshold value, the microcomputer of the processing unit 22 starts switching and starts motor driving. The duty ratio at the start is, for example, a duty ratio that provides a minimum drive voltage that allows the motor to rotate for a long period of time or a drive voltage close thereto. Then, the microcomputer of the processing unit 22 continuously changes the duty ratio so that the ON time gradually increases as the acquired voltage value increases. When the acquired voltage value is maximum, the motor drive voltage To maximize. By doing in this way, the change of the strength of vibration according to the distance to the object 5 can be increased, and the user 1 can know the presence or absence of the object 5 from the presence or absence of vibration and the strength of vibration. And the approaching state of the object 5 can be easily understood.

  In the present embodiment, the maximum output voltage value of the ultrasonic sensor that constitutes the measurement unit 21 is equal to the maximum drive voltage value of the vibration motor that constitutes the physical stimulation unit 23. Therefore, when the threshold value for starting the motor drive of the vibration motor is set to the minimum drive voltage of the vibration motor, for example, the processing unit 22 adds the voltage value output from the ultrasonic sensor as the drive voltage value of the vibration motor. It is sufficient to perform simple control such as controlling the duty ratio.

  In the measurement unit 21, the ultrasonic wave S1 is transmitted to the outside from the upper surface 21c of the cylindrical case 21a, and the reflected wave S2 from the object 5 enters the case from the upper surface 21c and is received by the sensor body 21b. The normal direction of the upper surface 21c is the direction of the ultrasonic sensor. In addition, from the bottom surface 21d of the case 21a, the two output terminals 21e of the sensor main body 21b are higher than the outside. The voltage between the terminals of the two output terminals 21e becomes a sensor output.

  The output terminal 21e is directly or indirectly connected to the circuit board 22a of the processing unit 22. The connection of the output terminal 21e to the processing unit 22 side is preferably detachable. For example, a female connector is provided on the circuit board 22a or at an appropriate position in the case 25, and the output terminal 21e is inserted into the female connector. In this case, for example, the processing unit 22 and the measurement unit 21 can be attached and detached. For example, the case 25 in which the processing unit 22 and the like are stored is arranged on the back side of the suit 11 and the case 21a of the measurement unit 21 is arranged. The output terminal 21e is pierced into the suit 11 and inserted into the female connector of the processing unit 22 while being arranged on the surface side of the suit 11. Thereby, it connects and integrates in the state which sandwiched the suit 11 with case 21a and case 25. FIG.

  In such a state, the bottom surface 21d / upper surface 21c of the case 21a of the measurement unit 21 and the surface of the suit 11 are parallel. Therefore, the central axis direction of the case 21a is oriented in the normal direction with respect to the surface of the suit 11, and the direction coincides with the direction of the ultrasonic sensor of the measurement unit 21. And when the user 1 wears the suit 11, the surface of the suit 11 becomes a mode along the surface of the skin 2 of the user's 1 body. Therefore, in a state where the suit 11 is worn, the notification unit 20 is in a desired posture, that is, the orientation of the ultrasonic sensor of the measurement unit 21 is a posture in which the skin 1 of the body 1 of the user 1 is oriented.

  Furthermore, when the suit 11 is worn, for example, by tightening a button / fastener or the like, the case 25 which is tightened by the suit 11 and the physical stimulation unit 23 is mounted is directly or indirectly on the surface of the skin 2 of the user 1. Contact. Therefore, vibration generated by driving the vibration motor of the physical stimulation unit 23 is efficiently transmitted to the user 1.

