Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
  • G08B21/00—Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
  • G08B21/02—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
  • G08B21/04—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons
  • G08B21/0438—Sensor means for detecting
  • G08B21/0484—Arrangements monitoring consumption of a utility or use of an appliance which consumes a utility to detect unsafe condition, e.g. metering of water, gas or electricity, use of taps, toilet flush, gas stove or electric kettle
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
  • G08B21/00—Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
  • G08B21/02—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
  • G08B21/04—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons
  • G08B21/0438—Sensor means for detecting
  • G08B21/0492—Sensor dual technology, i.e. two or more technologies collaborate to extract unsafe condition, e.g. video tracking and RFID tracking
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
  • G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
  • G08B25/001—Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
  • G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
  • G08B25/002—Generating a prealarm to the central station

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a personal monitoring and reporting system, in particular for monitoring lone-living persons in the home, with improved fault tolerance, as well as a method for monitoring persons and reporting emergency situations using the system
• Personal monitoring systems should determine the helplessness situation of the person to be monitored in their basic and known function and trigger a suitable alarm to call for help.
• emergency call systems In the prior art emergency call systems are known in which the person concerned must actively operate an emergency switch and triggers the appropriate alarm signal with the operation of the emergency switch.
• portable devices with emergency switch device that can carry the person at any time.
• portable home emergency transmitter is only the DE 81 02 525 U1 called, which discloses a portable home emergency transmitter which comprises a carrying means, for example in the form of a carrying strap for carrying around the neck, and which activates the alarm signal when pulling out of the carrying means from the emergency call transmitter.
• Such active emergency call systems ie emergency call systems in which the alarm is triggered by active operation, have the disadvantage that in sudden emergency situations, the person is no longer able to actively trigger the alarm.
• emergency call systems are also known in which the person carries a sensor which monitors vital functions such as, for example, the heartbeat and emits an alarm signal in the event of deviation from the predetermined standard via a radio signal.
• the latter emergency call systems have the advantage of being passive, i. without active participation of the person, work.
• they have the disadvantage that they do not trigger an alarm signal in situations in which a helpless situation occurs, but it does not lead to a deviation of vital signs outside the predetermined target range.
• such systems especially as far as the monitored vital function is exclusively the heartbeat, have a significant false-negative rate. Under false-negative is to be understood that the helpless situation has occurred, but is not recognized by the monitoring system.
• the person to be monitored carries the sensor on the body, for example in the form of a bracelet. This is often perceived as unpleasant or troublesome by the person concerned and the sensor system is not created for reasons of convenience. The system is thus disabled.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a person monitoring and reporting system that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a generic system that works without being arranged on the person to be monitored sensor. Another object of the present invention is to provide a generic system that is improved false-negative-resistant and improved false-positive-resistant.
• the system according to the invention comprises a local central unit and a plurality of passive sensor devices.
• the number of sensor devices which must be used according to the invention is at least two. The maximum number of sensor devices is not fixed and results, as explained below, from the respective applications and their circumstances.
• a local central unit in the sense of the present invention is a data-processing unit, such as a computer, which receives the signals of the sensor devices.
• the central unit will also be described below.
• the central local unit is arranged in the premises to be monitored or in their immediate vicinity. In this case, several local central units can be combined, for example in the independent monitoring of several premises, such as several apartments in a dorm.
• the central unit may also have means for actively interrogating the sensors, in particular for determining or checking the respective sensor status and / or operating state.
• passive sensor devices are understood to mean all sensor devices which do not require any active interaction between the operator or the person to be monitored. This includes, for example, IR motion detectors, light barriers, sensors for detecting electrical power consumption, door and window switches, pressure sensors and more.
• the system according to the invention comprises an alarm device which emits a suitable alarm signal in accordance with the central unit.
• a suitable alarm signal can be in the form of a local visual and / or audible alarm and / or in the form of a telephone alerting a contact person or an emergency call center.
• the invention will be described below with reference to a person to be monitored in their home environment.
• the invention is based on the recognition that persons perform typical actions in the normal daily routine and thus show a behavior pattern that is customary for them.
• the respective individual actions each show logical sequences of steps, wherein the respective individual steps take place in typical time windows.
