WO2012018311A2

WO2012018311A2 - Portable prayer monitoring and alarming system

Info

Publication number: WO2012018311A2
Application number: PCT/SY2010/000011
Authority: WO
Inventors: Haitham Kabbani
Original assignee: Haitham Kabbani
Priority date: 2010-08-01
Filing date: 2010-08-01
Publication date: 2012-02-09

Description

Portable Prayer Monitoring and Alarming System

Invention's Technical Description

a) Previous technical state

Since Muslim prayer is a compound activity that involves a lot of deep mental activities, which synchronize with systematic compound movements, this, in many situations, may lead the worshiper to stray to a point where he/she might forget the sequence of the prayer pillars because of everyday concerns or illness or aging. This may confuse him/her or cause frustration or hesitation that may make him/her feel obliged to redo his/her prayer from the start, or to continue from the point he/she has reached, and perform the oversight prostration (in Muslim terms "Sujood Alsaho"), at the end, which is a two-prostrations performed when the worshiper has missed one or more pillars. Therefore the designer feels that the proposed device helps the worshiper to control the prayer pillars, and avoid straying that might cause him/here to fail to perform the correct prayer pillars for the above-mentioned reasons.

This device is designed specifically to help the worshiper properly execute the prayer pillars and increase his/her self-confidence in that he/she has performed them correctly. This is done by emitting various audio-visual and sensory alarms, individually or combined, in response to the various worshiper movements that he/she does while performing the prayer. This will fulfill the requirements of all worshipers, including those with special needs or disabilities and old people. b) Detailed explanation of the invention

The device consists of a miniature programmable electronic circuit with a few other accessories and one or more LEDs (Light emitting diodes) which give signals that go along with the worshiper movements while he/she is performing the prayer pillars, a low-power loudspeaker, and a vibration alarm similar to the one found in mobile phones. There is also a set button used to determine the desired alarm type (auditory, visual, sensory), and another set button for the three-roka'a prayers (the Maghrib prayer for example). These elements allow the activation of the alarm systems according to embedded programs in the processor, and can be modified as required by linking the device with a PC through a USB port that the device supports.

The essential function of the portable prayer monitoring and alarming system is to sense the worshiper's movements with the aid of a micro-electromechanical sensor (MEMS) and to emit the above-mentioned alarm signals which go along with the prayer's movements from its beginning to the end (see the embedded flow chart), as follows:

• At the beginning of the prayer, the worshiper pushes down the ON button (the pen's cap for example), then begins performing the first roka'a standing straight (Figure 1). The worshiper then bends his torso and the device senses this movement (by means of the angular acceleration sensor) at the 60 degree threshold (Figure 2). The processor marks the beginning of first bowing "in Muslim terms (Rokoo')". The worshiper then straightens his torso and the device senses this movement at the same threshold but in the opposite direction.

• The worshiper then prostrates twice. The device senses the first prostration at the positive 90-degree threshold (downwards), then at the same threshold in the opposite direction (upwards), and the same movement repeats once more for the second prostration (Figure 3). The device records the end of the first roka'a.

• When the worshiper stands up for the second roka'a (Figure 4) the device senses this movement (by means of the linear acceleration sensor) and the yellow LED is illuminated to indicate the end of the first roka'a and the beginning of the second. The whole process reinitializes for the second roka'a.

• During the second roka'a the same steps described above repeat, but at the end of the second prostration (the second negative 90-degree threshold, Figure 5) the vibration alarm is activated for one second to indicate that the worshiper must now perform the first "tashahod" in kneeling position, and the red LED is illuminated to indicate the end of the second roka'a. • Standing up after the first "tashahod recite", the device senses the movement and the third roka'a begins, and the same steps described above for the first roka'a are repeated. At the end of the third roka'a the blue LED is illuminated to indicate the end of the third roka'a.

· In the forth roka'a the steps for the second roka'a is repeated with one difference that the vibration alarm is activated for two seconds at the end to indicate that the "Ibrahimi prayer" must be recited after the second "tashahod". The green LED is illuminated.

• When the prayer is completed, the four LEDs are kept illuminated for 30 seconds. After that the system switches off automatically, or the worshiper presses the reset button manually if he/she wants to move on quickly to the next prayer.

Remarks

· The different thresholds can be adjusted to accommodate the movements and the flexibility of different worshipers according to age differences and taking into account the existence of injury or temporary or permanent disability.

• The device has, apart from the visual (the different LEDs) and sensory (vibration) alarms, an auditory alarm (a suitably faint sound). The worshiper can chose to activate one or all of these alarms at convenience.

• People who have to perform their prayers in the sitting position due to health problems, can use this device easily. The thresholds can be adjusted to accommodate their torso movements by special embedded or downloadable software.

• The device can be attached directly to the worshiper's chest, or its circuitry can be embedded in a pen that clips in a shirt or "Jellabiya" pocket, or in a brooch that attaches on the woman chest.

• The four LEDs can be replaced with one multi-colored LED without affecting the device function.

• This device does not cause any inconvenience to other worshipers during a group prayer, or while performing secondary (Sinan and Nawafil prayers, in Muslim terms) or individual prayers in mosque, because the alarms that the device emits are of faint power, strong enough for its bearer only, especially if the worshiper chooses to activate the visual alarms only.

Imams can use this device without any precautions because the alarms are intended for the bearer only.

The device is designed also to use wireless communications via traditional communication channels and networks, and can use mobile phone ports, such as Bluetooth or other means, to activate a digital counter or graphical display separately which can be placed in front of the worshiper.

