WO2014098765A1

WO2014098765A1 - Medical monitoring systems and methods for using a medical monitoring system

Info

Publication number: WO2014098765A1
Application number: PCT/SG2013/000513
Authority: WO
Inventors: Teck Kheng Lee; Kwang Yong Lim; Jun Wen FOONG
Original assignee: Institute Of Technical Education
Priority date: 2012-12-18
Filing date: 2013-12-04
Publication date: 2014-06-26

Abstract

An emergency detection and alert system for a user that may include an accelerometer worn by the user for detecting when the user is falling; at least one external sensor capable of sensing a condition of the user; a receiving unit in communication with the accelerometer and the at least one external sensor for receiving data from the accelerometer and the at least one external sensor; processing unit for processing the received data to determine if an alert condition exists; and a communication unit for communicating the alert condition to a predetermined third party.

Description

MEDICAL MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING A MEDICAL

MONITORING SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to systems and methods for monitoring the health and/or activity of an individual and providing automated reporting of any detected problems to a desired contact. BACKGROUND

There are numerous health monitoring and emergency alert systems available on the market today. In these systems, a user wears a pendant or some other form of electronic device that allows the user to press a button to call for help. Some of these systems integrate automatic fall detection into the pendant.

Current fall detection systems come in 2 different forms. One example provides a standalone system linking a wireless device/base station to wearable pendants for emergency alerts. The alert is triggered either by pressing a panic button or using a fall detection accelerometer. The signals are picked up by the base station and trigger a cellular call to a service provider, which manually calls the next of kin. In some systems a programmable set of contact numbers is provided at the server to by-pass the service provider and thus reduce or eliminate the monthly subscription fee.

These systems are either desk-bound, requiring a power supply, or mobile, having batteries that require recharging every few days. Desk-bound systems that require dedicated servers are expensive to maintain. Thus, the subscription cost of these systems is transferred to the user. While current mobile systems may alleviate this deficiency, none of the current systems provide for any sort of data collection of user data.

Furthermore, in current systems, when an accelerometer that is worn by a user detects a fall, the system generates an alert to indicate that a fall has occurred. However, these systems may suffer from false positive signals, in which a user does not actually fall, but the system sends an alert. Additionally, the current systems may suffer from false negative signals, in which a user falls, but the accelerometer fails to detect the fall, and NO alert is generated. A need therefore exists to provide systems and methods that seek to address at least one of the abovementioned problems.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention provides an emergency detection and alert system for a user. The system may include an accelerometer worn by the user for detecting when the user is falling; at least one external sensor capable of sensing a condition of the user; a receiving unit in communication with the accelerometer and the at least one external sensor for receiving data from the accelerometer and the at least one external sensor; a processing unit for processing the received data to determine if an alert condition exists; and a communication unit for communicating the alert condition to a predetermined third party.

In an embodiment, the at least one external sensor includes at least one thermal sensor and at least one motion sensor.

In an embodiment, the accelerometer may further include at least one of a body temperature sensor and a heart rate monitor. In some embodiments, the processing unit may process the data to filter out false positives and false negatives before communicating the alert condition. The filtering step may include determining if said accelerometer has been continuously stationary for a first determined period of time and, if so, generating said alert condition.

In some embodiments, the determining step may further include determining if said accelerometer detects a fall and, if so, said accelerometer wirelessly activates an alarm at the receiving module; once said alarm has been activated, further monitoring said accelerometer to determine if said user has been stationary for a second predetermined time, and, if said user has been stationary for the second predetermined time, generating said alert condition; and if said user has not been stationary for the second predetermined time, deactivating said alarm.

In an embodiment, the first period of time may be between 15 minutes to 120 minutes, and the second period of time may be between one minute to thirty minutes. In an embodiment, the filtering step may alternately include determining if said accelerometer detects a fall and, if so, determining if said motion sensor shows inactivity for a predetermined period of time and, if so determining if said thermal sensor senses a continuous drop in temperature over said predetermined period of time and, if so, determining if said accelerometer senses zero activity over said predetermined period of time and, if so generating said alert condition. In an embodiment, the predetermined period of time may be between 15 minutes to 120 minutes. In an alternate embodiment, the filtering step may further include determining if said accelerometer detects a_. fall and, if not, determining if said motion sensor shows inactivity for a predetermined period of time and, if so determining if said thermal sensor senses a continuous drop in temperature over said predetermined period of time and, if so, determining is said accelerometer senses zero activity over said predetermined period of time and, if so generating said alert condition. In an embodiment, the predetermined period of time may be between 15 minutes to 120 minutes.

