Method and Arrangement for Evaluating Activity and Functional Ability Based on Interaction and Physiological Signals

• US 20150070172A1
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Domuset OY
• Original Assignee: Domuset OY
• Inventors: Alasaarela, Esko
• Granted Patent: US 9,275,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1108 of excised organs, e.g. muscle preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4803 Speech analysis specially adapted for diagnostic purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0415 detecting absence of activity per se
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method is for monitoring interaction between a person and his companion and pet. The method can be realized via a data transfer network, a monitoring arrangement used in the method, a server and a computer program to be used in the monitoring arrangements, which are included in the monitoring arrangement. With the method and monitoring arrangement, an interactive event between the companion and person and/or pet can be visualized on a data processing device for a selected time period. The data processing device can be situated in a different location than the persons and pet being monitored. In the method, the latest 3D location measuring data and physiological measuring data of the pet, companion and person are compared to long-term average data. The physiological measuring data is received from wireless monitoring devices carried by the pet, companion and person.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating activity and functional ability of a living target via a data transfer network, which method comprises

measuring with a first wireless monitoring device in real-time activity data of a monitored first living target

storing the activity data of the first living target measured with the monitoring device into a database accessible via a data transfer network and

modifying from the activity data stored in the database an illustration of the activity of the first living target, which illustration can be presented via the data transfer network, which illustration is presented on a monitor of a data processing device, wherein in order to evaluate the functional ability of the first living target, the method further comprises

measuring with a second wireless monitoring device (4a) in real-time activity data of a second living target

selecting at least one evaluation parameter illustrating interaction between the first living target and the second living target, which evaluation parameter is used in evaluating activity and functional ability and is included in the activity data

comparing short-term measuring data of an evaluation parameter illustrating interaction between both the first living target and the second living target to long-term corresponding measuring data of the evaluation parameters and

sending based on the comparison information about a change in the activity and functional ability of the first living target to at least one data processing device, if a threshold value set for the evaluation parameter illustrating the interaction is not fulfilled.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein as evaluation parameters of the activity and functional ability of the first living target are used at least one of the following monitoring parameters included in the activity data of both the first living target and the second living target and related to interaction:

travel path of the first living target, travel path of the second living target, movement speed, heart rate, EKG, EEG and EMG curves, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, breathing sounds, speech volume, speech pitch, sound duration and frequency.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the measuring values of the evaluation parameter of both the monitored first living target and the second living target for a selected measuring time are compared to corresponding long-term average evaluation parameter values.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the measuring values of the evaluation parameters of both the monitored first living target and the second living target for the selected measuring time are analysed with a neural network, which has been taught corresponding physiological measuring signal values associated with common interactive events of the first living target and the second living target.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first living target, which is a target for the monitoring, is a human or a pet and the second living target is a human.

6. An arrangement for evaluating activity and functional ability of a living target, the arrangement comprising:

an at least partly wireless data transfer network

a first wireless monitoring device, which comprises means for determining a change in location, activity and physiological state of a first living target in real-time and means for establishing a data transfer connection to a wireless data transfer network

means for storing the location data, activity data and physiological state data of the first living target in a database accessible via the data transfer network and

means for modifying the data stored in the database into activity data of the first living target, which data can be presented via the data transfer network, which data is configured to be presented on a monitor of a data processing device, wherein the evaluation arrangement further comprises

a second wireless monitoring device, which comprises means for determining a change in location, activity and physiological state of a second living target in real-time and means for establishing a data transfer connection to the wireless data transfer network

means for storing the location data, activity data and physiological state data of the second living target in the database accessible via the data transfer network

means for selecting at least one evaluation parameter illustrating interaction between the first living target and the second living target, which evaluation parameter is used in the evaluation of the activity and functional ability of the first living target

means for comparing short-term measuring data of evaluation parameters illustrating interaction between both the first living target and the second living target to corresponding long-term measuring data and

means for sending information describing a change perceived based on the comparison in the activity and functional ability of the first living target to at least one data processing device, if a threshold value set for the evaluation parameter illustrating the interaction is not fulfilled.

7. The arrangement for evaluating activity and functional ability according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation parameter of the activity and functional ability of the first living target is at least one of the following monitoring parameters included in the activity data of both the first living target and the second living target and illustrating interaction:

travel path of the first living target, travel path of the second living target, movement speed, heart rate, EKG, EEG and EMG curves, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, breathing sounds, speech volume, speech pitch, sound duration and frequency.

