System and method using impulse radio technology to track and monitor people needing health care
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system comprising:
- an electronic monitor capable of being attached to a person located within a building, said electronic monitor includes;
an ultra wideband impulse radio transmitter capable of transmitting an impulse radio signal;
an ultra wideband impulse radio receiver capable of initiating an alarm for medical personnel located near a central station indicating that the person may need medical assistance whenever the ultra wideband impulse radio receiver fails to receive the transmitted impulse radio signal; and
a plurality of reference ultra wideband impulse radio units distributed at known locations throughout the building, wherein said central station is further capable of displaying a current position of the person within the building that was determined from the interaction between the ultra wideband impulse radio unit and at least two of the reference ultra wideband impulse radio units.
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Abstract
A system, electronic monitor and method are provided that utilize impulse radio technology to alert medical personnel when a patient needs medical assistance. In addition, the present invention includes a system, electronic monitor and method that utilize the communication capabilities and positioning capabilities of impulse radio technology to enable medical personnel to monitor one or more vitals signs of a patient and/or to enable medical personnel to determine a current a position of a patient in a building such as a hospital, nursing home or their home.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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an electronic monitor capable of being attached to a person located within a building, said electronic monitor includes;
an ultra wideband impulse radio transmitter capable of transmitting an impulse radio signal;
an ultra wideband impulse radio receiver capable of initiating an alarm for medical personnel located near a central station indicating that the person may need medical assistance whenever the ultra wideband impulse radio receiver fails to receive the transmitted impulse radio signal; and
a plurality of reference ultra wideband impulse radio units distributed at known locations throughout the building, wherein said central station is further capable of displaying a current position of the person within the building that was determined from the interaction between the ultra wideband impulse radio unit and at least two of the reference ultra wideband impulse radio units. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method for monitoring a person located within a building that may need medical assistance, said method comprising the steps of:
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attaching, to the person, an ultra wideband impulse radio transmitter capable of transmitting an impulse radio signal;
alerting medical personnel located near a central station that the person may need medical assistance whenever an ultra wideband impulse radio receiver fails to receive the transmitted impulse radio signal;
determining a current position of the person within the building by enabling the ultra wideband impulse radio unit to interact with a plurality of reference ultra wideband impulse radio units that are distributed at known locations within the building; and
displaying, at the central station, the current position of the person within the building. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. An electronic monitor comprising:
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a fastening mechanism capable of attaching said electronic monitor to a person located within a building;
an ultra wideband impulse radio transmitter, coupled to the fastening mechanism, capable of transmitting an impulse radio signal to an ultra wideband impulse radio receiver capable of alerting medical personnel that the person may need medical assistance whenever the ultra wideband impulse radio receiver fails to receive the transmitted impulse radio signal; and
said ultra wideband impulse radio unit is operable to interact with a plurality of reference ultra wideband impulse radio units such that medical personnel can track the position of the person within a building. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. An electronic monitor comprising:
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a fastening mechanism capable of attaching said electronic monitor to a person located within a building;
an ultra wideband impulse radio transmitter, coupled to the fastening mechanism, capable of transmitting an impulse radio signal to an ultra wideband impulse radio receiver capable of alerting medical personnel that the person may need medical assistance whenever the ultra wideband impulse radio receiver receives the transmitted impulse radio signal; and
said ultra wideband impulse radio unit is operable to interact with a plurality of reference ultra wideband impulse radio units such that medical personnel can track the position of the person within a building. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A method for tracking and monitoring a person, said method comprising the steps of:
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attaching, to the person, an ultra wideband impulse radio unit;
receiving, at a central station, information from the ultra wideband impulse radio unit relating to the person;
displaying, at the central station, at least a portion of the information relating to the person that may need medical assistance;
determining a current position of the person within a building by enabling the ultra wideband impulse radio unit to interact with a plurality of reference ultra wideband impulse radio units that are distributed at known locations within the building; and
displaying, at the central station, the current position of the person within the building. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system comprising:
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an electronic monitor, attached to a person, including an ultra wideband impulse radio unit capable of transmitting an impulse radio signal containing information relating to the person;
a central station capable of obtaining the information and further capable of displaying at least a portion of the information relating to the person that may need medical assistance; and
a plurality of reference ultra wideband impulse radio units distributed at known locations throughout a building, wherein said central station is further capable of displaying a current position of the person within the building that was determined from the interaction between the ultra wideband impulse radio unit and at least two of the reference ultra wideband impulse radio units. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An electronic monitor comprising:
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a fastening mechanism operable to attach said electronic monitor to a person;
a sensor operable to monitor at least one vital sign of the person;
an ultra wideband impulse radio unit operable to interact with said sensor such that medical personnel can monitor the at least one vital sign of the person; and
said ultra wideband impulse radio unit is operable to interact with a plurality of reference ultra wideband impulse radio units such that medical personnel can track the position of the person within a building. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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27. An electronic monitor comprising:
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a fastening mechanism operable to attach said electronic monitor to a person;
an ultra wideband impulse radio unit, coupled to said fastening mechanism, operable to interact with a plurality of reference ultra wideband impulse radio units such that medical personnel can monitor a position the person within a building, wherein the position of the person is determined by;
synchronizing the reference ultra wideband impulse radio units;
synchronizing the ultra wideband impulse radio unit to the synchronized reference ultra wideband impulse radio units;
collecting and time-tagging range measurements between the ultra wideband impulse radio unit and at least two of the reference ultra wideband impulse radio units; and
calculating the position of the person within the building carrying the electronic monitor containing the ultra wideband impulse radio unit using the collected and time-tagged range measurements. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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Specification