In an embodiment, the false positives and false negatives may be determined based on a comparison of historical data collected and stored by the processing unit and current data from the accelerometer and the at least one sensor. The processing unit may be integrated with the receiving unit.

In an embodiment, the receiving unit, the processing unit and the communication unit may be integrated into one of a mobile phone case, a mobile phone, a pendant, or a watch. In an embodiment, the system may further include an extra battery connected to the system to provide power to the system if any battery that forms part of the original system fails.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system for monitoring the health and/or activity of an individual and providing automated reporting, of any detected problems to a desired contact;

Fig. 2 is an alternate embodiment of the system of Figure ; Fig. 3 is another alternate embodiment of the system of Figure 1;

Figure 4 provides a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method for detecting false positives and false negatives using the systems of Figures 1-3;

Figure 5 is a graph showing a routine activity level for a user based on historical data, as compared to a current activity level for use in the system of Figures 1-3; Figure 6 is an alternate embodiment of the graph of Figure 5; and

Fig. 7 illustrates a flow chart of an alternate embodiment of a method of filtering false positives and false negatives with respect to an alert condition of the user. In the drawings, like numerals are used throughout the drawings to indicate like features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present provide systems and methods for monitoring the health and/or activity of an individual and providing automated reporting of any detected problems to a desired contact. The system provides for the integration of fall detection systems into a data processing, learning and analysis system with communication capability. These embodiments widen the scope of presently available fall detection systems (alert and monitoring) to include active monitoring.

One example embodiment of such a system is shown in Figure 1 , and designated generally with reference numeral 100. The system 100 may include an accelerometer 110, one or more external sensors 120, a receiving unit 130, a processing unit 140, and a communication unit 150.

In this embodiment, the accelerometer 110 is worn by a user of the system 100 for detecting when the user is falling. In some embodiments, the accelerometer 110 may be a pendant type device. It may include one or more buttons that allow a user to manually trigger an alert. As will be discussed in more detail below, the accelerometer may also be provided in many other forms, or as part of other types of devices. Various types of accelerometers 110 may be used as is known to those of skill in the art. In an embodiment, the accelerometer 110 that is worn by the user may also include a body temperature sensor, a heart rate monitor, or other medical condition monitoring functions. In other embodiments, the accelerometer 120 may include the capability for user adjustments to be performed depending on the activity of the user to prevent a false positive fall detection from occurring when the user is engaging in normal activity.

In this embodiment, the external sensors 120 may include, by way of example and not limitation, one or more thermal sensors and/or one or more motion sensors. These sensors 120 may be placed in various locations around, for example, the home of the user. As will be discussed below in more detail, these sensors allow the system 100 to provide enhanced monitoring of the health and/or activity of an individual. These sensors further provide input to the system 100 that allows the system 100 to more accurately assess the condition of the user, and to trigger an alert should a predetermined condition or event occur, and to actively monitor the condition of the user.

In an embodiment, an example of a thermal sensor 20 may be the D6T MEMS Thermal Sensor from the Omron Corporation. This sensor provides a relatively high sensitivity which allows the detection of a stationary human presence. It is understood that, given the teachings of the present disclosure, many other thermal sensors currently available on the market may also be used. Similarly, one example of a motion detection sensor may be the NaPiOn motion sensor developed by the Panasonic Corporation. This sensor detects the temperature difference between the detection target, such as a person in a room, and their surroundings, thus providing an indication of whether or not the target is moving or stationary. It is understood that, given the teachings of the present disclosure, many other types or models of motion sensors may also be used in the system 100.

The accelerometer 110 and external sensors 120 may be connected to the receiving unit 130. In some embodiments, this connection is made via a wireless protocol known to those of skill in the art. By way of example and not limitation, the accelerometer 120 may be provided in the form of a pendant that is further equipped with a low power wireless chipset (i.e. Zigbee, 433 Mhz, 868 Mhz, etc.). It is understood that other communication hardware may also be used. The receiving unit 130 receives data from the accelerometer 110 and the one or more sensors 120. In some embodiments, this received data may then be forwarded to a processing unit 140 for data processing. This will be described in more detail below. In an embodiment, the receiving unit 130 may be integrated with the data processing unit 140. In this embodiment, the receiving unit would include a module equipped with one or more of a microcontroller (MCU), a digital signal processor DSP a field programmable gate array FPGA, or other similar processing devices known to those of skill in the art. Whether or not it is integrated into the receiving unit 130, the processing unit 140 receives the data from the sensors 120 and the accelerometer 110, and uses this data to determine if an alert condition exists. By way of example and not limitation, the alert condition may be triggered by one or more of: the detection of a fall, divergence from a historical data pattern, an elevated body temperature, an elevated or irregular heartbeat, or other sensed conditions.

