Monitoring movement of an entity in an environment

• US 20070176760A1
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications (BT Group Plc) (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Reeves, Andrew, Buckland, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,764,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.220
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/04 responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons G08B21/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation

Abstract

A method determining whether a person suffering dementia has left their flat unaccompanied is described. The method includes identifying an event indicating opening of the front door of the flat, determining whether flat was occupied by more than one person prior to the door opening, determining whether there is inactivity in the flat following the door opening and sending a notification to a communications terminal of a carer if the flat was occupied by only one person and if there is inactivity in the flat.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring movement of an entity in an environment having at least one point of access, the method comprising:

identifying an event indicating opening of a point of access;

determining whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event; and

sending a notification to a terminal dependent upon whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event includes:

determining whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity during at least a predetermined period immediately preceding the event.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event includes:

calculating a probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity; and

comparing the probability with a predetermined threshold probability.

4. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining whether there is inactivity in the environment following the access point opening,

wherein sending the notification to the terminal is dependent upon whether there is inactivity in the environment following the access point opening.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event includes:

providing a frequency of a first type of event occurring in the environment prior to the event;

providing a first set of parameters for describing a frequency distribution of the first type of event occurring in the environment associated with movement of only one entity in the environment;

providing a second set of parameters for describing a frequency distribution of the first type of event occurring in the environment associated with movement of more than one entity in the environment;

calculating a probability, P(E|SO), of the first type of event occurring with said frequency given only one entity in the environment;

calculating a probability, P(E|MO), of the first type of event occurring with said frequency given more than one entity in the environment;

providing a probability, P(MO), of there being more than entity in the environment; and

calculating a probability, P(MO|E), of there being more than one entity in the environment given the first type of event occurring using;

$P<br><br>\left(\mathrm{MO}|E\right)=\frac{P<br><br>\left(\mathrm{MO}\right)<br><br>P<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{MO}\right)}{P<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{SO}\right)+P<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{MO}\right)}.$

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the first type of event is detection of movement simultaneously in two, different areas of the environment.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein determining whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event includes:

providing a frequency of a second type of event occurring in the environment prior to the event;

providing a first set of parameters for describing a frequency distribution of the second type of event occurring in the environment associated with movement of only one entity in the environment;

providing a second set of parameters for describing a frequency distribution of the second type of event occurring in the environment associated with movement of more than one entity in the environment;

calculating a probability, P′

(E|SO), of the second type of event occurring with said frequency given only one entity in the environment;

calculating a probability, P′

(E|MO), of the second type of event occurring with said frequency given more than one entity in the environment;

using the probability, P(MO|E), of there being more than one entity in the environment given the first type of event occurring as a new probability, P′

(MO), of there being more than entity in the environment; and

calculating a new probability, P′

(MO|E), of there being more than one entity in the environment given the first and second types of event occurring using;

$P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(\mathrm{MO}|E\right)=\frac{P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(\mathrm{MO}\right)<br><br>P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{MO}\right)}{P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{SO}\right)+P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{MO}\right)}.$

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the second type of event is:

detection of movement from one area to another, non-adjoining area in the environment;

detection of movement in the environment;

or

detection of movement from one area to another.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data from a plurality of means for detecting motion, each motion detecting means positioned to detect movement in a respective area of the environment.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data from at least one means for detecting state of the point of access.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the entity is a person and the environment is a dwelling.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the event indicating opening of the point of access comprises identifying the event in real time.

13. A method according to any claim 1, wherein identifying the event indicating opening of the point of access comprises identifying the event in a stored set of data.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein sending the notification to a terminal comprises sending a notification to a communications terminal.

15. A computer program which, when executed by data processing apparatus, causes said data processing apparatus to perform the method according to claim 1.

16. A computer-readable medium storing thereon a computer program according to claim 15.

17. A system (1) for monitoring movement of an entity (2) in a environment (3) having at least one point (17) of access, the system comprising:

means (7) for identifying an event (38) indicating opening of a point of access;

means (7) for determining whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event; and

means (7) for sending a notification to a terminal (14) dependent upon whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event.

18. A system according to claim 17, further comprising:

means (9) for calculating a probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity; and

means (7) for comparing the probability with a predetermined threshold probability.

19. A system according to claim 17, comprising:

a plurality of means (4) for detecting motion in respective areas of the environment;

at least one means (5) for detecting state of the point of access; and

a communication node (6) for communicating data received from the motion detecting means and access point state detecting means to a network (11).

20. A system according to claim 19, comprising:

a first server (7); and

a second server (8);

wherein the first server is configured to receive data from the communication node (6), to identify in said data the event (38) indicating the opening of the access point (17) and to send a request to the second server to determine a probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity.

21. A system according to claim 19, comprising:

a first server (7); and

a data server (9);

wherein the first server is configured to receive data from the communication node (6) and to forward the data to the data server for storage.

22. A system for monitoring movement of an entity in an environment having at least one point of access, the system comprising a server which includes:

an interface for receiving notification of an event indicating opening of a point of access; and

a processor configured to determine whether the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event and to send a notification to a terminal dependent upon whether the environment was occupied by a more than one entity prior to the event.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity and to compare the probability with a predetermined threshold probability.

24. A system according to claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity.

25. A system according to claim 22, further comprising another server, said other server including a processor configured to calculate the probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity.