Patient monitoring apparatus

• US 7,502,498 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Available For Licensing
• Original Assignee: Available For Licensing
• Inventors: Wen, Huafeng, Tran, Bao
• Primary Examiner(s): BHATNAGAR, ANAND P
• Application Number:
  US10/938,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20060056655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/128, 382/181, 382/190, 382/195, 382/206, 128/922
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/922 including image analysis

Abstract

A monitoring system includes one or more cameras to determine a three dimensional (3D) model of a person; means to detect a dangerous condition based on the 3D model; and means to generate a warning when the dangerous condition is detected.

Claims

1. A monitoring system, comprising:

one or more cameras to determine a three dimensional (3D) body model of a person;

a processor coupled to the one or more cameras to process the 3D body model to detect a dangerous condition based on the 3D model with computer readable code to detect the person'"'"'s fall including;

computer readable code to detect a falling speed of the person'"'"'s center-of-mass (threshold

     1);

computer readable code to detect when a body part touches a floor; and

computer readable code to detect a time span without center-of-mass motion after fall (threshold

     2); and

a device to generate a warning when the dangerous condition is detected.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the cameras is a 3D camera.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the cameras is a 2D camera, further comprising wherein the processor to converts 2D images to the 3D model.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor detects confirmatory signals from the person.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the confirmatory signal includes a head movement, a hand movement, or a mouth movement.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the confirmatory signal includes the person'"'"'s voice.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a network to communicate images of the 3D model to a remote computer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data to be sent to a local server is reduced by controlling which camera and what portion of images to be sent based on motion information.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the images are encrypted or scrambled for privacy.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising a network to allow the person and a remote viewer to visually communicate with each other.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the viewer includes a doctor, a nurse, a medical assistant, or a caregiver.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the fall detector comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver to detect movement and where the person falls.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the body part includes a knee, a butt, or a hand.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising computer readable code to adjust threshold 1 and threshold 2.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising computer readable code to store and analyze patient information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the patient information includes medicine taking habits, eating and drinking habits, sleeping habits, or excise habits.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a patient interface for accessing information.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising computer readable code to secure data relating to the person.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more local server(s) adapted to receive images of the person.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the local server stores and analyzes information relating to the person'"'"'s ambulation.

21. A monitoring system, comprising:

one or more cameras to determine a three diminsinonal (3D) body model of a person;

a processor coupled to the one or more cameras to process the 3D body model to detect a dangerous condition based on the 3D model;

a device to generate a warning when the dangerous condition is detected; and

a patient interface including;

a touch screen;

voice-activated text reading; and

one touch telephone dialing.

22. A monitoring system, comprising:

one or more cameras positioned to capture three dimensional (3D) body model of the patient; and

a server coupled to the one or more cameras, the server executing code to process the 3D model, to detect a dangerous condition for the patient based on a center of mass of the 3D body model and to allow a remote third party to view images of the patient when the dangerous condition is detected, the code including;

computer readable code to detect a falling speed of the person'"'"'s center-of-mass (threshold

     1);

computer readable code to detect when a body part touches a floor; and

computer readable code to detect a time span without center-of-mass motion after fall (threshold

     2).