Once an alert condition has been triggered by the processing unit 140, the processing unit -140 activates the communication unit 150 to alert one or more desired individuals that the user may need assistance. In an embodiment, the alerted individual may be selected from a desired listing of individuals whose telephone numbers or other communication data has been previously stored in the system 100. In an embodiment, the communication unit 150 may be an analogue phone, an IP gateway, a mobile phone, or any other communication device capable of receiving input from the processing unit 140 and communicating the alert condition to a desired party.

It is understood that the configuration of the system 100 in Figure 1 is provided by way of example only. Given the teachings of the present disclosure, many variations of the system 100 are possible (see, e.g. Figs 2 and 3). For example, in an embodiment, the receiving unit 130 and processing unit 140 may be integrated into a gateway or router, an analogue telephone, a stand-alone pendant, a mobile phone case, a mobile phone, a watch, or other devices. In alternate embodiments, the accelerometer 110, the receiving unit 130, the processing unit 140, and the communication unit 50 may be integrated into a single device including, but not limited to, a stand alone pendant, a mobile phone, a communication enabled watch, or other devices. In one or more of these embodiments, the receiving unit 130 may also include an additional battery backup which provides emergency power to the unit for a period of at least 12 months without recharging. This extended power capability may be achieved because both the fall detection and long range low power wireless communications are extremely low power, and they can be continuously monitoring in either standby, sleep or other low power modes. Only when an alert condition is triggered will the power consuming circuits, such as the cellular module, mobile phone, etc. be powered by the reserved battery with just enough power to make calls to the desired party. In an embodiment, in order to save power for emergency calls, the unit 130 only has the ability to call out when the alert condition is triggered, thus ensuring minimum power consumption.

The additional battery backup may be fitted with a self-power mechanism, including but not limited to solar or kinetic movement. This configuration provides for a low power consumption protocol for the portable system 100. When required, the communication signal is then communicated through the system 100 directly to the desired parties through, by way of example and not limitation, an analogue phone line, a SIM card, a GSM modem, an ADSL, a cable internet connection, or a fiber to internet connection. It is understood that, given the teachings of the present invention, many types of hardware using a wide range of communication protocols may be used to effect this communication. In an embodiment, the data collected using the system 100 may be forwarded to a cloud service for storage and processing. Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of an alternate embodiment of the system of Figure 1 , designated generally with reference numeral 200. The system 200 includes a receiving module 130 integrated with an accelerometer 110 suitable for mobile user applications. In this embodiment, the receiving module 130 of the system 200 also includes an processing unit, such as an MCU/DSP/FPGA 210, a long range, low power wireless module 220, and an Apple MIFI or Android accessory development kit (ADK) circuit 230 that provides communications to a mobile phone 260 via, for example, a MIFI/ADK communications protocol connection 232. It is understood that other ADK circuits and/or protocols may also be used depending the specific nature of the hardware involved.

The mobile phone 260 may be used to dial selected individuals when an alert condition is generated. In alternate embodiments, the mobile phone 260 may send the data to, for example, the cloud, for transmission via other means. The system 200 may also include a reserve battery 240 and a switch 250. In an embodiment, this reserve battery may function similarly to that discussed above with respect to Figure 1.

In this embodiment, the processing unit is electrically connected to the long range low power wireless module 220, the accelerometer 110, and the ADK circuit 230 via digital input/output control circuits 212. The processing unit 210 may also be configured to activate the switch 250 to provide reserve power from the additional battery 240 to either the receiving module 130, the mobile phone 260, or both.

Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram of an alternate embodiment of the system of Figure 1 , designated generally with reference numeral 300. The system 300 includes a receiving module 130 that may be suitable for use on a desk or other home based location. In this embodiment, the receiving module 130 of the system 300 also includes a processing unit, such as an MCU/DSP/FPGA 310, a long range, low power wireless module 320, and a telephony circuit or gateway router circuit 330. The system 300 may also include a battery backup 340. There are many combinations of the components of the system 100 shown in Figure 1 that may be integrated into various devices. It is understood that, given the teaching of the present disclosure, the described embodiments are deemed to cover all such combinations and permutations. By way of example and not limitation, the receiving unit and processing unit may be integrated into a single device. In alternate embodiments, the accelerometer, processing unit, and receiving unit may be integrated into a single device. In other embodiments, the accelerometer, processing unit, receiving unit, and communication unit may be integrated into a single device. By way of example and not limitation, these devices may include one or more of a mobile phone case, a mobile phone, a pendant, a watch, etc.

