KR20150068597A - Apparatus for detecting an injury from a fall and equipment for protecting a body with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for protecting an injury which generates information about whether or not a user gets hurt from a fall and user momentum. Equipment for protecting a body according to the present invention includes one or more cushions for protecting a body and a detection module. The detection module includes: a sensor which senses an acceleration and an inclination which change according to user movement; a control unit which determines whether or not the user gets a hurt from a fall and user momentum based on the sensed acceleration and inclination; and an output unit which outputs information on whether or not the user gets a hurt from a fall and the momentum of the user.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a fall detection apparatus and a body protection apparatus including the fall detection apparatus.

The present invention relates to fall detection, and more particularly, to a fall detection apparatus and a body protection apparatus including the fall detection apparatus for preventing fall and providing information on whether or not to fall and momentum.

Statistically, about one-third of the elderly over 65 years of age experience falls each year in the United States, and 21% of all elderly people in Korea are experiencing a fall in the past year. As a result, 75.7% of the elderly have fear of falling. It is reported that only about 30 trillion won was spent on falls in the US as of 2010. In the event of a fall, hip and hip fractures are reported to be the most serious injuries due to falls. In 2010 alone, 260,000 people in the United States are emerging as serious social problems.

In particular, the elderly are more likely to be in an emergency situation, and it is highly likely that they will suffer personal injury because it is difficult for them to take proper measures against the emergency situation themselves. In addition, in the case of the prior art, it is difficult to prevent a fall or to take appropriate measures due to falling because it provides only a function of detecting a fall.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fall detection apparatus and a body protection apparatus including the fall detection apparatus which prevent falling and provide information about whether or not the fall occurs and the amount of exercise.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, unless further departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be possible.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fall sensing apparatus comprising: a sensor unit for sensing an acceleration and a tilt varying according to a movement of a user; A controller for determining whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise using the sensed acceleration and tilt; And a communication unit for transmitting information about the user's fall and the amount of exercise.

Here, the sensor unit includes at least one of an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a GPS receiver.

The controller compares the sensed acceleration and slope with predetermined values to determine whether the user falls, and determines the amount of exercise of the user based on the repeatedly sensed acceleration and slope and the body information of the user .

In addition, the control unit controls the communication unit to transmit the position information of the user together with information on whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise.

The fall detection apparatus of the present invention further includes a memory for storing information on the predetermined values, the user's body information, the user's fall and the amount of exercise.

The protective equipment according to the present invention comprises: at least one cushion for protecting the body; Wherein the sensing module comprises: a sensor for sensing an acceleration and a tilt varying according to a user's movement; a controller for determining whether the user falls and exercising by using the sensed acceleration and tilt; And an output unit for outputting information on whether or not to fall and the amount of exercise.

Here, the sensing module may be inserted into the cushion and detachable, and the sensor unit further includes a bio-signal detection sensor for detecting a bio-signal of the user.

The effects of the fall detection apparatus and the body protection apparatus including the fall detection apparatus according to the present invention will be described as follows.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, the information on the fall and the momentum is output and provided to the designated terminal, so that the user can be monitored. In addition, since it provides the user's position information in addition to information on whether or not to fall and the amount of exercise, it is possible to find a user in a fall and take emergency measures.

In addition, the body protection device of the present invention includes a fall sensing device and a cushion, so that injury due to falls can be exaggerated.

The effects obtained by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description will be.

1 is a view showing a fall sensing apparatus according to the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation sequence of the fall detection apparatus according to the present invention.
Figs. 3A and 3B show an example in which the fall sensing apparatus of Fig. 1 is applied to pants-type protection equipment.
Fig. 4 shows another example in which the fall sensing apparatus of Fig. 1 is applied to pants-type protective equipment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Rather, the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but rather, the invention includes all modifications, equivalents and substitutions that are consistent with the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims. Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary terms, and the inventor should appropriately design the concept of the term appropriately in order to describe its own invention in the best way. It should be interpreted in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be defined. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, It is to be understood that equivalents and modifications are possible.

Hereinafter, the fall sensing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

1, the fall sensing apparatus 10 of the present invention includes a sensor unit 100, a control unit 200, a communication unit 300, and a signal output unit 400. As shown in FIG.

The sensor unit 100 includes a sensor 110 and a GPA receiver 120. The sensor 110 is configured to include at least one of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) composed of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, and a biological signal detection sensor. Here, the acceleration sensor senses the moving speed of the user, the acceleration of three axes (x, y, z), the magnitude of the shock, the gyro sensor senses the tilt and angular velocity (or rotational speed) of the user, Such as a user's pulse rate, respiration rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and the like.

