TW201346849A - Home terminal for remote monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a home terminal for remote monitoring system, comprising a telecommunications module, an emergency call module, a dial module, a speak phone module and a maintenance module. The dial module is provided with particular number of speed-dial keys and is able to generate dial tone signals in response to operations of said speed-dial keys, to establish communication with a remote device. The maintenance module changes corresponding relations between particular speed-dial keys and respective telephone numbers, in response to instructions of said remote device through said telecommunications module.

Description

Remote care home machine

The invention relates to a home machine for a remote care system, in particular to a home machine suitable for remote care of the elderly.

Since many countries in the world have entered the stage of aging countries, many elderly people in each country do not live with their children and grandchildren. More than a large number of elderly people live alone, or have limited mobility and need care. Old man. In order to provide these and other needs of people who need remote care or maintenance safety, such as young children, shops, remote homes, rides, etc., a variety of remote care systems have been developed.

Conventional remote care systems typically have a call center equipped with powerful computer equipment and a 24-hour service attendant to answer calls or calls made by most of the home stations connected to the call center. To carry out the necessary processing.

The remote care system can usually use a telephone line system, a mobile communication system or an internet system to connect the call center with a majority of the home machine, so that data can be carried between the call center and each home machine. Voice and video communication. The call center includes a large telephone exchange and is equipped with a majority of data machines to exchange digital data with the data machine located at the home machine to process incoming and outgoing data. For the purpose of remote care, the home machine usually provides several functions, including;

1. Emergency call: Provides an emergency call button that allows the caregiver to make a call with the call center when the button is pressed. In order to enable the call center to determine the situation, the home machine may be equipped with a microphone and an amplifier to provide a two-way conversation between the home machine and the call center through a telephone line or a smart network.

2. Activity Detection: An important part of distance care services involves detecting if a caregiver is functioning properly. Techniques for detecting the activity of caregivers have been published in the patent literature, including the use of infrared light to detect whether a care recipient is in normal activity, and the use of electrical switches to detect if the care recipient has not used the necessary electrical appliances for a long period of time, requiring care. The person periodically presses the button to report to the call center and the like. In addition, there are techniques for detecting the physical condition of the caretaker, such as dumping, no movement, and the like, and detecting the activity of the caregiver.

3. Home security maintenance: including door and window detectors, motion detectors, gas detectors, temperature detectors, etc., wired or wirelessly connected to the remote care home machine for home security maintenance judgment. Most home machines can alert the call center to request support when an emergency situation is determined.

4. Handheld devices: Typically, remote care home units include one or more handheld devices in addition to a fixed mainframe. The hand-held device usually forms a wristwatch or necklace type for the caregiver to wear on the body, and in the event of an emergency, the button on the handheld device can be pressed to issue an emergency call signal. After receiving the call signal from the handheld device, the home machine will send an emergency call to the call center for processing.

The above and other similar or similar remote care home machines are mainly used for home security, that is, when an emergency occurs, the call center is notified for rescue processing. This type of system is not suitable for use in general remote care, that is, the remote care home machine is used as a daily life appliance for the caregiver. For example, the conventional remote care home machine itself has the communication capability of a telephone or a network telephone. However, most home machines do not provide the ability to make calls. If a dialing function is to be provided, it is usually connected to the home machine by a telephone to make a call when the home machine does not use the telephone line. Other home machines provide the ability to make calls on the keyboard or computer screen of a home machine, but this feature is basically not practical because the target user is a caregiver and usually cannot or will not use a dial pad or use a computer. Make a call on the screen. In addition, the caregiver may have poor memory and it is difficult to complete the call.

In addition, the existing remote care home machine focuses on emergency detection and notification in functional design, and is not equipped with other detection or notification functions. As a result, the remote care home machine can only function in an emergency, and usually has no other functions.

Therefore, it is indeed necessary to provide a novel remote care home machine that can provide weekday use.

There is also a need for a remote care home machine that can provide health care applications, not just emergency notification.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel remote care home machine that can provide a variety of weekday use functions.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a remote care home machine that can be applied to a variety of health care functions, rather than only an emergency notification function.

The home care home machine according to the present invention has a communication module for connecting to a communication network and establishing a communication link with a remote device; the remote device includes a telephone, a mobile phone, At least one of a mobile device or a call center; an emergency notification module for transmitting an emergency notification signal to a remote device according to a detection result or a user command; a dialing module equipped with a certain number of fast Dialing key, and corresponding to the operation of the speed dialing button, issuing a dialing signal corresponding to the telephone number to form a communication link with a remote device, and accepting the remote device to change the specific speed dial through the operation of the communication module Correspondence between a key and a specific telephone number; a voice call module for accepting a voice received by a microphone, converting it into a suitable format, sending the voice signal through the communication module, and receiving a voice signal received by the communication module , converted into voice, output from an amplifier; a maintenance module for automatically verifying the specific function of the home machine, and passing the test result via the communication The group is transmitted to the remote device; wherein the communication module can determine the communication nature of an incoming call, and forward the call to the voice call module, the dialing module or the maintenance module; and the communication module includes a The answer button is used to activate the voice call module.

