APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSISTING MEDICATION, MEDICATION BOX, AND MEDICATION STORAGE CONTAINER

• US 20100102955A1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: CHOI, Jae Hun, PARK, Seon Hee, PARK, Soo Jun, BANG, Sun Lee, LIM, Myung Eun, KIM, Dae Hee
• Granted Patent: US 8,378,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.120
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0409 with timers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

An apparatus and method for assisting medication are capable of assisting medication of users who have to regularly take medications in daily life. The apparatus includes a medication box having a plurality of containers, each of which stores a dose of medication to be taken at one time according to a medication schedule, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter carried on a user and transmitting an RF signal, an RF receiver receiving the RF signal from the RF transmitter, and a controller controlling medication assisting. Thus, the apparatus checks a spatial-temporal situation of the user, i.e. an medication, notification or information situation, using the received RF signal, and creating and providing medication service corresponding to the checked situation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for assisting medication comprising:

a medication box storing a dose of medication to be taken at one time according to a medication schedule;

a radio frequency receiver receiving a radio frequency signal from a radio frequency transmitter carried on a user, and extracting radio frequency signal information including information for recognizing the user from the received radio frequency signal;

a controller receiving the radio frequency signal information extracted by the radio frequency receiver, creating and providing medication services based on a spatial-temporal situation of the user which are checked using the received radio frequency signal information, and detecting discharge of the medication from the medication box to check whether or not the user takes the medication; and

a display unit displaying a result of checking whether or not the user takes the medication and information about the medication services.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medication box includes:

a plurality of medication storage containers, each of which stores a dose of medication to be taken at one time according to the medication schedule and detects whether or not the stored medication exists using infrared radiation;

at least one light emitting diode allocated to each medication storage container, and showing a medication situation related to the medication stored in each medication storage container; and

a liquid crystal display notifying the medication of the medication stored in each medication storage container according to the medication schedule.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller searches for identifications of the user and medication box mapped to an identification of the radio frequency transmitter which is included in the radio frequency signal information through a preset user mapping table to thereby recognize the user and medication box, and searches for a distance mapped to strength of the radio frequency signal included in the radio frequency signal information through a preset radio frequency signal mapping table to thereby recognize the distance.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller checks the situation of the user using the identifications of the recognized user and medication box, the distance, the medication schedule of the recognized user, a current time, and a present state of each medication storage container allocated to the recognized user.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the checked situation is divided into a medication situation indicating details associated with the medication, a notification situation indicating notification of the medication, and an information situation providing information about the corresponding medication schedule and a state of the medication to the recognized user under an environment where the other situations do not take place.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller automatically creates and stores all the medication schedules with respect to a single prescription when information about the user intended to take medication, the medication box and the prescription is input.

7. A medication box comprising:

a plurality of medication storage containers, each of which stores a dose of medication to be taken at one time according to a medication schedule and includes an infrared sensor for detecting whether or not the stored medication exists;

at least one light emitting diode allocated to each medication storage container, and showing a medication situation of the medication stored in each medication storage container; and

a liquid crystal display notifying the medication of the medication stored in each medication storage container according to the medication schedule.

8. The medication box of claim 7, wherein each medication storage container includes:

a medication storage storing a dose of medication to be taken at one time;

an infrared transmitter installed on one side of the medication storage and transmitting infrared radiation; and

an infrared receiver installed on the other side of the medication storage, receiving the infrared radiation transmitted from the infrared transmitter, and generating an output voltage for determining whether or not the medication stored in the medication storage exists on a basis of an amount of the received infrared radiation.

9. The medication box of claim 7, wherein each medication storage container includes a shape that stores one of a small medication bottle, a medication paper bag, and tablets.

10. A medication storage container comprising:

a medication storage storing a dose of medication to be taken at one time according to a medication schedule;

an infrared transmitter installed on one side of the medication storage and transmitting infrared radiation; and

an infrared receiver installed on the other side of the medication storage, receiving the infrared radiation transmitted from the infrared transmitter, and generating an output voltage for determining whether or not the medication stored in the medication storage exists on a basis of an amount of the received infrared radiation.

