WO2023200326A1

WO2023200326A1 - Reminder device to assist people with mental disorders

Info

Publication number: WO2023200326A1
Application number: PCT/MX2022/050035
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jesús Raúl BELTRÁN RAMÍREZ; Jonathan De Jesús MARTÍNEZ MENDOZA; Nora Magdalena TORRES CARRILLO; Norma TORRES CARRILLO
Original assignee: Beltran Ramirez Jesus Raul
Priority date: 2022-04-12
Filing date: 2022-04-12
Publication date: 2023-10-19

Abstract

The present invention describes a reminder device to assist people with mental disorders that is formed by a garment configured to adapt to the torso of a person with mental disorders. The garment comprises various supports on the rear portion thereof, in which a motor and a rail are mounted, which are in turn joined to a structure, preferably triangular, on which a tube is placed having a camera and at least one horn at its end that aids orientation by means of reminders. The reminder device to assist people with mental disorders has a control module that is formed by a communication unit, a GPS module and a microcontroller configured to control and operate the electronic components of the reminder device to assist people with mental disorders.

Description

REMINDER DEVICE FOR THE ASSISTANCE OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL DISORDERS

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to the technical field of mechanics, electronics, health system and more specifically to assistance devices for people, since it provides a reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders. The invention is mainly aimed at patients with mental health problems, such as Alzheimer's.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization for Alzheimer's care, support and research, and the Alzheimer's Association tells us that Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior . Symptoms usually develop slowly and worsen over time, until they are so severe that they interfere with daily tasks.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for loss of memory and other cognitive abilities that interfere with daily life.

Alzheimer's disease is responsible for between 60 and 80 percent of dementia cases. Alzheimer's is not a normal characteristic of aging. The most important known risk factor is increasing age, and most people with Alzheimer's are over 65 years old. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Approximately 200,000 Americans under age 65 have early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's worsens over time; It is a progressive disease, in which the symptoms of dementia gradually worsen over the years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but in the final stage of Alzheimer's, people lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. People with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years after symptoms become evident, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions.

Currently, Alzheimer's has no cure, but treatments for the symptoms are available and research continues. While current treatments for Alzheimer's cannot stop the progression of the disease, they can temporarily slow the worsening of symptoms and improve the quality of life for people with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Today, work is being done worldwide to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset and prevent its development.

The most common early symptom of Alzheimer's is difficulty remembering newly learned information.

Just like the rest of our body, the brain changes as we age. Most of us will at some point notice slower thinking ability and occasional problems remembering certain things. However, severe memory loss, confusion, and other major changes in the way it works our mind can be a sign that brain cells are failing.

The most common early symptom of Alzheimer's is difficulty remembering newly learned information because the changes caused by Alzheimer's usually begin in the part of the brain that affects learning. As Alzheimer's progresses in our brain, the symptoms worsen, including disorientation; changes in mood and behavior; increasingly serious confusion regarding events, times and locations; unfounded suspicions about family, friends, and professional caregivers; more severe memory loss and behavioral changes, and eventually difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking.

People with memory loss and other possible signs of Alzheimer's may have difficulty recognizing that they have a problem. Signs of dementia may be more obvious to family members or friends. Anyone experiencing dementia-like symptoms should visit a doctor immediately. Early diagnosis and intervention methods greatly improve, and treatment options and sources of support can improve quality of life.

Many people have problems with memory; but this does not mean that they have Alzheimer's; There are different causes that cause memory loss and thinking problems; There are other mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolarity, obsessive disorders and schizophrenia; These are the disorders with the highest incidence in the population of Mexico. It is estimated that approximately 17% of the population suffers from at least one mental disorder and one in four inhabitants will suffer from it at least once in their life.

There are many of the problems that these disorders generate, especially Alzheimer's, for example, disorientation; changes in mood and behavior; increasingly serious confusion regarding events, times and places; memory loss and finally, difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking, which is why various devices or appliances have been developed to help in the life of a person who suffers from this type of disorders, which is why a search was carried out of the state of the art of reminder devices for the assistance of people with mental disorders, where it was found that different devices have been developed for this purpose, as mentioned in the Indian patent application document number IN202021049514 (A) , with a publication date of January 1, 2020, which has the title "PORTABLE DEVICE FOR ALZHEIMER'S PATIENT" which describes an autonomous portable device that provides personal assistance to patients with Alzheimer's. In one aspect, the invention relates to a portable device for personal use by patients with Alzheimer's, said device acting as a virtual assistant for the patient in their daily activities, in which the device runs on a Raspberry Pi minicomputer and It is configured to capture images using a PI camera and analyze said captured image using a Haar cascade classifier to help the patient to identify his family members, track the location using GPS and also to receive reminders at intervals of specific time.

