WO2015091581A1 - A method for responding to a detected fall and an apparatus for implementing the same - Google Patents
A method for responding to a detected fall and an apparatus for implementing the same Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2015091581A1 WO2015091581A1 PCT/EP2014/078103 EP2014078103W WO2015091581A1 WO 2015091581 A1 WO2015091581 A1 WO 2015091581A1 EP 2014078103 W EP2014078103 W EP 2014078103W WO 2015091581 A1 WO2015091581 A1 WO 2015091581A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- user
- fall
- detected
- determining
- help
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 48
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 56
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 14
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 claims description 38
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 claims description 29
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 claims description 25
- 230000000977 initiatory effect Effects 0.000 claims description 10
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000004590 computer program Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 10
- 230000001133 acceleration Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000001960 triggered effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000007429 general method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000029058 respiratory gaseous exchange Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 206010021113 Hypothermia Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 208000003443 Unconsciousness Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 230000002159 abnormal effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004458 analytical method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000036772 blood pressure Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000036760 body temperature Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000006378 damage Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000007812 deficiency Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 210000001624 hip Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 230000002631 hypothermal effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 210000004197 pelvis Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005070 sampling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 210000001562 sternum Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 210000000707 wrist Anatomy 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
- G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
- G16H40/00—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
- G16H40/60—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the operation of medical equipment or devices
- G16H40/67—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the operation of medical equipment or devices for remote operation
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B21/00—Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
- G08B21/02—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
- G08B21/04—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B21/00—Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
- G08B21/02—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
- G08B21/04—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons
- G08B21/0438—Sensor means for detecting
- G08B21/0446—Sensor means for detecting worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
- G08B25/01—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems characterised by the transmission medium
- G08B25/016—Personal emergency signalling and security systems
Definitions
- the invention relates to systems for detecting a fall by a user, and in particular relates to a method and apparatus for determining a follow-up action to take when a fall is detected.
- Falls affect millions of people each year and result in significant injuries, particularly among the elderly. In fact, it has been estimated that falls are one of the top three causes of death in elderly people. A fall is defined as a sudden, uncontrolled and
- a personal emergency response system is a system in which help can be assured.
- PLBs Personal Help Buttons
- the user can push the button to summon help in an emergency.
- a majority of calls are because the user has fallen.
- the user if the user suffers a severe fall (for example by which they get confused or even worse if they are knocked unconscious), the user might be unable to push the button, which might mean that help doesn't arrive for a significant period of time, particularly if the user lives alone. The consequences of a fall can become more severe if the user stays lying for a long time.
- Fall detection systems are also available that process the output of one or more movement sensors to determine if the user has suffered a fall.
- Most existing body-worn fall detection systems make use of an accelerometer (usually an accelerometer that measures acceleration in three dimensions) and they are configured to infer the occurrence of a fall by processing the time series generated by the accelerometer.
- Some fall detection systems can also include an air pressure sensor, for example as described in WO 2004/114245, for measuring the height, height change or absolute altitude of the fall detection system.
- a fall detector tests on features like impact, orientation, orientation change, height change, vertical velocity, and alike. Reliable detection results when the set of computed values for these features is different for falls than for other movements that are not a fall.
- an alarm signal is transmitted to a remote call centre, from where an operator can arrange for assistance (e.g. the emergency services, a care provider or a family member) to be sent to the user.
- assistance e.g. the emergency services, a care provider or a family member
- the fall detection system can contact the emergency services, a care provider or a family member directly.
- a revocation period is applied when a fall is detected which allows a short period (e.g. 1 minute) for a user to stand up after a fall has occurred (and been detected by the fall detection system) before the alarm is triggered or sent to the remote call centre.
- a short period e.g. 1 minute
- the procedures followed by the fall detection system and the personnel at the remote call centre are the same for each user and for each fall. That is, if a revocation period is used by the system, the same revocation period is applied to a fall regardless of the severity or context of the detected fall.
- the triggering of an alarm e.g. the sending of the alarm signal to the remote call centre or the initiation of a call to a family member/call provider or emergency services
- a fall also does not take into account any particular user preferences or the severity or context of the fall.
- the invention aims to address these deficiencies with current fall detection systems by customising or tailoring the follow-up action to a detected fall according to a user profile and/or user preference and/or the context of the detected fall.
- a method of responding to a detected fall comprising determining an action to perform in response to detecting a fall by a user based on a user profile and/or user preference and/or the context of the detected fall; and performing the determined action.
- the action is determined from a set comprising two or more of: taking no action, requesting help for the user, initiating a call, waiting for the expiry of a revocation period before requesting help for the user or initiating a call, and checking a status of the user after another revocation period.
