Portable electronic apparatus, and falling prediction method

• US 9,299,235 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kasama, Kouichirou
• Primary Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US13/848,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 600/595
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0223 Magnetic field sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• 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: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

There is provided a computer-readable medium storing a program causing a processor to execute a procedure. The processor is provided in a portable electronic apparatus. The procedure includes detecting acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus, determining whether or not the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is a threshold value or less, the threshold value being stored in a determination threshold value table, and raising an alarm for prediction of stumbling of a user when the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program causing a processor to execute a procedure, the processor being provided in a portable electronic apparatus, the procedure comprising:

detecting acceleration in a gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus;

detecting a walking frequency of a user;

determining whether or not the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is a threshold value or less for a predetermined amount of time, the threshold value being stored in a determination threshold value table;

raising an alarm for predicting stumbling of the user when the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less; and

changing the threshold value so that the threshold value is increased as the detected walking frequency is increased, the threshold value being calculated depending on an average value of the detected walking frequency in a certain time period,

wherein the detecting of the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction includes calculating a ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis, the ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis corresponding to detected acceleration in each coordinate axis as detected by an acceleration sensor of the portable electronic apparatus being held by the user in a static state with respect to the sum of the detected acceleration in all of the coordinate axes,

wherein the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus is calculated based on the calculated ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis with respect to the gravitational acceleration direction.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program according to claim 1, wherein

in the raising of an alarm, the alarm is for prediction of stumbling of the user when a state in which the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less continues for a certain time period.

3. A portable electronic apparatus comprising:

a processor that executes processing including,

detecting acceleration in a gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus;

detecting a walking frequency of a user;

determining whether or not the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is a threshold value or less for a predetermined amount of time, the threshold value being stored in a determination threshold value table;

causing an alarm for prediction of stumbling of the user when the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less; and

changing the threshold value so that the threshold value is increased as the detected walking frequency is increased, the threshold value being calculated depending on an average value of the detected walking frequency in a certain time period,

wherein the detecting of the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction includes calculating a ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis, the ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis corresponding to detected acceleration in each coordinate axis as detected by an acceleration sensor of the portable electronic apparatus being held by the user in a static state with respect to the sum of the detected acceleration in all of the coordinate axes,

wherein the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus is calculated based on the calculated ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis with respect to the gravitational acceleration direction.

4. A falling prediction method causing a portable electronic apparatus to execute processing, the processing comprising:

detecting acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus being carried by a user;

detecting a walking frequency of the user;

determining whether or not the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is a threshold value or less for a predetermined amount of time, the threshold value being stored in a determination threshold value table;

raising an alarm for prediction of stumbling of the user when the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction is the threshold value or less; and

changing the threshold value so that the threshold value is increased as the detected walking frequency is increased, the threshold value being calculated depending on an average value of the detected walking frequency in a certain time period,

wherein the detecting of the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction includes calculating a ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis, the ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis corresponding to detected acceleration in each coordinate axis as detected by an acceleration sensor of the portable electronic apparatus being held by the user in a static state with respect to the sum of the detected acceleration in all of the coordinate axes,

wherein the acceleration in the gravitational acceleration direction of the portable electronic apparatus is calculated based on the calculated ratio of acceleration for each coordinate axis with respect to the gravitational acceleration direction.