BE1023027B1 - Improved method and system of home care - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an improved home care system for monitoring and following up a person in need. In addition, it concerns an improved method for monitoring and following up a person in need, and a use of the system for carrying out the method.

FIG. 1

Description

IMPROVED METHOD AND SYSTEM OF HOME CARE TECHNICAL DOMAIN

The invention relates to an improved method and system of home care, wherein a home care system can monitor a person in need and communicates with a central server for generating an appropriate response to alarm situations.

BACKGROUND ART

A problem with the known home care systems or other monitoring systems is that they only perform a limited check or monitoring on the person in need of care, and moreover often need to be controlled by the person in need of help themselves, for example with emergency buttons. For example, it is difficult for a health care service to respond appropriately to such a call, as they often do not contain sufficient information about the situation. Placing video surveillance in the home of the person in need is an expensive and time-consuming option, since the images must be checked and interpreted in the event of problems. For general calls related to problems, it is therefore important to be able to send a correct contact person or caregiver as quickly as possible to evaluate the incident and assist the person in need of assistance. The known systems and methods do not adequately provide a method that allows a correct response to be generated, and according to simply pre-programmed lists of contacts or groups that are notified. Such systems may also be provided with a method to prevent certain warnings, such as a short period of time between indicating that someone is being notified and the effective warning, which allows stopping the warning. This requires another intervention by the person in need of help or another, while in many cases this may not be possible, for example due to confusion or inexperience of the user of a system.

A problem with other known systems and methods is that they are capable of providing an 'intelligent' response to an alarm, for example based on circumstances of the alarm, available contacts and other options, but that these systems and methods do not offer sufficient possibilities to monitor the person in need of help.

United States application US 2014/0225731 describes a monitoring system with different sensor modules, and a hub module. The sensor modules can communicate wirelessly with the hub module and can communicate alarms to the hub module. The hub module is responsible for the further evaluation of the alarms from the sensor modules and for notifying third parties in the event of an alarm.

In the international application WO 2009 / 136,259 reference is made to a method and system for handling alarm situations, in which information about an alarm is received with a location, after which a central system based on an algorithm that possibly analyzes scenarios in order to be able to do so. contact a suitable healthcare provider and send it. Attention is paid to the skills, proximity and accessibility of the care providers, whereby a subsequent care provider is contacted in the event of a negative response from the previously contacted care provider. However, it is not made clear here how the alarms are detected, on the basis of which parameters and whether an analysis is already taking place. An improved system and method are needed that can efficiently register and transmit possible alarm situations.

European patent EP 0,905,956 describes a method for an algorithm that, based on the information requested in a telephone conversation, automatically transfers the caller to an agent who can give the requested information, the algorithm taking into account the physical location of the caller and the agent, the skills of the agent and other factors. However, the method does not solve the problem of an efficient way of automatically passing on the situation if, for example, the caller is no longer physically able to make a call, or has no phone in sight. The algorithm does describe an adequate way to find a suitable contact person for the problem the caller has, but is completely dependent on the caller for reporting the problem, which in addition to the aforementioned problems can also cause a bias, since the caller sometimes cannot assess the situation or the problem, or deliberately passes it on incorrectly.

The American application US 2014/0365390 describes a method and system for informing care providers and contact persons in the event of an alarm. Again, it is an algorithm based on information about the nature of an alarm and the circumstances surrounding it, to make a correct decision as to which care services and / or care providers to send. Again, the algorithm is based, among other things, on training, skills, accreditation and proximity of healthcare providers. However, nowhere does it elaborate on gathering the necessary information to base the decision on, and moreover the algorithm appears to base itself on the available information of the call and any subsequent calls.

International application WO 2005 / 091,822 describes a method and system for automatic call distribution that takes into account skills, location (and therefore also distance) and other characteristics of the possible contact persons. Again, little is said about how the requested information is recorded, and the system cannot be easily applied in monitoring and responding to emergency situations such as the purpose of the invention according to this document, since the application does not provide the means for this hands over.

International application WO 2011 / 060,388 describes a method for passing on information to medical care providers, where they are registered at a central point, and where this central point receives information about medical problem situations in humans. On the basis of an algorithm that makes a suitable choice from the registered care providers, the suitable choice is notified and provided with the information that is central to the medical problem situation. The algorithm that must make the choice is based, as in previous documents, on factors such as proximity, skill, past and other of the registered care providers. The caregivers are possibly equipped with a personal portable device through which the caregivers can be contacted from the central point. In addition, a system with a central point is also described which can implement the method described above, wherein the central point is able to collect information and, after choosing a suitable healthcare provider, passes it on to the selected healthcare provider. Again little or nothing has been said about the way in which the information is collected, and the user has been handed over to, for example, emergency calls from bystanders or from the victim himself, which entails the danger that there are no bystanders or that the victim is not in is able to make the call.

There is a growing need for care for the elderly, people with dementia, people who can no longer live fully independently but also want to retain some independence, people who need care, with or without partners (who may not be able to provide adequate care). Care centers cannot provide adequate care for this, family cannot always take care of these persons, and if they continue to live independently with a partner, this is also not a guarantee of care security, since the partners are often already older, or possibly with their own As mentioned, these people can and will often continue to live and live in their own homes for a while (possibly with a partner), which is why such home care systems are a necessary step in the extended semi-independent living of the elderly. these systems are not yet sufficiently developed and / or expensive and / or impractical.

