Fall detection system having a floor height threshold and a resident height detection device

• US 7,893,844 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LogicMark LLC (Nxt-Id, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LogicMark LLC (Nxt-Id, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gottlieb, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US12/216,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20090322548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.7, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 702/150, 600/587
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait

Abstract

A system for tracking a location of a resident includes a resident height detection device (e.g., a small pendant, bracelet or other wearable device) and a receiver/dialer. When the system detects that the resident height detection device has remained within a threshold distance of the floor (e.g., 8 to 16 inches) for more than a given period of time (e.g., 15 seconds), an alarm condition signal would then be sent to a receiver/dialer elsewhere in the residence which would then forward an emergency signal to a caretaker or to an emergency operator by way of the receiver/dialer. The resident height detection device may further include an override switch to turn off tracking when the resident intends to be on the floor for an extended period of time.

Claims

1. A system for tracking whether a resident height detection device is below a threshold height in a residence, the system comprising:

a floor height storage element for storing threshold height information;

a resident height detection device for detecting height information related to a height of the resident height detection device;

a comparator for comparing the threshold height information and the detected height information to determine whether the residence height device is below a threshold height in a residence; and

a housing including a communications interface for notifying a third party that the resident height detection device is below the threshold height in the residence.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resident height detection device includes a sensor for determining the height of the resident height detection device.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the resident height detection device includes a sensor for determining a height of the resident height detection device relative to a floor of the residence.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the resident height detection device includes a sensor for determining an absolute height of the resident height detection device.

5. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises a pressure-based altitude sensor.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a reference sensor for providing a reference signal indicative of a known height in the residence.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the reference sensor is integrated into the housing.

8. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the reference sensor is external to the housing and coupled to the housing wirelessly.

9. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the reference sensor is external to the housing and coupled to the housing using a wired connection.

10. The system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a reference sensor for indicating at least one environmental characteristic that can affect the pressure-based sensor.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the reference sensor is integrated into the housing.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the reference sensor is external to the housing and coupled to the housing wirelessly.

13. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the reference sensor is external to the housing and coupled to the housing using a wired connection.

14. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises a GPS-based sensor.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a reference sensor for providing a reference signal indicative of a known height in the residence.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the reference sensor is integrated into the housing.

17. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the reference sensor is external to the housing and coupled to the housing wirelessly.

18. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the reference sensor is external to the housing and coupled to the housing using a wired connection.

19. The system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a reference sensor for indicating at least one environmental characteristic that can affect the GPS-based sensor.

20. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises a triangulation-based sensor.

21. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the triangulation-based sensor comprises a sonic sensor.

22. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the triangulation-based sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor.

23. The system as claimed in claim 1;

wherein the resident height detection device further comprises a tilt switch.

24. The system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising plural known reference location transmitters for transmitting signals for determining the height of the resident height detection device.

25. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein resident height detection device further comprises triangulation circuitry for triangulating the height of the resident height detection device from the signals received from the plural known reference location transmitters.

26. The system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the sensor comprises a sonic sensor.

27. The system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor.

28. The system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the sensor comprises an RF-based sensor.

29. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications interface comprises a PSTN dialer.

30. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications interface comprises a cellular telephone dialer.

31. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications interface comprises an Internet communications interface.

32. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications interface comprises a first communications interface and a second communications interface, wherein if an answer is not received using the first communications interface then the second communications interface is used.

33. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a switch for temporarily overriding notifying the third party for a specified period of time.

34. The system as claimed in claim 33, wherein the specified period of time is based on a number of times that the switch is activated.

35. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an audible alert generator for indicating that the dialer is ready to notify the third party that the resident height detection device is below the threshold height in the residence; and

an override switch for canceling a notification of the third party.

36. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a motion sensor for overriding notifying the third party when the resident height detection device is below the threshold height in the residence but the motion sensor does not sense motion.

37. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pulse detector for overriding notifying the third party when the resident height detection device is below the threshold height in the residence but the pulse detector does not sense a pulse.

38. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a body heat detector for overriding notifying the third party when the resident height detection device is below the threshold height in the residence but the body heat detector does not sense body heat of the resident.

39. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a water detector for overriding notifying the third party when the resident height detection device is below the threshold height in the residence but the water detector senses that the resident height detection device is in contact with water.

40. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing safe zone locations, wherein notifying the third party is overridden when resident height detection device is below the threshold height in the residence but the resident height detection device is within one of the safe zone locations.

41. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a charging cradle.

42. The system as claimed in claim 41, wherein the resident height detection device further comprises contacts for charging the resident height detection device when placed in the charging cradle.

43. The system as claimed in claim 42, wherein the resident height detection device further comprises at least one data contact for passing information between the resident height detection device and circuitry within the housing.

44. The system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising plural known reference location receivers for receiving a signal for determining the height of the resident height detection device.

45. The system as claimed in claim 44, further comprising triangulation circuitry for triangulating the height of the resident height detection device from the signal received from the plural known reference location receivers.

46. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising voice circuitry for communicating voice signals between at least one of (1) the resident height detection device and the housing and (2) the housing and the resident height detection device.

47. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the floor height storage element, the resident height detection device and the comparator are stored within the housing.

48. The system as claimed in claim 47, wherein the communications interface comprises a cellular telephone dialer.

49. The system as claimed in claim 47, wherein the communications interface comprises a wireless Internet communications interface.

50. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the triangulation-based sensor comprises an RF-based sensor.