The controller 200 determines whether the user falls and / or the amount of exercise (or calorie consumption) by using the information sensed by the sensor unit 100, and generates information about the user. For example, the controller 200 compares the sensed acceleration and slope with preset values, and determines that the user is hurt when the sensed acceleration and slope are greater than the preset values. In addition, the controller 200 determines the amount of exercise of the user by using acceleration and tilt sensed continuously or periodically by the sensor unit 100. At this time, considering the body information of the user such as height, weight, .

The controller 200 includes a signal processor 210 and a memory 220. The signal processor 210 processes signals output from the sensor unit 100 and the memory 220 The user's physical information, the history of the user's fall and the amount of exercise, the information about the user's fall and the exercise amount generated in the controller 200, and the like. In addition, the controller 200 controls the signal output unit 400 to output information on the user's fall and the amount of exercise, and transmits the position information of the user along with information on whether the user falls and / And controls the communication unit 300. Here, the information on whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise can be controlled so as to be output and transmitted when there is a change in at least one of whether or not a fall occurs and a momentum. Conversely, information on whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise can be controlled to be periodically output and transmitted.

The communication unit 300 includes Bluetooth, WiFi, and mobile communication devices for long-range communication and 3G or LTE for short-distance communication. The communication unit 300 transmits information on whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise to the designated portable terminal 50 using near or far communication.

The signal output unit 400 includes a speaker for outputting information about a user's fall and momentum to the user. In addition, the signal output unit 400 may further include a vibration motor for transmitting information to the user through vibration.

A driving method of the fall sensing apparatus 10 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in a state where the fall sensing apparatus 10 is worn on the user's body, the sensor unit 100 senses acceleration and inclination which change according to the user's movement (S11). Here, the sensor unit 100 continuously or periodically senses acceleration and tilt under the control of the controller 200. At this time, the sensor unit 100 may sense a user's body image such as pulse rate, respiration rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and the like.

Next, the controller 200 determines whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise based on the information sensed by the sensor unit 100, and generates information about the user.

In order to determine whether the user falls, the controller 200 compares the sensed acceleration and slope with predetermined values stored in the memory 220. Then, it is determined whether or not the user falls in accordance with the comparison result (S12). For example, if the user's motion is normal, the sensed acceleration and slope will be constant or less than a predetermined value even if there is a change. However, when the user falls or falls, the movement of the user changes abruptly, so that the detected acceleration and tilt will also change abruptly. Accordingly, the controller 200 determines that the user has fallen when the detected acceleration and slope each exceed the predetermined value.

At this time, the controller 200 may consider the biological signals such as the pulse rate, the respiratory rate, the body temperature, and the blood pressure of the user sensed by the sensor unit 100 to more accurately determine whether or not the user falls. In other words, when the user falls or falls, changes occur in the user's pulse rate, respiration rate, body temperature, blood pressure, etc. Therefore, when they exceed the reference value, the controller 200 can determine that the user has fallen.

In addition, the controller 200 determines at least one of the acceleration, the tilt, and the angular velocity (or the rotation speed) continuously sensed by the sensor unit 100 at step S15. For example, the controller 200 may calculate the sum of the accelerations sensed continuously, the amount of change in the gradient, and the angular velocity, and determine the user's amount of exercise based on the calculated sum. At this time, it is possible to determine the amount of exercise of the user by using only one of the sum of the accelerations, the amount of change of the gradient, and the angular speed, but it is preferable to judge the amount of exercise of the user by using at least two or more.

As another method of determining the user's amount of exercise, the controller 200 samples the acceleration, tilt, and angular velocity that are continuously sensed at specific times, calculates the sum of the sampled accelerations, the variation of the sampled tilt, Based on this, the user can determine the amount of exercise. At this time, similarly, it is also possible to determine the user's momentum using only one of the sum of the sampled accelerations, the variation of the sampled slope, and the sampled angular velocity, but it is preferable to determine the user's momentum using at least two or more Do. Also, the controller 200 determines the amount of exercise in consideration of the body information of the user stored in the memory 220.

The control unit 200 generates information for informing the presence or absence of fall and the amount of exercise according to the above determination results. For example, if it is determined that the user has fallen (S13), the information about the fall is generated (S14), and if there is a change in the amount of exercise, information for informing the amount of exercise is generated (S16).