The present invention aims to find a solution to at least some of the above problems, and to describe a system that performs monitoring of people in an efficient manner, as well as reporting to a central point, as well as notifying an appropriate healthcare provider or other contacts. The object of the invention is thus to provide an efficient monitoring system that makes decisions in an alarm algorithm in the event of emergency needs and informs the correct contact persons on the basis of the algorithm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates in a first aspect to a home care system for monitoring a person in need of help. The home care system comprises at least one hub module and one or more spatially removed sensor modules with sensors. The sensor modules are suitable for monitoring a room with the sensors, and are suitable for exchanging data with the hub module. The sensor modules are suitable to be controlled by the hub module. This is preferably done via a wireless connection, and more preferably via a Bluetooth connection. The hub module is suitable for exchanging data with the sensor modules, and also with a central server. This is preferably done via a WiFi connection, and / or a GPRS connection and / or a wired connection. The hub module does not evaluate the data that is exchanged with the central server.

The invention relates in a second aspect to a home care system for monitoring a person in need of help on the basis of adjustable safety parameters and for automatically notifying registered third parties. The system comprises at least one hub module, at least one central server and one or more spatially removed sensor modules, the sensor modules being equipped to monitor environmental conditions where the sensor modules are located. The hub module can exchange (send and receive) data with the central server (or with several). The hub module and the sensor modules are furthermore suitable for exchanging data, and are preferably configured in a master-slave ratio, wherein a single hub module controls the sensor modules and the sensor modules report to the hub module. The environmental conditions that are monitored by the sensor modules relate to the safety parameters (such as maximum and / or minimum temperature, maximum / minimum noise level, movement, and others). All data that the sensor modules register is communicated to the hub module, which communicates the data to the central server. If the data indicates that the environmental conditions violate one or more of the safety parameters, an alarm is triggered from the central server.

The central server is suitable for alerting one or more of the registered third parties with an alert containing as much relevant information as possible when an alarm is struck. This relevant information can be a location description that is as accurate as possible (for example if the sensor modules are arranged over a large domain or house or the like), the precise violation (fire, water leak, burglary, explosion, etc.), but also other environmental conditions, name of the person in need of help, and further information. The algorithm selects the third parties to be notified on the basis of at least the skills of the third parties, the alarm itself (for example, if it is known that it is a medical emergency, the emergency services are immediately notified, in case of burglary the police, while in the case of an open window simply a family member can be notified), the proximity of the third parties to the location of the alarm, and also any preferred settings (preference for certain caregiver, family members who can activate a holiday mode and are automatically skipped by the algorithm, ...) . The central server can mutually exchange data with the hub module, and in addition also evaluate the data of the hub module, indicating an alarm in the event of breach of the security parameters by the data. The central server is also capable of executing the algorithm and notifying third parties according to the algorithm. This notification can for example via a text message, an automatic telephone call, an audio message and / or other signals or a combination of several of the aforementioned.

In a possible embodiment, the hub module and at least one of the sensor modules exchange data via radio frequency radiation (RF). This is preferably done via a Bluetooth connection. Other possibilities for this, of course, also exist, namely wired connections between sensor and hub modules, for example Ethernet, wireless such as running on a WiFi network or via a GPRS network. Preferably, the sensor modules have a common way of communicating with the hub module, which simplifies the simplicity of the devices. Since there are small distances between the devices that communicate, a Bluetooth connection is ideal.

In a possible embodiment, the third parties who are notified by the central server can give a response to the central server. On the basis of the answers, the central server can switch off the alarm, temporarily or otherwise, or notify another third party or other third parties again using the algorithm. The previously notified third parties are not included, whereby new third parties will be selected by the algorithm. In the event of a positive response from a third party, which means that the third party will 'accept' the notification and indicate that the third party will act on the notification, the central server will preferably stop the alarm temporarily or not, and no further third parties are warned. With a temporary stop, a period can be given, after which the alarm will be resumed unless the third party who gave the positive answer gives a signal to the central server that the alarm has been handled and / or over. In the case of a negative answer or the absence of an answer over a preset time (30 seconds, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 minutes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 18, 24 hours), another third party or other third parties are notified with the warning. Here again the same algorithm is used as before, albeit that the third parties already notified about the alarm are not included in the registered third parties in a subsequent iteration. In a further embodiment, in the event of an alarm, a sequence can be drawn up by the central server from the registered third parties, and these are notified in this order, whereby in the event of a negative answer or the absence of an answer, the next one in the order is switched on . Arranging the registered third parties does not have to be complete, for example, only a first number of (most suitable) third parties (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 20, 25, 30) , 50, 100), since there is little chance that the list must be completely traversed in the event of an alarm. In a further preferred embodiment, the central server notifies the third parties according to a cascade pattern.

In a possible embodiment, the central server records all events in a log. The events here include all alarms with associated breached safety parameter (s) and preferably also the other measured parameters. Furthermore, the events also include the answers from the notified third parties, as well as the lack of answers from the notified third parties.

In a possible embodiment, the home care system comprises a portable tracking device adapted to be carried by a reliant person. The hub module and / or the sensor modules and / or the central server can request and receive the spatial coordinates of the tracking device. The tracking device can be, for example, a simple wrist band, or a chip that can be implanted in a belt, shoe, or even in the body of the person in need.

In a possible embodiment, the home care system comprises one or more mobile devices suitable for mutual exchange of data with the central server and optionally with the hub module. The central server can hereby request and receive the spatial coordinates of the mobile devices, and wherein at least one of the third parties, and preferably all thirds, are provided with one of the mobile devices. The mobile devices can simply be mobile phones, smartphones, tablets and the like, possibly with a specific application for the home care system. In addition, specialized devices can also be used as a mobile device. A combination of several types of devices can also be used. Preferably, the mobile devices can also provide access to the home of the helper in order to enable a smooth follow-up of an alarm, for example through an access code, or an automatic recognition of the mobile device at the door of the home location via Bluetooth.