Another document that was found is the patent application of the European Patent Office number EP3567563 (Al), with publication date of September 13, 2019, which has the title "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE FOLLOW-UP OF PATIENTS WITH COGNITIVE DISORDERS" which describes a system for monitoring patients with cognitive disorders that comprises: at least one bed comprising a plurality of weight sensors configured to detect the presence of a patient in bed; a plurality of sensors configured to detect the descent of the patient from the bed; a plurality of acoustic sensors; a plurality of flame sensors; a plurality of shock sensors capable of detecting sudden movements of the bed; at least one portable sensor placed on the patient's garment; at least one processing unit provided with Internet access and a control system; a video camera mounted on the processing unit; a computer provided with Internet access and configured to receive data transmitted by at least one processing unit.

The Japanese patent application number JP2021057057 (A) was also found, with publication date of April 8, 2020, which has the title "MOBILE AND PORTABLE PLATFORM FOR VIDEO ACQUISITION AND FEEDBACK FOR THERAPY OF MENTAL DISORDER" which describes a system and method for providing therapy for behavioral disorders through the use of a mobile and wearable video acquisition system, which includes a wearable camera and/or a variety of sensors (especially, an accelerometer and a microphone). , a computer system that includes a screen, an audio output, a holographic output and/or a vibro-tactile output to automatically recognize social signals from images captured by at least one camera, and provide this information to the user. through one or more outputs, such as displaying an overlay holographic to display an image, generate an audible signal and/or generate a vibration.

Finally, the United States patent application number US2018253954 (Al) was found, published on September 6, 2018 with the title "24/7 CARE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BASED ON A WEB SERVER FOR A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE WITH ALZHEIMER'S, DEMENTIA, AUTISTS AND ASSISTED LIVING USING INTELLIGENT DEVICES BASED ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE", said patent application describes a web server-based system for managed care services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for clients with Alzheimer's, autism and assisted living. The system uses a smart digital camera with built-in artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor client activities, uses voice recognition and two-way voice communication, and therefore does not require body-worn devices. The camera detects the customer's movements, such as sitting, lying down and falling, and generates corresponding alarms on a central server for a customer support operator to act on. The camera intelligence can analyze the client's proximity to previously stored scenes, the client's emotion, and generate alerts for the client's assistant operator. The system uses an intelligent digital customer assistant device with built-in intelligence for speaker-independent voice recognition to provide customer access to entertainment, e-commerce and other voice-activated services. The system uses a drone to remotely monitor the client's movement in case they leave the facility without informing a caregiver. The drone pilot monitors the movement and informs the local authority to help the customer. The web server allows all services Managed care necessary to provide a good quality of life for clients while monitoring their well-being and safety and relieving caregiver burden. The system allows clients to visit a doctor's remote virtual office and monitors the movement of the client's vehicle if the client wanders away from their home. The system can also be used in other security-related applications.

As can be seen, none of the documents described above describe a device that is made up of a garment configured to adapt to the torso of a person with mental disorders, where said garment comprises various supports on its back, on which a motor and a rail, which in turn are attached to a structure, preferably triangular, on which a tube is placed that has at its end a camera and at least one horn. It is also not evident that any of the devices have a control module which is made up of a communication unit; a GPS module and a microcontroller configured for the control and operation of the electronic components of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders; where the communication unit allows the device for the assistance of people with mental disorders to communicate with an intelligent device, and in this way visualize in real time what is being recorded by means of a camera and manipulate the motor in order to move the structure to position the camera at a desired point.

There is also no evidence that the inventions described in the previous documents allow the communication unit to contact the user of the device by sending audio that is played on the speaker through the smart device for the purpose of guiding and giving information. instructions to the patient, or people who are close to him, to assist the person.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