8. The arrangement for evaluating activity and functional ability according to claim 7, wherein the measuring values of the evaluation parameters of both the monitored first living target and the second living target for a selected measuring time are configured to be compared to corresponding long-term average evaluation parameter values.

9. The arrangement for evaluating activity and functional ability according to claim 7, wherein the measuring values of the evaluation parameters of both the monitored first living target and the second living target for the selected measuring time are configured to be analysed with a neural network, which has been taught corresponding physiological measuring signal values associated with common interactive events of the first living target and the second living target.

10. The arrangement for evaluating activity and functional ability according to claim 6, wherein the first living target is a human or a pet and the second living target is a human.

11. A server, which comprises

means for receiving activity data sent from a monitoring device of a first living target which activity data comprises real-time location data of the first living target and at least one piece of data describing the functional ability of the first living target

means for storing the received activity data into a database

means for modifying the activity data stored in the database into activity data of the first living target, which data can be presented via the data transfer network, which data is configured to be presented on a monitor of a data processing device, wherein the server further comprises

means for receiving activity data sent from a monitoring device of a second living target, which activity data comprises real-time location data of the second living target and at least one piece of data describing the activity of the second living target

means for selecting at least one evaluation parameter illustrating interaction between the first living target and the second living target, which evaluation parameter is used in the evaluation of the activity and functional ability of the first living target

means for comparing short-tem measuring data of evaluation parameters illustrating interaction between both the first living target and the second living target to corresponding long-term measuring data and

means for sending information describing a change perceived based on the comparison in the activity and functional ability of the first living target to at least one data processing device, if a threshold value set for the evaluation parameter illustrating the interaction is not fulfilled.

12. The server according to claim 11, wherein the evaluation parameter of the activity and functional ability of the first living target is at least one of the following monitoring parameters included in the activity data of both the first living target and the second living target:

travel path of the first living target, travel path of the second living target, movement speed, heart rate, EKG, EEG and EMG curves, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, breathing sounds, speech volume, speech pitch, sound duration and frequency.

13. The server according to claim 11, wherein the measuring values of the evaluation parameters of both the monitored first living target and the second living target for a selected measuring time are configured to be compared in the server to corresponding long-term average evaluation parameter values.

14. The server according to claim 11, wherein the measuring values of the evaluation parameters of both the monitored first living target and the second living target for the selected measuring time are configured to be analysed with a neural network included in the server, which neural network has been taught corresponding physiological measuring signal values associated with common interactive events of the first living target and the second living target.

15. The server according to claim 11, wherein the first living target is a human or a pet and the second living target is a human.

16. A computer program product, wherein the computer program product comprises computer program code means stored on a computer-readable storage means, which code means are configured to execute the following steps when said program is executed on a computer:

measuring with a first wireless monitoring device in real-time activity data of a monitored first living target

storing the activity data of the first living target measured with the monitoring device into a database accessible via a data transfer network and

modifying from the activity data stored in the database an illustration of the activity of the first living target, which illustration can be presented via the data transfer network, which illustration is presented on a monitor of a data processing device,

wherein in order to evaluate the functional ability of the first living target, the method further comprises

measuring with a second wireless monitoring device (4a) in real-time activity data of a second living target

selecting at least one evaluation parameter illustrating interaction between the first living target and the second living target, which evaluation parameter is used in evaluating activity and functional ability and is included in the activity data

comparing short-term measuring data of an evaluation parameter illustrating interaction between both the first living target and the second living target to long-term corresponding measuring data of the evaluation parameters and

sending based on the comparison information about a change in the activity and functional ability of the first living target to at least one data processing device, if a threshold value set for the evaluation parameter illustrating the interaction is not fulfilled;

wherein as evaluation parameters of the activity and functional ability of the first living target are used at least one of the following monitoring parameters included in the activity data of both the first living target and the second living target and related to interaction;

travel path of the first living target, travel path of the second living target, movement speed, heart rate, EKG, EEG and EMG curves, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, breathing sounds, speech volume, speech pitch, sound duration and frequency;

wherein the measuring values of the evaluation parameter of both the monitored first living target and the second living target for a selected measuring time are compared to corresponding long-term average evaluation parameter values;

wherein the measuring values of the evaluation parameters of both the monitored first living target and the second living target for the selected measuring time are analysed with a neural network, which has been taught corresponding physiological measuring signal values associated with common interactive events of the first living target and the second living target; and

wherein the first living target, which is a target for the monitoring, is a human or a pet and the second living target is a human.