Various operational implementations of the systems 100, 200 and 300 will now be discussed. With reference to Figure 1 , when the accelerometer 110 detects a fall, and a fall has actually occurred, this information is communicated to the receiving unit 130 and the processing unit 140. The processing unit 140 communicates with the communication unit 150, which communicates the alert to a desired party. There are numerous variations of fall detection algorithms known to those of skill in the art that will provide an alert when a fall is detected. However, in all of these algorithms, conditions may exist in which the accelerometer detects a fall when no fall occurred (false positives) or the accelerometer fails to detect a fall when a fall did in fact occur (false negatives). The present embodiments provide methods to overcome these problems using the hardware as described above.

One embodiment of a method for detecting false positives using the systems of Figures 1-3 is shown in Figure 4, and designated generally as reference numeral 400. The method 400 integrates the input from the accelerometer 110, and the sensors 120. In this embodiment, the sensors 120 may be a motion sensor and a thermal detection sensor. However, as discussed above, other types of sensors may also be used. The method 400 starts with a fall being detected by the accelerometer, as shown in step 4 0. Motion sensor activity is then reviewed to determine if the motion sensor shows inactivity for a predetermined period of time, as shown with reference numeral 420. If activity is detected, there is no emergency alert, as shown with reference numeral 430. Next the thermal sensor data is reviewed to determine if a continuous drop in temperature is detected over a period of time, as shown with reference numeral 440. If the temperature remains constant, no alert is generated, as shown with reference numeral 450. If the temperature does drop, the accelerometer is then monitored for the predetermined period to determine if there is zero activity over that period, as shown with reference numeral 460. If activity is detected, no emergency alert is generated, as shown with reference numeral 470. If no activity is detected, an alert is generated, as shown with reference numeral 480.

In one embodiment, the predetermined period for the above method may be, by way of example and not limitation, between 15 and 120 minutes. In a preferred embodiment, the period may be 20 minutes. In an embodiment, the three predetermined periods discussed above may be measured sequentially. For example, if the period is 20 minutes, an alert will be generated after all three conditions, and 60 minutets have elapsed. Alternately, the periods may be run concurrently, such that an alert is generated after only 20 minutes. It is understood that various permutations and combinations of time periods, both sequential and concurrent, may be used. The method 400 may also be adapted to detect false negatives by modifying the predetermined period. Therefore, if no fall is detected, but the conditions in steps 420, 440, and 460 remain true for an extended period, an alert may be generated. In one embodiment, the predetermined period for the above modified method may be, by way of example and not limitation, between 60 and 120 minutes. In a preferred embodiment, the period may be 60 minutes. In some embodiments, this period may be adjustable by the user as desired. These periods may be chosen based on a statistical analysis of falls. For example, it is known that 90% of the people who get help within 60 minutes will continue to live independently. Time periods exceeding 3 hours may result in a 50% mortality rate for fall victims.

As discussed above, in some embodiments, the receiving unit 130/ processing unit 140 may collect data on the user over a period of time to determine routine activity levels. In some embodiments, daily activity levels may then be compared to these routine levels to generate an alert condition. Figure 5 provides a graph, designated generally with reference numeral 500, showing a routine activity level 510 for a user based on historical data, as compared to a current activity level 520, As can be seen from the graph 500, since the current activity level 520 is consistent with the historical activity level 510, no alert condition would be generated.

Figure 6 provides a graph, designated generally with reference numeral 600, showing a routine activity level 610 for a user based on historical data, as compared to a current activity level 620. As can be seen from the graph 600, since the current activity level 620 is inconsistent with the historical activity level 610, an alert condition may be generated, and an appropriate/designated person notified. It is understood that the amount of variance between the historical activity level 610 and the current activity level 620 that is required to generate an alert condition may be varied as desired.