Then, the controller 200 stores information on the user's fall and the amount of exercise in the memory 220. In addition, the controller 200 controls the signal output unit 400 to output information on whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise, and provides information on the user's fall and the amount of exercise together with the location information of the user, And controls the communication unit 300 to transmit the data to the communication unit 50 (S17). At this time, when at least one of the presence or absence of fall and the amount of exercise is changed, control is performed to output and transmit at least one of information on the user's fall and information on the exercise amount. Conversely, information on whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise can be controlled to be periodically output and transmitted. In particular, information on the user's exercise amount provided to the portable terminal 50 may be accumulated and used to determine the calorie consumption amount and exercise amount per day / month of the user.

In addition, the controller 200 determines whether the target calorie is stored in the memory 220, and controls the signal output unit 400 to output a voice message to inform the controller 220 of the target calorie. At this time, it is possible to transmit information to the user through vibration instead of or in conjunction with the voice message.

The fall sensing apparatus 10 configured as described above can be configured in a module form, and can be applied to a body protection device, a walking aiding device, a wheelchair, a bicycle, a robot, and the like.

Figs. 3A and 3B show an example in which the fall sensing apparatus 10 of Fig. 1 is applied to pants-type protective equipment.

3A and 3B, the pants-type protective equipment 30 of the present invention includes a fall detection device 10 and at least one protective cushion 20. The fall sensing apparatus 10 is configured to be located in the back portion of the user to accurately detect whether or not the fall occurs, but may be configured to be located in another portion. The fall detection device 10 may be inserted into a pocket provided in the protection device 30 so that the fall detection device 10 may be charged or the protection device 30 may be washed. Lt; / RTI > The cushion 20 is located at a corresponding site to protect the hip, hip, biceps, tail bone, and the like, and is made of a shock absorbing material.

Fig. 4 shows another example in which the fall sensing apparatus of Fig. 1 is applied to pants-type protective equipment.

4, the pants-type protective equipment 31 of the present invention includes at least one protective cushion 21 and a fall sensing device 10 inserted in the cushion 21. As shown in Fig. In particular, the fall sensing apparatus 10 is configured to be inserted into the cushion 21 located on the hip side. The fall sensing device 10 may be inserted into a pocket provided in the cushion 21 so that the fall sensing device 10 may be charged or the protection device 31 may be washed. .

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

Accordingly, the above description should not be construed in a limiting sense in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by rational interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

10, 11: Fall detection device 20, 21: Protective cushion
30, 31: Protective equipment 50: Smart device
100: sensor unit 110: sensor
120: GPS 200:
210: signal processor 220: memory
300: communication unit 310: Bluetooth
320: WiFi 330: 3G / LTE
400: Signal output section

Claims (14)

A sensor unit for sensing an acceleration and a tilt varying according to movement of a user;
A controller for determining whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise using the sensed acceleration and tilt;
And a communication unit for transmitting information about the user's fall and the amount of exercise. The method according to claim 1,
The sensor unit includes:
An acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a GPS receiver. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
And determines whether the user falls or not by comparing the sensed acceleration and the slope with predetermined values, respectively. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
Wherein the controller determines the amount of exercise of the user based on the repeatedly detected acceleration and slope and body information of the user. The method according to claim 3 or 4,
Further comprising a memory for storing information on the preset values, the user's body information, the user's fall rate, and the amount of exercise. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
Wherein the control unit controls the communication unit to transmit the position information of the user together with the information on whether or not the user falls and the exercise amount. At least one cushion for protecting the body;
Wherein the sensing module comprises: a sensor for sensing an acceleration and a tilt varying according to a user's movement; a controller for determining whether the user falls and exercising by using the sensed acceleration and tilt; And an output unit for outputting information on the fallen state and the exercise amount of the body. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the sensing module is inserted into the cushion. 8. The method of claim 7,
The sensor unit includes:
An acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a GPS receiver. 8. The method of claim 7,
The sensor unit includes:
And a bio-signal detection sensor for detecting a bio-signal of the user. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein,
Wherein the controller determines whether the user falls by comparing the sensed acceleration and the slope with preset values, respectively. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein,
Wherein the controller determines the momentum of the user based on the repeated acceleration and slope and the user's body information. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12,
Further comprising: a memory for storing information on the preset values, the user's body information, the user's fall status, and the exercise amount. 8. The method of claim 7,
Further comprising a communication unit for transmitting the position information of the user together with information on whether or not the user falls and the amount of exercise.

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