  By adopting the above-described configuration, each of the plurality of notification units 20 attached to the suit 11 is driven independently, and when the object 5 exists within the detection range of each notification unit 20, the notification unit 20 The physical stimulation unit 23 vibrates. For example, when the object 5 is approaching from right behind the user 1, the notification unit 20 disposed in the center of the back vibrates, and when the object 5 is approaching from diagonally right behind the user, the notification unit 20 is disposed on the right side of the back. When the notification unit 20 vibrates and the object 5 approaches from the left of the user, the notification unit 20 arranged on the left arm vibrates. When the user 1 recognizes where the vibration is felt in the body, the user 1 knows that the object 5 is in the approaching state in the felt direction. Therefore, for example, it can be seen whether the object 5 is approaching from a direction (back or the like) where the user 1 cannot see, and various actions for avoiding danger can be taken.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the closer the distance to the object 5, the stronger the vibration. For example, as shown in FIG. 1C, the notification unit 20 that has detected the upper object 5 in the figure gives the user a vibration V1 corresponding to the distance from the physical stimulation unit 23 to the object, and the lower part in the figure. The notification unit 20 that has detected the object 5 gives the user a vibration V2 corresponding to the distance from the physical stimulation unit 23 to the object. The strength of the vibration V1 is stronger than the vibration V2. For example, when the lower object 5 in the figure approaches, the strength of the vibration V2 gradually increases. The user 1 can also know whether the object 5 is approaching, away, or crossing from the change in the strength of vibration. Therefore, the user 1 wearing the suit 11 can instantly recognize the presence of various objects in all surrounding directions and the distances to the objects simultaneously in all directions through the sense of touch on the skin of the user 1. Therefore, the danger of this embodiment can avoid the danger of colliding with an object approaching the user 1 wearing it, and the suit becomes a suit that feels space.

  Furthermore, the object 5 approaching from above can be detected by wearing the wearing tool 12 such as a hat to which the notification unit 20 is attached.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although the alerting | reporting unit 20 was provided in both the front side and the back side of the user 1, it is good to provide at least on the back side. The back side is a blind spot of the user 1 in the basic posture facing forward, and is an area that the user 1 cannot directly confirm visually. Therefore, it is preferable because a danger from such a direction can be detected and notified to the user 1.

  The object 5 to be detected is not limited to a moving object, and includes an object that does not move. For example, when an object is placed in the moving direction in a situation where the user is not looking at the moving direction, such as a situation where the user is looking forward, the collision with the object can be avoided.

  In the embodiment described above, the intensity of vibration is continuously changed according to the distance to the object. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be changed stepwise. For example, the distance to the object may be divided into a plurality of sections, and the magnitude of vibration may be determined for each section. Moreover, the alerting | reporting unit 20 is provided with the function to judge whether it is approaching or leaving | separating, and it is good to change the state of vibration by an approach state and a separation state. For example, the vibration may be such that the approaching state is more conspicuous. Conspicuous vibration is to make it easy to recognize that urgency is high. For example, the vibration motor is continuously rotated when in the approaching state, and the vibration motor is intermittently rotated when in the separation state. Further, when in the separated state, there is no danger or the danger is low, so it may be prevented from vibrating.

  In the above-described embodiment, an ultrasonic sensor is used for the measurement unit 21, and the distance to the object is obtained as a physical quantity for detecting a state (for example, a collision) that may cause damage to a person. Is not limited to this, and may be, for example, temperature.

  This is used to detect the temperature of an object that is not visually recognized, for example, to notify that the temperature of the object is hot and to avoid touching the object. The measurement unit 21 uses a non-contact temperature sensor such as a radiation thermometer. And the physical stimulation part 23 is comprised so that strong vibration may be output, for example, so that temperature is high. For example, if you know whether the temperature of an object is very hot, slightly hot, normal, or cold, you can avoid touching it or you can be prepared in advance even if you touch it.

  Also, the temperature is good for detecting in which direction the flame is from, for example, a fire place. For example, even if the flame suddenly rises behind invisible, you can immediately notice the condition. Alternatively, when a heating element such as a stove is fixedly installed, the user is searching for items in the room, and when the user approaches the heating element inadvertently, the user is informed of the contact. It can be prevented beforehand.

  In the above-described embodiment, the physical stimulation unit 23 transmits vibration to the user. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, electrical stimulation, temperature (heat, etc.) ) Etc. can be used. However, if vibration is used as in the embodiment, the user may be suitable for avoiding danger by reflecting. Moreover, since vibration is transmitted even if it is not in direct contact with the skin, it is preferable in view of this point.

