Person positioning and health care monitoring system

• US 9,603,527 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chung Hua University
• Original Assignee: Chung Hua University
• Inventors: Lin, Jium Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, NABIL H
• Application Number:
  US14/448,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20160034731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/08 Elderly
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0026 characterised by the transmission medium
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1121 Determining geometric values, e.g. centre of rotation or angular range of movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves

Abstract

A person positioning and health care monitoring system includes a monitoring center, a RFID tag device, and a tracking module. The monitoring center includes positioning data corresponding to a target. The RFID tag device is located on the target and includes a memory storing a target identification (ID) number and an infrared LED. Each tracking module includes infrared cameras and an RFID device. The tracking module uses the RFID device to communicate with the RFID tag device so as to receive the target identification (ID) number. The tracking module communicates with the monitoring center so as to provide the target identification (ID) number and orientation data corresponding to the target for the monitoring center. The monitoring center determines coordinates of the target according to coordinates of the tracking module and the orientation data corresponding to the target.

Claims

1. A person positioning and health care monitoring system comprising:

a monitoring center storing position data of a plurality of targets;

a plurality of RFID tag devices corresponding to the plurality of targets, each RFID tag device comprising a memory and an infrared LED, the memory storing an identification (ID) number of a corresponding one of the targets; and

a first tracking module comprising a plurality of infrared cameras and an RFID device;

wherein the first tracking module obtains, from the memory of each of the RFID tag devices, the identification (ID) numbers of the RFID tag devices by using the RFID device to communicate with the plurality of RFID tag devices;

wherein the first tracking module communicates with the monitoring center by the RFID device so as to send the identification (ID) numbers of the targets and orientation data corresponding to the targets to the monitoring center;

wherein after the monitoring center receives the identification (ID) numbers of the targets and the orientation data of the targets, the monitoring center determines coordinates of the targets for positioning according to both coordinates of the first tracking module and the orientation data corresponding to the targets; and

wherein the plurality of infrared cameras generates a plurality of pictures of the targets to determine the orientation data,

wherein the orientation data comprises azimuth and elevation angles of the targets.

2. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the first tracking module comprises a plurality of stepping motors for each infrared camera, wherein each of the plurality of stepping motors is configured to rotate the corresponding infrared camera up, down, left, and right so as to track the targets.

3. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 2, wherein each infrared camera is rotated according to the tracking error angles of an infrared image of a targets-picture of the infrared camera from the average values of target azimuth data and elevation data in the azimuth and elevation axes of the infrared camera.

4. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 1, wherein when the first tracking module obtains and determines the average values of the new orientation data of the targets, the first tracking module sends the new orientation data of the targets to the monitoring center, wherein the new orientation data comprises azimuth and elevation angles.

5. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising a second tracking module, wherein the first tracking module and the second tracking module are configured to respectively monitor different first and second regions, wherein when one of the targets moves from the first region monitored by the first tracking module to the second region, the first tracking module send the latest orientation data of the one of the targets to the monitoring center or the second tracking module, wherein the latest orientation data comprises azimuth and elevation angles.

6. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the monitoring center sends the latest orientation data to the second tracking module.

7. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 5, wherein when the second tracking module detects the one of the targets, the second tracking module reads the identification (ID) number of the one of the targets.

8. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 7, wherein after the second tracking module sends the identification (ID) number and new orientation data of the one of the targets to the monitoring center and the monitoring center receives the identification (ID) number and the new orientation data, the monitoring center determines coordinates of the one of the targets according to coordinates of the second tracking module and the new orientation data provided by the corresponding RFID device for positioning.

9. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each RFID tag device comprises a temperature sensor and each RFID tag device uses the corresponding RFID device to send a measured temperature to the monitoring center.

10. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each RFID tag device comprises a blood pressure meter and each RFID tag device uses the corresponding RFID device to send a measured blood pressure to the monitoring center.

11. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each RFID tag device comprises a heart beat rate monitor and each RFID tag device uses the corresponding RFID device to send a measured heart beat rate to the monitoring center.

12. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each RFID tag device comprises a Z-axis accelerometer and each RFID tag device uses the corresponding RFID device to send a measured Z-axis acceleration to the monitoring center.

13. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 12, wherein if one of the Z-axis accelerations is less than or equal to a threshold, the monitoring center generates a warning.

14. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring center is configured to send a shutdown signal to one of the RFID tag devices so as to turn off the one of the RFID tag devices.

15. The person positioning and health care monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each RFID tag device comprises a power supply configured to supply electricity to the infrared LED and the RFID tag chip.