In a possible embodiment, the home care system comprises an interface for the third parties and / or administrators. The interface is adjusted per third party or administrator in available functionalities and / or access to data, whereby the interface is suitable for adjusting the preferred settings and / or at least a part of the security parameters.

In a third aspect, the invention relates to a method for monitoring and following up a person in need of help on the basis of pre-programmed settings and safety parameters, comprising the following steps: a. Registering a plurality of persons and / or groups as contacts for the person in need of help, wherein at least one of the contacts, and preferably all contacts, is provided with a mobile device capable of registering and transmitting spatial coordinates of the mobile device to a central server; b. monitoring current coordinates of the dependent, and monitoring a home location of the dependent; c. monitoring one or more parameters in the home location with a home care system, wherein the home care system is adapted to communicate with a central server; d. communicating the parameters to the central server; e. evaluating the parameters by the central server; f. communicating an alarm to one or more of the contact persons if the parameters violate one or more of the safety parameters, the alarm comprising at least the one or more parameters that violate the safety parameters and the current coordinates of the person in need of assistance;

The central server selects the contact persons to whom the alarm is communicated on the basis of an algorithm. The algorithm takes into account the alarm, with distance between the spatial coordinates of the mobile devices of the contacts and the current coordinates of the person in need, with skills of the contacts and with the pre-programmed settings.

The home location of the person in need is normally the location where at least a part of the home care system is set up, or the part that includes sensors and the like for monitoring the home location. The home location can thus be one or more rooms, as can be the case in a large care center, a home or even several homes. Preferably a home care system is used as described in this document.

In a possible embodiment, the method further comprises the following steps: g. obtaining a response to the alarm from the contacts to whom the alarm is communicated, the response being positive or negative; h. optionally saving the response on the central server; i. stopping the alarm in case of a positive answer; or j. repeating the method from step a, wherein the algorithm ignores contact persons to whom the alarm has already been communicated.

In a possible embodiment, when selecting the contacts to whom the alarm is communicated, the algorithm further takes into account the availability of the contacts and earlier contact between the contacts and the person in need of help.

In a possible embodiment, the contacts to whom the alarm is communicated can communicate a response to the central server. This response is stored by the central server.

In a possible embodiment, the pre-programmed settings comprise at least time-related geofencing settings and / or time-related acoustic settings and / or time-related temperature settings.

In a possible embodiment, the home care system comprises a hub module and one or more sensor modules, wherein the hub module is suitable for exchanging data with the central server, and wherein the sensor modules are suitable for exchanging data with the hub module. The sensor modules are suitable for monitoring the parameters of the home location.

In a final aspect, the invention relates to a use of a home care system for monitoring a person in need of help and automatically notifying third parties registered in the system. Hereby a hub module is used with associated, spatially removed sensor modules that monitor the needy and where the hub module can send data to a central server. The central server is capable of evaluating the data, whereby the central server is capable of raising an alarm based on the data if these security parameters are violated. The central server is suitable for alarms based on the alarm, proximity of the third parties, skills of the third parties and preferred settings, to select one or more qualified third parties and to inform the qualified third parties. This is preferably the home care system described in this document.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of the method in which communication takes place between sensor modules (S), hub module (H), central server (CS) and mobile devices of contacts (C).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to an improved home care system for the dependent and a method for monitoring the dependent.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used in the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art of the invention.

For a better assessment of the description of the invention, the following terms are explicitly explained. "A", "de" and "het" in this document refer to both the singular and the plural unless the context clearly assumes otherwise. For example, "a segment" means one or more than one segment.

The terms "include", "comprising", "consist of", "consisting of", "provided with", "contain", "containing", "include", "including", "contents", "contents" are synonyms and are inclusive or open terms indicating the presence of what follows, and which do not preclude or preclude the presence of other components, features, elements, members, steps, known from or described in the prior art.

The term "safety parameters" refers to measurable parameters, such as temperature, sound levels, humidity level, gas values, air values, dust values, heart rate, blood pressure, movement, range of action and the like, and are maximum and / or minimum settings and / or a range herein. Other matters can also be included here, as well as less classically measurable parameters (windows and / or doors closed). These security parameters can be set by operators of the central servers and preferably also by those responsible for those in need (family, guardians, ...).

The term "sensor module" refers to a module in which multiple sensors can be included.

The term "central server" refers to one or more servers, but can also be simply a computer (or a cluster thereof), or a cloud server.

The term "third parties" or "contact persons" refers to all possible persons or groups that may be of service to a person in need of help. Third parties can be added by operators of the central server and preferably also by those responsible for those in need. The third parties may include, for example, the following groups: family members, friends, partners, family doctor, specialists, hospitals, police, fire brigade, other care providers (physiotherapists, home nursing and others), but by no means limited thereto.

The term "preference settings" can refer to preferences of the operators and / or those responsible for the person in need of help. This can be a schedule about the availability of family members, preference for a certain care provider (permanent nurse) and others.

The term "skills" can, for example, refer to certificates (CPR, diploma, certificates, accreditations), be part of a certain emergency service (fire brigade, police, hospital, doctor, ...) that indicate to what extent a third party is suitable to respond to an alarm.

