Method and process for determining whether an individual suffers a fall requiring assistance

• US 10,096,223 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cerner Innovations, Inc.
• Inventors: Kusens, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNNINGS, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US14/575,850
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• 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 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A system and method that allows caregivers, central monitoring companies and other persons to monitor disabled, elderly or other high-risk individuals and obtain automatic notification of falls by such an individual, including, but not limited to, falls that require assistance. One or more 3D motion and sound sensors can be placed in the monitored individual'"'"'s room and provide continuous data which is analyze to determine when the individual has fallen.

Claims

1. A method for detecting when a monitored individual has fallen within a fall zone, said method comprising the steps of, at a computerized monitoring system:

(a) configuring a virtual fall zone within an area that an individual to be monitored is located;

(b) accessing one or more 3D motion and sound sensors to capture live video data from the area, the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors being programmed to lock on the monitored individual based on 3D coordinates of the individual to be monitored;

(c) receiving the video data from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors;

(d) determining when the monitored individual has become at least partially located within the virtual fall zone; and

(e) electronically transmitting an alert to a centralized monitoring system when the computerized monitoring system determines that the monitored individual has become at least partially located within the virtual fall zone.

2. The method for detecting of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining whether the monitored individual remained at least partially within the virtual fall zone for a predetermined period of time before electronically transmitting an alert to the centralized monitoring system.

3. The method for detecting of claim 1 further comprising the step of continuously displaying a live video feed of the monitored area received from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors on a centralized monitoring primary display that is remotely located from the monitored area.

4. The method for detecting of claim 1 further comprising the step of continuously displaying a live video feed of the monitored area received from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors on a centralized monitoring alert display after it has been determined that the monitored individual is at least partially disposed within the virtual fall zone.

5. The method for detecting of claim 3 further comprising the step of continuously displaying a live video feed of the monitored area received from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors on a centralized monitoring alert display after it has been determined that that the monitored individual is at least partially disposed within the virtual fall zone, wherein the centralized monitoring alert display is a separate display from the centralized monitoring primary display.

6. The method for detecting of claim 2 further comprising the step of continuously displaying a live video feed of the monitored area received from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors on a centralized monitoring alert display after it has been determined that the monitored individual is at least partially disposed within the virtual fall zone for the predetermined period of time.

7. The method for detecting of claim 1 further comprising the step of updating a database in communication with the computerized monitoring system regarding the determination that the monitored individual was at least partially located within the virtual fall zone.

8. The method for detecting of claim 1 further comprising the step of notifying a previously designated caregiver by electronic message regarding the determination that the monitored individual was at least partially located within the virtual fall zone.

9. The method for detecting of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises the steps of:

receiving a selection of a fall zone from a choice of icons appearing on a screen of a display where the live video feed from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors is visible on the screen;

receiving an indication to create an end point where the fall zone begins from a selection on the screen by an electronic cursor;

receiving a selection of a corner point for the fall zone from the electronic cursor selecting the corner point on the screen;

receiving selections for remaining corner points for the fall zone and receiving an indication to complete the virtual fall zone from selections on the screen by the electronic cursor.

10. The method for detecting of claim 9 further comprising the step of displaying a depth range box.

11. The method for detecting of claim 10 wherein the depth range box is displayed on the screen within a portion of the completed virtual fall zone.

12. The method for detecting of claim 1 further comprising the step of configuring the type of alert or alarm to generate in the event that it is determined that the individual is at least partially located within the virtual fall zone.

13. The method for detecting of claim 1 wherein the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors are programmed to provide data to the computerized monitoring system representing 3D coordinates of body joints for the monitored individual and a general skeletal outline of the monitored individual.

14. The method for detecting of claim 13 wherein the computerized monitoring system determines if the monitored individual has fallen by determining a location of one or more specific body segments of the monitored individual is within the virtual fall zone.

15. A method for detecting when a monitored individual has fallen within a fall zone, said method comprising the steps of, at a computerized monitoring system:

(a) configuring a virtual fall zone within an area that an individual to be monitored is located;

(b) accessing one or more 3D motion and sound sensors to capture live video data from the area, the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors being programmed to lock on the individual to be monitored based on 3D coordinates of the individual to be monitored;

(c) receiving the video data by the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors;

(d) determining when the monitored individual has become at least partially located within the virtual fall zone;

(e) determining whether the monitored individual remains at least partially within the virtual fall zone for a predetermined period of time; and

(f) electronically transmitting an alert to a centralized monitoring system when the computerized monitoring system determines that the monitored individual remains at least partially located within the virtual fall zone for at least the predetermined period of time.

16. The method for detecting of claim 15 further comprising the step of continuously displaying a live video feed of the monitored area received from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors on a centralized monitoring primary display that is remotely located from the monitored area.

17. The method for detecting of claim 15 further comprising the step of continuously displaying a live video feed of the monitored area received from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors on a centralized monitoring alert display after it has been determined that the monitored individual is at least partially disposed within the virtual fall zone for at least the predetermined period of time.

18. The method for detecting of claim 15 further comprising the step of notifying a previously designated caregiver by electronic message regarding the determination that the monitored individual was at least partially located within the virtual fall zone for at least the predetermined period of time.

19. A method for detecting when a monitored individual has fallen within a fall zone, said method comprising the steps of, at a computerized monitoring system:

(a) configuring a virtual fall zone within an area that an individual to be monitored is located;

(b) accessing one or more 3D motion and sound sensors to continuously capture live video data from the area, wherein the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors are programmed to lock on the monitored individual and provide data to the computerized monitoring system representing 3D coordinates of body joints for the monitored individual and a general skeletal outline of the monitored individual;

(c) receiving the video data from the one or more 3D motion and sound;

(d) determining when the monitored individual has become at least partially located within the virtual fall zone by a location of one or more specific body segments of the monitored individual being located in the virtual fall zone;

(e) determining whether the one or more specific body segments of the monitored individual remain within the virtual fall zone for a predetermined period of time; and

(f) electronically transmitting an alert to a centralized monitoring system when the computerized monitoring system determines that the monitored individual remains at least partially located within the virtual fall zone for at least the predetermined period of time.

20. The method for detecting of claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

continuously displaying a live video feed of the monitored area received from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors on a centralized monitoring primary display that is remotely located from the monitored area; and

continuously displaying a live video feed of the monitored area received from the one or more 3D motion and sound sensors on a centralized monitoring alert display after it has been determined that the monitored individual is at least partially disposed within the virtual fall zone for at least the predetermined period of time, wherein the centralized monitoring alert display is a separate display from the centralized monitoring primary display.