  In the above-described embodiment, power is supplied to the plurality of notification units 20 using the power supply unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a battery is mounted on each notification unit 20. However, it may be operated alone.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the notification unit 20 is separated from the case 21a of the measurement unit 21 and the case 25 in which the processing unit 22 is mounted, and the suit 11 of the notification unit 20 is connected by sandwiching the suit 11 therebetween. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be attached by various methods.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a circular through hole 11 c is provided at the attachment position of the suit 11. The case 21a of the measuring unit 21 is inserted into the through hole 11c from the back side of the suit 11, and the case 21a is exposed to the outside of the suit 11. Since the length of the side of the connection-side surface 25a of the case 25 on which the processing unit 22 and the like are mounted is longer than the diameter of the bottom surface 21d of the case 21a, the exposed portion of the surface 25a contacts the back surface of the suit 11, The notification unit 20 is prevented from leaving the outside of the suit 11. With the front surface 25 a in contact with the back surface of the suit 11, the case 25 is screwed and fixed to the case 25 from the front surface side. In this way, the notification unit 20 may be firmly fixed to the suit 11.

  In each of the embodiments and modifications described above, a plurality of notification units 20 are provided, and each notification unit 20 is driven independently. In this case, all the notification units 20 may be operated in the same way, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the drive state may be different for each notification unit. For example, one notification unit 20 may continuously operate to constantly measure a physical quantity related to an object, and another notification unit 20 may operate intermittently. In this way, battery consumption during the stop period can be suppressed. Further, all the notification units 20 may be intermittently operated. Moreover, when making it operate intermittently, a stop period may be made equal in all the alerting | reporting units 20, and may be made different.

  Further, when the driving state of each notification unit 20 is changed, the notification unit attached to a place with high importance shortens the pause time even if it operates continuously or intermittently. For units installed in low places, the pause time should be increased.

  Furthermore, the danger notification system includes an ON / OFF switch at an appropriate position. Along with the operation of the ON / OFF switch, the plurality of notification units 20 are driven / stopped all at once. Further, each notification unit 20 may be provided with an ON / OFF switch so that driving / stopping can be individually controlled. For example, when you are walking in a crowded city or riding on public transportation such as a train or bus, and there are frequent occurrences of events (for example, the presence of passengers), switch the switch. By turning off, unnecessary notification by the physical stimulation unit 23 can be suppressed.

  The above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate. Moreover, when combining, it is good to take a part of structure and combine with another form. Furthermore, you may comprise another invention which made the one part structure shown to each embodiment and a modification essential.

  As described above, various aspects of the present invention have been described using the embodiments and the modifications. However, these embodiments and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and are for understanding the present invention. It is added that it was provided to contribute. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations and manufacturing methods explicitly described in the specification, and includes combinations of various aspects of the present invention disclosed in the present specification. Among the present inventions, the configuration for which a patent is sought is specified in the appended claims, but the present invention is disclosed in this specification even if the configuration is not specified in the claims. I would like to remind you that there is a possibility of claiming this configuration in the future.

1 User 2 Skin 5 Object 10 Danger Notification System 11 Suit 20 Notification Unit 21 Measurement Unit 21e Output Terminal 22 Processing Unit 23 Physical Stimulation Unit

Claims (5)

A notification unit;
It is equipped with a mounting tool for mounting the notification unit on the body,
The notification unit includes a measurement unit that obtains a physical quantity related to an object representing a state that may cause damage to a person, and a processing unit that processes the physical quantity obtained by the measurement unit and controls the operation of the physical stimulation unit. The physical stimulation unit for stimulating the body,
The risk notification system configured to obtain a physical quantity related to the object in a normal direction from the surface of the body in a state where the notification unit is mounted on the body.   The danger notification system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the notification units are provided, and the detection direction of the measurement unit is directed in different directions. The physical quantity is a distance to the object,
The danger notification system according to claim 1, wherein the stimulus is vibration. Depending on whether the object is in an approaching state or a separated state, the state of the vibration is made different,
The danger notification system according to claim 3, wherein the vibration is made such that the approaching state is more conspicuous.   The danger notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wearing tool is clothes.

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