- the user profile comprises information on whether the user lives alone, the fall risk of the user and/or the fall history of the user.
- the user preference comprises an indication of the length of a revocation period after the detection of the fall before help is requested for the user or a call is initiated.
- the context of the detected fall comprises an indication of when the detected fall occurred, the location of the user when the detected fall occurred, the environmental temperature, the magnitude of a detected impact and/or the direction that the user fell.
- the step of determining further comprises determining the action to perform based on a status of the user following the fall.
- the status of the user comprises an amount of movement by the user following the detected fall, an indication of whether the user has stood up following the detected fall and/or measurements of physiological characteristics.
- the step of determining comprises determining whether the detected fall has occurred indoors or outdoors; determining that help should be requested for the user or a call initiated if the detected fall is determined to have occurred outdoors; and determining that a revocation period should expire before help is requested for the user or a call initiated if the detected fall is determined to have occurred indoors.
- the step of determining comprises determining whether the temperature in the environment in which the detected fall has occurred is below a threshold; determining that help should be requested for the user or a call initiated if the temperature in the environment is below the threshold; and determining that a revocation period should expire before help is requested for the user or a call initiated if the temperature in the environment is above the threshold.
- the step of determining comprises determining whether the user lives alone from a user profile; determining that help should be requested for the user or a call initiated if the user lives alone; and determining that a revocation period should expire before help is requested for the user or a call initiated if the user does not live alone.
- a computer program product having computer readable code embodied therein, the computer readable code being configured such that, on execution by a processing unit, the processing unit performs any of the methods described above.
- an apparatus for providing a response to a detected fall comprising a processing unit configured to determine an action to perform in response to detecting a fall by a user based on a user profile and/or user preference and/or the context of the detected fall; and perform the determined action.
- the action comprises one of: taking no action, requesting help for the user, initiating a call, waiting for the expiry of a revocation period before requesting help for the user or initiating a call, and checking a status of the user after another revocation period.
- the processing unit is configured to obtain the user profile and/or user preference from a memory.
- the processing unit is configured to obtain information on the context of the detected fall from one or more sensors.
- the user profile comprises information on whether the user lives alone, the fall risk of the user and/or the fall history of the user.
- the user preference comprises an indication of the length of a revocation period after the detection of the fall before help is requested for the user or a call is initiated.
- the context of the detected fall comprises an indication of when the detected fall occurred, the location of the user when the detected fall occurred, the environmental temperature, the magnitude of a detected impact and/or the direction that the user fell.
- the processing unit is configured to determine the action to perform based on a status of the user following the fall.
- the status of the user comprises an amount of movement by the user following the detected fall, an indication of whether the user has stood up following the detected fall and/or measurements of physiological characteristics.
- the processing unit is configured to determine an action to perform by determining whether the detected fall has occurred indoors or outdoors;
- the processing unit is configured to determine an action to perform by determining whether the temperature in the environment in which the detected fall has occurred is below a threshold; determining that help should be requested for the user or a call initiated if the temperature in the environment is below the threshold; and determining that a revocation period should expire before help is requested for the user or a call initiated if the temperature in the environment is above the threshold.
- the processing unit is configured to determine an action to perform by determining whether the user lives alone from a user profile; determining that help should be requested for the user or a call initiated if the user lives alone; and
- Figure 1(a) shows an exemplary fall detection system in which the invention can be implemented
- Figure 1(b) shows an alternative exemplary fall detection system in which the invention can be implemented
- Figure 2 is a block diagram of a system that can be used in a remote call centre in which embodiments of the invention can be implemented;
- Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a general method according to the invention.
- Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of determining an action to perform based on the context of the fall according to a first specific embodiment
- Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of determining an action to perform based on the context of the fall according to a second specific embodiment
- Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of determining an action to perform based on a user preference according to a third specific embodiment.
- Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of determining an action to perform based on a profile of the user according to a fourth specific embodiment.
- Figure 1(a) illustrates an exemplary fall detection device 2 that in some embodiments can implement a method in accordance with the invention.
- the device 2 is in the form of a sensor unit that is to be worn by a user.
- the device 2 can be provided in the form of a pendant with a neck cord for placement around the user's neck, but alternatively the device 2 can be configured to be worn at or on a different part of the user's body, such as the wrist, waist, trunk, pelvis or sternum, and will comprise a suitable arrangement for attaching the device 2 to that part of the body (for example a belt or a strap).
- the device 2 is used to measure the accelerations experienced by the user and to process the measurements to determine the vertical velocity and then the change in height of the device 2 (and hence the change in height of the user).