11. The medication storage container of claim 10, wherein the infrared receiver generates a high level of output voltage detecting that the medication is not stored in the medication storage when an amount of the received infrared radiation is more than a critical amount, and a low level of output voltage detecting that the medication is stored in the medication storage when an amount of the received infrared radiation is less than the critical amount.

12. A method for assisting medication using an apparatus for assisting medication having a medication box, the method comprising:

extracting radio frequency signal information including information for recognizing a user from a radio frequency signal received from the user;

recognizing the user using the extracted radio frequency signal information, and checking a spatial-temporal situation of the recognized user;

examining a present state of each medication storage container of the medication box in which the medications to be taken by the recognized user are stored;

creating medication services based on the recognized situation; and

providing the created medication services.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the extracting of the radio frequency signal information includes:

recognizing the user mapped to an identification of a radio frequency transmitter which is included in the radio frequency signal information on a preset user mapping table;

checking an identification of the medication box of the recognized user on the preset user mapping table;

checking a distance, which is spaced apart from the user and is mapped to strength of the radio frequency signal included in the radio frequency signal information on a preset radio frequency signal mapping table; and

checking a current time and a medication schedule of the recognized user.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the examining of the present state of each medication storage container includes:

measuring an output voltage of each medication storage container which is a result of detecting whether or not the stored medication exists using infrared radiation transmitted at each medication storage container;

determining that the medication is not stored in each medication storage container when a level of the measured output voltage is higher than a critical level;

determining that the medication is stored in each medication storage container when the level of the measured output voltage is lower than the critical level; and

displaying the situation corresponding to a result of determining whether or not the medication is stored in each medication storage container.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the creating of the medication services includes:

when the spatial-temporal situation of the recognized user is recognized as a medication situation,

checking a change in state of each medication storage container that stores a dose of medication to be taken at one time according to a medication schedule;

determining a type of the medication service with respect to each medication storage container, the state of which is changed, using a preset user mapping table;

creating the medication service corresponding to the determined medication service type; and

displaying the state of each medication storage container, the state of which is changed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the creating of the medication service corresponding to the determined medication service type includes:

when the determined medication service type belongs to proper medication, generating a medication assisting message, a medication assisting image, and medication assisting voice based on corresponding voice read out from a preset medication voice database; and

when the determined medication service type belongs to improper medication, generating an improper medication message, an improper medication image, and improper medication voice based on corresponding voice read out from the preset medication voice database.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the creating of the medication services includes:

when the spatial-temporal situation of the recognized user is recognized as a notification situation,

searching for a medication schedule corresponding to a current time using state data associated with the recognized notification situation;

checking a state of the corresponding medication storage container that stores the medication to be taken corresponding to the searched medication schedule;

determining a type of the medication service on a basis of whether or not the medication to be taken is stored in the corresponding medication storage container;

creating the medication service corresponding to the determined medication service type; and

displaying the state of the corresponding medication storage container.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the creating of the medication service corresponding to the determined medication service type includes:

when the current time is set for the medication schedule and when the medication is stored in the corresponding medication storage container, generates an on-time notification message, an on-time notification image, on-time notification voice based on corresponding voice read out from a preset medication voice database, and an on-time notification short text message; and

when the current time is not set for the medication schedule and when the medication is stored in the corresponding medication storage container, generates a time-passage notification message, a time-passage notification image, time-passage notification voice based on corresponding voice read out from the preset medication voice database, and a time-passage notification short text message.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the creating of the medication services includes:

when the spatial-temporal situation of the recognized user is recognized as an information situation,

searching for a medication schedule corresponding to a day using state data associated with the recognized information situation;

checking a state of the corresponding medication storage container that stores the medication to be taken corresponding to the searched medication schedule;

checking a distance spaced apart from the recognized user;

creating the medication service providing information about a present medication situation to the user on a basis of the checked distance; and

displaying the state of the corresponding medication storage container.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the creating of the medication service providing information about the present medication situation to the user includes:

when the user is located a long distance, generating a long-distance guide message, a long-distance guide image, and long-distance guide voice based on corresponding voice read out from a preset medication voice database; and

when the user is located a short distance, generating a short-distance guide message, a short-distance guide image, and short-distance guide voice based on corresponding voice read out from the preset medication voice database.