Device for monitoring the activity of a person and/or detecting a fall, in particular with a view to providing help in the event of an incident hazardous to life or limb

• US 6,201,476 B1
• Filed: 11/05/1999
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telectronic S.A.
• Original Assignee: CSEM Centre Suisse D'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA
• Inventors: El-Khoury, Mario, Krauss, Jens, Depeursinge, Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/434,526
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/529, 340/539, 340/531, 340/579, 340/589, 340/693
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• 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: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A device for monitoring the activity of a person and/or detecting a fall suffered by a person with a view in particular to summoning help in the event of an incident hazardous to life or limb is worn by the person concerned and transmits a danger signal to a remote monitoring center. The device generates acceleration, speed and/or position signals representative of the behavior and/or the spatial attitude of the person. It establishes a probability factor representative of the probability that a dangerous situation is present from how the acceleration, speed and position signals change with time. It triggers in accordance with the value of the probability factor an alarm generator capable of causing the danger signal to be transmitted to the center.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring the activity of a person and/or detecting a fall suffered by a person with a view in particular to summoning help in the event of an incident hazardous to life or limb, said device being adapted to be worn by said person and including means for transmitting a danger signal to a remote monitoring center, said device further including:

means for generating multiple acceleration signals representative of the behavior and/or the spatial attitude of said person;

means for establishing a probability factor representative of the probability that a risk situation is present from how said multiple acceleration signals change with time; and

means for triggering in accordance with the value of said probability factor an alarm generator capable of causing said danger signal to be transmitted to said center.

2. The monitoring device claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for generating multiple acceleration signals include at least two accelerometers adapted to detect acceleration of at least a portion of the body of said person and integrator means for two-fold integration of signals delivered by said accelerometers.

3. The monitoring device claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for establishing said probability factor include an artificial neural network the bias and weighting values of which are determined by a learning process.

4. The device claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for establishing said probability factor further include means for evaluating the behavior of said person before and after said incident.

5. The monitoring device claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for producing said probability factor include means for evaluating the dynamic behavior of said person.

6. The monitoring device claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for triggering an alarm generator include a wait loop adapted to remain activated for as long as the value of said probability factor continues to be representative of a situation such that said person is not at risk.

7. The device claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for triggering said alarm generator include signaling means for indicating to said person a predetermined level of said probability factor and means for manually preventing triggering of said alarm generator if said person is aware of said level.

8. The device claimed in claim 7 wherein said signaling means comprise a loudspeaker incorporated in a unit housing said device and said means for preventing triggering of said alarm generator are formed by a control button on said unit.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1 further including means for analyzing the activity of said person and for transmitting the result of said analysis to said center.