Mobile function device

• US 9,998,893 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Esenwein, Florian, Schadow, Joachim, Stock, Joern, Wiker, Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US15/383,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041-4042, 455418-420, 4554561-4563, 455457
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/20 Workers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/683 Means for maintaining contact with the body A61B5/6802 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/00 Details or components of portable power-driven tools not particularly related to the operations performed and not otherwise provided for
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

The disclosure is a mobile tool-system function device that can be disposed on an extremity of an operator, having at least one sensor unit for sensing at least one operator-specific characteristic quantity and/or at least one position-specific characteristic quantity, and having at least one computing unit, which is designed to determine at least one state, in particular an emergency situation, in dependence on the at least one sensed operator-specific characteristic quantity and/or the at least one sensed position-specific characteristic quantity. The mobile function device further comprises at least one plausibility unit, which is designed to perform a plausibility check, in particular a plausibility check in respect of the presence of an emergency situation, in dependence on the at least one sensed operator-specific characteristic quantity and/or the at least one sensed position-specific characteristic quantity.

Claims

1. A mobile tool-system function device configured to be disposed on an extremity of an operator, the device comprising:

a plurality of sensors formed in a housing, the plurality of sensors comprising;

a first sensor configured to detect a first position-specific characteristic quantity of the mobile tool-system function device, the first sensor comprising an acceleration sensor;

a second sensor configured to detect an operator-specific characteristic quantity of the operator;

a communication unit configured to receive a second position-specific characteristic quantity generated and transmitted from a power tool that is external to the mobile tool-system function device; and

a processor operatively connected to the plurality of sensors, the processor being configured to;

identify a potential emergency situation based on the first position-specific characteristic quantity from the first sensor, and the second position-specific characteristic quantity from the power tool, the processor being further configured to;

identify the potential emergency situation as a fall of the operator based on the first position-specific characteristic quantity corresponding to the acceleration sensor detecting an acceleration of the mobile tool-system function device that exceeds a predetermined threshold followed by an absence of acceleration indicating immobility of the operator and based on the second position-specific characteristic quantity corresponding to an acceleration of the power tool that exceeds the predetermined threshold;

identify that the mobile tool-system function device is disposed on the extremity of the operator based on the second sensor detecting the operator-specific characteristic quantity; and

generate an output indicating an emergency situation only in response to identification of the potential emergency situation and identification that the mobile tool-system function device is disposed on the extremity of the operator.

2. The mobile tool-system function device of claim 1 further comprising:

the communication unit being configured to transmit electronic data to an external unit in the power tool used by the operator; and

the processor being further configured to;

transmit the electronic data to the external unit in the power tool to switch off the power tool as the output indicating the emergency situation.

3. The mobile tool-system function device according to claim 1 further comprising:

an output device in the housing; and

the processor being operatively connected to the output device and further configured to;

generate at least one of an optical output and acoustic output indicating the emergency situation.

4. The mobile tool-system function device according to claim 1, the second sensor further comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to measure a body temperature of the operator to identify contact between the mobile tool-system function device and the extremity of the operator.

5. The mobile tool-system function device according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one fastening unit at least configured to fasten the at least one sensor unit to the extremity of the operator.

6. The mobile tool-system function device according to claim 1, the second sensor further comprising:

a pulse sensor configured to measure a pulse of the operator to identify contact between the mobile tool-system function device and the extremity of the operator.

7. A system comprising:

a power tool configured to be used by an operator, the power tool comprising;

an external unit configured to transmit and receive electronic data; and

a first sensor configure to detect a first position-specific characteristic quantity corresponding to the power tool; and

a mobile tool-system function device configured to be disposed on an extremity of an operator, the device comprising;

a plurality of sensors formed in a housing, the plurality of sensors comprising;

a second sensor configured to detect a second position-specific characteristic quantity of the mobile tool-system function device, the second sensor comprising an acceleration sensor; and

a third sensor configured to detect an operator-specific characteristic quantity of the operator;

a communication unit configured to receive electronic data from the external unit in the power tool and to transmit electronic data to the external unit in the power tool; and

a processor operatively connected to the plurality of sensors and the communication unit, the processor being configured to;

identify a potential emergency situation based on the first position-specific characteristic quantity corresponding to the power tool and the second position-specific characteristic quantity of the mobile tool-system function device, the processor being further configured to;

identify the potential emergency situation as a fall of the operator based on the first position-specific characteristic quantity corresponding to an acceleration of the power tool that exceeds a predetermined threshold and based on the second position-specific characteristic quantity corresponding to the second sensor detecting an acceleration of the mobile tool-system function device that exceeds the predetermined threshold followed by an absence of acceleration indicating immobility of the operator;

identify that the mobile tool-system function device is disposed on the extremity of the operator based on the third sensor detecting the operator-specific characteristic quantity; and

transmit electronic data with the communication unit to the external unit in the power tool to switch off the power tool only in response to identification of the potential emergency situation and identifying that the mobile tool-system function device is disposed on the extremity of the operator.

8. A method for detecting an emergency situation in a system with a mobile tool-system function device configured to be disposed on an extremity of an operator comprising:

receiving, with a processor in the mobile tool-system function device, first sensor data from a first sensor in the mobile tool-system function device configured to detect a first position-specific characteristic quantity of the mobile tool-system function device;

receiving, with the processor, second sensor data from a second sensor in the in the mobile tool-system function device configured to detect an operator-specific characteristic quantity of the operator;

receiving, with the processor and a communication unit in the mobile tool-system function device, third sensor data corresponding to a second position-specific characteristic quantity of a power tool, the third sensor data being generated and transmitted from the power tool that is external to the mobile tool-system function device;

identifying, with the processor, a potential emergency situation based on the first sensor data and the third sensor data, the identifying further comprising;

identifying the potential emergency situation as a fall of the operator based on the first position-specific characteristic quantity corresponding to the acceleration sensor detecting an acceleration of the mobile tool-system function device that exceeds a predetermined threshold followed by an absence of acceleration indicating immobility of the operator and based on the second position-specific characteristic quantity corresponding to an acceleration of the power tool that exceeds the predetermined threshold;

identifying, with the processor, that the mobile tool-system function device is disposed on the extremity of the operator based on the second sensor detecting the operator-specific characteristic quantity; and

generating, with the processor, an output indicating an emergency situation only in response to identifying the potential emergency situation and identifying that the mobile tool-system function device is disposed on the extremity of the operator.