• actions that are typical of the day such as the morning toilet
• actions that are not associated with a time of day such as the use of stairs or hallway.
• an entire essentially closed course of action of the person to be monitored is referred to as an event.
• the individual steps of the action detected and displayed by the respective sensors are each referred to as a signal.
• An event is thus composed of at least two signals.
• the events and / or single or multiple signals of an event can be connected to other parameters, independently or in combination. These parameters include entry or non-entry, a time window of entry or non-entry, and a maximum or minimum duration of the respective signal or event.
• a logical signal sequence is the sequence of the sensor signals that accompanies the execution of the aforementioned actions.
• the signals of the sensor devices are transferred to the central devices.
• value tables are stored with the expected logical signal sequences.
• the respective value tables are classified into signal sequences that result from actions of the persons to be monitored that happen in an expected time window, for example the morning toilet. Signal sequences that can not be assigned to a time window, such as when spontaneously leaving the apartment, are therefore not assigned to a time window.
• individual signals of the sensor devices can be given priority.
• a particularly suitable signal that is given a priority is the signal indicating the beginning of a water withdrawal. In a typical household, it can only be for a maximum water withdrawal without interruption, i. come without interim signal of the end of the water withdrawal.
• a suitable example here is the filling of a bathtub with simultaneous actuation, e.g. the toilet flush and other water supply points. The maximum water extraction would result in this example from the amount of filling the bath, possibly several flushes of water toilet and a reserve for optional further water withdrawals. As far as the previously formed maximum amount of continuous water withdrawal is exceeded, this is an indication of a spontaneously occurring helpless situation in which the person to be monitored can not automatically stop the water withdrawal. The latter is a typical accident situation for older people, which leads to a fall when entering the bathtub.
• the central processing unit can distinguish between four modes of operation, namely, stand-by, normal mode, warning status, and alarm status.
• modes of operation namely, stand-by, normal mode, warning status, and alarm status.
• the central unit In the operating mode normal operation, the central unit expects the logical signal sequences according to the stored tables. When the signal sequences of the sequence stored in the tables and possibly in the time window are received, no action takes place by the central unit. The central unit thus indicates in this state that the person to be monitored is not in an emergency situation.
• the central processing unit In the absence or departure of the signal sequence from the stored values in the timed or non-timed tables, the central processing unit enters the warning state.
• the central device triggers an internal warning signal, preferably with a preset time delay.
• the internal warning signal is displayed in the premises to be monitored and / or transmitted by suitable means to a mobile display device.
• a suitable mobile display device is, for example, a so-called mobile phone, to which the warning signal is transmitted by SMS.
• the person to be monitored now has the option to acknowledge the warning signal within a further predetermined time window and thus to reset the central unit to the normal operating state.
• the operating mode may be set from normal operation to warning status by a single privileged sensor signal previously discussed.
• a single privileged sensor signal previously discussed.
• only the water sampling signal is mentioned here, which stops over a given time.
• This preferred embodiment has the advantage that the warning status is achieved in a much shorter period of time than when passing through all the individual signals with their respective individual time slots for a logical sequence of signals.
• the central device If the central device remains in the warning status via the previously mentioned warning time, without previously explained automatic or manual acknowledgment and resetting to the normal status, then the transition to the alarm status takes place.
• the central unit activates the alarm unit.
• the alarm unit may suitably receive an outside signal, i. deliver an alarm signal detectable outside the rooms to be monitored.
• Such alarm signals may be designed in the form of an audible and / or visual alarm.
• the alarm device may also comprise an automatic telephone dialing device of known type.
• a preset telephone number is then selected, for example a contact person or a call center and this is notified in a known manner.
• the notification may optionally be repeated several times and / or directed to different destinations until by suitable means, e.g. an acknowledgment, the success of the external alarm is ensured.
• suitable means e.g. an acknowledgment, the success of the external alarm is ensured.
• the outside alarm is triggered and help for the person in helpless situation is called.
• the passive person monitoring and reporting system can also be combined with known measures of active emergency call systems.
• the alarm status can optionally be triggered actively by active intervention, for example an emergency button, by the person to be monitored.
• active intervention for example an emergency button
• the latter is particularly useful if the person is indeed in an emergency situation, but not so far as that they can no longer actively trigger the alarm. The latter leads to a shortened lead time for the arrival of auxiliary staff.