- a device 2 may perform additional processing on the acceleration measurements to identify other characteristics of a fall, such as an impact or a period of immobility following an impact.
- the device 2 may contain further sensors, such as a gyroscope, magnetometer, air pressure sensor and/or air flow sensor, whose signals can be processed to determine, or to assist in determining, height, orientation or other characteristics associated with a fall.
- the device 2 comprises an accelerometer 4 that measures acceleration along three orthogonal axes.
- the signals output by the accelerometer 4 are provided to a
- the device 2 comprises an audible alarm unit 8 that can be triggered by the processing unit 6 if a fall is detected. This alarm can summon help to the user.
- an audible alarm unit in the device 2 is optional.
- a further optional component is a help button that can be pressed by a user to summon help, in which case a call is placed to a remote call centre.
- the device 2 further comprises transmitter or transceiver circuitry 9 and associated antenna 10 that can be used for transmitting the results of the processing (e.g. an alarm signal indicating that a fall has been detected) to a remote (base) unit or for placing an emergency call to a call centre to summon help in the event that a fall is detected or in the event that a help button (if present) has been pressed.
- the transmitter or transceiver circuitry 9 is configured to communicate with a base station, the circuitry 9 may be
- the transmitter or transceiver circuitry 9 may be also or alternatively configured for use with any suitable type of second-, third- or fourth-generation communication network, including GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc.
- the device 2 also optionally comprises a memory 11 that is used for storing measurements from the accelerometer 4, and for storing the results of the processing by the processing unit 6.
- the memory 11 can be used to store information on a user profile and/or user preferences (as described in more detail below).
- the memory 11 can also be used to store computer readable code for execution by the processing unit 6 to enable the processing unit 6 to determine whether a fall has taken place and/or to execute methods according to the invention.
- the accelerometer 4 is a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer.
- MEMS micro-electromechanical system
- the acceleration experienced by the accelerometer 4 can be sampled at a rate of 30 Hz, although it will be appreciated that many other sampling frequencies can be used (for example 50 Hz).
- the invention can be implemented in a system 12 as illustrated in Figure 1(b).
- the user- worn device 2 is part of a system 12 in which the processing of the accelerometer measurements can be performed in a base unit 13 that is separate to the device 2 worn by the user.
- the accelerometer measurements can be transmitted from the device/sensor unit 2 to the base unit 13 via the transceiver circuitry 9.
- the base unit 13 comprises transceiver circuitry 14 and antenna 15 for receiving transmissions (such as the accelerometer measurements) from the device 2 and a processing unit 16.
- the base unit 13 also optionally comprises a memory 17 that is used for storing accelerometer measurements received from the device 2, and for storing the results of the processing by the processing unit 16.
- the memory 17 can be used to store information on a user profile and/or user preferences (as described in more detail below).
- the memory 17 can also be used to store computer readable code for execution by the processing unit 16 to enable the processing unit 16 to determine whether a fall has taken place and/or to execute methods according to the invention.
- the transceiver circuitry 14 may be configured for wirelessly placing an emergency call to a call centre, and/or may be configured for connection to a conventional public switched telephone network (PSTN) line via port 18.
- PSTN public switched telephone network
- the device 2 may perform some of the initial processing steps on the accelerometer measurements before transmitting the results to the base unit 13 which, for example, completes the processing and estimates the vertical velocity and change in height of the device 2.
- a device 2 (and base unit 13) will include some form of power source or supply and circuitry for controlling the operation of the device 2 (and base unit 13).
- the device 2 may comprise a loudspeaker and/or microphone for enabling a user to communicate with the remote call centre or the emergency services.
- the fall detection system 2 may comprise a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, for tracking the location of the device 2.
- SPS satellite positioning system
- GPS Global Positioning System
- Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a system 32 that can be provided in a remote call centre for receiving alarm signals from fall detection devices 2 or systems 12.
- the system 32 comprises a processing unit 34 that processes received alarm signals and that initiates calls in order to get help to a user that has suffered a fall.
- the system 32 also includes transceiver circuitry 36 and port 38 for allowing the system 32 to communicate with the devices 2 or systems 12 and to initiate calls to obtain help for the user.
- the system 34 also optionally comprises a memory 40 that can be used for storing measurements from the accelerometer 4 (for example in case the information is useful for validating or testing the fall detection algorithm used by the device 2 or system 12), and/or information required for establishing a call to obtain assistance for a user (for example the telephone number of a family member or a care provider) and/or, in some embodiments, information on a user profile and/or user preferences (as described in more detail below).
