Apparatus and method for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall

• US 8,552,871 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Park, Chan Kyu, Kim, Jae Hong, Sohn, Joo Chan, Lee, Jae Yeon, Chung, Yun Koo
• Primary Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US12/973,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20110148630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall. According to the present invention, the apparatus and for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall may include: a sensor unit that senses acceleration and photoplethysmogram; a photoplethysmogram/fall determining module that synthetically tests sensed acceleration signals and photoplethysmogram signals sensed by the sensor unit to determine whether emergency occurs due to fall or emergency occurs due to photoplethysmogram; and a communication module that transmits the test results.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall comprising:

a sensor unit that senses acceleration and photoplethysmogram;

a photoplethysmogram/fall determining module that synthetically tests the acceleration signals and photoplethysmogram signals sensed by the sensor unit to determine whether an emergency occurs due to fall or an emergency occurs due to photoplethysmogram; and

a communication module that transmits the determined results,

wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module,

collects and frames the acceleration signals and the photoplethysmogram signals and tests and determines the acceleration signals and the photoplethysmogram signals in a frame unit,

tests the acceleration signals for one frame to decide whether the user conducts ordinary behavior or falls, and

classifies and stores the behavior pattern from the acceleration signals of one frame if it is determined that the user conducts ordinary behavior according to the test results.

2. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 1, wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module estimates noise generated due to the motion of the user by using the acceleration signals and removes the estimated noise from the photoplethysmogram signals.

3. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 1, wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module decides the normal photoplethysmogram or not by testing the photoplethysmogram signals for one frame.

4. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 3, wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module tests and stores the state of heart rate from the photoplethysmogram signals of one frame if it is determined that it is normal photoplethysmogram according to the test results.

5. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 3, wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module queries the behavior patterns classified from the acceleration signals of at least one frame at other times adjacent to the frame to determine the emergency according to the photoplethysmogram, if it is determined that it is abnormal according to the test results.

6. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall is worn on the body of the user.

7. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 1, wherein the communication module transmits the emergency due to the fall or the emergency due to the photoplethysmogram to an emergency related agency through a gateway.

8. An apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall, comprising:

a sensor unit that senses acceleration and photoplethysmogram;

a photoplethysmogram/fall determining module that synthetically tests the acceleration signals and photoplethysmogram signals sensed by the sensor unit to determine whether an emergency occurs due to fall or an emergency occurs due to photoplethysmogram; and

a communication module that transmits the determined results,

wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module,

collects and frames the acceleration signals and the photoplethysmogram signals and tests and determines the acceleration signals and the photoplethysmogram signals in a frame unit,

tests the acceleration signals for one frame to decide whether the user conducts ordinary behavior or falls, and

queries the behavior pattern classified from acceleration signals of at least one frame at other times adjacent to the frame and the test results of the photoplethysmogram signal to determine the emergency due to the fall, if it is determined that the user falls according to the test results.

9. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 8, wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module estimates noise generated due to the motion of the user by using the acceleration signals and removes the estimated noise from the photoplethysmogram signals.

10. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 8, wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module decides the normal photoplethysmogram or not by testing the photoplethysmogram signals for one frame.

11. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall is worn on the body of the user.

12. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 8, wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module tests and stores the state of heart rate from the photoplethysmogram signals of one frame if it is determined that it is normal photoplethysmogram according to the test results.

13. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 8, wherein the photoplethysmogram/fall determining module queries the behavior patterns classified from the acceleration signals of at least one frame at other times adjacent to the frame to determine the emergency according to the photoplethysmogram, if it is determined that it is abnormal according to the test results.

14. The apparatus for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 8, wherein the communication module transmits the emergency due to the fall or the emergency due to the photoplethysmogram to an emergency related agency through a gateway.

15. A method for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall, comprising:

sensing acceleration signals and photoplethysmogram signals;

synthetically testing the acceleration signals and the photoplethysmogram to determine whether an emergency occurs due to fall or emergency occurs due to photoplethysmogram;

collecting and testing the acceleration signals for one frame; and

deciding whether one frame is in an ordinary life period or a fall period according to the test results,

wherein the determining further includes classifying and storing the behavior pattern from the acceleration signals of one frame if it is determined that the user conducts ordinary behavior according to the test results.

16. The method for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 15, wherein the determining further includes querying the behavior pattern classified from acceleration signals of at least one frame at other times adjacent to the frame and the test results of the photoplethysmogram signal to determine the emergency due to the fall, if it is determined that the user falls according to the test results.

17. The method for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 15, wherein the determining includes,

estimating noise generated due to the motion of the user by using the acceleration signals;

removing the estimated noise from the photoplethysmogram signals; and

deciding the normal photoplethysmogram or not by testing the photoplethysmogram signals in which noise is removed.

18. The method for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 17, wherein the determining tests and stores the state of heart rate from the photoplethysmogram signals of one frame if it is determined that it is normal photoplethysmogram according to the test results.

19. The method for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 17, wherein the determining queries the behavior patterns classified from the acceleration signals of at least one frame at other times adjacent to the frame to determine the emergency according to the photoplethysmogram, if it is determined that it is abnormal according to the test results.

20. The method for sensing photoplethysmogram and fall according to claim 15, further comprising transmitting the emergency due to the fall or the emergency due to the photoplethysmogram to an emergency related agency through a gateway.