The invention relates in a first aspect to a home care system for monitoring a person in need of help. The home care system comprises at least one hub module and one or more spatially removed sensor modules with sensors. The sensor modules are suitable for monitoring a room with the sensors, and are suitable for exchanging data with the hub module. The sensor modules are suitable to be controlled by the hub module. This is preferably done via a wireless connection, and more preferably via a Bluetooth connection. The hub module is suitable for exchanging data with the sensor modules, and also with a central server. This is preferably done via a WiFi connection, and / or a GPRS connection and / or a wired connection. The hub module does not evaluate the data that is exchanged with the central server. The system as described here offers the advantage that all data is sent via a central point, the hub module, to a central server. For example, the separate sensor modules do not have to be equipped with expensive, space-consuming communication systems to send sensor data to the central server, but they can be provided with inexpensive, compact components that allow, for example, a Bluetooth connection to the hub module. For example, the sensor modules are inexpensive, compact and by reducing the task load of the sensor modules, errors are also avoided. The hub module provides the connection to the central server and can collect the sensor data from all sensors and communicate it to the central server. By allowing the hub module to be responsible for this only, it can be kept compact since only limited processor options are required for its operation and errors are avoided again which can occur if the hub module is also to handle the data processing. The processing can be done by a central server with more computing power, which is more robust and can be controlled more easily by an operator. Existing systems allow the hub module to evaluate whether an alarm situation is underway, so that errors can be made in the event of damage to the hub module, which is much more vulnerable, if only through the installation in a location that needs to be monitored. Moreover, the hub module may have been disabled due to a technical problem (power failure, explosion, short circuit, fire, fall, ...) and no alarm would be transmitted in this situation.

In a second aspect the invention relates to a home care system for monitoring a person in need of help on the basis of safety equipment and for automatically notifying registered third parties. The home care system comprises at least one hub module, at least one central server and one or more spatially removed sensor modules suitable for monitoring environmental conditions in connection with the safety parameters. The hub module is capable of mutually exchanging data with the central server (s), and can receive data related to the environmental conditions from the sensor modules. The central server is suitable for evaluating the data of the hub module. When one or more of the security parameters are violated, the central server will signal an alarm. The central server is able to select one or more of the registered third parties in the event of an alarm and to notify them with an alert based on an algorithm that at least takes into account the alarm, skills of the third parties, proximity of the third parties to of the dependent and preferred settings. For example, the algorithm can prepare a sequence of the third parties according to suitability for answering the alarm on the basis of the aforementioned conditions, and subsequently notify the first third in the sequence, and possibly also a number of subsequent third parties. The precise operation of this algorithm can give a certain weight to all factors that play a role, or for example impose a number of limits, such as for example a maximum distance between the dependent and the third of 5 km, or the condition that the third has a CPR certificate ( cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Preferably, the past of the third party (prior contact with the person in need of help, evaluation thereof and the like) and / or the availability of the third parties (whether the third parties already have an appointment visible to the central server, or these) are also taken into account. appointment at a remote location is of the person reliant on care, whether the third parties are on vacation, and the like).

By providing a hub module, it is possible to control a number of sensor modules over a limited distance, which can be relatively cheap, compact and simple. For example, the sensor modules can be spread across a house or several rooms to monitor all rooms or rooms so that the person in need of help in the house can be monitored to the greatest possible extent. The sensor modules may, for example, be provided with different sensors, and send data recorded by the sensors from the sensor module to the hub module which then forwards it to the central server (s), which can process or evaluate it. Processing may include comparing with the safety parameters and / or preferred settings, and deciding on the basis of this whether an alarm should be sent to the central server. In this way, only one hub module must be provided per person in need, and the hub module can comprise better components than the sensor modules. This ensures that the home care system can monitor the entire environment of the person in need of care, without the system becoming too expensive, as is the case with known systems. The data that the sensor modules record (temperature, humidity, noise, chemical composition of air, movement, brightness, odors, heat, video images, audio data and / or others) is communicated to the hub module which can access all data via a single connection to the central server communicate to the central server. This communication usually takes place over much larger distances than the communication between sensor modules and hub module, and will therefore normally not be done over Bluetooth, so that only the hub module must be provided with components in order to establish the connection (WiFi, GPRS and others) to the central server support. The hub modules are preferably easy to install for the person in need of help. The simple configuration of sensor modules and hub module, which acts as a master over the slave sensor modules, strongly reduces the price of the home care system, guarantees a larger monitor range and simplifies communication with central servers, which ensure the follow-up of alarms. Because the central server evaluates the data, further savings can be made on the hub module that no longer fulfills this task and therefore does not require any additional components for this task. After all, the hub module is more vulnerable since it is on site and can, for example, be damaged in the event of an accident and can no longer raise the alarm. If the hub module is damaged and could no longer send data to the central server, an alarm will be triggered automatically. This also guarantees greater security and certainty that the data will be treated correctly.

The combination with the algorithm based on the recorded information about the alarm and the environmental conditions, the distance between the person in need of help (or the location from which the alarm originates) and the registered third parties, the skills of the third parties, and the preferences of the home care system, ensuring a home care system that offers a noticeable improvement over the existing systems, both in ease of installation and operation, performance, price-quality ratio, and making a reasoned selection for passing on an alarm to the right contact persons under the inform third parties (for example in case of fire).

