ES2933609T3 - System for monitoring the daily activities of one or more people in a living space and analysis procedure - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

System for monitoring the daily activities of one or several people in a living space and analysis procedure

Technical field of the invention

The present invention is part of the field of monitoring devices for the elderly that allow monitoring of their rhythm of life.

More particularly, the invention proposes a system for monitoring the daily activities of one or more people provided with a portable object and occupying the same detected area of action, such as a living space.

The system according to the invention is capable of identifying who is at the origin of an action detected by means of radio frequency communication between the portable objects of the people being monitored and the activity detectors.

state of the art

In the context of home care for the elderly or those suffering from a pathology, it is often necessary to provide the home or living space with systems that allow the behavior of the person to be monitored to be observed from a distance. These systems are intended, on the one hand, to allow the detection of a situation of difficulty and need for help, on the other hand, these systems are intended to collect data on the rhythm of life of the person, for example to verify that the person feeds, moves, goes to the bathroom, etc.

Data collection systems allow post-processing of the collected data to assess changes in behavior or detect the absence of essential functions such as toileting, drinking or eating.

The difficulty of implementing these surveillance systems, in terms of data collection, is that it is difficult to determine who is at the origin of an action. Indeed, in the case of the elderly, there are often external caregivers involved, and in the case of pathologies there may be cohabitation with other family members such as spouse and children. For example, several people can open the refrigerator or bathroom door, even though you only want to track the actions of a particular person. The patent application EP 2779 128 A1 gives an example of such a system.

The problem is complicated when you want to follow the actions of two or more people who live in the same living space, and who may also receive visits or live with other people. To solve this difficulty, there are systems that make use of video cameras, which is little accepted by people who feel spied on. Other solutions make use of the real-time location of the people followed, however, these devices are expensive and/or require a complex technical installation. Patent application US 2015/0379860 proposes another solution in which a passive RFID tag is assigned to a person to be monitored and said tag is activated by a plurality of RFID transmitters connected to presence detectors in the monitored area.

Description of the invention

The present invention has as its first object a system for monitoring the daily activities of a person who lives in a living space in which they can live together, allowing said system to discriminate between the actions carried out by people who are not being followed and without the use of cameras.

A second object of the invention is to propose a monitoring system for daily activities that makes it possible to follow two or more people in the same living space and to identify the actions carried out by each of the people to be followed.

A third object of the present invention is to propose a low-cost daily activity monitoring system that is simple in its implementation and installation.

To this end, the invention proposes a system for monitoring the daily activities of a person in a living space, said system comprising at least one activity detector and a portable object intended to be carried by a person whom it is desired to follow. The system of the invention is particular because:

- the at least one activity detector comprises memory and calculation means, and a radio transmission/reception module configured to emit a detected action signal in the form of a series of radio frames during the detection of any action that it monitors ; and

- the portable object comprises calculation means and a radio transmission/reception module configured to receive the signal transmitted by the activity detection device, and to emit a response comprising one or more characteristics additionally associated with the received signal, and because;

- said system comprises a remote information system (SI) comprising memory and calculation means configured to track the detected actions attributed to the portable object (20) of a followed person;

and wherein the tracking system attributes a detected action to the portable object (20) based on a signal/response association to a detected action and the characteristics contained in said response.

The invention therefore makes it possible to determine who is at the origin of a detected action thanks to radio frequency communication established between the detector that has been activated and the portable object assigned to the person to be followed.

The transmission of data to the remote information system, attributing or discriminating the detected actions, can be carried out by different ways of implementing the system. For example, the at least one activity detector is configured to receive the response from the portable object and comprises wireless link transmission means configured to transmit data associated with the detected action signals and the responses from the portable object to said remote information system. .

The characteristics of the radio frequency communication between the activity detector and the portable object can likewise be the subject of various embodiment variants.

According to the invention, the detected action signal is in the form of a series of numbered radio frames, and the response from the portable object comprises the number of radio frames received by said portable object and the reception level of the signal received by said portable object. portable object. The remote information system therefore assigns an action to a portable object based on a configurable minimum number of radio frames to be received by the portable object and its reception level.

The portable object can likewise comprise all or one of the following characteristics that allow fine-tuning the analysis of the responses of the portable object or portable objects for the attribution and discrimination of actions:

- a three-axis accelerometer configured to determine a state of movement of said portable object during the reception of the detected action signal, or during the reception of the detected action signal and for a time t before the reception of said action signal detected action, and wherein the response of the portable object to an activity detection signal comprises said state of motion. Therefore, it is noted that an action carried out by another person is attributed to an immobile person.

