Sensor based activity monitor

• US 10,455,816 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Duan, Ning, Hu, Guoqiang, Huang, Jingchang, Ji, Peng, Zhu, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Quang
• Application Number:
  US15/214,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20180020643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications

Abstract

An apparatus or a method for detecting activity quantity of an object includes a sense unit, a count unit, a trigger unit, and a radio circuit. The sense unit senses movements of the object, and generates a sensing signal based on the sensed movements. The count unit receives the sensing signal from the sense unit, counts a number of the movements from the sensing signal, and generates a movement number signal including the number of the movements. The trigger unit generates a trigger signal based on whether one or more trigger conditions are satisfied. The radio circuit is triggered in response to the trigger signal, to generate an activity quantity signal based on the movement number signal and ID information corresponding to the object.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting activity quantity of an object, comprising:

a single integrated circuit device having integrated therein;

a sensor configured to sense one or more movements of the object, and to generate a first sensing signal based on the sensed one or more movements, the first sensing signal having one or more magnitudes corresponding to the sensed one or more movements;

a signal level comparator comprising;

a differential amplifier configured to receive the first sensing signal at a first input node of the differential amplifier and receive a threshold value signal at a second input node of the differential amplifier, said threshold value signal received at said second input node as a feedback signal from an output node of said differential amplifier through a resistor circuit, compare each of the one or more magnitudes of the first sensing signal with the threshold value signal, determine one or more portions of the first sensing signal whose magnitudes exceed the threshold value signal based on a comparison result between each of the one or more magnitudes and the threshold value, and output, through the output node of the differential amplifier, the determined one or more portions of the first sensing signal as a second sensing signal to a state machine implemented by a processor;

the state machine processor capturing one or more events, each captured event corresponding to one of the one or more movements of the object, based on acceleration data included in the second sensing signal;

a counter configured to receive the captured one or more events from the state machine processor, add the received captured one or more events to an accumulated number of movements, and output the accumulated number of the movements to each of a trigger signal generator and a radio transceiver;

the trigger signal generator configured to;

determine whether at least two trigger conditions are satisfied at least based on the accumulated number of the movements received from the counter, a first trigger condition related to the accumulated number of the movements and a second trigger condition related to an elapsed time, said elapsed time being provided by a timer in synchronization with the counter; and

generate a trigger signal in response to determination that the at least two trigger conditions are satisfied; and

output the trigger signal to the radio transceiver, said transceiver being normally in an unpowered off-state;

the radio transceiver configured to;

determine whether the trigger signal is received from the trigger signal generator;

be automatically powered up to an on-state from said off-state in response to determining that the trigger signal is received;

receive the accumulated number of the movements and ID information corresponding to the object;

generate an activity quantity signal based on the accumulated number of the movements and the ID information; and

transmit the activity quantity signal over a communication network;

wherein said capturing of the one or more events further comprises;

combining acceleration data included in the first sensing signal and a gait cycle of a pedestrian model to recognize an event corresponding to a movement.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes an acceleration sensor, and the first sensing signal includes an acceleration signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio transceiver includes a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the accumulated number of the movements is more than a predetermined number, it is determined that the first condition is satisfied.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the elapsed time is more than a predetermined time, it is determined that the second condition is satisfied.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an identification write unit integrated in the single integrated circuit device configured to receive the accumulated number of the movements output and including an identification (ID) information pertaining to the object being monitored with the accumulated number of the movements output.

7. A method for detecting activity quantity of an object, comprising:

sensing, by a sensor integrated in a single integrated circuit device, one or more movements of the object;

generating, by the sensor, a first sensing signal based on the sensed one or more movements, the first sensing signal having one or more magnitudes corresponding to the sensed one or more movements;

receiving, at a first input node of a differential amplifier of a signal level comparator integrated in the single integrated circuit device, the first sensing signal;

receiving, at a second input node of the differential amplifier a threshold value signal, said threshold value signal received at said second input node as a feedback signal from an output node of said differential amplifier through a resistor circuit integrated in the single integrated circuit device;

comparing, by the differential amplifier, each of the one or more magnitudes of the first sensing signal with the threshold value signal;

determining, by the differential amplifier, one or more portions of the first sensing signal whose magnitudes exceed the threshold value based on a comparison result between each of the one or more magnitudes and the threshold value;

outputting, through the output node of the differential amplifier, the determined one or more portions of the first sensing signal as a second sensing signal to a state machine implemented by a processor integrated in the single integrated circuit device;

capturing, by the state machine processor, one or more events, each captured event corresponding to one of the one or more movements of the object, based on acceleration data included in the second sensing signal;

adding, by a counter integrated in the single integrated circuit device, the captured one or more events to an accumulated number of movements;