If the worshiper is to stand up mistakenly to do an extra roka'a without paying attention to the different alarms (especially visual alarms), the device will sense this error and emits a special alarm (the vibration alarm might be activated for four seconds or an audible message "Subhan Allah" may be emitted) to indicate to the worshiper that he/she has actually finished his/her prayer.

The design permits to activate the monitoring system separately from the alarm system. In this case no alarm whatsoever will be emitted during the prayer. However, in case the worshiper had doubts that he/she has committed an error, a report about the prayer performance can be downloaded to a PC via the USB port to determine whether any error has been committed.

The device comes with an AC adapter to charge its battery from the existing power grid.

Claims

1. This device is characterized of being portable and can be put in a pocket or attached on a dress and can monitor the prayer and alarm the worshiper.

2. This device is characterized by the use of the worshiper's mechanical movements as he/she performs the prayer pillars to sense each step of the prayer to monitor and alarm the worshiper.

3. The automatic function of the worshiper monitoring and roka'as counting from the beginning of the prayer till its end, without the need of any intervention from the part of the worshiper while he/she is performing his/her prayer. This is a characterizing property of this device.

4. Emitting visual, auditory and sensory alarms while the worshiper is performing his/her prayer.

5. Alarming the worshiper to the number of roka'as he/she had performed and distinguishing between odd and even roka'as.

6. Sensory-alarming the worshiper that he/she must perform the first "tashahod" by activating the vibrator for a given amount of time in the two, three and four-roka'a prayers.

7. Alarming the worshiper that he/she must perform the "tashahod" and the "Ibrahimi prayer" by activating the vibrator for a given amount of time in the two, three and four-roka'a prayers.

8. Alarming the worshiper that he/she must end the prayer if he/she tries mistakenly to do an extra roka'a.

9. The versatile use of the auditory, visual and sensory alarms individually or combined as desired and with extreme ease.

10. The possibility to use this device by sick people who wish to pray in the sitting position, by the use of special embedded or downloadable software..

11. The possibility to use the device by people with special needs or temporary or permanent disabilities (deaf, blind, crippled) with extreme ease, after making adjustments to its function parameters that suit the kind of need or disability in question.

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12. Visually-alarming the worshiper to the number of performed roka'as (especially for deaf).

13. Auditory-alarming the worshiper to the number of performed roka'as (especially for blinds).

14. Sensory-alarming the worshiper to the number of performed roka'as (especially for deaf and partially blinds).

15. Using sensor technology to capture the different movements performed by the worshiper.

16. The use of microcontroller generally in a follow-up or monitoring or measurement system to capture the movements performed by the worshiper and to alarm him/her to the number of roka'as or that he/she must perform the "tashahod" or the "Ibrahimi prayer" in all kind of primary or secondary prayers and in any other kinds of prayers.

17. The use of microcontroller along with an angular-acceleration sensor in a follow-up or monitoring or measurement system to capture the movements performed by the worshiper and to alarm him/her to the number of roka'as or that he/she must perform the "tashahod" or the "Ibrahimi prayer" in all kinds of primary or secondary prayers and in any other kinds of prayers.

18. The use of microcontroller along with a linear-acceleration sensor in a follow-up or monitoring or measurement system to capture the movements performed by the worshiper and to alarm him/her to the number of roka'as or that he/she must perform the "tashahod" or the "Ibrahimi prayer" in all kind of primary or secondary prayers and in any other kinds of prayers.

19. The use of gyroscope to measure angles and by so determine the current status of the worshiper (standing up, kneeling, prostrating, ...) according to the angle between his back and the vertical.

20. The characteristic of using a linear-acceleration sensor to determine the height and by so determine the current status of the worshiper (standing up, kneeling, prostrating, ... ).

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21. The characteristic of using a Micro Electro-Mechanical Sensor (MEMS) to capture the worshiper's movements.

22. The characteristic of using a Micro Electro-Mechanical Sensor to measure variations in the worshiper's torso angle and by so determine his/her current status.

23. The characteristic of using an adjustable angular threshold as a parameter to determine how the worshiper is performing the kneeling pillar.

24. The characteristic of using an adjustable angular threshold as a parameter to determine how the worshiper is performing the prostration pillar.

25. The characteristic of using a measured vertical distance as a parameter to determine when the worshiper must stand to performing the next roka'a after the second prostration or the "tashahod".

26. The ability to using a timer as a main or secondary element in the follow- up system during the prayer.

27. The microcontroller multi-programming according to the worshiper's wish, which makes the device as universal as possible.

28. The possibility to updating the device software and add extra functions without changing the hardware.

29. The characteristic of sensing the oversight and reciting prostrations during the prayer.

30. The possibility to link the device with a desktop or a laptop computer via USB or RS232 or IR or Bluetooth port.

31. The use of standard wireless communication means to exchange data between this device and various separate display devices placed in front of the worshiper.

32. The use of a pen as a container for the device or the system of this patent.

33. The use of a jewelry (brooch, earrings, glasses, lighter, bracelet and so on) as a container for the device or the system of this patent.

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34. The ifse of the worshiper/s cab (for mafes and females) as a container for the device or the system of this patent.

35. The use of this system as a monitoring and/or measurement device to capture a predetermined sequence of movements for a type of sport or training.

36. The use of this system as an alarm device to give alarms to a person performing a predetermined sequence of movements, or to an outside observer for a type of sport or training.

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