- a usage detector configured to determine a usage state of said portable object upon receipt of the detected action signal (S), and wherein the portable object's response (R) to an activity detection signal includes said state of use. Of course, the system will not be able to attribute an action to a person who does not carry his object.

Advantageously, in order to build a very short-range radio link between the activity detectors and the portable objects, the activity detector's radio emission module is configured to emit at 433 MhZ, and the radio reception module of the portable objects is configured to listen at 868 MhZ, the first harmonic pair of the emission.

The activity detector radio transmission module is preferably configured to emit at an adjustable level below -35 dBm, thereby reducing the distance over which the harmonic can be detected.

The portable object is, for example, a watch, a pair of glasses, a medallion, a belt clip, a sole, or any other self-contained miniaturized object, optionally integrated into a fall detection device.

The treatment of the data for the attribution or discrimination of the detected actions can be carried out by different ways of implementing the system.

In one implementation mode, the remote information system collects the data transmitted by the activity detector and executes an event analysis procedure whereby an action is attributed to said portable object. In yet another implementation mode, the activity detector is configured to execute an event analysis procedure by means of which an action is attributed to said portable object and to transmit data associated with the actions detected and attributed to the remote information system. portable object.

The remote information system can be integrated either into a mobile phone, into a telecare base, or into a server through a LPWAN ( Low Power Wide Area Network) or telephone network.

The invention also refers to a procedure for analyzing events by means of a system for monitoring daily activities according to the invention, said procedure comprising the following steps:

- checking a response of the portable object to a detected action signal;

- extracting and analyzing the characteristics of the response of said portable object to a detected action signal; and

- the attribution of a detected action to the portable object of a followed person when the number of radio frames and the reception level of the signal received by said portable object are above a configurable minimum.

In one embodiment, the method comprises calculating a score for the response of the portable object and comparing it with the configurable minimum, said score being defined as a function of the number of radio frames received and the reception level of each frame. of radio received by the portable object.

In one embodiment of the method, the daily activities tracking system comprises two or more portable objects to track the daily activities, respectively, of two or more people in a living space, and when the method verifies two or more responses of portable objects to the same detected action signal, a score is calculated for the response of each portable object, assigning an action to the portable object that has the highest score above the configurable minimum.

Advantageously, according to the method of the invention, the response of the portable object comprises a state of use and a state of movement of said portable object during the reception of the detected action signal, and the response of said portable object is discarded from the procedure when the portable object indicates a state of "non-carried object" and/or a state of movement "at rest" during the reception of the signal (S).

Other particular advantages, objectives and characteristics of the present invention will emerge from the following description, given for explanatory purposes and in no way limiting, with reference to the attached drawings.

Description of the drawings

[Figure 1]. An example of a living space comprising the system of the invention.

[Figure 2]. A schematic example of the event analysis procedure and attribution of a detected action to a portable object according to the invention.

[Figure 3]. A schematic example of the event analysis procedure in the presence of two responses to a detected action signal.

[Figure 4]. A schematic example of a first way of implementing data collection by the system of the invention.

[Figure 5]. A schematic example of a second way of implementing data collection by the system of the invention.

[Figure 6]. A schematic example of a third way of implementing data collection by the system of the invention.

Detailed description of embodiments

The invention proposes a system that makes it possible to follow the actions of one or more people, each of whom is provided with a portable object to monitor their rhythm of life in their daily lives. An action is understood as an activity or an event carried out by a person, such as moving in their living space, going to the bathroom, getting up or lying down in bed, opening a door, eating, etc. These actions are followed by one or more activity detectors installed in strategic places in a living space, such as the entrance door to bedrooms, bathrooms, refrigerators, kitchen drawers, etc. In particular, the different actions attributed to the portable object are monitored by means of a remote information system that allows this data to be collected for subsequent analysis.

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a living space that integrates a plurality of activity detectors 10, a remote information system S ⁱ , a first person 1 provided with a portable object 20 and a second person 2 living in the same space. vital but you don't want to continue.

The activity detectors of the invention comprise a sensor configured to transmit a detected action signal S after any action or event that they monitor. This activity detector is integrated into an autonomous box that includes, for example, a movement, door, presence sensor, etc., and a radio emission/reception module configured to emit a detected action signal S in the form of of a series of radio frames, and data calculation and processing means.

