Smart display device for independent living care

• US 20090184821A1
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Care Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Intel-GE Care Innovations, LLC (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Busch, Douglas F., Bomba, Frank C., Kuris, Benjamin, Ayer, Steven M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,184,001 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor

Abstract

A wireless contextual prompting device provides contextual (context-aware) prompting in the home for applications such as Activities of Daily Living (ADL) monitoring, medication adherence, journaling, social messaging and coaching. The device combines the advantages of a small, wireless, battery-operated sensor that may be easily mounted at critical places in a person'"'"'s daily routine with a low-power, high-contrast display panel that may be palm sized. The context may be displayed on the display screen as images, icons and/or text such that it is easy to interpret warnings by the young, elderly, or the language-challenged.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a motion sensor to detect motion of an object in a field of view;

a wireless communication network interface to receive dynamic context-aware content in response to the detected motion; and

a user interface output to provide a user interpretable output based on the received context-aware content, the user interface output in an active state only after the motion of the object has been detected.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface to receive sensed data from a sensing device over a personal area network after the motion of the object has been detected.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a tactile input to allow a user to provide user input based on content displayed on the display panel.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display panel is an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED).

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display panel is electronic paper.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received context-aware content is text, icons and/or images.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received context-aware content includes audio.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor is a passive infra-red (PIR) spot-type motion sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor is a capacitive proximity sensor.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor is a radio frequency proximity sensor.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor is an imaging sensor.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface output is a display panel.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein power is applied to the user interface output while in the active state.

14. A method comprising:

detecting motion of an object in a field of view;

receiving dynamic context-aware content in response to the detected motion;

activating a user interface output only after the motion of the object has been detected; and

providing a user interpretable output through the user interface output based on the received context-aware content.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving sensed data from a sensing device over a personal area network after the motion of the object has been detected.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

allowing a user to provide user input based on content displayed on the display panel.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface output is a display panel.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein power is applied to the user interface output while the user interface output is activated.

19. An article including a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

detecting motion of an object in a field of view;

receiving dynamic context-aware content in response to the detected motion;

activating a user interface output only after the motion of the object has been detected; and

providing a user interpretable output through the user interface output based on the received context-aware content.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein power is applied to the user interface output while the user interface output is activated.