DETECTION OF CHANGES FROM A SEATED OR LYING BODY POSITION BY SENSING BODY ANGLE
First Claim
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1. A method of issuing an alert when a subject wearing an angle-sensing unit gets up from a bed or a chair, the method comprising:
- setting, in a microcontroller connected to an angle sensor in the angle-sensing unit, a first value representing a first angle of the angle-sensing unit when the subject is sitting in a chair or reclined in a bed;
sampling the angle sensor to determine a sampled value representing a sampled angle of the sensor;
determining a difference between the sampled value and the first value to detect a change in the subject'"'"'s body angle;
wirelessly transmitting an alert if the difference between the sampled value and the first value exceeds a threshold indicating that the subject has gotten up from the bed or out of the chair; and
receiving the alert at a monitoring unit.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for detecting when a subject gets up out of bed or out of chair by detecting changes in body flexion angle with respect to a threshold. Also described herein are systems for monitoring one or more subjects each wearing an angle-sensing unit.
3 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of issuing an alert when a subject wearing an angle-sensing unit gets up from a bed or a chair, the method comprising:
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setting, in a microcontroller connected to an angle sensor in the angle-sensing unit, a first value representing a first angle of the angle-sensing unit when the subject is sitting in a chair or reclined in a bed; sampling the angle sensor to determine a sampled value representing a sampled angle of the sensor; determining a difference between the sampled value and the first value to detect a change in the subject'"'"'s body angle; wirelessly transmitting an alert if the difference between the sampled value and the first value exceeds a threshold indicating that the subject has gotten up from the bed or out of the chair; and receiving the alert at a monitoring unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of monitoring a plurality of subjects each wearing an angle-sensing unit and issuing an alert when one of the plurality of subject gets up from a bed or a chair, the method comprising:
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setting, for each angle-sensing unit worn by one of the subjects in the plurality of subjects, a first value representing a first angle for the angle-sensing unit when the subject wearing the sensor is sitting in a chair or reclined in a bed; sampling, for each angle-sensing unit worn by one of the subjects in the plurality of subjects, an angle sensor of the angle-sensing unit to determine a sampled value representing a sampled angle of the sensor; determining, for each angle-sensing unit worn by one of the subjects in the plurality of subjects, a difference between the sampled value and the first value to detect a change in a body angle for the subject wearing each angle-sensing unit; wirelessly transmitting, for each angle-sensing unit worn by one of the subjects in the plurality of subject'"'"'s, an alert if the difference between the sampled value and the first value exceeds a threshold indicating that the subject has gotten up from the bed or out of the chair, wherein the alert comprises an identification number or name uniquely associated with the transmitting angle-sensing unit; and receiving one or more alerts at a monitoring unit indicating that one of the subjects has gotten up from a bed or out of a chair and identifying the angle-sensing unit transmitting the alert. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An angle-sensing unit apparatus configured to determining when a subject wearing the apparatus gets up from a bed or a chair, the apparatus comprising:
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a wireless transmitter; angle sensor configured to produce a signal corresponding to a static angle of the angle-sensing unit relative to a direction of gravity; a microcontroller connected to the wireless transmitter and to the angle sensor, the microcontroller configured to store a first value from the angle sensor representing a first angle of the angle-sensing unit when a subject wearing the angle-sensing unit is sitting in a chair or reclined in a bed; further wherein the microcontroller is configured to sample the angle sensor and determine a difference between the sampled values and the first value to detect a change in the subject'"'"'s body angle and to wirelessly transmitting an alert if the difference between the sampled values and the first value exceeds a threshold indicating that the subject has gotten up from the bed or out of the chair. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification