FALL ACCIDENT DETECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20090315719A1
• Filed: 01/20/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: PARK, Seon Hee, PARK, Soo Jun, SONG, Sa Kwang, JANG, Jae Won
• Application Number:
  US12/356,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20090315719A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.100
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications

Abstract

Provided are a fall accident detection apparatus and method capable of detecting frequent falling accidents in daily lives of old, feeble or invalid pedestrians in real time and notifying a fall control server of the falling accidents in order to actively prepare for possible secondary accidents by falls. The fall accident detection apparatus includes an acceleration sensor detecting information on acceleration and slope; a controller judging behaviors using the information on acceleration and slope detected by the acceleration sensor and determining a fall accident by analyzing a sequential pattern of the judged behaviors; and a communication unit transmitting information on a fall accident when the fall accident is determined by the controller.

Claims

1. A fall accident detection apparatus, comprising:

an acceleration sensor detecting information on acceleration and slope;

a controller judging behaviors using the information on acceleration and slope detected by the acceleration sensor and determining a fall accident by analyzing a sequential pattern of the judged behaviors; and

a communication unit transmitting information on a fall accident when the fall accident is determined by the controller.

2. The fall accident detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller stores the information on acceleration and slope, which is detected by the acceleration sensor, into a data queue.

3. The fall accident detection apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller takes some data from the data queue at predetermined intervals, judges behaviors using the data and stores the judged behaviors in a behavior queue.

4. The fall accident detection apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller takes a certain number of behavior values out of the behavior queue at predetermined intervals and determines a fall accident by comparing the behavior values with a predetermined pattern of behavior queues.

5. The fall accident detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor comprises a 3-axis acceleration sensor.

6. The fall accident detection apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a GPS unit detecting information on current location, wherein the controller transmits the information on current location along with the information on the fall accident through the communication unit.

7. The fall accident detection apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

an output unit outputting a fall confirmation signal when the fall accident is determined by the controller; and

a button unit inputting a signal indicating that there is no fall accident from a user.

8. The fall accident detection apparatus of claim 7, wherein the button unit further comprising function for inputting a signal indicating that the user is under a medical emergency.

9. A fall accident detection method, comprising:

detecting information on acceleration and slope;

judging behaviors using the detected information on acceleration and slope;

determining a fall accident by analyzing a sequential pattern of the judged behaviors; and

transmitting information on the fall accident based on the determination of the fall accident.

10. The fall accident detection method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting information on current location.

11. The fall accident detection method of claim 9, wherein the judging of the behaviors comprises:

storing the information on acceleration and slope into a data queue;

taking a certain number of data from the data queue at predetermined intervals;

judging behaviors using the taken data; and

storing the judged behaviors in a behavior queue.

12. The fall accident detection method of claim 11, wherein the determining of the fall accident comprise:

taking a certain number of behavior values out of the behavior queue at predetermined intervals; and

determining a fall accident by comparing the behavior values with a predetermined pattern of behavior queues.

13. The fall accident detection method of claim 12, further comprising:

outputting an alarm signal activated by the determination of the fall accident.

14. The fall accident detection method of claim 13, further comprising:

canceling the determination of the fall accident when a user presses a button in response to the alarm signal activated by the determination of the fall accident.