The remote care home machine of the present invention can include a hand-held device for wearing on an caregiver and equipped with an emergency button and a short-range communication device. The short-range communication device can be connected to the communication module, and the emergency button can generate an emergency signal after being pressed, and send to the communication module via the short-range communication device. In this example, the emergency notification module can send an emergency notification signal to the remote device based on the result of detecting the emergency signal.

The remote care home machine of the present invention may further comprise a physiological information collection module for connecting with the external physiological information measuring device to obtain the measurement data provided by the external physiological information measuring device. The physiological information collecting module can provide the obtained physiological information measurement data to the remote device via the communication module. The physiological information measuring device and the home machine are connected through a short-range wireless communication channel. The short-range wireless communication channel can be Bluetooth.

The remote care home machine of the present invention may also include a time management module and may include a timing device and a timing device. The timing device can prompt the time at the time of the screen display mode or voice dialing mode. The timing device can issue an alert signal at a set time.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims. It is to be understood that the detailed description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative of the embodiments of the invention. The detailed description and drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a system diagram showing the remote care home machine of the present invention. As shown, the remote care home machine 10 of the present invention can be coupled to a telephone 31, a mobile telephone 32, a mobile device 33 or a call center 34 via a communication network 20. The home phone 31, the mobile phone 32, the mobile device 33, and the call center 34 may be collectively referred to as a "remote device" 30. The remote care home machine 10 includes a communication module 11 for connecting to the communication network 20 and establishing a communication link with the remote device 30 via the communication network 20. The remote care home machine 10 further includes an emergency notification module 12, a dialing module 13, a voice calling module 14, a maintenance module 15, a physiological information collecting module 16, and a time management module 17. . The following are explained separately.

The function of the communication module 11 is to connect the remote care home machine 10 to the communication network system 20, and further to the remote device 30 such as the home phone 31, the mobile phone 32, the mobile device 33, and the call center 34. Therefore, the communication module 11 usually needs to include a data machine (not shown) to convert the digital or analog signals generated by the 10 modules of the remote care home machine into a suitable format and send the data to the communication network. The path 20, 俾 connects the designated remote device 30. The communication module 11 can respond to the call signal sent by each remote device 30 via the communication network 20, determine the requested communication mode, and convert the data signal sent by the remote device 30 into applicable data or Analog format.

The communication module 11 can also determine the communication nature of an incoming call, and forward the incoming call to the voice call module 14, the dialing module 13 or the maintenance module 15; and the communication module 11 can include an answering button 11A. The voice call module 14 is activated. Therefore, when the incoming call is a voice call request, the communication module 11 can generate an alert signal, such as an analog phone ringtone or a human voice, to remind the user to press the answer button 11A to start a voice call. If a call is a system maintenance request, the received signal is forwarded to the maintenance module 15, or other corresponding modules and components.

The communication network 20 can be any form of communication network, including a local telephone system, a mobile telephone system, a smart telephone system, an internet, a private network, and the like. In some examples of the present invention, the communication module 11 can be connected to a data communication system, so that a public telephone switching network (PSTN) or an IP telephone system (VIOP) can be used to make voice calls, and can also be transmitted via the Internet. Receive data signals.

The communication module 11 having the above architecture and functions can be completed using any commercially available product or with necessary modifications in a commercially available product. The communication module used in the known remote care device or security device prior to the present invention can also be applied to the present invention directly or simply modified. As the related technology is known to the industry, its detailed architecture and software and hardware design need not be described here.

The emergency notification module 12 is a device for providing notification to the call center 34 when an emergency occurs. In the design of the present invention, the emergency notification module 12 includes an emergency button 12a, preferably located at a prominent location on the front panel of the remote care home machine 10. Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the appearance of the remote care home machine of the present invention. The figure shows that the emergency button 12a is provided at the center of its front side. The emergency button 12a is connected to the emergency notification module 12, and when the user presses the emergency button 12a, the emergency notification module 12 is determined to be an emergency call by the user, and the communication module 11 is activated to connect the call center 34. And send an emergency call signal to the call center 34.