Activity detectors are configured to emit an S signal upon detection of any action they are monitoring. In order to identify who is at the origin of a detected action, and more particularly if the person to be monitored is at the origin of a detected action, the invention proposes establishing radio frequency communication between the activity detector 10 that is being activated and the portable object 20 assigned to the person to be followed.

The portable object is therefore an autonomous object comprising calculation means and a radio transmission/reception module configured to receive the signal S from the activity detector. The wearable object can be integrated into an object such as a watch, bracelet, locket, belt clip, glasses, etc., or even into a fall detector or other intelligent object.

More particularly, the portable object 20 is configured to respond to a detected action signal S by issuing a response R further comprising one or more characteristics associated with the received signal.

According to the invention, the activity detector emits a signal S in the form of a series of numbered radio frames and the portable object is configured to transmit in its response R the number of radio frames received and the level reception of the received signal. The system is therefore capable of assigning a detected action to a portable object based on a configurable minimum number of radio frames received and a signal reception level by the portable object.

In a preferred embodiment, the response from the portable object comprises the number of received radio frames, the number and the reception level of each received radio frame.

The invention also refers to an analysis procedure for the attribution or discrimination of the actions detected by means of the daily activity monitoring system of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a schematic example of the inventive event analysis method for attributing an action detected by an activity detector 10 to a portable object 20 . When the activity detector 10 emits a detected action signal S, the presence of a response R from the portable object 20 to said signal is first established to potentially attribute the detected action to the person carrying the portable object 20, said action being attributed or not depending on the characteristics of the signal received by the portable object.

According to the invention, an action is attributed as a function of a configurable minimum number of radio frames received and the signal reception level by the portable object. For example, a portable object response score is calculated based on the number of radio frames received and the reception level of each received radio frame. Therefore, an action is attributed when the score calculated for the object's response is above a configurable minimum.

Conversely, the system does not attribute the detected action to the portable object 20 in the absence of a response from said portable object to the detected action signal S or when the score is less than the configurable minimum.

The system of the invention is very advantageous because it makes it possible to follow two or more people in the same living space, each person being provided for this purpose with a portable object 20 configured as already described. When an activity detector 10 emits a detected action signal S, and two or more portable objects respond to said signal, the system will perform an event analysis in which it will compare the responses received from the portable objects to attribute the activity. detected action to one of the people carrying said portable objects. This comparison consists, by way of example, in the comparison of the scores calculated for each response of the portable object. The event analysis procedure attributes an action to the portable object whose response comprises the highest score above the configurable minimum.

For example, an activity detector 10 installed to detect the opening of the refrigerator door remains in passive mode until the opening of this door is detected. In response to the detection of door opening, the activity detector emits a series of numbered radio frames and then listens. If a person equipped with a portable object 20 is present in the detected action zone, his object will be able to receive all or part of the series of radio frames emitted by the activity detector depending on the distance at which he is find of the same If the person carrying the object is next to the activity detector, their portable object receives the entire series of radio frames numbered with the maximum reception level, their response score R will be the maximum, and they are most likely the person who is carrying the object. at the origin of the action.

On the other hand, if a person carrying an object moves close to the detection zone, but is not at the origin of the detected action, his object will capture the radio frames that have been transmitted during its passage, for example the beginning or the end of the radio frames and with a lower reception level, his response score will be lower than the maximum score and therefore the probability that this person is at the origin of the action will be lower.

The system of the invention therefore makes it possible to distinguish the actions carried out in the same living space by two or more people equipped with the portable object of the invention.

The analysis of the events can be advantageously refined by other characteristics transmitted in the response of the objects, for example:

- the response comprises a movement state defined by means of a 3-axis accelerometer. By way of example, the state of movement indicates whether the person carrying an object was in a state of "active movement" during the reception of the detected action signal, or if this person was in a state of "rest", or including a “recently moving” state if the person was at rest during signal reception but had been moving recently, or a “resting for time t” state when the person has been at rest for some time. Of course, a state of "active movement" or "recent movement" are positive indicators to attribute the action to the person carrying the device and vice versa with the states of "rest" and "continuous rest".

- the response comprises a state of use of the object defined by means of a device for use of said object. The usage state is, for example, “ported object” or “unported object”. He will therefore be warned to attribute an action to a person who is not carrying his device, and cannot be tracked by means of the system of the invention.

The response of the portable object(s) will therefore include all or part of these characteristics, and the event analysis procedure will attribute a detected action to one of the objects based on its response score as well as its usage status. and of movement. On the other hand, the different objects identify each other thanks to an identification label sent in the object's response.

