Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL 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
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL 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
  • G08B25/008—Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL 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

Definitions

• the invention is related to a method and device for providing an alarm on request of a person wearing the device and to a personal emergency response system comprising the device, wherein the device is attachable to the body of the person.
• PERS devices personal emergency response systems or devices, also referred to as PERS devices, promote the independence and improve the quality of lives of elderly and disabled members of the population by providing "anytime-anywhere" access to assistance provided by family or a professional alarm control center.
• Anywhere access means that the PERS device requires technologies that allow the service provider to communicate with and possibly locate the incapacitated person. Such technologies include communication technologies such as cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth; and location technologies make (for example) use of a global positioning system (GPS) or Wi-Fi.
• GPS global positioning system
• Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity
• US2009121863 and US20140150530A1 disclose wearable PERS devices that have communication technologies for sending a help request to a professional alarm control center.
• US20090121863 discloses a PERS device containing an emergency button that the person can press to call for help. However, in an emergency situation, the person may panic and be confused making it difficult for the person to properly press the emergency push button.
• the object of the invention is achieved with the method of claim 1.
• the person is wearing the device, for example, by attaching it to the wrist or other part of the body.
• the person may simply pull the device that is attached (with attaching means such as a cord, strap or belt) to the body of the person. Due to the imposed pulling force, an electrical characteristic of the component has changed. The change of the electrical characteristic is measured and when detected, it will result in the activating of the alarm.
• attaching means such as a cord, strap or belt
• a time filter is used to prevent that an accidental pulling of the device causes an alarm. It may happen, for example, when the device accidentally hooks or is caught on an object (e.g. a table) during standing up that the exerted pulling force causes a change in the electrical characteristic.
• the time filter requires the pulling force to be present for a predetermined time period to be able to cause an alarm. Accidental pulling of the device shorter than the predetermined time period will not initiate an alarm, and thus there will be fewer false alarms.
• the alarm when the alarm is already activated, the person is informed with an audible, visual or tactile signal enabling him or her to revoke the alarm within a predetermined time.
• the object of the invention is further achieved through the device of claim 4.
• the device is constructed so as to provide the alarm, on request of the person wearing this device.
• the device comprises a housing and a cord attached to the housing. This type of construction allows hanging the device around the neck of the person while using the device.
• the housing may also be coupled with a strap while wearing the device on the wrist.
• the device can also be attached to the belt for wearing it around the waist.
• the device comprises the component having an electrical characteristic.
• the component is connected with the cord, belt or strap and the housing in such way, that the electrical characteristic of the component changes, in response to the pulling force acting on the housing.
• the pulling of the housing is much easier and simpler for a person in distress than the pressing of a button.
• the component is a mechanical switch.
• the mechanical switch is closed or opened. This changes its electrical characteristic.
• the neck cord further includes a safety release mechanism to prevent the person from choking in case the neck cord is caught on an object.
• the neck cord further comprises a conductive material to allow a change in its electrical characteristic of the neck cord to be measured by a circuit included in the housing of the device. If the pulling force is strong enough to engage the safety release mechanism, then this contact break can be detected by the measuring circuit.
• the component has a shape that changes in response to the pulling force.
• the electrical characteristic depends on the change of the shape.
• the component may, for example, be a stretch sensor, a strain gauge or a strip of piezo electric material. A stretching of the strain gauge will cause its resistance to change and a bending of the strip of piezo electric material will result in a voltage generation.
• These sensors illustrate that the electrical characteristic is dependent on a force acting of the component. This force acting on the component originates from the person pulling the housing of the device.
• the neck cord includes a stretch sensor.
• the neck cord further comprises conductive material to allow a change in the electrical characteristic of the stretch sensor to be measured by a circuit included in the housing of the device. When the person imposes a pulling force on the housing the stretch sensor is stretched and the change of its electrical characteristic is conducted by the neck cord to the circuit in the housing.
• the neck cord or only the stretch sensor is put inside a flexible tube.
• the tube is less stretchable than the cord (or not stretchable) and has a predetermined length, which limits the stretching of the stretch sensor beyond its elastic limit.
• the tube may be covering the cord as well as the component and be attached to the housing, so that the cord and the component are not visible.
• only the stretch sensor is inside the tube.
• the exterior surface of the housing is covered with conductive strips or elements.
• the device activates the alarm only when both a change in the electrical characteristic of the component and a change in the impedance between the conductive strips have been measured.
• the device is wireless coupled to a base unit, the base unit being coupled to a PC or phone at a remote location (e.g. an alarm control center).
• the base unit may be a two-way hands free audio terminal.