The hub module can comprise an RF (radio frequency) transmitter and / or receiver for communication with the sensor modules and / or the central servers. Preferably, the hub module comprises a Bluetooth receiver for communicating with the sensor modules. The hub module preferably comprises a WiFi interface in order to be able to link to a router, or the hub module itself is provided with a router, and the hub module can in this way communicate with the central servers. In a further preference, a switch is also provided which ensures that the data can only be sent to the central server. Communication with the central servers can also continue via VPN or via a wired internet connection. In addition, several of the aforementioned options can also be provided as back-up for each other. The hub modules can be provided with internal or non-rechargeable batteries and / or a wired and / or wireless energy supply. The hub modules are preferably The wired energy supply can be via an adapter that connects the hub module to the power grid, or to another power source. Another option is to provide power for the hub module via an Ethernet connection (for example RJ 45), so-called 'Power over Ethernet', since the hub module preferably requires little power to operate. Furthermore, the hub module preferably also comprises a number of sensors that are too bulky or expensive to provide multiple in the sensor modules. In addition, sensors that can monitor a larger area can also be provided on the hub module for the same reason. Furthermore, the hub module can in this way also serve as a sensor module in a room, and thus save a sensor module. Examples of sensors are gas and / or smoke detectors, (remotely manipulable) cameras, temperature sensor, acoustic detector, leak detector (for example by connection to gas meter, water meter, or pipes) and others. The hub module can send the data from the sensors in the hub module together with data obtained from the sensor modules to the central server, preferably sending the data such that it can be traced to the sensor module or the hub module that recorded data, simpler follow-up of alarms. Furthermore, the hub module can also be provided with a grandstream device or a similar device, to enable telephony (with or without video), and thus simplify simple communication with, for example, the central server.

The sensor modules preferably comprise a plurality of sensors that can monitor ambient conditions. Examples of such sensors are: one or more temperature sensors, tracking sensors (for example for beacons worn by the person in need of help), motion sensors, rooty fire / gas detectors (CO etc.), acoustic sensors, (directional) camera, intrusion detectors, leak detectors (water , gas, electricity, ...), medical sensors (heart rate, blood pressure and other vital values of the person in need of help) and all other sensors that can logically fall under a home care system. The sensor modules further comprise a component for communicating with the hub module. This can be an RF transmitter and / or receiver, preferably a Bluetooth transmitter and / or receiver. Other options for this are components to connect to a Wi-Fi network, GPRS network and / or others. The sensor modules are further provided with internal or non-rechargeable batteries, preferably replaceable. Other possibilities for this are a wired and / or wireless energy supply as described above. A photovoltaic cell and charger can also be provided to provide the sensor modules with power for longer. The sensor modules can further be provided with one or more I / O contacts, preferably more than 4, more preferably 8 or more. To this, for example, keys can be connected such as an alarm button, a button that remotely opens and / or closes a door, and others.

According to a preferred embodiment, at least one of the sensor modules, and preferably all sensor modules, is suitable for exchanging data with the hub module via radio frequency (RF) radiation. The communication with the hub module is preferably via a Bluetooth connection, and the sensor modules and the hub module are adapted for this. The advantages of this have already been mentioned, an RF component is sufficient for short distance communication, is cheap and compact. Optionally, it is also possible to communicate over other networks (GPRS, Wifi, LAN, VPN, WAN and others) between the sensor modules and the hub module.

According to a preferred embodiment, the third parties who are notified by the central server can communicate a response to the central server. The central server can determine on the basis of the answer or the absence of the answer whether the alarm should be switched off or if another third party is notified, again on the basis of the algorithm. In the event of a positive response from a third party, which means accepting the warning (in other words, accepting the 'emergency call'), the alarm can be (temporarily) stopped. The alarm can possibly be restarted after a set time if the third party does not give confirmation to the central server, as a sign that the alarm has been dealt with. In the event of a negative response or a failure to respond during a certain period of time, the central server may notify another third party. The algorithm can be reused for this, whereby the third parties already notified are not included in the registered third parties. Alternatively, the algorithm can draw up a list (complete or incomplete) according to suitability of the registered third parties for the specific situation based on the aforementioned factors, and end this list with negative or no answers.

According to a preferred embodiment, the central server arranges the third parties at least partially in an order of suitability when receiving the alarm. This suitability depends on several factors, which at least include: the alarm (content of alarm, environmental conditions, location, time and others), skills of third parties (CPR training, occupation, certificates, being part of an emergency service such as police, fire brigade , ... and others), proximity of the third parties to the person in need of help (and / or the location of the alarm) and (possible) preference settings. The central server notifies third parties with a warning according to this order, as already described above. The preferred settings can relate to the set statuses of third parties (appointments, holidays, absences that make it impossible for them to answer), connection with the dependent (family, permanent care provider, physiotherapist, therapist, family doctor, ...), preferences of the dependent or of responsible for the person in need of help (preference for a certain hospital, doctor, ...) and other institutions. The preferred settings can preferably be adjusted by the third parties themselves.

According to a preferred embodiment, the central server is adapted to record all events in a log, the events comprising at least all alarms with associated breached safety parameter (s), and the responses of the notified third parties. This allows operators of the system, as well as any users or managers (guardians of the person in need and such) to evaluate the response of third parties to an alarm, as well as to see if the procedures have been followed correctly. Based on this, the preference settings can be adjusted, and even an additional factor can be taken into account when performing an algorithm based on past behavior.

According to a preferred embodiment, the home care system comprises a portable tracking device adapted to be carried by the needy, and wherein the hub module and / or the sensor modules and / or the central server are adapted to request spatial coordinates of the tracking device. In this way the person in need of help can be traced if desired, and geofencing conditions can also be set, for example. This can lead to an alarm if, for example, the person in need leaves the home location at night, or is too far away from the home location during the day. This tracking device can be a simple wristband, built into a watch, belt or clothing. In addition, it can also be a mobile phone, smartphone or other. The sensor modules and / or the hub module can preferably recognize the tracking device via a Bluetooth element in the tracking device. Furthermore, the tracking device can also communicate via other networks (GPRS, Wifi, ...). Furthermore, the tracking device can also be provided with keys and the like, such as an emergency key which automatically sends an alarm to the central server with the spatial coordinates of the person in need.