Figure 3 shows an example of an embodiment of the event analysis procedure in which the responses R of two portable objects are compared with a detected action signal.

In this example, each portable object is configured to respond by emitting the following characteristics:

- An identifier of the portable object;

- The number of frames received;

- The reception level of each frame received;

- A state of movement;

- A usage status of the object.

The activity detector is configured to receive the response from the portable objects and transmit data associated with the detected action and the response from the portable objects to the remote IS information system. The data transmitted by the activity detector comprises at least the sensor identifier, and all the characteristics in the responses of the portable objects.

The remote information system IS then executes the event analysis procedure in which a score is calculated for each response. A tracked person's portable object is attributed an action only when it provides a use state of “carried object” and a movement state of “active”.

In another embodiment, the portable object(s) are configured to respond to a detected action signal S only when they are in a "carried object" use state and/or in an "active movement" state. Therefore, the allocation of an action is based only on the response score calculated with the number of radio frames received and the reception level of the radio frames.

The system of the invention advantageously proposes to build a very short range radio link between the activity detectors and the portable objects. For this, the activity detectors are configured to emit the detected action signal at an adjustable level, preferably low and less than -35 dBm. This radio link is built, for example, with standard radio components having a typical dynamic range of -35 to 14 dBm and worsening the link budget of the activity detector. More specifically, a level lower than -35 dBm can be achieved by modifying the operation (class E or "switch-current") of a power amplifier of the activity detector, and increasing the losses of the matching network at the output of said activity detector. amplifier.

The radio link between the portable object and the portable device is likewise optimized to limit unwanted signal bounces, particularly against the walls of a building. For this, the activity detectors 10 comprise a radio emission module that emits at a low power at 433 MhZ, and the portable objects 20 comprise a radio receiver comprising a phase-locked loop "PLL" ( Phase-Locked Loop) on the frequency of 868 MhZ. Because of this, the detected action device emits at 433 MhZ and the portable object listens at 868 MhZ, the first even harmonic of the emission. As the level of harmonics is very low, the approval standards for this type of device are also respected.

In response mode, portable objects likewise emit at 433 MhZ or alternatively at 868 MhZ.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 schematically illustrate different possible implementation modes for data collection by the remote information system SI.

In the preferred implementation mode and illustrated in figure 4, the response R of the portable object, or the responses R, of the portable objects 20 (in the case of a plurality of portable objects) are received by the activity detector 10 which has issued the detected action signal S, and these data are sent by wireless link to the information system SI that executes the event analysis procedure for the attribution and discrimination of the detected actions.

In another embodiment, which does not form part of the invention, the event analysis procedure is carried out by said activity detector for attributing a detected action after receiving the responses from the portable objects. The activity detector therefore transmits to the information system SI only data associated with the actions attributed to each portable object.

The detector can be configured to send said data raw or after the event analysis procedure, either at each detection of an action it monitors, or periodically with a history of the objects detected (or not). This choice will depend on the type of application desired.

In the second mode of implementation of data collection (figure 4), which is not part of the invention, the data associated with the monitoring of daily activities is collected by a central UC unit installed in the living space and receiving data from activity detectors 10 and portable objects 20. The central unit UC optionally performs a pre-processing of this data before transmitting it to the remote information system SI.

In another embodiment, the portable object is a connected object that directly sends its response via wireless link to the remote information system (Figure 5).

The above modes of implementation of the invention for data collection are given by way of example, and various variants may be considered without departing from the scope of the invention, as claimed.

Regardless of the implementation mode chosen for data collection, the IS information system keeps track of the actions detected and attributed to each of the portable objects present in the system.

When the remote information system executes the event analysis procedure, said system collects all the data of the signals S of detected actions that have received a response R from at least one portable object, that is, the signal/response associations to a detected action and optionally all the data associated with the detection of actions, included therein the data associated with the action signals S detected without response R by a portable object.

The remote information system SI can be integrated either in a mobile telephone, or in a telecare base, or in a server through a LPWAN ( Low Power Wide Area Network) or telephone network. This system includes an application that allows the daily activities of one or several people to be followed over time, said activities that are detected by the activation of the different activity detectors installed in a living space, and reflecting activities such as moving around, going to the bathing, eating, etc.

The system of the invention is very advantageous because it allows individualized monitoring of a person without the use of intrusive methods such as video cameras, or complex systems that make use of the person's real-time location.

On the contrary, the system of the invention is configured with activity detectors using standard sensors, which remain in a passive state when they do not detect an action. The activity detectors, powered by batteries, will therefore have an autonomy of up to several years.