Degenerative diseases are one of the main causes of accidents in elderly people, due to deficiencies in motor or neuronal capacity of which Alzheimer's is one of the most important because it generates a gradual loss of memory, which It causes people with an advanced degree of the condition to cause incidents such as forgetting where they are, where they are going or even forgetting who they are, which is why having a device that helps with orientation through reminders is of utmost importance, for this reason. For this reason, the present invention aims to provide a reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders, which is made up of a garment configured to adapt to the torso of a person with mental disorders.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders, made up of a garment comprising various supports on its back, on which a motor and a rail are mounted, which in turn are attached to a structure, preferably triangular, on which a tube is placed that has at its end a camera and at least one horn. Another object of the present invention is to provide a reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders, which has a control module which is made up of a communication unit; a GPS module and a microcontroller configured for the control and operation of the electronic components of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The characteristic details of this novel reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders are clearly shown in the following description and in the accompanying figures, as well as an illustration of that, and following the same reference signs to indicate the parts shown . However, said figures are shown by way of example and should not be considered as limiting the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a front view of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

Figure 2 shows a front perspective view of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

Figure 4 shows a rear view of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

Figure 5 shows a detailed view of the structure of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders. Figure 6 shows a detailed view of the rail of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

Figure 7 shows a detailed view of the motor of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For a better understanding of the present invention, the parts that make up the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders are listed below:

1. Garment

2. Clamping mechanism

3. Support

4. Engine

5. Axis

6. Pivot

7. Structure

8. Second support

9. Rail

10. Slot

11. Rod

12. Sphere

13. Union

14. Tube

15. Base

16. Camera

17. Horn

18. Control module With reference to the figures, the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders is made up of a garment (1) which is made of high resistance fabric, said garment preferably is a collarless and sleeveless shirt; The front part of the garment (1) is open in order to facilitate the placement of the reminder device for the purpose of the present invention on the user's torso; To adjust the garment (1), each end of the opening has a fastening mechanism (2), which can be buttons with eyelets, snaps, closure, sailboat, magnetic means and/or a combination of the above.

A support (3) which has a square base, is placed on the back of the garment (1), preferably in the center at the top, just below the upper opening of the garment (1), as shown. seen in figures 3, 5 and 7.

A motor (4) is placed on the support (3), said motor can be an electric motor, a gear motor, a servo motor or a stepper motor; the shaft (5) of the motor (4) is assembled within a pivot (6) which is preferably slotted to facilitate assembly; said pivot is fixed at the middle vertex of a structure (7) that is preferably triangular, all the vertices of said structure (7) are truncated. The motor (4) is configured to transmit movement to the structure (7).

A second support (8), which is preferably rectangular, is placed in the lower back part of the garment (1), preferably in the center, remaining below the support (3) with a separation between the two. A rail (9) that is one piece Curved cylindrical with a groove (10) on its upper surface is placed on the second support (8).

A rod (11) that has two cylindrical sections, one of them hollow, which, inside, has a rigid spring, to allow its position in maximum extension; The rod (11) has a sphere (12) at each of its ends; The sphere at the lower end of the rod (11) is located inside the rail (9) with the rod exposed through the slot (10), as seen in figures 3, 6 and 7; The above allows the ball at the lower end to slide freely along the rail (9) and the rod (11) likewise slides freely through the slot (10) of the rail (9); To prevent the rod (11) with the sphere (12) at its lower end from coming out of the rail (9), said rail may have covers (not illustrated) at its ends.

The sphere at the upper end of the rod (11) is assembled in a joint (13) that is at the lower vertex of the structure (7), said joint is preferably spherical; This configuration allows the structure (7) to move in multiple directions when the motor (4) transmits its movement.

A tube (14), which is flexible, is placed at the upper vertex of the structure (7). This coupling allows movement in a single axis of the tube (14), providing rotary movement at its base, thanks to the coupling with the structure (7) ; The tube (14) preferably extends in a curve to be above the garment (1) in such a way that the end is on one side of the user's head at ear level or above the person's head. that uses the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders, the reason for this invention; A concave base (15) is placed on the tube (14) at its opposite end to the structure (7), said base (15) is configured to house a camera (16) preferably 360° to view and record what is happening in the environment of the person who uses the device that is the reason for the present invention since it is positioned with the camera lens (16) in a frontal direction; At least one speaker (17) is placed inside a hole (not illustrated) that has the surface of the base (15) concave, which reproduces auditory notes with reminders for the person who uses the device that is the subject of the present invention. .

A control module (18) is placed on the surface of the garment (1), preferably on the front; said control module (18) has a communication unit (not illustrated); a GPS module (not shown); a microcontroller (not illustrated) configured for the control and operation of the electronic components of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

The communication unit (not shown) which can be via Bluetooth, WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) or UWB (Ultra Wide Band), and is configured to communicate the reminder device for attendance of people with mental disorders with an intelligent device such as a computer, a tablet and/or a mobile phone, and in this way view in real time what is being recorded by means of the camera (16) and manipulate the motor ( 4) in order to move the structure (7) to position the camera (16) at a desired point; The communication unit also allows contacting the user of the device by sending audio which is plays on the speaker (18) through the intelligent device, with the purpose of guiding and giving instructions to the patient, or people who are close to him, to assist the person.