In some examples of the present invention, in order to prevent the user from accidentally touching the emergency button 12a and issuing an erroneous emergency call signal, an emergency call signal may be issued after the emergency button 12a is continuously pressed for a predetermined number of times at a predetermined time. However, in most applications, when the emergency notification module 12 issues an emergency call signal, the call center 34 immediately calls the service personnel to the remote care home machine 10, requesting the user to make a call. Confirm if an emergency has occurred. Therefore, the above-mentioned foolproof measures are not absolutely necessary.

In addition to the emergency button 12a, the remote care home machine 10 of the present invention is also provided with a hand-held device 18 for attachment to an caregiver. The handheld device 18 is typically of the watch or necklace type and is easy to hang. The handheld device 18 is equipped with an emergency button 18a, a short-range communication device (not shown), necessary circuitry and power. After the user presses the emergency button 18a, the emergency notification module 12 can be automatically connected to issue an emergency call signal to the call center 34.

In the present embodiment, the communication module 11 of the remote care home machine 10 is also equipped with a short-range communication device (not shown) for establishing a communication connection with the handheld device 18. The communication data is exchanged with the handheld device 18. In an embodiment of the invention, the short range communication device preferably uses a universal short range communication protocol, such as Bluetooth. However, the use of other short-range communication devices, even long-distance wireless communication devices, is indispensable.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the emergency notification module 12 can provide several emergency determination logics in addition to the emergency buttons 12a, 18a to notify the call center 34 when an emergency occurs. The logic of the emergency notification module 12 can also activate the amplifier 14b of the voice call module 14 to emit a beep or a pre-recorded voice when the emergency condition is determined to remind the user of the attention. The determining logic may include: when the connected intrusion detector detects the intrusion, when the connected door and window detector detects that the door and window are damaged, when the connected gas detector detects the gas leak, and connects When the temperature detector detects that the ambient temperature has risen to a certain value, when it is calculated that the necessary electric appliance is not energized for more than a certain period of time, and when the button that the caretaker has to press regularly is not pressed according to the time limit, the alarm is issued. The signal is reported to the call center 34. Other judgment logics suitable for use in the security system and the remote care system are applicable to the present invention.

The emergency notification module 12 and the handheld device 18 having the above architecture and functions can be used with any commercially available product or with necessary modifications to the applicable commercial products. The emergency notification module and the hand-held device used in the known remote care device or security device prior to the present invention can also be applied to the present invention directly or simply modified. As the related technology is known to the industry, its detailed architecture and software and hardware design need not be described here.

The dialing module 13 is provided with a specific number of speed dialing keys 13a, 13b, 13c, each of which corresponds to a unique telephone number. In accordance with the design of the present invention, the remote care home machine 10 is primarily intended for use by older caregivers. Because of the elderly, it is difficult for the caregiver to remember the recent relatives, such as the closest child, grandchildren's phone number, and it is also difficult to complete the operation of dialing the phone number with the keyboard. It is also difficult for such an old person to use a dialing keyboard or a dialing tool provided on a computer screen to complete dialing. A limited number of speed dialing keys 13a, 13b, 13c are provided at the remote care home machine 10, which is sufficient for the elderly to contact a communication object such as a nearest relative, a caregiver or a daily service provider.

According to the design of the present invention, each of the speed dialing keys 13a, 13b, 13c corresponds to a single telephone number, and the dialing module 13 can be stored, for example, in the communication module 11 as long as the user presses one of the speed dialing keys. In the phone number or IP address, find the phone number or IP address corresponding to the speed dial button, activate the communication module 11, and issue a dialing signal, such as a DTMF signal. After the dialing signal enters the communication module 11, the communication network 20 can be connected, so that the remote care home machine 10 establishes a communication connection with a specific remote device, such as a voice call connection.

In application, the telephone number or IP address corresponding to the speed dialing keys 13a, 13b, and 13c may be built in the communication module 11, and may be changed according to user designation or other administrator commands.

In a practical application of the present invention, the remote care home machine 10 is not equipped with a telephone dial button. The remote care home machine 10 can also be equipped with a communication interface, such as a USB interface device 11b, but does not provide a telephone number or IP address for setting/changing the speed dial keys 13a, 13b, 13c from the remote care home machine 10. The function. When the corresponding telephone number or IP address of the speed dialing keys 13a, 13b, 13c is set or changed, the communication center 11 is activated by the call center 34, and an instruction is set to set or change the speed dialing telephone number stored in the communication module 11. Or IP address.