• the alarm when activated by person using his or her wearable device, is first sent to the base unit. Next the base unit transmits the alarm to the PC or phone at the remote location (e.g. the alarm control center).
• Fig. 1 shows a personal emergency response device for providing an alarm that is worn by a person
• Fig. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating a method of providing the alarm
• Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the device for providing the alarm
• Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of the device for providing the alarm
• Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the device for providing the alarm
• Fig. 6 shows the person pulling the housing to initiate the alarm
• Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of the component included in an embodiment of the device
• Fig. 8 shows a further embodiment of the device for providing the alarm
• Fig. 9 shows an embodiment of a personal emergency response system comprising a personal emergency response device according to the invention.
• Fig. 10 shows an embodiment of a circuit for measuring the electrical characteristic of the component
• Fig. 11 shows a further embodiment of a circuit for measuring the electrical characteristic of the component
• Fig. 12 shows a further embodiment of the device for providing the alarm.
• the invention provides a personal emergency response device for providing an alarm 7 that is to be worn by a subject as a person 1.
• the device comprises a housing 8 with a neck cord 3 for placement of the device around the person's neck.
• the device can be arranged to be worn at or on a different part of the body such as the wrist or waist and will comprise a suitable arrangement for attaching the housing 8 to that part of the body (for example a belt 4 or a strap 5).
• the device is used for providing the alarm 7 at the request of the person 1 , who has lost finger functionality due to stress or other reasons and cannot properly press the emergency push button.
• the invention provides an easy and convenient method for initiating the alarm 7 just by pulling the housing of the device with a pulling force 6 acting on housing as shown in Fig. 6. For a person in distress it is easier to put his fingers around the housing, and pull it, than to search for a button somewhere on the housing of the device.
• Fig. 3 shows one of the possible embodiments of the device 2 in accordance with the invention.
• the device comprises a cord (or other attachment means for attaching the device to the body), a housing and a component having an electrical characteristic that depends on a force acting on it. In response to the pulling force 6 acting on the housing 8 a force is exerted on the component causing its electrical characteristic to change.
• the device may further comprise a circuit for detecting the change in the electronic characteristic and if it exceeds a predetermined threshold the alarm 7 is activated.
• the device may have a button 201 present on the housing to cancel an alarm that was accidently initiated.
• the device may comprise an accelerometer and the person may "shake” the device to revoke the alarm, the device being arranged to detect the "shaking" in response to data obtained with the accelerometer.
• the device may have an indicator to warn the person that the alarm was activated. The indicator may provide an audible, visual or tactile signal 202 and to give feedback to the person that the device is operational and has initiated the alarm.
• the component 301 is coupled to housing and may be situated as shown Fig 3 outside of the housing. Further the component is also coupled to the cord. When the person pulls the housing while it is attached to the body of the person a force will act on the component thereby changing the electrical characteristic. In another embodiment the component is included inside the housing as shown in Fig. 5.
• the device operates according to the method shown in Fig. 2 which will now be explained in detail.
• Fig. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the method of providing the alarm.
• the method of providing the alarm on request of a person wearing the device comprises the following steps:
• the change of the electrical characteristic may be compared with a threshold.
• the threshold is determined by a time filter.
• the housing may have accidently pulled while the person had no intent to request for assistance ("nothing happened") and the device will continue detecting a potential change of the characteristic of the electrical characteristic.
• the device 2 when the detected change exceeds the threshold (e.g. is present sufficiently long or has a value sufficiently large) the device 2 will provide an audible, visual or tactile signal to the person 502.
• the threshold e.g. is present sufficiently long or has a value sufficiently large
• an additional condition is checked before an alarm will be initiated. If the person presses the revocation button 201 during a predetermined period after the signal is provided the alarm is revoked and the device will continue with detecting a potential change of the electrical characteristic (e.g a resistance of a stretch sensor or a voltage generated by a piezo electric component as will be explained in more detail later).
• a potential change of the electrical characteristic e.g a resistance of a stretch sensor or a voltage generated by a piezo electric component as will be explained in more detail later.
• the alarm is generated 504.
• the device itself also provides a further audible alarm to catch the attention of people close by.
• the alarm is wirelessly sent to an alarm control center as shown in Fig. 9.
• the device 2 is coupled to a base unit 9.
• the device and base unit are included in a PERS system.
• the base unit 9 is arranged to act as a two -way hands free audio terminal. In case the person pulls the housing of the device to request for help the alarm is transferred to the base unit and from the base unit via internet, mobile or a landline to the alarm control center.
• Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of the component 301, 303 wherein the component is a mechanical switch 204 coupled to the cord 3 and to the housing.
• the component is a mechanical switch 204 coupled to the cord 3 and to the housing.
• a force is exerted on the mechanical switch causing it to be opened or closed.
• the pulling force may cause the mechanical switch to close which may be measured by an electronic circuit as shown in Fig. 7.
