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Elderly fall monitoring method and device

  • US 6,433,690 B2
  • Filed: 12/11/2000
  • Issued: 08/13/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for monitoring a person'"'"'s fall using an accelerometer included in a personal monitoring device configured to be carried on the person, having a microprocessor and a memory buffer, wherein data is stored in the buffer of the personal monitoring device, comprising the steps of:

  • (a) sampling an output from the accelerometer indicative of body acceleration and body angle;

    (b) detecting whether the body angle is in a steady state indicative of a fall for at least two seconds;

    (c) measuring a fall duration by reading back through the buffer;

    (d) determining if an uncontrolled fall has taken place by testing whether the fall duration is less than a time threshold; and

    (e) determining whether a severe fall has occurred by comparing an angular rate of change of the body angle and an acceleration amplitude change to a severity threshold.

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