- the memory 40 can also be used to store computer readable code for execution by the processing unit 34 to enable the processing unit 34 to execute methods according to the invention.
- the system 34 may also include components that enable a call operator at the remote call centre to interact with the user when an alarm signal is received (for example to check if the user is okay after the detected fall and/or to reassure the user that assistance is on its way) and also to interact with the family member, care provider and/or emergency services when they are called.
- a call operator at the remote call centre to interact with the user when an alarm signal is received (for example to check if the user is okay after the detected fall and/or to reassure the user that assistance is on its way) and also to interact with the family member, care provider and/or emergency services when they are called.
- a fall can be broadly characterised by, for example, a change in altitude of around 0.5 to 1.5 metres (the range may be different depending on the part of the body that the device 2 is to be worn and the height of the user), culminating in a significant impact, followed by a period in which the user does not move very much.
- movement sensor measurements can be processed to extract values for one or more features including a change (specifically a reduction) in height/altitude (which is usually derived from measurements from an air pressure sensor, but can also or alternatively be derived from the measurements from the accelerometer 4, for example if the air pressure sensor is omitted), a maximum activity level (i.e.
- Algorithms for detecting a fall using measurements from an accelerometer 4 and optionally other sensors are known in the art and will not be described in detail herein.
- an alarm signal is sent to the remote call centre by the device 2 or system 12 when a fall by the user is detected.
- This alarm signal is logged or registered at the call centre.
- Some systems are configured to summon help for the user straight away (for example by calling a family member, care provider or the emergency services), while other systems are configured to wait for a predetermined period (known as a "revocation period") before summoning help for the user.
- the device 2 or system 12 is configured to apply the revocation period before sending the alarm signal to the remote call centre.
- the device 2 or system 12 waits for the preset revocation period before sending the alarm signal to the remote call centre, which then acts on the signal to summon help for the user straight away. If the device 2 or system 12 detects that the user has got up or has otherwise cancelled the issue of an alarm signal (for example by pressing a button on the device 2) before the expiry of the revocation period, then the alarm signal is not sent to the remote call centre.
- a revocation period is used by the system, the same revocation period is applied to a fall regardless of the severity or context of the detected fall. If a revocation period is not used by the system, this is again the case for all users, regardless of the severity or context of the detected fall.
- the timing of the triggering of an alarm e.g. the sending of the alarm signal to the remote call centre or the initiation of a call to a family member/call provider or emergency services
- a fall also does not take into account any particular user preferences or profile of the user.
- the invention addresses this problem by taking into account a user profile and/or user preference and/or the context of the detected fall when determining an action to take in response to a fall by the user being detected.
- the method, or part of the method can be applied in the device 2 or system 12, in which case the alarm signal sent by the device 2 or system 12 to the call centre may indicate the determined action or the result of evaluating the user profile, user preference and/or the fall context (in which case a system in the call centre determines the appropriate action to take).
- the method can be implemented in a system 32 at the remote call centre, in which case the device 2 or system 12 sends an alarm signal as soon as a fall is detected, and the system 32 in the remote call centre determines the action to take.
- the set of possible actions that can be taken can comprise any of: taking no action (i.e. ignoring the detected fall/alarm signal), sending out an alarm to request help for the user, informing a care provider or family member that the user has fallen, waiting for a revocation period, waiting for a revocation period of a specific length, or checking the status of the user again after another (or longer) revocation period.
- step 101 it is determined whether a fall is detected.
- step 103 it is preferably determined which one of two or more actions is to be performed in response to the detected fall.
- step 103 provides that the user profile and/or user preference and/or the context of the detected fall is used to determine which action (and preferably which one of two or more available actions) is to be performed in response to the detected fall.
- the user profile can comprise information about the user such as their living conditions (e.g. whether they live alone or with at least one other person), their fall risk (e.g. high, medium, low), their fall history.
- the user profile can be stored in a memory 11, 17, 40 of the device/system performing the method.
- a user that does not live alone may have people nearby that can come to their aid when they have suffered a fall so assistance provided via the fall detection device 2 or system 12 may not be required immediately.
- a user with a high fall risk and/or one or more recent falls in their fall history may require assistance more quickly than a user with a low fall risk and/or no recent falls.
- the user preference can comprise information on the user's preference for being contacted after a fall. Every user is different. Some users prefer to be contacted or checked on immediately when a fall is detected. Other users prefer to feel like they are in charge of the situation and only want to be contacted when it is really necessary.