Figure 7 illustrates a flow chart of one additional method of filtering false positives and false negatives with respect to an alert condition of the user. The method, designated generally with reference numeral 700, begins with determining if the user is at home, as shown with reference numeral 710. This information may be communicated within the system by the motion or thermal sensors. If the user is not home, the receiving module is placed in standby mode, as shown with reference numeral 720. If the accelerometer worn by the user is continuously stationary for a determined period of time (2 hours in this embodiment), as shown with reference numeral 730, and alert condition is generated, as shown with reference numeral 790. If the accelerometer shows activity within the determined period, the system resets to step 710. It is understood that the determined period may be longer or shorter than the two hours shown in this example.

If a fall is detected by the accelerometer, as shown with reference numeral 740, the accelerometer wirelessly activates an alarm at the receiving module, as shown with reference numeral 750. The receiving module then activates a siren to alert nearby persons that a fall may have occurred, as shown with reference numeral 760. Once the alarm is activated, the system will determine if the accelerometer is continuously stationary for a predetermined period of time (one minute in this example), as shown with reference numeral 770. If movement is detected, the receiving module will deactivate the siren, as shown with reference numeral 780, and if not, an alert condition is generated, as shown with reference numeral 790. It is understood that differing time periods may be used for the embodiments of the method 700 described above. Embodiments of the present invention provide distinct advantages over prior art emergency alert systems. By consolidating the number of components, the system simplifies operation for the user. Adding sensors to the system provides for a more robust capability to determine if any alert condition is generated. Data input is provided from 5 different sources, eg. time, location, fall detection, motion detection and thermal detection.

Using these sensors, the integrated receiving unit/processor may include software that allows the system to learn from the daily activities of the user and prevent false negatives/false positives. The system also provides a learning algorithm that compares the normal activity levels of the seniors and current activity level to activate an alarm if the user is not conscious. The system thus provides continuous monitoring of the user as opposed to user activation only during an emergency. Various methods for preventing false positives and false negatives are also provided. In some embodiments, personalized data-logging and data encryption may be provided as part of the system to allow only authorized individuals to access the collected data. The integrated system components, accelerometer, receiving unit, processing unit, and communication unit, allows for ease of manufacturing and use. They system is easy for a user to set up.

It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the embodiments without departing from a spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. An emergency detection and alert system for a user, the system comprising: an accelerometer worn by the user for detecting when the user is falling; at least one external sensor capable of sensing a condition of the user;

a receiving unit in communication with the accelerometer and the at least one external sensor for receiving data from the accelerometer and the at least one external sensor;

a processing unit for processing the received data to determine if an alert condition exists; and

a communication unit for communicating the alert condition to a predetermined third party.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said at least one external sensor includes at least one thermal sensor and at least one motion sensor.

3. The system as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said accelerometer further comprises at least one of a body temperature sensor and a heart rate monitor.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said processing unit processes said data to filter out false positives and false negatives before communicating the alert condition.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said filtering step includes:

determining if said accelerometer has been continuously stationary for a first determined period of time and, if so, generating said alert condition.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said determining step further includes:

determining if said accelerometer detects a fall and, if so, said accelerometer wirelessly activates an alarm at the receiving module;

once said alarm has been activated, further monitoring said accelerometer to determine if said user has been stationary for a second predetermined time, and, if said user has been stationary for the second predetermined time, generating said alert condition; and if said user has not been stationary for the second predetermined time, deactivating said alarm.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first period of time is between 15 minutes to 120 minutes, and said second period of time is between one minute to thirty minutes.

8. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said filtering step further includes: determining if said accelerometer detects a fall and, if so,

determining if said motion sensor shows inactivity for a predetermined period of time and, if so

determining if said thermal sensor senses a continuous drop in temperature over said predetermined period of time and, if so,

determining if said accelerometer senses zero activity over said predetermined period of time and, if so

generating said alert condition.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said predetermined period of time is between 15 minutes to 120 minutes.

10. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said filtering step further includes: determining if said accelerometer detects a fall and, if not,

determining is said accelerometer senses zero activity over said predetermined period of time and, if so

generating said alert condition.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said predetermined period of time is between 15 minutes to 120 minutes.

12. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said false positives and false negatives are determined based on a comparison of historical data collected and stored by the processing unit and current data from the accelerometer and the at least one sensor.

13. The system as claimed in any one of the previous claims, _r wherein the processing unit is integrated with the receiving unit.

14. The system as claimed in any one of claims 1 - 12, wherein the receiving unit, the processing unit and the communication unit are integrated into one of a mobile phone case, a mobile phone, a pendant, or a watch.

15. The system as claimed in any one of the previous claims, further comprising an extra battery connected to the system to provide power to the system if any battery that forms part of the original system fails.