The system of the invention is not limited to following the daily activities of people in a living space, but rather, according to aspects that are not part of the invention, it can be used in a professional environment when desired to follow the actions carried out by people in a procedure.

Claims (14)

1. System for monitoring the daily activities of a person in a living space, said system comprising at least one activity detector (10), and a portable object (20) intended to be carried by a person who is desired follow, and on whose system: - The at least one activity detector (10) comprises memory and calculation means, and a radio emission/reception module configured to emit a detected action signal (S), in the form of a series of radio frames during detection of any monitoring action; - the portable object (20) comprises calculation means and a radio transmission/reception module configured to receive the signal emitted by the activity detection device, and to emit a response (R) that also includes one or more associated characteristics to the signal (S) received; - said system comprises a remote information system (SI) comprising memory and calculation means configured to track the detected actions attributed to the portable object (20) of a followed person; and wherein the tracking system attributes a detected action to the portable object (20) based on a signal/response association to a detected action, and characteristics contained in said response; characterized in that the detected action signal (S) emitted by the activity detector (10) is in the form of a series of numbered radio frames and the response (R) of the portable object (20) comprises the number of radio frames received by said portable object (20) and the reception level of the signal (S) received by said portable object (20). 2. System according to claim 1, in which the at least one activity detector (10) is configured to receive the response (R) from the portable object (20) and comprises wireless link transmission means configured to transmit data associated with the detected action signals and the responses of the portable object to said remote information system (SI). System according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the portable object comprises a three-axis accelerometer configured to determine a state of movement of said portable object (20) during reception of the detected action signal (S), or during the reception of the detected action signal (S) and for a time t before the reception of said detected action signal, and in which the response (R) of the portable object (20) to an action detection signal activity comprises said state of movement. System according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the portable object (20) comprises a use detector configured to determine the state of use of said portable object during the reception of the detected action signal (S) and in wherein the response (R) of the portable object to an activity detection signal comprises said use state. System according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising two or more portable objects (20) configured to respond to the detected action signal (S) and wherein the response (R) of each portable object (20) comprises an identifier of the portable object, the number of received radio frames, the number and reception level of each received radio frame, the state of use and the state of movement of the portable object during reception of the signal (S). System according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the radio emission module of the activity detector (10) is configured to emit at 433 MhZ and the radio reception module of the portable object(s) (20) It is configured to listen at 868 MhZ, the first even harmonic of the broadcast. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the radio emission module of the activity detector (10) is configured to emit at an adjustable level of less than -35 dBm. 8. System according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the portable object is a watch, glasses, a medallion, a sole, a belt clip or any other autonomous miniaturized object, and that optionally integrates a device fall detection. System according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the information system collects the data transmitted by the activity detector and executes an event analysis procedure by means of which an action is attributed to said portable object, or in the that the activity detector is configured to execute an event analysis procedure by means of which an action is attributed to said portable object and to transmit to the remote information system data associated with the actions detected and attributed to the portable object (20). 10. System according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the remote information system (SI) is integrated either in a mobile telephone, or in a telecare base, or in a server through an LPWAN ( Low Power) network. Wide Area Network) or telephone. 11. Event analysis procedure by means of a daily activity monitoring system according to one of claims 1 to 10, comprising the following steps: - checking a response (R) of the portable object (20) to a detected action signal (S); - extracting and analyzing the characteristics of the response of said portable object to a detected action signal; and - attributing a detected action to the portable object of a tracked person when the number of radio frames and the reception level of the detected action signal (S) received by said portable object (20) are above a configurable minimum . Method according to claim 11, comprising calculating a score for the response of the portable object (20) and comparing it with the configurable minimum, said score being defined as a function of the number of radio frames received and the level of reception of each radio frame received by the portable object. The method according to claim 12, wherein the daily activity monitoring system comprises two or more portable devices (20) for monitoring the daily activities, respectively, of two or more people in a living space, and when the method verifies two or more responses (R) of the portable objects (20) to the same detected action signal (S), a score is calculated for the response of each portable object, the portable object (20) being attributed an action comprising the highest score above the configurable minimum. Method according to one of claims 11 to 13, in which the response (R) of the portable object comprises a state of use and a state of movement of said portable object (20) during reception of the signal (S) of detected action, and the response of said portable object is discarded from the procedure when the portable object (20) indicates a "non-carried object" state and/or a "rest" motion state during reception of the signal (S) .