Control system for building automation controlled by human physiological signals

• US 6,348,867 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2000
• Issued: 02/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vivago OY
• Original Assignee: Ist International Security Technology Oy
• Inventors: Myllymäki, Matti
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US09/647,959
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/539, 340/506, 340/573.4, 340/825.06, 340/825.32, 340/286.07, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0492 Sensor dual technology, i.e. two or more technologies collaborate to extract unsafe condition, e.g. video tracking and RFID tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

An automatic control system for actuators and security devices in building automation. A wrist-held sensor and transmitter unit (11) transmits repeatedly, in the form of short telegrams, messages indicating the physiological condition of user to a receiver and control apparatus (12), which is placed in a monitored space either as a separate unit or a part of an appliance to be controlled. The receiver and control apparatus (12), or an information analyzer in data transfer communication therewith, uses the physiological condition of a user as a basis to conduct control selections and to control automatically the actuators and security devices in accordance with the physiological condition of a person who carries the transmitter unit (11). If necessary, the control selections can be influenced also by a piece of information indicating the location of a user. In addition to the automatic control of nearby equipment, the system is also applicable to monitoring the health of a user and to setting off alarms.

Claims

1. An automatic control system for actuators and security devices relating to building automation, including HPAE (Heating, Plumbing, Air conditioning, Electricity) systems in homes and offices, comprising a portable sensor and transmitter unit and a receiver and control apparatus, which is placed in a monitored space as a separate unit or as a part of an appliance to be controlled and which comprises a receiver for the signals of the sensor and transmitter unit, a processor for processing information contained in the received signals, and control outputs for controlling actuators and security devices and, if necessary, for setting off alarms, characterized in that the sensor and transmitter unit is provided with measuring sensors for monitoring the physiological condition of a user, that said signals contain information about the physiological condition of a user, on the basis of which the receiver and control apparatus or an information analyzer in data transfer communication therewith performs continuously or at short intervals repeatedly and automatically control selections on the basis of the physiological condition of a user and, thus, performs actively the on-line control of said actuators and security devices in accordance with the physiological condition of a person who carries the sensor and transmitter unit.

2. A control system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the receiver and control apparatus includes a number of receivers disposed in various parts of a monitored space to receive simultaneously a signal from the sensor and transmitter unit, and that, by comparing the signal strengths of various receivers, the receiver and control apparatus is adapted to track down a user, and that the control of the actuators and security devices and the transmission of possible alarms are based on a combination of information indicating the state of alertness or health of a user and a piece of information indicating the location of a user.

3. A control system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the sensor and transmitter unit comprises a wrist-held unit and the receiver and control apparatus is integrated as a part of a burglar alarm and smoke detector unit, including a motion detector, a smoke detector, and an infrasound detector.

4. A control system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the sensor and transmitter unit transmits a signal indicating the physiological condition of a user as short messages repeated at short intervals.

5. A control system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that, regarding the automatically performed control functions, the user is given a feedback therefrom in the form of voice messages.

6. A control system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the gap between transmissions of messages indicating a physiological condition and transmitted in a wireless fashion by way of radio is controlled on the basis of changes occurring in the physiological condition of a user.

7. A control system as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that:

the sensor and transmitter unit comprises a wrist-held unit and the receiver and control apparatus is integrated as a part of a burglar alarm and smoke detector unit, including a motion detector, a smoke detector, and an infrasound detector;

the sensor and transmitter unit transmits a signal indicating the physiological condition of a user as short messages repeated at short intervals;

regarding the automatically performed controlled functions, the user is given a feedback therefrom in the form of voice messages; and

the gap between transmissions of messages indicating a physiological condition and transmitted in a wireless fashion by way of radio is controlled on the basis of changes occurring in the physiological condition of a user.