According to a preferred embodiment, the home care system comprises one or more mobile devices. These are suitable for mutual exchange of data with the central server, and optionally also with the hub module. The central server can request spatial coordinates of the mobile devices. At least one and preferably all third parties are equipped with one of the mobile devices. The mobile devices must not all be the same and may also be known systems, such as a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch and the like, provided with a specific application for contact with the central server. The third parties can receive warnings from the central server about the alarm via the mobile devices. Preferably, the third parties can also respond to the central server on the alert, via the mobile devices.

According to a preferred embodiment, the home care system comprises an interface for the third parties and / or administrators. Access to the interface can be via a smartphone, tablet, PC, laptop, smartwatch, a mobile device and / or other electronic devices, whereby the interface can be accessible via, for example, a mobile application or as a web portal or in other ways. You can communicate with the central server via the interface. It is preferable to log in to the interface in a secure manner (user name and / or password and / or face recognition and / or other biometric recognitions), so that the third party or administrator in question is identified and only has access to data to which he / she is entitled. has its own user account. For example, a family member of a person in need of help can preferably not see and / or change all settings (for example, turn off smoke alarm). The interface allows third parties, for example emergency responders, to retrieve relevant data for the dependent person in an efficient, fast and practical manner, such as a disease history, a list of medicines, recent blood reports, and others. Via the interface, certain personal settings can also be changed as indicated, for example, setting new contact details for the logged-in third party (or administrator), indicating whether the logged-in third party (or administrator) is absent during a certain period (important for the algorithm) to find the right contact person). Optionally, access can also be gained to the interface via a grandstream device or equivalent thereof that may be present in the home of the person in need. Preferably, a third party and / or administrator can gain access via the interface to the data to which the third party and / or the administrator is entitled for all persons in need of help where the third party and / or the administrator is registered as a contact person. This offers third parties and / or administrators a well-arranged tool to monitor those in need for whom they are entitled. The setting of the data to which a third party has access is preferably carried out from the central server to prevent abuse. Optionally this can also be done locally via an administrator with appropriate authorization. It is furthermore also preferred that all actions taken on the interface by a third party or an administrator are kept in a log on the central server. These promotions may be accompanied by a time and / or location and other information indicating when and where the promotion was performed, outside the content of the promotion, and the status of the promotion.

In a third aspect, the invention relates to a method for monitoring and following up a reliant on the basis of pre-programmed settings and safety parameters. The method comprises the following steps: a. Registering a plurality of persons and / or groups as contacts for a person in need of help, wherein at least one of the contacts, and preferably all contacts, is provided with a mobile device that has spatial coordinates of the mobile device can register and transfer to a central server; b. monitoring current coordinates of the dependent, and monitoring a home location of the dependent; c. monitoring one or more parameters in the home location with a home care system, wherein the home care system is adapted to communicate with a central server; d. communicating the parameters to the central server; e. evaluating the parameters by the central server f. communicating an alarm to one or more of the contact persons if the parameters violate one or more of the safety parameters, the alarm comprising at least the one or more parameters that violate the safety parameters and the current coordinates of the person in need of assistance.

The central server is suitable for selecting one or more of the contacts to whom the alarm is communicated, using an algorithm that takes the alarm into account, with distance between the spatial coordinates of the contact's mobile devices and the current coordinates of the person in need, with skills of the contacts and with the pre-programmed settings.

According to a preferred embodiment, the alarm is communicated by the central server according to a cascade pattern with the following steps: g. obtaining a response to the alarm from the contacts to whom the alarm is communicated, the response being positive or negative; h. optionally saving the response on the central server; i. stopping the alarm in case of a positive answer; or j. repeating the method from step a, wherein the algorithm ignores contact persons to whom the alarm has already been communicated.

In this way the alarm is further communicated to contacts until someone accepts the call, and this in a pattern that always tries to send the most suitable contact person possible. Other factors that have already been mentioned above can also be taken into account here (availability, past and the like). Alternatively, the algorithm can prepare a sequence for each alarm according to suitability of the contacts and the cascade pattern follows this sequence when notifying the contacts.

According to a preferred embodiment, the contact persons to whom the alarm is communicated can communicate a response to the central server, the response being stored by the central server. The reaction can be positive or negative. The absence of a response after a certain time is considered negative. Based on this, the algorithm determines whether a subsequent contact person (or several) will be notified with the alarm. Preferably, the alarm and response are communicated via the mobile devices.

According to a preferred embodiment, the preprogrammed settings comprise at least time-related geofencing settings and / or time-related acoustic settings and / or time-related or non-time-related temperature settings. For example, the dependent person may have a different range of action (geofencing settings) at night in which he can move without triggering an alarm other than during the day, or in the case of a trip or vacation. The same applies to the acoustic settings, where more or less noise can be permitted during the day, and / or a lower or higher temperature. Other settings here are maximum CO levels and other gases, motion settings (for example, burglar alarms), lighting settings and others.

According to a preferred embodiment, the home care system used in the described methods is a home care system as described in the rest of the document, with a hub module and one or more sensor modules. The hub module is suitable for mutually exchanging data with the central server, and the sensor modules suitable for exchanging data with the hub module. The sensor modules are suitable for monitoring one or more parameters, preferably with several sensors per sensor module.