• the electronic circuit for example may comprise a power supply, an ADC converter 205, a microcontroller 206, and a transmitter to send the alarm to the base unit.
• the component 301, 303 has a shape that changes in response to the pulling force, wherein the electrical characteristic is dependent on the shape or the change of the shape.
• Numerous sensors exist for measuring strain or elastic deformation of materials for example a stretch sensor, a strain gauge or a force/flex sensor. All of these sensors are based on the principle that stretching or compressing a conductive material causes its resistance to change. As the material is stretched its particles are spaced further apart, increasing the resistance. Conversely, as the material is compressed these particles are brought closer together resulting in a decrease in resistance or an increase in conductance.
• Elasticity is defined as the ability of a material to return to its original form or shape after a stress/force has been applied to it.
• the ease with which an elastic material will stretch is determined by a parameter known as the modulus, which defines the amount of stress or force per unit area to stretch the material.
• a low modulus means that the material is easy to stretch.
• a second important parameter is the elastic limit, or the minimum force for which the material ceases to be elastic, i.e. does not return to its original state.
• a neck cord includes a stretch sensor and conductive material to enable a measurement of the electrical characteristic of the component by a circuit in the device.
• the stretch sensor When the stretch sensor is stretched due to the person exerting a pulling force on the housing, the change of its electrical characteristic may be measured. Due to the modulus and elastic limit of the stretch sensor, care has to be taken to properly design the neck cord so that the sensor is not stretched beyond its elastic limit.
• the neck cord comprises the stretch sensor which is positioned inside a flexible tube 9. The advantage of this embodiment is that the tube prevents a stretching of the component beyond its elastic limit.
• the tube is less stretchable than the cord and has a predetermined length which limits the stretching of the stretch sensor beyond its elastic limit.
• the tube may be covering the cord and the component and be coupled to the housing, such that the conductive cord and the component are not visible.
• only the stretch sensor is inside the tube 9.
• the component comprises piezo elastic material.
• a pulling force acting on the housing causes a change in the shape of the component, which results in a change of the electrical characteristic of the piezo elastic material.
• a strip of piezo elastic material may provide a voltage in response to a bending of the strip, the amplitude of the voltage being dependent on the value of the pulling force.
• Fig. 8 shows yet a further embodiment of the device 2.
• the outside of the housing 8 is covered with two conductive elements 203 that are not in contact with each other, but that both will be touched by the hand of a person that grasps the housing to request for assistance.
• a further circuit included in the device measures the impedance between the conductive elements and in response to a measured impedance change the alarm is activated.
• the impedance change is only measured after a change in the electrical characteristic of the component has been measured and the alarm is only initiated when both changes have been detected.
• the device may contain a circuit to detect any changes in the electrical characteristic of the component.
• a circuit may for example comprise a voltage divider or a Wheatstone bridge, both known from prior art.
• the component may be a stretch sensor having a resistance. Stretching causes the resistance to change and this change may be measured using for example the voltage divider circuit.
• Fig. 10 shows the measuring circuit according to one embodiment of the circuit.
• Vout will increase, and thus the measured resistance Rs also increases.
• the measured value of Rs can also be averaged over time to attenuate the influence of sensor noise.
• Vout or Rs can be used as a measure of stretch or force applied to the cord.
• measuring the stretch/strain gauge sensors resistance is achieved using a Wheatstone bridge which consists of two voltage divider circuits in parallel as shown in Fig. 11.
• the output voltage, Vout is given by where Rl, R2, R3 are reference resistors, (see Fig 11)
• the sensitivity of the Wheatstone bridge is identical to the voltage divider.
• the Wheatstone bridge's output does not contain a large DC component due to taking the difference between the parallel voltage dividers and thus its output/sensitivity can be boosted by applying an amplifier.
• the measured resistance of the stretch sensor is used to detect a potential fall of the person.
• the baseline resistance Ro e.g. when the sensor is not under strain
• Rp > Ro a second baseline when the pendant device is being properly worn
• the measured resistance Rs is closer to Ro, it indicates that the person is in a supine position, since the weight of the pendant device does not exert a force on the stretch/strain gauge sensor, indicating that the person may have fallen.
• the measured resistance Rs is approximately equal to Ro this may be indicating that the person is not wearing the device.
• the component used is a stretch sensor or a strain gauge sensor and the device determines whether the person is in a supine position in dependence of a measured electrical characteristic of the stretch sensor.
• the device further comprises an accelerometer. If the low value for Rs was preceded by an impact measured by an accelerometer, it is highly probably that the person has fallen.
• the system may interpret this as the user pulling on the housing device to signal for help.

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• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
• Alarm Systems (AREA)
• Emergency Alarm Devices (AREA)

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• 2015
  • 2015-12-18 CN CN201580070175.2A patent/CN107111924B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2015-12-18 WO PCT/EP2015/080485 patent/WO2016102363A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2015-12-18 JP JP2017533462A patent/JP6665186B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2015-12-18 US US15/538,933 patent/US9984548B2/en active Active
  • 2015-12-18 RU RU2017126239A patent/RU2664948C1/ru active
  • 2015-12-18 EP EP15813071.6A patent/EP3238192B1/en not_active Not-in-force

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