Under the above design, the user only needs to provide, for example, three sets of telephone numbers or IP addresses at the time of construction, which is set by the call center 34. After setting, press one of the speed dial keys 13a, 13b, 13c to make a call with friends and relatives at the far end. When the telephone number or IP address is changed, the call center 34 can be instructed to perform the change through a call with the call center 34. The telephone number or IP address corresponding to the speed dial keys 13a, 13b, and 13c is not changed because the keys are accidentally touched, and the necessary call connection cannot be established in an emergency, and the timing is delayed.

A large area can be provided on the speed dial keys 13a, 13b, 13c, the name, name, or even a photo of the corresponding call object can be written to facilitate the inquiry.

The voice call module 14 is used to provide voice receiving, playing and converting functions. The voice call module 14 includes a microphone 14a, an amplifier 14b (see FIG. 2, respectively), and a signal converter (not shown). The microphone 14a is configured to receive sound from the environment and provide the signal converter. The signal converter is configured to convert the sound received by the microphone 14a into a format suitable for transmission, send it to the communication module 11, and convert the sound signal received from the communication module 11 into a format suitable for playback. Provided to the amplifier 14b. The amplifier 14b can play the sound signal in a sound pattern. The voice call module 14 is further provided with volume control keys 14c, 14d for controlling the output volume of the amplifier 14b. The voice call module 14 and its components having the above architecture and functions can use any commercially available modules and components. Its combination and application are also known to the industry. The details are not described here.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the voice call module 14 further provides an echo cancellation function to eliminate echoes caused by the simultaneous action of the amplifier 14b and the microphone 14a. This can achieve a full-duplex voice call. This echo cancellation function is also a known technique and is widely used in various voice call applications. The detailed technology does not need to be described.

The remote care home machine 10 of the present invention also provides a maintenance module 15 for automatically verifying the specific functions of the home machine 10 and transmitting the inspection results to the call center 34 via the communication module 11. The maintenance module 15 is used to ensure that the remote care home machine 10 can operate normally for 24 hours. Therefore, the functions of the automatic verification may include: power failure, battery low, battery line failure, network disconnection, and the like, related to system function or communication network function detection. When the maintenance module 15 detects a system abnormality, in addition to notifying the call center 34, the expander 14b of the voice call module 14 can be activated to emit a beep or pre-recorded human voice to remind the user of the attention. In the example of the present invention, the maintenance module 15 is equipped with a rechargeable battery (not shown) to maintain normal operation for a considerable period of time after power failure to improve safety.

The remote care home machine 10 of the present invention may also include a time management module 17. The time management module 17 includes a timing device (not shown) and a timed device (not shown). The timing device can prompt the time at the time or when the user presses a button, in a screen display manner or a voice play manner. The timing device can issue a warning signal at a set time to remind the user to press a button to contact the call center 34. The main purpose of the time management module 17 is to allow the user to periodically press a designated button to initiate a notification process and report to the call center 34 that the user's activity is normal. If the user does not press the button for a predetermined time, the emergency notification module 12 can issue an emergency notification to the call center 34. The time management module 17 can also be designed to issue an alarm signal at a predetermined time or to issue an alarm signal when the user presses the button at a predetermined time to prompt the user to press the notification button. When the user presses the notification button within a predetermined time or a predetermined time, the time management module 17 can report the time by voice or other means. In this way, the notification button and the time button can share one button. Further, the answer button 11a has no effect when no caller rings. Therefore, the notification button and the time button can be shared with one button, that is, the notification button and the time button are the answer button 11a, and no additional setting is needed.

The time management module 17 having the above functions can also be implemented by using existing timing devices and corresponding control devices with appropriate modifications. For people in this industry, it is not difficult. The technical details are not to be described here.

The remote care home machine 10 of the present invention may further include a physiological information collection module 16. The physiological information collecting module 16 is equipped with a wired communication capability or a short-range wireless communication capability for connecting with the external physiological information measuring device 19 to obtain the measurement data provided by the external physiological information measuring device 19. Wherein, the wired communication implementation can use a common communication interface, such as a USB interface. Embodiments of the short-range wireless communication can also use a common communication interface, such as a Bluetooth interface. The physiological information measuring device 19 that can be connected may generally include a blood pressure machine, a thermometer, a weight machine, a blood glucose meter, an electrocardiograph, and the like. The external physiological information measuring device 19 can transmit the measured physiological information 19 to the physiological information collecting module 16 through the wired or wireless transmission interface, and then the communication module 11 is activated by the physiological information collecting module 16 . The physiological information is transmitted to the designated remote device 30. The remote device 30 can be a cloud physiological information database for storing the received physiological information and providing a query interface for query by the person, the medical staff or other authorized personnel. The remote device 30 can also be a physiological information analysis device for collecting, recording, and analyzing the health of the human body.

