Monitoring movement of an entity in an environment

• US 7,764,167 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Reeves, Andrew, Buckland, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins; Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAU, HOI CHING
• Application Number:
  US11/354,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20070176760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 340/545.1, 340/573, 340/574, 340/573.4, 340/523, 340/573.1, 340/540, 340/541, 340/426.22
• US Class Current: 340/426.22
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/04 responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons G08B21/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation

Abstract

Whether a person suffering dementia has left their flat unaccompanied can be determined by identifying an event indicating opening of the front door of the flat, determining whether the flat was occupied by more than one person prior to the door opening, determining whether there is inactivity in the flat following the door opening and sending a notification to a communications terminal of a caretaker if the flat was occupied by only one person and if there is inactivity in the flat.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring movement of an entity in an environment having at least one point of access, the method comprising:

using a monitoring unit having a processor in communication with at least one sensor disposed to detect activity associated in a predetermined environment to;

identify an event indicating opening of a point of access to said environment;

determine if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event; and

send a notification to a terminal dependent upon if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event, wherein determining if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event includes;

calculating a probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity; and

comparing the probability with a predetermined threshold probability.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event includes:

determining if the environment was occupied by more than one entity during at least a predetermined period immediately preceding the event.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

using said monitoring unit to;

determine if there is inactivity in the environment following the access point opening, wherein sending the notification to the terminal is dependent upon the determination of inactivity in the environment following the access point opening.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

using said monitoring unit to receive data from a plurality of means for detecting motion, each motion detecting means positioned to detect movement in a respective area of the environment.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

using said monitoring unit to receive data from at least one means for detecting state of the point of access.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the entity is a person and the environment is a dwelling.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the event indicating opening of the point of access comprises identifying the event in real time.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the event indicating opening of the point of access comprises identifying the event in a stored set of data.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein sending the notification to a terminal comprises sending a notification to a communications terminal.

14. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer program code which, when executed by data processing apparatus, causes said data processing apparatus to perform the method according to claim 1.

22. A method as in claim 1, wherein multiple occupancy is determined by:

sensing activity events in a plurality of zones in said environment; and

comparing the sensing of events in different ones of said plurality of zones.

4. A method of monitoring movement of an entity in an environment having at least one point of access, the method comprising:

using a monitoring unit having a processor in communication with at least one sensor disposed to detect activity associated in a predetermined environment to;

identify an event indicating opening of a point of access to said environment;

determine if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event; and

send a notification to a terminal dependent upon if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event,

wherein determining if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event includes;

providing a frequency of a first type of event occurring in the environment prior to the event;

providing a first set of parameters for describing a frequency distribution of the first type of event occurring in the environment associated with movement of only one entity in the environment;

providing a second set of parameters for describing a frequency distribution of the first type of event occurring in the environment associated with movement of more than one entity in the environment;

calculating a probability, P(EISO), of the first type of event occurring with said frequency given only one entity in the environment;

calculating a probability, P(EIMO), of the first type of event occurring with said frequency given more than one entity in the environment;

providing a probability, P(MO), of there being more than entity in the environment; and

calculating a probability, P(MOIE), of there being more than one entity in the environment given the first type of event occurring using;

$P<br><br>\left(\mathrm{MO}|E\right)=\frac{P<br><br>\left(\mathrm{MO}\right)<br><br>P<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{MO}\right)}{P<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{SO}\right)+P<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{MO}\right)}.$

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the first type of event is detection of movement simultaneously in two, different areas of the environment.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein determining if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event includes:

providing a frequency of a second type of event occurring in the environment prior to the event;

providing a first set of parameters for describing a frequency distribution of the second type of event occurring in the environment associated with movement of only one entity in the environment;

providing a second set of parameters for describing a frequency distribution of the second type of event occurring in the environment associated with movement of more than one entity in the environment;

calculating a probability, P′

(EISO), of the second type of event occurring with said frequency given only one entity in the environment;

calculating a probability, P′

(EIMO), of the second type of event occurring with said frequency given more than one entity in the environment;

using the probability, P(MOIE), of there being more than one entity in the environment given the first type of event occurring as a new probability, P′

(MO), of there being more than entity in the environment; and

calculating a new probability, P′

(MOIE), of there being more than one entity in the environment given the first and second types of event occurring using;

$P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(\mathrm{MO}|E\right)=\frac{P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(\mathrm{MO}\right)<br><br>P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{MO}\right)}{P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{SO}\right)+P^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(E|\mathrm{MO}\right)}.$

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the second type of event is:

detection of movement from one area to another, non-adjoining area in the environment;

detection of movement in the environment;

or detection of movement from one area to another.

15. A system for monitoring movement of an entity in an environment having at least one point of access, the system comprising:

means for identifying an event indicating opening of a point of access;

means for determining if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event;

means for sending a notification to a terminal dependent upon if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event;

means for calculating a probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity; and

means for comparing the probability with a predetermined threshold probability.

16. A system according to claim 15, comprising:

a plurality of means for detecting motion in respective areas of the environment;

at least one means for detecting status of the point of access; and

a communication node for communicating data received from the motion detecting means and access point state detecting means to a network.

17. A system according to claim 16, comprising:

a first server; and

a second server;

wherein the first server is configured to receive data from the communication node, to identify in said data the event indicating the opening of the access point and to send a request to the second server to determine a probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity.

18. A system according to claim 16, comprising:

a first server; and

a data server;

wherein the first server is configured to receive data from the communication node and to forward the data to the data server for storage.

23. A system as in claim 15, means for sensing activity events in a plurality of zones in said environment;

and means for comparing the sensing of events in different ones of said plurality of zones.

19. A system for monitoring movement of an entity in an environment having at least one point of access, the system comprising a server which includes:

an interface for receiving notification of an event indicating opening of a point of access; and

a processor configured to determine if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event and to send a notification to a terminal dependent upon if the environment was occupied by more than one entity prior to the event,

wherein the processor is further configured to provide a probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity and to compare the probability with a predetermined threshold probability.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity.

21. A system according to claim 19, further comprising another server, said other server including a processor configured to calculate the probability that the environment is occupied by more than one entity.