- the user preference information can therefore indicate a user's preference on how long the revocation period should be after a fall is detected before some assistance is sought for the user. Thus, the preference information could indicate that there should be no revocation period, a revocation period of a standard or default length, or a sorter or longer revocation period of a user-specified length.
- the user preferences can be stored in a memory 11, 17, 40 of the device/system performing the method.
- the context of the fall can provide an indication of how severe the fall was and/or how urgently the user might need assistance. Falls can be more dangerous in different situations. For example, a fall in winter time, a fall at night or a fall outdoors (or a combination of these) might suggest that the fall is more severe and the user may require assistance more urgently (in which case a revocation period (if set) can be ignored and assistance obtained immediately). On the other hand, a fall during the summer, a fall during the day or a fall indoors might not be so severe and the revocation period could be allowed to expire before requesting assistance for the user.
- a user is immobile following a fall, there may be a risk of hypothermia, particularly if the temperature in the environment is low or substantially below normal room temperature (with normal room temperature being around 21°C). Therefore, if the environmental temperature is low, e.g. below a threshold (which can be set at a temperature that is a number of degrees below room temperature, for example, 1-5°C below normal room temperature) then the user may require assistance more urgently and a revocation period can be ignored or skipped. If the environmental temperature is above the threshold temperature then a revocation period can be allowed to expire before requesting assistance for the user.
- the context information can therefore indicate the location of the detected fall (e.g.
- the temperature information can be used to provide an indication on the season in which the fall has taken place, and/or whether the fall has taken place indoors or outdoors.
- Other context information that can provide an indication of how severe the fall was includes information about the fall itself, such as the magnitude of the impact and/or the direction in which the fall has occurred (for example the user has fallen forwards, backwards, sideways, etc.).
- the device 2 can be provided with some means for detecting the location of the user, such as an SPS receiver or some means for detecting the location of the user in an indoor environment.
- the processing unit 6, 16 in the device 2 or system 12 can monitor the current time and/or date.
- the context information comprises the temperature of the environment around the user
- the device 2 can comprise a temperature sensor for sensing the environmental temperature.
- the processing unit 6, 16 that evaluates the accelerometer data to determine if a fall has occurred can also evaluate the accelerometer data (and other sensor data if other sensors are present in the device 2) to determine the severity of the fall, such as the direction of the fall and/or the magnitude of the impact with the ground (e.g. the magnitude of the or a peak or the highest peak in the accelerometer data).
- step 103 can comprise determining the action to perform based on multiple ones of the user profile, user preferences and context information.
- information on the status of the user following the fall can be evaluated in step 103 to determine the follow-up action.
- Information on the status of the user can include the amount of movement by the user following the detected fall, whether or not the user has stood up again following the fall (indicating that the alarm may have been revoked) and/or measurements of physiological characteristics of the user (e.g. heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, body temperature, etc.).
- physiological characteristics of the user e.g. heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, body temperature, etc.
- the status can be determined, for example, by analysing the accelerometer data. In the latter case, it will be appreciated that some additional sensor(s) and/or processing will be provided in order to determine the physiological characteristic measurements (e.g.
- step 103 can result in an alarm being generated earlier or more quickly than if lots of movement by the user is detected after the fall.
- the alarm can be generated earlier or more quickly than if the user has stood up.
- the information on the status of the user comprises measurements of a physiological characteristic of the user, measurements that are abnormal, e.g. that fall outside of an acceptable range or that are above or below a threshold (as appropriate for the physiological characteristic being measured) can result in assistance being obtained more quickly for the user.
- the method in Figure 3 can be performed in the device 2 or system 12, in which case step 101 comprises evaluating the measurements from the accelerometer and any other sensors using the fall detection algorithm, whereas in other embodiments the method can be performed in the system 32 at the remote call centre, in which case step 101 can comprise determining whether a fall signal or alarm signal has been received from the device 2 or system 12.
- Step 103 comprises determining an action to perform based on the context of the fall, and specifically on whether the user is indoors or outdoors when they fell.
- the location of the user is determined (steps 121 and 123).
- Step 121 can comprise evaluating a location of the user obtained using an SPS receiver or any other location determining means included in the device 2 or system 12. If the user is determined to be indoors, then the action to be taken can be applying a standard revocation period following the detection of a fall to see if the user stands up again (step 125). If the user is determined to be outdoors when they fell, it is possible that they may need assistance more urgently, in which case an alarm signal can be issued immediately to request help for the user straight away (step 127).
- a revocation period can be used that is shorter than the revocation period used when the user is indoors.
- Step 103 comprises determining an action to perform based on the context of the fall, and specifically on whether the fall occurred during the day or night.
- the time of the fall is determined (steps 141 and 143).