• a daytime-dependent behavior pattern is explained as example 1 at the so-called morning toilet.
• the person to be monitored is regularly in a time window between 8:00 and 8:30 clock on.
• the morning toilet is regularly performed in a time window between 7.30 and 9.30.
• the last-mentioned time window for the execution of the morning toilet may suitably have a corresponding tolerance, in the event of an individual slight deviation from the usual behavior of the person to be monitored.
• the light is actuated in the bath and carried out a water extraction.
• the removal of water can be done by the operation of the shower, faucets and / or toilet flushing.
• the water withdrawal is stopped, the bathroom is left and the light is extinguished.
• the exemplary embodiment assumes that the bath has no natural lighting.
• Sensor devices suitable for the purposes of the present invention are a sensor for detecting the electrical power consumption, here by switching on the illumination and a sensor for detecting the removal of water, for example a flow meter.
• the sensor devices mentioned would generate the following typical signal pattern in the morning toilet in this sequence: increase in the electrical power consumption, start of the water extraction, end of the water extraction, if necessary multiple repetitions of the water withdrawals, end of the electrical power consumption.
• the respective sensor devices indicate their status to the central device, which receives the corresponding sensor signals in the order mentioned above.
• the transmission of the sensor signals to the central device can take place in any desired and known form, such as wired or non-wired.
• the latter is preferred, using known data transmission techniques such as Wifi, Bluetooth® or the like.
• Example 2 describes a typical logical signal sequence of sensor signals leaving the home.
• This example describes a non-daytime typical action sequence.
• the sensor devices used in this example consist of a door switch on the front door and a motion detector on the inside behind the door.
• the motion detector can be designed, for example, as a so-called infrared motion detector or treadle detector.
• the aforementioned sensor devices When leaving the apartment, the aforementioned sensor devices would provide the following sequence of signals: motion signal on the inside of the door, signal opening the door, signal closing the door. Another motion signal inside the room would not take place.
• Example 3 relates to the monitoring stair climbing as a process / action with increased risk of falling.
• the duration of the ascending or descending stairs is measured and compared with a setpoint previously stored in the value tables.
• This setpoint is defined as the duration normally required by the person to be monitored to ascend or descend the staircase concerned, taking into account a suitable tolerance. If the measured time exceeds the stored setpoint, the system described changes to the warning status.
• This monitoring process of climbing stairs can take place repeatedly in the daily routine.
• At the beginning of a stair climbing process also begins a verification process. In this case, the beginning and the end of a stair climbing operation are respectively determined by measurement or the evaluation of sensor signals.
• sensors for the signal generation for example, in each case 2 motion detectors in the form of light barriers arranged in succession at the beginning of the stairs and at the end of the stairs at head height of the person to be monitored are used. It is important to ensure that the distance of the motion detector is selected by the staircase so that the person to be monitored at the beginning or end of the measurement, ie the respective signal triggering, the stair climbing process has not yet begun or the stair climbing process has finished and still in the usual for the person to be monitored (upright) posture or has already taken this again. By checking at head height in relation to the usual posture a possible signal release after a fall is excluded.
• the arrangement of two sensors in succession serves to clearly take into account any changes in direction that may occur person after the beginning of a climb or the beginning of the event, thereby triggering the abort of the event without transition to the warning status of the system.
• the signal sequence of an event that has not been canceled is:
• Motion signal on the outside at the beginning of the staircase motion signal on the inside at the beginning of the staircase with triggering of the time monitoring, motion signal on the inside at the end of the staircase, motion signal on the outside at the end of the staircase with completion of the time monitoring.
• Example 4 relates to the monitoring of a return to bed well-rested after nocturnal wake, in particular avoiding a prolonged stay outside the bed forced as a fall sequence with the risk of hypothermia in the case of a probability of detection limited due to the night-time situation.
• the period between getting up at night and returning the person to be monitored from and to the bed within a pre-determined period of time is measured and compared with a target value pre-set in the value tables.
• This setpoint is defined as the duration usually required by the person to be monitored for getting up at night, including a tolerance. If the measured time exceeds the stored setpoint, the system described changes to the warning status.
