APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING A FALL

• US 20160183847A1
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG CNS Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG CNS Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: PAE, Jenny
• Granted Patent: US 10,004,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence

Abstract

A fall detection method performed by a fall detection server includes receiving electricity information from a piezoelectric plate disposed adjacent to a bed of a subject, performing a primary determination of whether or not the subject fell from the bed based on the electricity information, and triggering an imaging device to capture an image of a current state of the subject if it is determined that the subject fell, receiving video information including the image of the current state of the subject from the imaging device, and transmitting fall information relating to a fall of the subject to a terminal of the subject, the fall information including one or more of the primary determination result, trigger information of the imaging device, and the video information.

Claims

1. A fall detection method performed by a fall detection server, the fall detection method comprising:

receiving electricity information from a piezoelectric plate disposed adjacent to a bed of a subject;

performing a primary determination of whether or not the subject fell from the bed based on the electricity information, and triggering an imaging device to capture an image of a current state of the subject if it is determined that the subject fell;

receiving video information including the image of the current state of the subject from the imaging device; and

transmitting fall information relating to a fall of the subject to a terminal of the subject, the fall information including one or more of the primary determination result, trigger information of the imaging device, and the video information.

2. The fall detection method of claim 1, wherein the electricity information is generated based on an electrical signal generated by a pressure applied to the piezoelectric plate by the subject.

3. The fall detection method of claim 1, wherein the electricity information is determined as the strength of a pressure applied to the piezoelectric plate by the subject.

4. The fall detection method of claim 1, wherein the electricity information is generated based on a contact area between a body of the subject and the piezoelectric plate as the body of the subject comes in contact with the piezoelectric plate.

5. The fall detection method of claim 1, further comprising, after performing the primary determination of whether or not the subject fell:

triggering a microphone to collect audio information which includes sound generated around the subject and a voice of the subject; and

performing a secondary determination of whether or not the subject fell based on the audio information received from the triggered microphone.

6. The fall detection method of claim 5, wherein performing the secondary determination comprises determining whether or not the voice of the subject included in the audio information substantially coincides with previously registered voice information of the subject that corresponds to a fall.

7. The fall detection method of claim 5, wherein the fall information further includes position information of the subject having fallen from the bed, the secondary determination result, or both.

8. A fall detection method performed by a fall detection server, the fall detection method comprising:

receiving, from a piezoelectric device, a first determination result obtained by determining whether or not a subject fell using electricity information generated based on at least one of a pressure applied to the piezoelectric device by the subject and a contact area between a body of the subject and the piezoelectric device; and

transmitting fall information relating to a fall of the subject to a terminal of the subject, the fall information including the first determination result.

9. The fall detection method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from an audio device, a second determination result obtained by determining whether or not the subject fell using audio information related to a fall of the subject, the audio device being triggered in response to a first control signal output from the piezoelectric device according to the first determination result and generating the audio information; and

receiving, from an image device, video information including an image of a current state of the subject, the imaging device being triggered in response to a second control signal output from the audio device according to the second determination result,

wherein the fall information includes one or more of the first determination result, the second determination result, trigger information of the imaging device, and the video information.

10. The fall detection method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from an image device, video information including an image of a current state of the subject, the imaging device being triggered in response to a control signal output from the piezoelectric device according to the first determination result,

wherein the fall information includes one or more of the first determination result, trigger information of the imaging device, and the video information.

11. A fall detection system comprising:

a fall detection server configured to;

receive electricity information from a piezoelectric plate arranged adjacent to a bed of a subject;

perform a primary determination of whether or not the subject fell from the bed based on the electricity information, and generate a control signal if it is determined that the subject fell;

receive video information including an image of a current state of the subject from an imaging device triggered in response to the control signal output from the fall detection server; and

transmit fall information relating to a fall of the subject to a terminal of the subject, the fall information including one or more of the primary determination result, trigger information of the imaging device, and the video information.

12. The fall detection system of claim 11, wherein the control signal is a first control signal and the fall detection server is configured to, after the primary determination:

receive audio information related to the fall of the subject from a microphone triggered in response to the first control signal;

perform a secondary determination of whether or not the subject fell based on the audio information, and generate a second control signal if it is determined that the subject fell as a result of the secondary determination,

wherein the imaging device is triggered in response to one of the first control signal and the second control signal, and

wherein the fall information includes one or more of the primary determination result, the second determination result, trigger information of the imaging device, and the video information.

13. The fall detection system of claim 12, further comprising:

a gateway configured to;

receive the electricity information from the piezoelectric plate;

transmit the electricity information to the fall detection server, and receive the first control signal from the fall detection server;

transmit the first control signal to the microphone, and receive the audio information from the microphone;

transmit the audio information to the fall detection server and receive the second control signal from the fall detection server;

transmit the second control signal to the imaging device, and receive the video information from the imaging device; and

transmit the video information to the fall detection server.

14. The fall detection system of claim 12, wherein the fall detection server is configured to:

determine, in the primary determination, that the subject fell when the electricity information generated based on at least one of a pressure applied thereto by the subject and a contact area between a body of the subject and the piezoelectric plate is equal to or greater than a preset value; and

determine, in the secondary determination, that the subject fell when a voice of the subject included in the audio information substantially coincides with previously registered voice information of the subject that corresponds to a fall.

15. A fall detection system comprising:

a piezoelectric device arranged adjacent to a bed of a subject and configured to determine whether or not the subject fell based on electricity information generated using at least one of a pressure applied thereto by the subject and a contact area between a body of the subject and the piezoelectric device; and

a fall detection server configured to receive a determination result from the piezoelectric device and transmit fall information including the determination result to a terminal of the subject.

16. The fall detection system of claim 15, further comprising:

an audio device coupled to the piezoelectric device and configured to collect audio information which includes sound generated around the subject and a voice of the subject and determine whether or not the subject fell based on the audio information,

wherein the piezoelectric device generates a first control signal if it is determined that the subject fell based on the electricity information, the audio device being triggered in response to the first control signal to collect the audio information, and

wherein the fall detection server receives a determination result from the audio device and transmits the fall information including at least one of the determination result from the piezoelectric device and the determination result from the audio device to the terminal.

17. The fall detection system of claim 16, further comprising:

an imaging device coupled to at least one of the audio device and the piezoelectric device and configured to generate video information by capturing an image of a current state of the subject,

wherein the audio device generates a second control signal for triggering the imaging device if it is determined that the subject fell based on the audio information,

wherein the imaging device is triggered in response to one of the first control signal and the second control signal to capture the image of the current state of the subject, and

wherein the fall detection server transmits the fall information including one or more of the determination result from the piezoelectric device, the determination result from the audio device, trigger information of the imaging device, and the video information to the terminal.

18. The fall detection system of claim 17, further comprising:

a gateway coupled to and disposed between the fall detection server and a group of the piezoelectric device, the audio device and the image device and configured to transmit the determination result from the piezoelectric device, the determination result from the audio device, and the video information to the fall detection server.

19. The fall detection system of claim 15, wherein the piezoelectric device determines that the subject fell when the electricity information is equal to or greater than a preset value.

20. The fall detection system of claim 16, wherein the audio device determines that the subject fell when the voice of the subject included in the audio information substantially coincides with previously registered voice information of the subject that corresponds to a fall.