outputting, by the counter, the accumulated number of the movements to each of a trigger signal generator integrated in the integrated circuit device and to a radio transceiver integrated in the single integrated circuit device;

determining, by the trigger signal generator, whether at least two trigger conditions are satisfied at least based on the accumulated number of the movements received from the counter, a first trigger condition related to the accumulated number of the movements and a second trigger condition related to an elapsed time, said elapsed time being provided by a timer in synchronization with the counter;

generating, by the trigger signal generator, a trigger signal in response to determination that the at least two trigger conditions are satisfied and outputting the trigger signal to the radio transceiver, said transceiver being normally in an unpowered off-state;

determining, by the radio transceiver, whether the trigger signal is received from the trigger signal generator;

automatically powering up the radio transceiver to an on-state from said off-state in response to determining that the trigger signal is received;

receiving, by the radio transceiver, the accumulated number of the movements and ID information corresponding to the object;

generating, by the radio transceiver, an activity quantity signal based on the accumulated number of the movements and the ID information; and

transmitting, by the radio transceiver, the activity quantity signal over a communication network;

wherein said capturing of the one or more events further comprises;

combining acceleration data included in the first sensing signal and a gait cycle of a pedestrian model to recognize an event corresponding to a movement.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein when the accumulated number of the movements is more than a predetermined number, it is determined that the first condition is satisfied.

9. The method of claim 7,

wherein when the elapsed time is more than a predetermined time, it is determined that the second condition is satisfied.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first sensing signal includes an acceleration signal sensed using an acceleration sensor.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the activity quantity signal is generated using a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

including, by an identification write unit integrated in the single integrated circuit device, an identification (ID) information pertaining to the object being monitored with the output the accumulated number of the movements.

13. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions, the computer readable program instructions read and carried out by a processing device for performing a method for detecting activity quantity of an object, wherein the method comprises:

sensing, using a sensor integrated in a single integrated circuit device, one or more movements of the object;

generating, using the sensor, a first sensing signal based on the sensed one or more movements, the first sensing signal having one or more magnitudes corresponding to the sensed one or more movements;

receiving, at a first input node of a differential amplifier of a signal level comparator integrated in the single integrated circuit device, the first sensing signal;

receiving, at a second input node of the differential amplifier a threshold value signal, said threshold value signal received at said second input node as a feedback signal from an output node of said differential amplifier through a resistor circuit integrated in the single integrated circuit device;

comparing, by the differential amplifier, each of the one or more magnitudes of the first sensing signal with the threshold value signal;

determining, by the differential amplifier, one or more portions of the first sensing signal whose magnitudes exceed the threshold value based on a comparison result between each of the one or more magnitudes and the threshold value;

outputting, through the output node of the differential amplifier, the determined one or more portions of the first sensing signal as a second sensing signal to a state machine implemented by a processor integrated in the single integrated circuit device;

capturing, using the state machine processor, one or more events, each captured event corresponding to one of the one or more movements of the object, based on acceleration data included in the second sensing signal;

adding, using a counter integrated in the single integrated circuit device, the captured one or more events to an accumulated number of movements;

outputting, using the counter, the accumulated number of the movements to each of a trigger signal generator integrated in the single integrated circuit device and a radio transceiver integrated in the single integrated circuit device;

determining, using the trigger signal generator, whether at least two trigger conditions are satisfied at least based on the accumulated number of the movements received from the counter, a first trigger condition related to the accumulated number of the movements and a second trigger condition related to an elapsed time, said elapsed time being provided by a timer in synchronization with the counter;

generating, using the trigger signal generator, a trigger signal for receipt by a radio circuit in response to determination that the at least two trigger conditions are satisfied and outputting the trigger signal to the radio transceiver, said transceiver being normally in an unpowered off-state;

determining, using the radio transceiver, whether the trigger signal is received from the trigger signal generator;

automatically powering up the radio transceiver to an on-state from said off-state powering up the radio transceiver in response to determining that the trigger signal is received;

receiving, using the radio transceiver, the accumulated number of the movements and ID information corresponding to the object;

generating, using the radio transceiver, an activity quantity signal based on the accumulated number of the movements and the ID information; and

transmitting, using the radio transceiver, the activity quantity signal over a communication network;

wherein said capturing of one or more events further comprises;

combining acceleration data included in the first sensing signal and a gait cycle of a pedestrian model to recognize an event corresponding to a movement.

14. The computer program product of claim 13,

wherein when the number of the movements is more than a predetermined number, it is determined that the first condition is satisfied.

15. The computer program product of claim 13,

wherein when the elapsed time is more than a predetermined time, it is determined that the second condition is satisfied.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the first sensing signal includes an acceleration signal sensed using an acceleration sensor.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the activity quantity signal is generated using a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.