• This monitoring process can take place repeatedly in the course of the day and takes place within the time window defined as the personal bedtime of the person to be monitored. Each time an exit from the bed begins an event. The exit from the bed and the return to bed are each determined by measurement or the evaluation of sensor signals.
• sensors for the signal generation for example, two light barriers mounted in succession on the exit side of the bed at head height of the person to be monitored are used.
• the head height of the person the position of the head is taken into account when the person to be monitored is upright.
• By checking at head height in relation to the usual posture a possible signal release after a fall is excluded.
• the arrangement of two sensors in succession serves to clearly take into account any change in direction of the person to be monitored after the beginning of the stand-up process and thereby triggering the event.
• the distance of the two sensors from the edge of the bed is determined by the distance that the person to be monitored usually needs to sit up from the edge of the bed when standing upright until it assumes an upright posture.
• the order two sensors in succession serves to clearly take into account any change in direction of the person to be monitored after the start of a stand-up procedure or return to bed and thereby triggered a proper cancellation of the event
• the system can be extended by using an additional contact / contact sensor, which is mounted flat on the floor between the edge of the bed and the motion detector mounted on the inside of the edge of the bed or by a light barrier at the level of the floor lying person.
• an additional contact / contact sensor which is mounted flat on the floor between the edge of the bed and the motion detector mounted on the inside of the edge of the bed or by a light barrier at the level of the floor lying person.
• the last-mentioned signal of the additional sensor can optionally also be defined as a priority signal.
• the system goes into alarm status by skipping the warning status.
• the system according to the invention can be combined with further devices of general home automation.
• window contacts can be interrogated, the warning status being activated when leaving the house and the person to be monitored receiving a remote signal, for example in the form of an SMS, on their mobile phone.
• a remote signal for example in the form of an SMS, on their mobile phone.
• the system according to the invention also advantageously allows an automatic transition to the stand-by operating state, as far as the person to be monitored leaves the premises to be monitored.
• the stand-by operating state As explained above using the example of door entry monitoring, there is a typical logical signal sequence pattern that occurs when leaving the monitored premises. As far as this signal pattern is detected by the central unit, so a standby state can be automatically reached, the transition is blocked in the warning state. This trick ensures that no inadvertent alarm is triggered as far as the person to be monitored forgets to switch the system "out of focus" when leaving the premises.
• the system is put back into standby mode by a subsequent different and suitable event.
• a subsequent different and suitable event is, for example, a signal sequence indicating an entry of the interstitial space.
• the aforesaid central unit can be designed as a so-called self-learning central unit.
• the known methods of so-called artificial intelligence are given to the known methods of so-called artificial intelligence.
• This embodiment has the advantage that the system is capable of adapting to behavioral patterns of the person to be monitored, and in particular the above-mentioned value tables of the central unit. This applies in particular to the events provided with a time window, or signals. The transition of the central unit in the warning state is thereby avoided to an improved extent. Furthermore, this trick has the advantage that the monitoring profile, represented by the aforementioned value tables of the person to be monitored without external intervention by service personnel can be optimized.
• the system and method according to the invention are characterized by a high level of error resistance.
• a false positive alarm is prevented in particular by the measures, either individually or in combination, that the warning state is reset by subsequent sensor signals according to the logical signal sequences in the operating state (override), with no active interaction of the person to be monitored is necessary; by keeping the system in the warning state for a predetermined period of time with simultaneous delivery of an internal warning signal and the possibility associated therewith for the person to be monitored to manually reset the warning state to the operating state; as well as the automatic detection by the system that the person to be monitored has left the monitoring room and / or the automatic detection of the presence of several persons and the associated automatic transition to the stand-by mode.
• a false negative alarm is prevented in particular by the measures, either individually or in combination: assignment of a time window to the input of a signal and / or event; Assignment of a time window to the input of the subsequent siganl or event - as well as the definition of privileged signals in the sense of the reduced delay of the alarm triggering.

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• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Alarm Systems (AREA)
• Emergency Alarm Devices (AREA)

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Citations (6)

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• 2006
  • 2006-09-28 DE DE200610046336 patent/DE102006046336A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2007
  • 2007-06-23 EP EP07012315A patent/EP1906370A3/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (6)

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