Response and locating system and a position indication marker device

• US 20050154323A1
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Vogtmeier, Gereon, Schmidt, Ralf, Reichinger, Christian, Such, Olaf, Reiter, Harald, Lauter, Josef
• Application Number:
  US10/509,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20050154323A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/50 Supports for surgical instruments, e.g. articulated arms

Abstract

The invention relates to a response system for detecting, locating and responding to a person in an abnormal physiological condition, said system comprising positioning means (12) arranged to provide an information about an actual location of the person and monitoring means (11) arranged to monitor an abnormality in the physiological condition of the person, said monitoring means comprising a sensor (6) to acquire a signal related to a physiological condition of the patient, a processor (8) to process the acquired signal in order to establish where the abnormal condition has occurred, said processor being arranged to produce a trigger signal to generate an alarm, an alarm generating means (10) arranged to generate the alarm upon a receipt of the trigger signal, said alarm generating means being further arranged to provide an indication of a location of the person said indication of the location being provided by a positioning means (12). In order to provide a valid position information of the user in case of an emergency the system comprises further a position indication marker (PIM) device (14) arranged to store the valid position information in a storage unit (13). The PIM device is arranged to download the position information as a co-ordinate, address or any other suitable description of the position of the user and to transmit said information to the monitoring means in case of the emergency.

Claims

1. A response system for detecting, locating and responding to a person in an abnormal physiological condition, said system comprising positioning means arranged to provide an information about an actual location of the person and monitoring means arranged to monitor an abnormality in the physiological condition of the person, said monitoring means comprising:

a sensor to acquire a signal related to a physiological condition of the patient;

a processor to process the acquired signal in order to establish where the abnormal condition has occurred, said processor being arranged to produce a trigger signal to generate an alarm;

an alarm generating means arranged to generate the alarm upon a receipt of the trigger signal, said alarm generating means being further arranged to provide an indication of a location of the person said indication of the location being provided by the positioning means,

characterized in that the system further comprises a portable position indication marker (PIM) device, the positioning means being arranged to communicate to the PIM device, said PIM device comprising a storage unit to store a position information and transmitting means to transmit the position information to the positioning means.

2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the position indication marker device comprises an interface arranged to download the position information from a satellite navigation system.

3. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the position indication marker device is further arranged to download the position information from a terrestrial positioning signal.

4. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the position indication marker device is further arranged to download the position information from a pre-set table of dwell positions stored in the storage unit.

5. A system according to claim 2, characterized in that the position indication marker device comprises a micro-processor arranged to validate said interface, said micro-processor being arranged to store the last co-ordinates upon an event of a broken contact with the satellite navigation system.

6. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the abnormal physiological condition is a cardiac arrest.

7. A portable position indication marker device (PIM), suitable for use in the system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said device comprises a position deriving means arranged to derive the position information, a storage unit to store the position information, an identification unit arranged to respond to a linked-up positioning system and a transmitter to transmit the position information to the linked-up positioning system.

8. A portable position indication marker device, as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the position deriving means comprise an interface arranged to download the position information from a satellite navigation system.

9. A portable position indication marker device, as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the position deriving means are arranged to download the position information from a terrestrial positioning system.

10. A portable position indication marker device, as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the position deriving means are arranged to download the position information from a pre-set table of dwell positions stored in the storage unit.

11. A portable position indication marker device, as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the position deriving means are arranged to read-out a pre-stored position information from a chip-card.

12. A position indication marker according to claim 7, characterized in that said device is programmable by means of a user interface.