In a final aspect, the invention relates to the use of a home care system for monitoring a person in need of help and automatically notifying third parties registered in the system, wherein a hub module with associated, spatially removed sensor modules monitors the person in need and can send data to a central server , wherein the central server is capable of evaluating the data, wherein the central server is capable of raising an alarm on the basis of the data and wherein the central server is adapted to close, in the event of an alarm on the basis of the alarm, to select the third parties, skills of the third parties and preferred institutions, one or more qualified third parties and to inform the qualified third parties.

In the following, the invention is described a.d.h.v. non-limiting examples illustrating the invention, and which are not intended or may be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLES EXAMPLE 1:

A person in need of help stands in the queue for a care center, which can take several years. In the meantime, the person in need of care continues to live independently in their own home without falling asleep. A home care system with a hub module (H) and 5 sensor modules (living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, garage) (S1-S5) is installed in the home. These communicate with each other via Bluetooth. The hub module (H) is set to communicate via a WiFi network with a central server (CS) that is placed in the care center, for example. In this way, the care center already partially meets the needs of the person in need of help without being there. The sensor modules (S1-S5) include an acoustic sensor, a motion sensor, a gas sensor, and others. Finally, the person in need has a tracking bracelet whose coordinates can be retrieved by the hub module (H), the sensor modules (S1-S5) and / or the central server (CS). This arrangement is partly visible in FIG. 1.

In the central server (CS) a list is created with contact persons for the person in need of care, which includes permanent caregivers, family members and important services such as fire brigade, police, hospital and others. Institutions can be created for informal caregivers and family members that indicate their availability (for example, a son cannot respond to alarms during working days on Thursday). In addition, the system can also be switched off during certain periods (for example if the person in need of care is partly taken care of or supervised).

In addition, it is set that during the day, the person in need of help can move throughout the municipality with the tracking bracelet. If the municipal boundaries are exceeded, this is marked by the central server (CS) which intermittently requests the spatial coordinates from the tracking bracelet, and an alarm is triggered at the central server (CS). The central server (CS) starts an algorithm that, based on the information it has (type of alarm, time, location), scrolls through the list of contacts and arranges them according to suitability (distance to the person in need of help, availability, status of the contact person). The most suitable (or a first number of most suitable) is notified via a mobile device (C) that the contact persons all have. In the case of the family this is often an application on a smartphone, with professional caregivers this is preferably a professionally dedicated device. Via this device, the central server (CS) can answer whether the alarm is accepted or not. When an alarm is accepted, the central server (CS) temporarily disables it and waits for confirmation that the alarm has been dealt with. In the absence of this, a next one on the suitability list will be notified and / or the original suitable one will be notified again. When rejecting an alarm, the following on the suitability list is automatically notified.

In the situation of crossing municipal boundaries, an available and close family member can preferably be notified. The police can also be called in if necessary.

With other alarms, for example an acoustic alarm with a high noise level, emergency services and / or family members can be notified. This can, after all, indicate an acute attack (hysteria for example), an accident or other problems.

After the handling of an alarm, this is reported to the central server (CS). Not only does this provide reassurance that the alarm is off, but it can also be used when invoicing the service (for example, home nursing). This can be done automatically (automatic Bluetooth recognition of the mobile device of the contact (C) in question) or by the contact himself. EXAMPLE 2:

A person in need of assistance with a system set up as in example 1 has settings where an alarm goes off when a certain noise level is exceeded. At lunch a plate falls to the floor and the certain noise level is exceeded. An alarm is registered in the central server, which indicates this on the hub module and / or the sensor modules of the dependent person. This can cancel the alarm if the dependent person sends a response and / or a correct code to the central server via the hub module or sensor modes within a certain period of time. This code can be a button combination, for example, so that not everyone can cancel the alarm. EXAMPLE 3:

Family members can install an application on a smartphone and the like that allows them to make contact with the central server and change their personal settings (availability and such), as well as to request information about those in need, such as the temperature in the kitchen, the heartbeat of the dependent and the like. If a camera is present in a sensor module or hub module, the camera can possibly be controlled in this way, or images can be requested (or audio data and others). EXAMPLE 4:

This example first describes the arrangement of FIG. 1, wherein the arrows between the different elements refer to different communication modes with different networks. The arrows between the sensor modules (S1-S5) and the hub module (H) indicate the communication that takes place via a Bluetooth network. The arrows between the hub module (H) and the central server (CS) indicate the communication that takes place via a Wi-Fi network and / or a wired network. The arrows between the central server (CS) and the mobile devices of the contacts (C) indicate the communication that takes place over wireless networks that can vary depending on the mobile device and the circumstances. This can also be done via WiFi, GPRS, GSM network, 3G, 4G and the like, and combinations thereof.

In addition, it is possible that a tracking device can communicate with the various devices. The communication of the tracking device is mainly desired with the central server, so that it can request the location of the person in need at any time. To a lesser extent, communication between the hub module and the tracking device is also desirable, and to a lesser extent between the sensor modules and the tracking device. The communication between the tracking device and the central server can be via WiFi, GPRS, GSM network and other mobile networks, as well as the communication between the tracking device and the hub module. Communication between the tracking device and the sensor modules is preferably via a Bluetooth connection.

It is believed that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and that some modifications or changes can be added to the described examples without re-evaluating the appended claims. For example, the present invention has been described with reference to persons in need of care living semi-independently, such as seniors, the sick and the like, but it should be understood that the invention can be applied to, for example, young children or patients in a hospital.

