PORTABLE ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, AND FALLING PREDICTION METHOD

• US 20130285813A1
• Filed: 03/21/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: KASAMA, Kouichirou
• Granted Patent: US 9,299,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0223 Magnetic field sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• 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: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

There is provided a computer-readable medium storing a program causing a processor to execute a procedure. The processor is provided in a portable electronic apparatus. The procedure includes detecting acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus, determining whether or not the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is a threshold value or less, the threshold value being stored in a determination threshold value table, and raising an alarm for prediction of stumbling of a user when the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium storing a program causing a processor to execute a procedure, the processor being provided in a portable electronic apparatus, the procedure comprising:

detecting acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus;

determining whether or not the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is a threshold value or less, the threshold value being stored in a determination threshold value table; and

raising an alarm for predicting stumbling of a user when the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less.

2. A computer-readable medium storing a program claim 1, the procedure further comprising:

detecting a walking frequency of the user; and

changing settings of the threshold value based on the detected walking frequency.

3. A computer-readable medium storing a program according to claim 1, wherein the detecting of the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction includes,

calculating a ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis, the acceleration for each coordinate axis is detected by an acceleration sensor of the portable electronic apparatus being held by the user in a static state, to acceleration for all coordinate axes is calculated, and

the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus is calculated based on the acceleration for each of the coordinate axes, which is detected by the acceleration sensor of the portable electronic apparatus, and the ratio for each of the coordinate axes.

4. A computer-readable medium storing a program according to claim 1, wherein

in the raising of an alarm, the alarm is for prediction of stumbling of the user when a state in which the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less continues for a certain time period.

5. A portable electronic apparatus comprising:

a processor that executes processing including,

detecting acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus;

determining whether or not the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is a threshold value or less, the threshold value being stored in a determination threshold value table; and

causing an alarm for prediction of stumbling of user when the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less.

6. A falling prediction method causing a portable electronic apparatus to execute processing, the processing comprising:

detecting acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus being carried by a user;

determining whether or not the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is a threshold value or less that is stored in a determination threshold value table; and

raising an alarm for prediction of stumbling of the user when the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less.