Modules, components or devices having the above-described physiological information measurement, collection and transmission functions may also be implemented after being combined, modified, and set using commercially available modules, components or devices. The technical details are not required to be explained here.

The remote care home machine 10 of the present invention can achieve many functions that other remote care home machines can provide and cannot provide, using only the minimum necessary number of buttons. In particular, the design of its speed dial keys 13a, 13b, 13c, and the control mode set by the remote end enable the care recipient to quickly contact the contact person. It is convenient for caregivers and caregivers who have reduced memory. The time management module 17 is designed to ensure effective monitoring of the caregiver's mobility. In addition, the physiological information collection module 16 further provides an unprecedented function of the remote care home machine 10. The remote care home machine of the present invention not only establishes an effective communication channel with the call center, but also grasps the activity ability of the care recipient, and becomes an indispensable electrical appliance for the daily life of the care recipient.

The above is an illustrative illustration of an embodiment of the remote care home machine of the present invention. It is not difficult for a person skilled in the art to understand the spirit of the invention and to make various modifications, variations or derivatives. It is also possible to add other ancillary functions or applications in addition to the present invention. However, it should be within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

10. . . Remote care home machine

11. . . Communication module

11a. . . Answer button

11b. . . Interface device

12. . . Emergency notification module

12a. . . emergency button

13. . . Dial module

13a, 13b, 13c. . . Speed dial button

14. . . Voice call module

14a. . . microphone

14b. . . Amplifier

14c, 14d. . . Volume control button

15. . . Maintenance module

16. . . Physiological information collection module

17. . . Time management module

18. . . Handheld device

18a. . . emergency button

19. . . External physiological information measuring device

20. . . Communication network

30. . . Remote device

31. . . Home phone

32. . . mobile phone

33. . . Mobile device

34. . . Call Center

Fig. 1 is a system diagram showing the remote care home machine of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the appearance of the remote care home machine of the present invention.

10. . . Remote care home machine

11. . . Communication module

12. . . Emergency notification module

13. . . Dial module

14. . . Voice call module

15. . . Maintenance module

16. . . Physiological information collection module

17. . . Time management module

18. . . Handheld device

18a. . . emergency button

19. . . External physiological information measuring device

20. . . Communication network

30. . . Remote device

31. . . Home phone

32. . . mobile phone

33. . . Mobile device

34. . . Call Center

Claims (11)

A home care home machine has a communication module for connecting to a communication network and establishing a communication connection with a remote device; an emergency notification module for using a detection result or a user command Sending an emergency notification signal to a remote device; a dialing module equipped with a specific number of speed dialing keys, and corresponding to the operation of the speed dialing button to issue a dialing signal corresponding to the telephone number to form a communication with a remote device a voice call module for receiving a voice received by a microphone, converting it into a suitable format, sending it through the communication module, and converting the voice signal received by the communication module into a voice, from a An expander output; a maintenance module for automatically verifying a specific function of the home machine, and transmitting the test result to the remote device via the communication module; wherein the communication module can determine the communication property of an incoming call And forwarding the call to the voice call module, the dial module or the maintenance module; and the communication module includes an answer button for starting the voice call module. For example, in the home care home machine of claim 1, wherein the maintenance module can further accept the operation of the remote device via the communication module to change the correspondence between the specific speed dial key and the specific phone number. The home care home machine of claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises at least one of a telephone, a mobile phone, a mobile device or a call center. For example, the home care home machine of the first application of the patent scope includes a hand-held device for wearing on the caregiver and equipped with an emergency button and a short-range communication device. The home-care home appliance of claim 4, wherein the short-range communication device is connectable to the communication module, and the emergency button can generate an emergency signal after being pressed, and send the communication to the communication via the short-range communication device. Module. For example, in the home care home machine of claim 5, the emergency notification module can send an emergency notification signal to the remote device according to the result of detecting the emergency signal. For example, the home care home machine of the first application of the patent scope includes a physiological information collection module for connecting with the external physiological information measuring device to obtain the measurement data provided by the external physiological information measuring device. For example, in the home care home machine of claim 7, wherein the physiological information collecting module can provide the obtained physiological information measurement data to the remote device via the communication module. For example, the home care home machine of the eighth application patent scope, wherein the physiological information measuring device and the home machine are connected through a short-range wireless communication channel. For example, the home care home machine of the ninth application patent scope, wherein the short-range wireless communication channel is Bluetooth. For example, the home care home machine of claim 1 includes a time management module, and includes a timing device and a time device; wherein the timing device can prompt the time at the screen display mode or voice dialing mode; The timing device can issue an alert signal at a set time.