Method and arrangement for observation

• US 20070008145A1
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Increaoy
• Original Assignee: Increaoy
• Inventors: Sepponen, Raimo
• Granted Patent: US 7,667,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.100
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/10 by pressure on floors, floor coverings, stair treads, counters, or tills
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/028 Communication between parent and child units via remote transmission means, e.g. satellite network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an arrangement to monitor localisation, movement and properties of an object (O), such as human body according to the invention an excitation signal (HS) is connected to first division of conductor of a transducer (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) which includes a distribution of conductor such as a matrix, a signal (AS) is derived from second division of conductor of said transducer (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) and said operations are to be repeated with other divisions of the transducer (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) and based on information related to coupling between divisions said monitoring will be performed.

Claims

1. A method to monitor localisation, posture, movement or properties of one or several objects (O) to be monitored, such as human body, animal or robot in an environment to be monitored, such as in apartment, public space, industrial or office space or in an animal shelter characterized in that in some area of the environment to be monitored, for example in a floor, wall, or ceiling there is a transducer (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) which is composed from a distribution of conductor, such as a matrix of conductors, and said distribution of conductor includes at least the first division of conductor and the second division of conductor and that a scanning cycle is performed when to the first division of conductor is an excitation signal (HS) connected and the first signal (AS) is derived from a coupling of the excitation signal (HS) between the first and the second divisions of conductor and said signal (AS) includes some information about coupling between the first and the second divisions of conductor.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said scanning cycle is repeated in respect of other divisions of conductor of the transducer (TRANSDUCER MATRIX).

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein from said first signal (AS) one derives some information about some essentially internal properties of the object (O) such as electric conductivity and its variations, distributions of tissues in the body, distribution of fluids, function of the heart or respiration.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein from said first signal (AS) some information which is characteristic to the object (O) is derived such as information about electrical conductivity and variations in that and said information is used in purposes to recognize the object (O).

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the excitation signal (HS) evokes the second signal (IS) in special means (EV) and this signal is received by receiving means (V).

6. A method according the claim 5 wherein said second signal (IS) contains some information related to the object (O) such as information related to identification or status.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein information derived from one or both said signals (AS, IS) is evaluated using criteria which are either fixed, preset or adaptable and based on the results of the evaluation one performs known actions, such as control or alarm functions.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein information derived from one or both said signals (AS, IS) is stored in memory means in order to observe temporal dependence of behaviour of environments to be monitored and of objects (O) for example in such a way that at certain moment registered information which are derived from one or several signals (AS, IS) is stored and this information is used as reference information at later moments derived information.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein information derived from one or both said signals (AS, IS) is used to adapt a status of artificial intelligence such as an adaptive or self organizing net.

10. An arrangement to monitor localisation, posture, movement or properties of one or several objects (O) to be monitored, such as human body, animal or robot in an environment to be monitored, such as in apartment, public space, industrial or office space or in an animal shelter characterized in that it includes transducer means (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) which is composed from a distribution of conductor including at least the first division of conductor and the second division of conductor and means to perform a scanning cycle (CENTRAL UNIT) and means to generate an excitation signal (HS) and means (MULTIPLEXER) to conduct said excitation signal to the first division of conductor of the transducer means (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) and means to derive a signal (AS) which is related to a coupling between said first and second divisions of conductor.

11. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein it includes means (CENTRAL UNIT) to process the signal AS from transducer means (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) and to derive information related to properties of the object (O) such as function of the heart, respiration or electric conductivity.

12. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein it signal processing means (CENTRAL UNIT) includes means to transfer information derived from an object forward via the first transmission path such as via.

13. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the transducer means (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) include components to detect at least two different physical quantities such as electrical coupling and acoustic energy.

14. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the signal (AS) produced by the transducer means (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) is based at least partially on an electric field coupling i.e. capacitive coupling between the object (O) and the transducer means (TRANSDUCER MATRIX).

15. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the signal processing means (CENTRAL UNIT) include some means which are capable to perform some adaptive functions such as neural networks or other means or artificial intelligence.

16. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the arrangement includes or to it there are attached some means to store spatial information related to the transducer means (TRANSDUCER MATRIX).

17. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein via the transducer means (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) some information about localization of at least one division of conductor and means to transfer this information forward via another transmission path such as with the excitation signal (HS) or with a radio signal.

18. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the arrangement includes special means (EV), which generate an additional signal (IS) by an effect of the excitation signal (HS).

19. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein it includes means or to it has been connected means to form a contact via some other transmission path, such through wired or wireless contact, to be used in receiving or transmitting control information, in receiving or transmitting localization information or receiving or transmitting time information or for other communication with other systems such as with a robot.

20. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein information derived from one or several signals (AS, IS, HS) is used to perform some control functions with some means of the arrangements or with some attached means, these functions may include controlling of a robot, lighting, air conditioning, alarm systems or announcement systems or controlling of locking.

21. An arrangement according to claim 10 in that it includes means to derive information characterizing movement of an object (O) such as derive speed distribution of movement or quantities which characterizes that.

22. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein at least some of the distributions of conductor of the transducer (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) are placed near such surfaces, such as floor, wall and ceiling surfaces, on which or near which an object (O) has an access.

23. An arrangement according claim 10 wherein at least a some of the distributions of conductor of the transducer (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) are placed near such surfaces of the environment to be monitored such as in surroundings of dangerous or valuable artifacts.

24. An arrangement according to claim 10 wherein at least a some of the distributions of conductor of the transducer (TRANSDUCER MATRIX) is realized by using some conductors which are in constructions such as concrete iron, air conditioning pipes, water pipes or electric conductors.

25. An arrangement according to claim 18 wherein the special means (EV) include some means, such as a RFID circuit, a transducer or an active circuit, in order to implement information in signal (IS) generated by the special means.

26. An arrangement according to claim 18 wherein one or several properties, such as an amplitude or a frequency of the excitation signal (HS) are different when an signal (IS) generated by the special means (EV) is evoked referenced to localization of an object (O).