- Step 141 can comprise determining the time of the fall and classifying the fall as either occurring during the day or night based on the time. If the fall is determined to have taken place during the day, then the action to be taken can be applying a standard revocation period following the detection of a fall to see if the user stands up again (step 145). If the fall is determined to have taken place at night, it is possible that they may need assistance more urgently, in which case an alarm signal can be issued immediately to request help for the user straight away (step 147).
- a revocation period can be used that is shorter than the revocation period used when the user has fallen during the day.
- FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of performing step 103 based on a user preference according to a third specific embodiment.
- step 103 comprises determining an action to perform based on a user preference for an alerting period.
- a user preference is read from a memory 11, 17, 40 (step 161).
- the method then comprises performing one of steps 163, 165 or 167 based on the user's preference.
- an alarm can be issued immediately and assistance obtained straight away (step 163), a standard revocation period can be applied (step 165) or a revocation period of a user-specified length can be applied (step 167).
- step 103 comprises determining an action to perform based on the living conditions of the user, and in particular based on whether the user lives alone (steps 181 and 183). If the user does not live alone, there may be people in the vicinity of the user that can assist them in the event that the user has fallen. In that case, if the user profile information indicates that the user does not live alone, the action to be taken can be applying a standard revocation period following the detection of a fall to see if the user stands up again (step 185). If the user profile indicates that the user lives alone, then it is possible that there will not be any assistance immediately available for the user following a fall, in which case an alarm signal can be issued
- a revocation period can be used that is shorter than the revocation period used when the user lives with someone else.
- step 103 can comprise determining the action to perform based on multiple ones of the user profile, user preferences and context information. For example, both the location and time of day of the fall can be considered when determining the action to take, with a more urgent action being taken if the fall is determined to have taken place at night, outdoors, or both.
- a user preference for the length of the alerting period can be combined with information on the location of a detected fall to determine the action to take in response to a detected fall.
- a user preference can specify that a revocation period should be applied if the fall occurs indoors, and no revocation period should apply if the fall occurs outdoors.
Landscapes
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Biomedical Technology (AREA)
- Emergency Management (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine (AREA)
- Medical Informatics (AREA)
- Epidemiology (AREA)
- General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Primary Health Care (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
- Alarm Systems (AREA)
- Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
- Telephone Function (AREA)
- Measurement Of The Respiration, Hearing Ability, Form, And Blood Characteristics Of Living Organisms (AREA)
- Measuring And Recording Apparatus For Diagnosis (AREA)
- Emergency Alarm Devices (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
RU2016129532A RU2685815C1 (en) | 2013-12-20 | 2014-12-17 | Method for responding to detected fall and apparatus for implementing same |
CN201480069691.9A CN105830075A (en) | 2013-12-20 | 2014-12-17 | A method for responding to a detected fall and an apparatus for implementing the same |
JP2016541301A JP6502360B2 (en) | 2013-12-20 | 2014-12-17 | Method for dealing with detected fall and device for realizing the same |
EP14816221.7A EP3084656B1 (en) | 2013-12-20 | 2014-12-17 | Method for responding to a detected fall and apparatus for implementing the same |
US15/106,065 US9892612B2 (en) | 2013-12-20 | 2014-12-17 | Method for responding to a detected fall and an apparatus for implementing the same |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP13198944.4 | 2013-12-20 | ||
EP13198944 | 2013-12-20 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2015091581A1 true WO2015091581A1 (en) | 2015-06-25 |
Family
ID=49920043
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2014/078103 WO2015091581A1 (en) | 2013-12-20 | 2014-12-17 | A method for responding to a detected fall and an apparatus for implementing the same |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US9892612B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3084656B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6502360B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN105830075A (en) |
