Behavior determining apparatus, care system, care residence and behavior information specifying apparatus and system

• US 6,796,799 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2000
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), University of Florida (State University System of Florida), Topy Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shinji, Inoue, Shigeyuki, Morinaka, Katsuya, Hattori, Akiyoshi, Yoshiike, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US09/621,688
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 434/236, 434/237, 434/238, 702/188
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• 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 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 21/0469 Presence detectors to detect unsafe condition, e.g. infrared sensor, microphone G08B21/0476 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0484 Arrangements monitoring consumption of a utility or use of an appliance which consumes a utility to detect unsafe condition, e.g. metering of water, gas or electricity, use of taps, toilet flush, gas stove or electric kettle
• 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 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A behavior determining apparatus, has first detective means for detecting the behavior of a given subject person;

second detective means for detecting the operation of a given appliance;

recording means for recording one or more combined patterns of behavior of said subject person and operation of said appliance;

determining means for comparing the behavior of said subject person detected by said first detective means and the operation of said appliance detected by said second detective means with patterns recorded in said recording means to determine whether or not a combination of behavior of said subject person and operation of said appliance substantially accords with any of said patterns; and

output means for outputting the determined results of the said determining means.

Claims

1. A behavior determining apparatus, comprising:

first detective means for detecting behavior of a given subject person, said first detective means including an infrared ray sensor for detecting movement of said subject person;

second detective means for detecting operation of a given appliance;

recording means for recording one or more combined patterns of behavior of said subject person and operation of said appliance;

determining means for comparing said behavior of said subject person detected by said first detective means and said operation of said appliance detected by said second detective means with patterns recorded in said recording means to determine whether or not a combination of behavior of said subject person and operation of said appliance substantially accords with any of said patterns;

output means for outputting a determined result of said determining means;

first transmitter/receiver means, disposable on a ceiling above a doorway which divides at least two areas, for transmitting a radio wave to a given space when said infrared ray sensor detects said behavior, and for receiving an information item by another radio wave; and

second transmitter/receiver means bearable by said subject person, said second transmitter/receiver means including a personal information terminal (PIT) for receiving the radio wave transmitted by said first transmitter/receiver means and responding by transmitting said information item including an ID number identifying said subject person who has said PIT by said another radio wave;

wherein

the radio wave transmitted by said first transmitter/receiver means includes a command to allow said PIT to transmit said information item,

said first transmitter/receiver means receives said ID number when transmitted by said second transmitter/receiver means, and

said first detective means specifies said subject person whose behavior is detected when said ID number is received by said first transmitter/receiver means.

2. A behavior determining apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

alarm transmitter means for transmitting an alarm by a radio wave in accordance with the determined result of said determining means; and

alarm receiver means bearable by said subject person for receiving said alarm by said radio wave.

3. A behavior determining apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

notifying means for notifying an alarm by an audio or optical signal in accordance with the determined result of said determining means to the residential space where said subject person behaves.

4. A behavior determining apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

notifying means for notifying an alarm by using a telephone line, an electric light or a private line in accordance with the determined result determined by said determining means to outside of the residential space where said subject person behaves.

5. A behavior determining apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

third detective means for detecting the physiological state of said subject person and/or the psychological state of said subject person, wherein

said pattern is a combined pattern of behavior of said subject person, operation of said appliance and physiological state of said subject person and/or psychological state of said subject person, and

said determining means compares the behavior of said subject person the operation of said appliance and the physiological state of said subject person and/or the psychological state of said subject person with patterns recorded in the recording means to determine whether a combination of behavior of said subject person, operation of said appliance and physiological state of said subject person and/or the psychological state of said subject person substantially accords with any of said patterns or not.

6. A behavior determining apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said third detective means specifies said subject person by using said ID number received by said first receiver/transmitter means and detects the physiological state of said subject person and/or the physiological state of said subject person.

7. A behavior determining apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said PIT has all or part of the functions for detecting the posture, the moving condition and the active mass of said subject person bearing it.

8. A behavior determining apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein transmitting/receiving of information item by said PIT is performed in the communication shape of a PHS system or in the communication shape of a specific small electric power using frequency zone of several hundred MHz.