Claims (16)

CONCLUSIONS A home care system for monitoring a person in need, comprising: a. At least one hub module; b. one or more spatially removed sensor modules with sensors, suitable for monitoring a room, suitable for exchanging data with the hub module and controlled by the hub module, preferably via a wireless connection; more preferably via a Bluetooth connection; characterized in that the hub module is adapted to exchange data with a central server without evaluating the data, preferably via a Wi-Fi and / or GPRS connection and / or a wired connection. 2. A home care system for monitoring a reliant person on the basis of safety parameters and for automatically notifying registered third parties, comprising one or more spatially removed sensor modules suitable for monitoring environmental conditions in connection with the safety parameters; characterized in that the home care system comprises at least one hub module and comprises at least one central server, the hub module being capable of mutually exchanging data with the central server, the hub module being able to receive data from the sensor modules due to the environmental conditions, and wherein the hub module can exchange the data with the central server, whereby the central server can evaluate the data and raise an alarm when one or more of the security parameters are breached; and that the central server informs one or more of the third parties with an alert in the event of an alarm by means of an algorithm that at least takes into account the alarm, with skills of the third parties, with proximity of the third parties to the dependent and preferred settings , wherein the central server is suitable for executing the algorithm and for notifying one or more of the third parties with a warning. A home care system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the sensor modules, and preferably all sensor modules, is adapted to exchange data with the hub module via radio frequency radiation, and preferably via a Bluetooth connection. A home care system according to any of the preceding claims 2 or 3, wherein the third parties notified by the central server can communicate a response to the central server, and wherein the central server is informed of the response or the absence of the answer, disable the alarm or notify another third party using the algorithm. A home care system according to any of the preceding claims 2 to 4, wherein the central server in the alarm arranges the third parties at least partially in an order of suitability that takes into account the alarm, with skills of the third parties, with proximity of the third parties in relation to the dependent and preferential settings, and who informs the third parties with the warning according to the order until a third party accepts the warning. A home care system according to any of the preceding claims 2 to 5, wherein the central server records all events in a log, the events comprising at least all alarms with associated breached security parameter (s), and the responses of the notified third parties. A home care system according to any of the preceding claims 2 to 6, comprising a portable tracking device adapted to be carried by the needy, and wherein the hub module and / or the sensor modules and / or the central server are adapted to coordinate the to request a tracking device. A home care system according to any of the preceding claims 2 to 7, comprising one or more mobile devices capable of mutually exchanging data with the central server and optionally with the hub module, and wherein the central server can coordinate the mobile devices and where at least one of the third parties, and preferably all of the third parties, is provided with one of the mobile devices. A home care system according to any of the preceding claims 2 to 8, comprising an interface for the third parties and / or administrators, wherein the interface is adapted per third party or administrator in available functionalities, wherein the interface is suitable for adjusting the preferred settings fit and / or at least part of the safety parameters. 10. A method of monitoring and following up a person in need of help on the basis of pre-programmed settings and safety parameters, comprising the following steps: a. Registering a plurality of persons and / or groups as contacts for the person in need of help, at least one of the contacts, and preferably all contacts, are provided with a mobile device capable of registering and transmitting spatial coordinates of the mobile device to a central server; characterized by the following steps: b. monitoring current coordinates of the dependent, and monitoring a home location of the dependent; c. monitoring one or more parameters in the home location with a home care system, wherein the home care system is adapted to communicate with a central server; d. communicating the parameters to the central server; e. evaluating the parameters by the central server; f. communicating an alarm to one or more of the contact persons if the parameters violate one or more of the safety parameters, the alarm comprising at least the one or more parameters that violate the safety parameters and the current coordinates of the person in need of assistance; wherein the central server selects one or more of the contacts to whom the alarm is communicated, using an algorithm that takes the alarm into account, with distance between the spatial coordinates of the mobile devices of the contacts and the current coordinates of the person in need of help, with skills of the contacts and with the pre-programmed settings. A method for monitoring and following an assistant according to claim 10, wherein the alarm is communicated to the contacts according to a cascade pattern, comprising the following steps: g. obtaining a response to the alarm from the contacts to whom the alarm is communicated, the response being positive or negative; h. optionally saving the response on the central server; i. stopping the alarm in case of a positive answer; or j. repeating the method from step a, wherein the algorithm ignores contact persons to whom the alarm has already been communicated. A method for monitoring and following a person in need of help according to one of the preceding claims 10 or 11, wherein the algorithm, when selecting the contacts to whom the alarm is communicated, further takes into account the availability of the contacts and previous contact between the contacts and the person in need of help. A method for monitoring and following a person in need of assistance according to any of the preceding claims 10 to 12, wherein the contact persons to whom the alarm is communicated can communicate a response to the central server, wherein the response by the central server is being saved. A method for monitoring and monitoring a reliant person according to any of the preceding claims 10 to 13, wherein the preprogrammed settings are at least time-related geofencing settings and / or time-dependent acoustic settings and / or whether or not include time-related temperature settings. A method for monitoring and monitoring a reliant person according to any of the preceding claims 10 to 14, wherein the home care system comprises a hub module and one or more sensor modules, the hub module being adapted to mutually exchange data with the exchange server, and wherein the sensor modules are adapted to exchange data with the hub module, and wherein the sensor modules are adapted to monitor the one or more parameters. 16. Use of a home care system for monitoring a person in need and automatically alerting third parties registered in the system, where a hub module with associated, spatially removed sensor modules monitors the person in need and can send data to a central server, where the central server is suitable is to evaluate the data, whereby the central server is capable of raising an alarm based on the data and wherein the central server is suitable for an alarm based on the alarm, proximity of the third parties, skills of the third parties and preferred institutions, to select one or more qualified third parties and to inform the qualified third parties.