RU (1) | RU2685815C1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2015091581A1 (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP3266369A1 (en) * | 2016-07-06 | 2018-01-10 | Leedarson Lighting Co., Ltd. | Analysis of fall severity of fall detection system and wearing apparatus |
US20190021667A1 (en) * | 2016-10-19 | 2019-01-24 | Tai Hing Plastic Metal Ltd. | Method and device for monitoring body data based on underwear |
GB2573490A (en) * | 2018-02-08 | 2019-11-13 | James Link Matthew | A fall sensing system |
US11100781B2 (en) | 2019-06-26 | 2021-08-24 | Lifeline Systems Company | Monitoring a subject |
US12011258B2 (en) | 2016-10-12 | 2024-06-18 | Lifeline Systems Company | Method and apparatus for determining a fall risk |
Families Citing this family (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10460590B2 (en) * | 2016-07-26 | 2019-10-29 | Tyco Integrated Security, LLC | Method and system for mobile duress alarm |
WO2018069262A1 (en) * | 2016-10-12 | 2018-04-19 | Koninklijke Philips N.V. | Method and apparatus for determining a fall risk |
US11024142B2 (en) | 2017-07-27 | 2021-06-01 | NXT-ID, Inc. | Event detector for issuing a notification responsive to occurrence of an event |
US11158179B2 (en) | 2017-07-27 | 2021-10-26 | NXT-ID, Inc. | Method and system to improve accuracy of fall detection using multi-sensor fusion |
US11382511B2 (en) | 2017-07-27 | 2022-07-12 | Logicmark, Inc. | Method and system to reduce infrastructure costs with simplified indoor location and reliable communications |
US11908581B2 (en) | 2018-04-10 | 2024-02-20 | Hill-Rom Services, Inc. | Patient risk assessment based on data from multiple sources in a healthcare facility |
US11504071B2 (en) | 2018-04-10 | 2022-11-22 | Hill-Rom Services, Inc. | Patient risk assessment based on data from multiple sources in a healthcare facility |
JP2020155083A (en) * | 2019-06-10 | 2020-09-24 | 積水ハウス株式会社 | Emergency response method, safety confirmation system, management device, housing, and management device control method |
US10820099B1 (en) * | 2019-09-25 | 2020-10-27 | Motorola Solutions, Inc. | Device and method to control a speaker to emit a sound to protect a microphone |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2004114245A1 (en) | 2003-06-25 | 2004-12-29 | Ist International Security Technology Oy | A device for indicating a fall |
WO2011055255A1 (en) * | 2009-11-03 | 2011-05-12 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Method and system for revoking a fall alarm field of the invention |
US20110205053A1 (en) * | 2010-02-25 | 2011-08-25 | Qualcomm Incorporated | Method and apparatus for enhanced indoor position location with assisted user profiles |
WO2012146957A1 (en) * | 2011-04-29 | 2012-11-01 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | An apparatus for use in a fall detector or fall detection system, and a method of operating the same |
Family Cites Families (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH09305875A (en) * | 1996-05-10 | 1997-11-28 | Omron Corp | Fall detection device, receiving device and notification system using them |
US6221010B1 (en) * | 1999-07-02 | 2001-04-24 | Donald A. Lucas | Home medical supervision and monitoring system |
EP1587417B1 (en) * | 2003-01-10 | 2007-06-13 | Honeywell International Inc. | System and method for automatically generating an alert message with supplemental information |
GB2401466A (en) * | 2003-05-08 | 2004-11-10 | Koninkl Philips Electronics Nv | Detecting a fall |
US7170994B2 (en) * | 2003-10-15 | 2007-01-30 | Motorola, Inc. | Method and apparatus for selecting an alert mode based on user biometrics |
US7248172B2 (en) * | 2005-03-22 | 2007-07-24 | Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. | System and method for human body fall detection |
US7733224B2 (en) | 2006-06-30 | 2010-06-08 | Bao Tran | Mesh network personal emergency response appliance |
CN101032402A (en) * | 2006-03-10 | 2007-09-12 | 通用电气公司 | Device, system and method for detecting human's movement |
IES20080560A2 (en) | 2008-07-09 | 2010-03-16 | John Shanahan | Wearing system and method for monitoring & protecting against falls with automatic alarm capability |
JP5587328B2 (en) * | 2008-10-16 | 2014-09-10 | コーニンクレッカ フィリップス エヌ ヴェ | Fall detection system |
US8508372B2 (en) | 2010-06-21 | 2013-08-13 | General Electric Company | Method and system for fall detection |
CN102258400A (en) * | 2011-04-28 | 2011-11-30 | 华南理工大学 | Health monitoring system |
ES2482591B1 (en) * | 2012-08-29 | 2015-05-29 | Vodafone España, S.A.U. | FALL DETECTION |
-
2014
- 2014-12-17 RU RU2016129532A patent/RU2685815C1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2014-12-17 US US15/106,065 patent/US9892612B2/en active Active
- 2014-12-17 CN CN201480069691.9A patent/CN105830075A/en active Pending
- 2014-12-17 WO PCT/EP2014/078103 patent/WO2015091581A1/en active Application Filing
- 2014-12-17 EP EP14816221.7A patent/EP3084656B1/en active Active
- 2014-12-17 JP JP2016541301A patent/JP6502360B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2004114245A1 (en) | 2003-06-25 | 2004-12-29 | Ist International Security Technology Oy | A device for indicating a fall |
