DETERMINING BODY POSTURES AND ACTIVITIES

• US 20140128778A1
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vital Connect, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vital Connect, Inc.
• Inventors: CHAN, Alexander, FERDOSI, Nima, NARASIMHAN, Ravi
• Granted Patent: US 9,999,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

A method and wireless sensor device for determining body postures and activities. In one aspect, a method includes receiving sensor data. The method also includes detecting and classifying a body transition of a body based on the sensor data. The method also includes detecting if there is activity of the body based on the sensor data. If there is activity, the method also includes classifying the activity. If there is no activity, the method also includes classifying a rest position of the body based on the sensor data and based on a previous body transition.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining body postures and activities, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data;

detecting and classifying a body transition of a body based on the sensor data;

detecting if there is activity of the body based on the sensor data;

if there is activity, classifying the activity; and

if there is no activity, classifying a rest position of the body based on the sensor data and based on a previous body transition.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising calibrating the sensor data such that axes of the sensor matches axes of a body.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the body transition comprises detecting if the body is transitioning from a first body position to a second body position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the body transition comprises:

computing a transition signal;

determining if the transition signal exceeds a transition threshold; and

if the transition signal exceeds the transition threshold, classifying if the body transition is a particular body transition.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the body transition is one of sitting-to-standing, standing-to-sitting, or bending over.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting if there is activity of the body comprises:

determining a signal magnitude area of the accelerometer signals;

determining if the signal magnitude area is greater than an activity threshold; and

determining if the signal magnitude area is greater than the activity threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity is one of walking or running.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the classifying of the rest position of the body comprises:

computing a vertical angle; and

classifying the rest position based on the vertical angle and a previous body transition.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the rest position is one of sitting, standing, or lying down.

10. A body sensor device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device coupled to the processor, wherein the sensor device includes an application that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving sensor data;

detecting and classifying a body transition of a body based on the sensor data;

detecting if there is activity of the body based on the sensor data;

if there is activity, classifying the activity; and

if there is no activity, classifying a rest position of the body based on the sensor data and based on a previous body transition.

11. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising calibrating the sensor data such that axes of the sensor matches axes of a body.

12. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the detecting of the body transition comprises detecting if the body is transitioning from a first body position to a second body position.

13. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the detecting of the body transition comprises:

computing a transition signal;

determining if the transition signal exceeds a transition threshold; and

if the transition signal exceeds the transition threshold, classifying if the body transition is a particular body transition.

14. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the body transition is one of sitting-to-standing, standing-to-sitting, or bending over.

15. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the detecting if there is activity of the body comprises:

determining a signal magnitude area of the accelerometer signals;

determining if the signal magnitude area is greater than an activity threshold; and

determining if the signal magnitude area is greater than the activity threshold.

16. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the activity is one of walking or running.

17. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the classifying of the rest position of the body comprises:

computing a vertical angle; and

classifying the rest position based on the vertical angle and a previous body transition.

18. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the rest position is sitting.

19. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the rest position is standing.

20. The body sensor device of claim 10, wherein the rest position is lying down.