METHOD AND DEVICE FOR IDENTIFYING A SUBJECT IN A SENSOR BASED MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20130172771A1
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Published: 07/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Muhlsteff, Jens
• Granted Patent: US 10,959,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/534
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/05 Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves impedance plethysmography A61B5/0295; measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0507 using microwaves or terahertz waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6891 Furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 25/00 Auxiliary drives B60K16/00 takes precedence; arrangements of tyre-inflating pumps mounted on vehicles B60C23/10; driving tyre-inflating pumps B60C; driving engine auxiliaries F02B
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0029 for detecting the motion of the occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/003 characterised by the sensor mounting location in or on the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/20 Radar
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/50 Inertial sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0154 in combination with seat heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 : using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device for identifying a subject in a sensor based monitoring system. This method comprises an acquisition step wherein sensors of a sensor array acquire subject related sensor signals, a pattern extraction step wherein a signal pattern is derived from the sensor signals acquired in the preceding acquisition step, and an identification step wherein the signal pattern derived in the preceding pattern extraction step is compared to predetermined signal patterns, each predetermined signal pattern being related to a subject profile, to identify a subject profile whose predetermined signal pattern related thereto matches the derived signal pattern.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a subject in a sensor-based monitoring system comprising an array of sensors comprising Doppler radar sensors, said method comprising the following steps:

an acquisition step wherein the Doppler radar sensors of said sensor array acquire subject-related sensor signals, which subject-related sensor signals are representative of the subject'"'"'s thorax motion due to respiration;

a pattern extraction step wherein a signal pattern is derived from the sensor signals acquired in the preceding acquisition step;

an identification step wherein the signal pattern derived in the preceding pattern extraction step is compared to predetermined signal patterns, each predetermined signal pattern being related to a subject profile, to identify a subject profile whose predetermined signal pattern related thereto matches the derived signal pattern; and

a configuration step following the identification step, wherein said array is configurated for a subsequent monitoring step wherein the subject is monitored,

said array being configured according to the identified subject profile,

wherein the configuration of said array in said configuration step comprises the determination of a sub-set of sensors comprised in the array to be used in the monitoring step.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein radar-based sensors are used in the monitoring step, and the configuration of said array in said configuration step comprises the determination of the radiant power to be emitted by the radar-based sensors in the monitoring step.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring step comprises a signal analysis using subject-related parameters,

said configuration step comprising the configuration of said parameters according to the identified subject profile.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

an approach detection step, wherein sensors detect whether a subject approaches the sensors and initiate the acquisition step in case of detection that a subject approaches the sensors.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring step is terminated when the sensors detect that the subject has moved away from the sensors.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein acceleration sensors are used in the acquisition step and/or in the monitoring step.

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

a learning step wherein sensors of said sensor array acquire subject-related sensor signals, a signal pattern is derived from the sensor signals acquired, and the derived signal pattern is stored in a database as a predetermined signal pattern being related to a subject profile.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said learning step is initiated when no predetermined signal pattern matches the derived signal pattern in the identification step.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a verification step wherein the subject is requested to verify the identified subject profile, said verification step follows the identification step in case a subject profile is identified whose predetermined signal pattern related thereto matches the derived signal pattern.

14. Identification system according to claim 10, wherein said array is integrated into a furniture part.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

12. Identification system for identifying a subject in a sensor-based monitoring system, comprising:

an array of sensors comprising Doppler radar sensors;

a sensor control unit communicating with the Doppler radar sensors comprised within said array and being provided to receive signal data from the sensors, which signal data are representative of the subject'"'"'s thorax motion due to respiration;

a signal processing unit provided to receive said signal data from said sensor control unit, to derive a signal pattern from said signal data, to compare the derived signal pattern with predetermined signal patterns, to identify a subject profile whose predetermined signal pattern related thereto matches the derived signal pattern, and to configure said array of Doppler radar sensors for monitoring the subject, said array being configured according to the identified subject profile, wherein the configuration of said array comprises the determination of a sub-set of sensors comprised in the array to be used for monitoring the subject;

and a storage unit provided for storing predetermined signal patterns and subject profiles related thereto, said storage unit communicating with said signal processing unit.

13. Identification system according to claim 12, wherein said array further comprises acceleration sensors.

15. Vehicle, comprising an identification system according claim 12 for identifying a driver and/or a passenger of said vehicle.