WO2011055255A1 (en) * | 2009-11-03 | 2011-05-12 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Method and system for revoking a fall alarm field of the invention |
US20110205053A1 (en) * | 2010-02-25 | 2011-08-25 | Qualcomm Incorporated | Method and apparatus for enhanced indoor position location with assisted user profiles |
WO2012146957A1 (en) * | 2011-04-29 | 2012-11-01 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | An apparatus for use in a fall detector or fall detection system, and a method of operating the same |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP3266369A1 (en) * | 2016-07-06 | 2018-01-10 | Leedarson Lighting Co., Ltd. | Analysis of fall severity of fall detection system and wearing apparatus |
US12011258B2 (en) | 2016-10-12 | 2024-06-18 | Lifeline Systems Company | Method and apparatus for determining a fall risk |
US20190021667A1 (en) * | 2016-10-19 | 2019-01-24 | Tai Hing Plastic Metal Ltd. | Method and device for monitoring body data based on underwear |
GB2573490A (en) * | 2018-02-08 | 2019-11-13 | James Link Matthew | A fall sensing system |
US11100781B2 (en) | 2019-06-26 | 2021-08-24 | Lifeline Systems Company | Monitoring a subject |
US11640756B2 (en) | 2019-06-26 | 2023-05-02 | Lifeline Systems Company | Monitoring a subject |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
RU2685815C1 (en) | 2019-04-23 |
EP3084656A1 (en) | 2016-10-26 |
JP2017504386A (en) | 2017-02-09 |
EP3084656B1 (en) | 2021-10-27 |
CN105830075A (en) | 2016-08-03 |
US9892612B2 (en) | 2018-02-13 |
RU2016129532A (en) | 2018-01-25 |
JP6502360B2 (en) | 2019-04-17 |
US20160321903A1 (en) | 2016-11-03 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US9892612B2 (en) | Method for responding to a detected fall and an apparatus for implementing the same | |
US9489815B2 (en) | Apparatus for use in a fall detector or fall detection system, and a method of operating the same | |
US9959733B2 (en) | Devices, systems, and methods for detecting falls | |
US9177459B2 (en) | ECG-enabled personal emergency response systems | |
US20160094953A1 (en) | Mobile help buttons with multiple location technologies | |
CN105206003B (en) | Mobile terminal, alarm method and system | |
CN105264585B (en) | The method and apparatus for leaving the risk of safety zone for determining patient | |
EP3815068B1 (en) | A fall detection apparatus, a method of detecting a fall by a subject and a computer program product for implementing the method | |
WO2011055255A1 (en) | Method and system for revoking a fall alarm field of the invention | |
KR20150116206A (en) | Method of providing emergency notification using wearable bluetooth biometrie devices, and computer-readable recording medium for the same | |
EP3537402A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for detecting a fall by a user | |
KR20160046690A (en) | Portable tracking apparatus and method for operating portable tracking apparatus | |
JP6575000B2 (en) | Watch system, information processing method, and program | |
JP5697402B2 (en) | Mobile terminal, health management system, and health management method using mobile terminal | |
JP2013003815A (en) | Fall detection device, fall detection unit, fall detection system, and fall detection method | |
US20200069223A1 (en) | System for detection of falls | |
Singh et al. | Implementation of safety alert system for elderly people using multi-sensors | |
GB2525903A (en) | A device for determining unconciousness of a subject and a device for detecting a fall by a subject | |
TWI666618B (en) | Disaster protection device and system thereof | |
JPWO2023073830A5 (en) | ||
JP2013000311A (en) | Motion detection device, motion detection unit, motion detection system and motion detection method | |
JP2015111450A (en) | Portable terminal, health management system, and health management method using portable terminal | |
KR20170009179A (en) | Prevention method of emergency situation for using biometric data | |
GB2535984A (en) | Healthcare monitoring and alarm system |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application |
Ref document number: 14816221 Country of ref document: EP Kind code of ref document: A1 |
|
REEP | Request for entry into the european phase |
Ref document number: 2014816221 Country of ref document: EP |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 2014816221 Country of ref document: EP |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref document number: 2016541301 Country of ref document: JP Kind code of ref document: A |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 15106065 Country of ref document: US |
|
NENP | Non-entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: DE |
|
REG | Reference to national code |
Ref country code: BR Ref legal event code: B01A Ref document number: 112016013924 Country of ref document: BR |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref document number: 2016129532 Country of ref document: RU Kind code of ref document: A |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref document number: 112016013924 Country of ref document: BR Kind code of ref document: A2 Effective date: 20160615 |