Apparatus and a method for recognizing an activity of daily living

• US 7,978,075 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2008
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Kim, Hyoung Gon, Kim, Ig Jae, Ahn, Sang Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US12/134,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20090179739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 340/568.1, 340/825.19, 340/669, 340/573.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 340/689, 340/10.1, 600/595, 434/247, 434/251, 434/252, 434/253, 434/256, 601/23
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• 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 5/7264 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: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus for recognizing an activity of daily living (ADL). The apparatus includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader for reading the information of an RFID tag to recognize a motion object, a motion detector attached on a moving subject for acquiring acceleration information and recognizing a motion characteristic, and a controller for receiving information on the motion object from the RFID reader and information on the motion characteristic from the motion detector and then recognizing an ADL.

Claims

1. An apparatus for identifying an activity of a moving subject, the apparatus comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader for identifying a motion object separate from the moving subject by reading an RFID tag attached to the motion object;

a motion detector attached to the moving subject for identifying a motion characteristic of the moving subject by detecting acceleration of the moving subject; and

a controller for identifying the activity of the moving subject based on an identity of the motion object received from the RFID reader and a type of motion of the moving subject, the controller configured to identify the activity by;

classifying the motion characteristic received from the motion detector into a motion type in predetermined motion type classes; and

recognizing the activity responsive to the classified motion type and the identified motion object satisfying a predetermined relationship.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the motion type classes include an up-and-down motion, a down-and-up motion, a left-and-right motion, a right-and-left motion, a front-and-back motion, a back-and-front motion and a rotational motion.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller recognizes the motion object based on the identity of the motion object received from the RFID reader, and recognizes the motion type that can be taken with the identified motion object.

4. A method for identifying an activity of a moving subject, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a characteristic of a motion by detecting acceleration of a moving subject, comprising;

determining motion of a lower part of the moving subject; and

determining motion of an upper part of the moving subject;

identifying a motion object by reading information from an RFID tag attached to the motion object, the moving subject separate from the motion object; and

identifying the activity of the moving subject based on the identified motion characteristic and the identified motion object, comprising;

classifying the motion characteristic into a motion type in predetermined motion type classes; and

recognizing the activity responsive to the classified motion type and the identified motion object satisfying a predetermined relationship.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the motion type classes include an up-and-down motion, a down-and-up motion, a left-and-right motion, a right-and-left motion, a front-and-back motion, a back-and-front motion, and a rotational motion.