Safety monitoring system using intelligent walking stick

• US 9,852,600 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ion Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ion Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoon, Jang-Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Leon-Viet
• Application Number:
  US15/299,187
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 3/00 Sticks combined with other objects
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 3/08 with measuring or weighing appliances
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0184 by raising an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/501 connected to external computer devices or networks
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5061 Force sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5069 Angle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5084 Acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/06 Heartbeat rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/00 Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04; orthopaedic devices for correcting deformities of, or supporting, limbs A61F5/0102; exercising apparatus for the feet or toes A63B23/10; stairways or ramps E04F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

Disclosed is a safety monitoring system using an intelligent walking stick, the system helps stabilize ambulation of a user, monitors safety and health of the user by monitoring the heart rate or a motion state of the user, and includes content providing mental stimulation and exercise to the user via an application.

Claims

1. A safety monitoring system using an intelligent walking stick, the system comprising:

an intelligent walking stick comprising;

a motion sensing part generating motion information by sensing a motion according to a change in slope, position, and angle of the intelligent walking stick;

a health sensing part generating health information by sensing a heart rate of a user; and

a transmitter;

a main server comprising;

an information receiving part receiving the motion information and the health information generated from the motion sensing part and the health sensing part through the transmitter of the intelligent walking stick;

an emergency notification part determining an emergency situation of the user and notifying the emergency situation to a management terminal when the motion information and the health information are not sensed while receiving the motion information and the health information from the information receiving part; and

a body information storing part calculating and storing body information, the body information comprising the heart rate, a number of paces, and a number of calories burned of the user which are calculated using the motion information of the intelligent walking stick and the health information of the user transmitted from the information receiving part; and

a user terminal comprising a motion interacting application, the motion interacting application comprising exercise content, game content, and health management content that all employ the motion information transmitted from the information receiving part or the body information transmitted from the body information storing part, the exercise content displaying the motion information on a screen of the user terminal by using the motion information as an exercise input signal when the exercise content is executed by a selection of the user, the game content displaying a specific image on the screen of the user terminal and moving the specific image by using the motion information as a game input signal when the game content is executed by a selection of the user, and the health management content always being forcibly executed and displaying the body information on one end of the screen of the user terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent walking stick further comprises a global positioning system (GPS) part installed therein and sensing current positional information of the intelligent walking stick,

wherein the motion sensing part comprises an acceleration sensor module measuring acceleration information and slope information of the intelligent walking stick, and an angular velocity sensor module measuring angular velocity information of the intelligent walking stick, and the health sensing part comprises a heart rate sensor module measuring the heart rate of the user and a pressure sensor module measuring pressure information generated whenever a lower end of the intelligent walking stick comes into contact with a ground.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the motion interacting application further comprises:

a motion information receiving part that receives the acceleration information, the slope information, and the angular velocity information of the intelligent walking stick transmitted from the receiving part of the main server;

a signal converting part that converts the acceleration information, the slope information, and the angular velocity information of the intelligent walking stick transmitted from the motion information receiving part to the exercise input signal and the game input signal; and

an executing part that executes the game content or the exercise content by using the converted input signals of the signal converting part.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the game content further comprises first gaming sub-content that implements:

a first moving image that is displayed on the screen of the user terminal and moves on the screen according to the acceleration information, the slope information, and the angular velocity information of the intelligent walking stick transmitted to the signal converting part; and

an obstacle image that is periodically displayed on the screen at a location near the first moving image for a predetermined time, and temporarily pauses a movement of the first moving image when the obstacle image comes into contact with the first moving image.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the game content further comprises second gaming sub-content that implements:

a second moving image that is displayed on the screen of the user terminal and moves on the screen according to the acceleration information, the slope information, and the angular velocity information of the intelligent walking stick transmitted to the signal converting part; and

a target image that is displayed on the screen at a location spaced apart from the second moving image, the target image being made to appear at one end of the screen and displayed on the screen for a predetermined time and being made to disappear at the other end of the screen, and also being made to disappear when contacting the second moving image and then being made to re-appear at another position of the screen.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the main server further comprises a motion state database that stores the motion information comprising the acceleration information, the slope information, and the angular velocity information of the intelligent walking stick transmitted to the information receiving part, and a health state database that stores the health information comprising the heart rate of the user and the pressure information transmitted to the information receiving part,

wherein the emergency notification part generates a first emergency signal when the motion information exceeds a predetermined motion reference range, generates a second emergency signal when the health information exceeds a predetermined health reference range, and transmits the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal together with the positional information sensed by the GPS part to the management terminal after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed from when the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal is generated.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the intelligent walking stick further comprises an emergency button that generates a third emergency signal when the emergency button is pressed, and transmits the third emergency signal and the positional information sensed by the GPS part to the main server after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed from when the third emergency signal is generated.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the intelligent walking stick further comprises a safety confirmation button that generates a safety confirmation signal when the safety confirmation button is pressed within the predetermined waiting time, and stops generating the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal generated from the emergency notification part and stops the generation of the third emergency signal generated from the emergency button.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the intelligent walking stick further comprises a safety confirmation button that generates a safety confirmation signal when the safety confirmation button is pressed within the predetermined waiting time, and stops generating the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal generated from the emergency notification part and stops the generation of the third emergency signal generated from the emergency button.