A power source (not illustrated), which can be an electrical cord, a battery, a portable charger and/or a combination of the above, is installed inside the structure (7) or on any of the supports. (3, 8) ; Said power supply is configured to energize the electrical components as well as the motor (4) of the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

The GPS module (not illustrated) is configured for real-time location of the person using the reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders.

The invention has been described sufficiently so that a person with average knowledge in the field can reproduce and obtain the results that we mention in the present invention. However, any person skilled in the field of art that is the subject of the present invention may be able to make modifications not described in the present application, however, if for the application of these modifications in a given structure or in the manufacturing process of this, the material claimed in the following claims is required, said structures must be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS A reminder device for the assistance of people with mental disorders, characterized in that it comprises: a garment (1) with a support (3) placed on the back of the garment (1); a motor (4) is placed on the support (3); the shaft (5) of the motor (4) is assembled within a pivot (6) which is joined to the structure (7); a second support (8) is placed in the lower back part of the garment (1), remaining below the support (3) with a separation between both; a rail (9) with a slot (10) on its upper surface is placed on the second support (8); a rod (11) that has a sphere (12) at each of its ends where the sphere at the lower end of the rod (11) is inside the rail (9) with the rod exposed through the slot (10), and the sphere at the upper end of the rod (11) is assembled in a joint (13) that is at the lower vertex of the structure (7); a tube (14) is placed at the upper vertex of the structure (7); a base (15) is placed on the tube (14) at its opposite end to the structure (7); a chamber (16) is housed in the base (15); at least one speaker (17) is placed on the surface of the base (15); a control module (18) is placed on the surface of the garment (1); and, a power supply is installed inside the structure (7) or in any of the supports (3, 8). The device of claim 1 characterized in that the garment is made of high resistance fabric. The device of the previous claims characterized in that the garment (1) is a collarless and sleeveless shirt. The device of the preceding claims characterized in that the front part of the garment (1) is open. The device of the preceding claims characterized in that each end of the opening has a fastening mechanism (2). The device of claim 5 characterized in that the fastening mechanisms (2) are buttons with eyelets, snaps, closure, sailboat, magnetic means and/or the combination of the above. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the support (3) is located in the center at the top. The device of claims 1 and 7 characterized in that the support (3) has a square base. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the motor (4) is an electric motor, a geared motor, a servomotor or a stepper motor. . The device of claim 1 characterized in that the structure (7) is triangular. . The device of claims 1 and 10 characterized in that the vertices of the structure (7) are truncated. . The device of claim 1 characterized in that the pivot (6) is slotted. . The device of claims 1 and 12 characterized in that the pivot (6) is fixed in the middle vertex of a structure (7). . The device of claim 1 characterized in that the second support (8) is rectangular. . The device of claims 1 and 14 characterized in that the second support (8) is placed in the center of the lower part of the garment (1).

16. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the rail (9) is a curved cylindrical piece.

17. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the rod (11) has two cylindrical sections.

18. The device of claims 1 and 17 characterized in that one of the cylindrical sections is hollow.

19. The device of claims 1, 17 and 18 characterized in that the hollow cylindrical section has a rigid spring inside, to allow its position in maximum extension.

20. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the rail (9) has covers at its ends. 21. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the joint (13) is spherical.

22. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the tube (14) is flexible.

23. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the tube (14) extends in a curved manner, remaining above the garment (1).

24. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the base (15) is concave.

25. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the camera (16) is 360°.

26. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the horn (17) is placed inside a hole located on the surface of the base (15).

27. The device of claim 1 characterized in that the control module (18) has a communication unit; a GPS module; and, a microcontroller.

28. The device of claims 1 and 27 characterized in that the control module (18) is placed on the front of the garment (1).

29. The device of claims 1 and 27 characterized in that the communication unit is Bluetooth, WiFi or UWB.

30. The device of claims 1, 27 and 29 characterized in that the communication unit connects with an intelligent device.

31. The device of the previous claim characterized in that the smart device is a computer, a tablet or a mobile phone. 32. The device of the preceding claim characterized in that the power source is an electric cord, a battery, a portable charger and/or the combination of the above.