Fall detection and reporting technology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12198525-B2
Application number	US-202217736147-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2022
Priority date	Apr 4, 2011
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

Fall detection and reporting technology, in which output from at least one sensor configured to sense, in a room of a building, activity associated with a patient falling is monitored and a determination is made to capture one or more images of the room based on the monitoring. An image of the room is captured with a camera positioned to include the patient within a field of view of the camera and the captured image of the room is analyzed to detect a state of the patient at a time of capturing the image. A potential fall event for the patient is determined based on the detected state of the patient and a message indicating the potential fall event for the patient is sent based on the determination of the potential fall event for the patient. Techniques are also described for fall detection and reporting using an on-body sensing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An on-body device comprising:
one or more sensors; and
one or more processors coupled to the one or more sensors and one or more storage devices, the one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
accessing first sensor data obtained by the one or more sensors;
determining, using the first sensor data, that the on-body device is likely being worn by a person;
accessing second sensor data obtained by the one or more sensors, the second sensor data being different data than the first sensor data;
determining, using the second sensor data, whether an event associated with a person wearing the on-body device satisfies an event threshold;
in response to determining a) that the on-body device is likely being worn by the person and b) that the event associated with the person wearing the on-body device satisfies the event threshold, determining, using at least the second sensor data, whether one or more alert thresholds are satisfied, the event threshold being a different threshold than the one or more alert thresholds; and
in response to determining that the one or more alert thresholds are not satisfied, determining to skip generating an alert signal.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the event of the person wearing the on-body device satisfies the event threshold comprises determining whether the event of the person indicates that the person likely fell.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the one or more alert thresholds are satisfied comprises determining whether a duration for which the person has remained in substantially the same position satisfies a duration threshold.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one of an accelerometer, or a barometric sensor.

5. The device of claim 1 , the operations comprising:
accessing third sensor data captured by the one or more sensors, wherein the third sensor data comprises different data than the first sensor data or the second sensor data;
determining, using the third sensor data, whether a second event of a second person wearing the on-body device satisfies a second event threshold;
in response to determining that the second event of the person wearing the on-body device satisfies the second event threshold, determining, using the third sensor data, whether the one or more alert thresholds are satisfied; and
in response to determining that at least one of the one or more alert thresholds is satisfied, generating an alert signal that includes a location of the on-body device and data representing at least some of the third sensor data.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein:
the person and the second person are the same; and
the event threshold and the second event threshold are the same.

7. The device of claim 5 , wherein determining, using the third sensor data, whether the one or more alert thresholds are satisfied comprises, in response to determining that the second event of the person wearing the on-body device satisfies the second event threshold:
presenting a request for user input, which request identifies the second event; and
determining that a time period after presenting the request for user input has expired without receiving user input.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the one or more alert thresholds are not satisfied comprises, in response to determining that the event of the person wearing the on-body device satisfies the event threshold:
presenting, using at least data for the event determined using the second sensor data, a request for user input, which request identifies the event; and
receiving, within a time period after presenting the request for user input, user input responsive to the request.

9. The device of claim 1 , the operations comprising:
updating, using historical data for the on-body device, an alert threshold from the one or more alert thresholds so that the alert threshold is specific to a fall event associated with the person wearing the on-body device.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the one or more alert thresholds are satisfied comprises:
determining, using the second sensor data, a severity of the event; and
determining whether the severity of the event satisfies the one or more alert thresholds.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the event of the person wearing the on-body device satisfies the event threshold comprises determining, using the second sensor data, whether a movement of the person wearing the on-body device satisfies a movement threshold.

12. A method comprising:
accessing first sensor data obtained by one or more sensors included in an on-body device;
determining, using the first sensor data, whether the on-body device is likely being worn by a person;
accessing second sensor data obtained by the one or more sensors included in the on-body device;
determining, using the second sensor data, whether an event of a person wearing the on-body device satisfies an event threshold, the second sensor data being different data than the first sensor data;
in response to determining a) that the on-body device is likely being worn by the person and b) that the event associated with the person wearing the on-body device satisfies the event threshold, determining, using at least the second sensor data, whether one or more alert thresholds are satisfied, the event threshold being a different threshold than the one or more alert thresholds; and
in response to determining that the one or more alert thresholds are not satisfied, determining to skip generating an alert signal.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining whether the event of the person wearing the on-body device satisfies the event threshold comprises determining whether the event of the person indicates that the person likely fell.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining whether the one or more alert thresholds are satisfied comprises determining whether a duration for which the person has remained in substantially the same position satisfies a duration threshold.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein accessing the second sensor data comprises accessing the second sensor data captured by at least one of an accelerometer, or a barometric sensor.

16. The method of claim 12 , comprising:
accessing third sensor data captured by the one or more sensors, wherein the third sensor data comprises different data than the first or second sensor data;
determining, using the third sensor data, whether a second event of a second person wearing the on-body device satisfies a second event threshold;
in response to determining that the second event of the person wearing the on-body device satisfies the second event threshold, determining, using the third sensor data, whether the one or more alert thresholds are satisfied; and
in response to determining that at least one of the one or more alert thresholds is satisfied, generating an alert signal that includes a location of the on-body device and data representing at least some of the third sensor data.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the person and the second person are the same; and
the event threshold and the second event threshold are the same.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining, using the third sensor data, whether the one or more alert thresholds are satisfied comprises, in response to determining th

Assignees

• Alarm Com Inc

Inventors

• Hanson Mark Andrew
• Martin Jean-Paul
• Barth Adam T
• Silverman Christopher

Classifications

• G06T2207/30196

  Human being; Person · CPC title

• G06T2207/10016

  Video; Image sequence · CPC title

• G08B21/02

  Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons · CPC title

• G16Z99/00 Primary

  Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass · CPC title

• Y02A90/10

  Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation · CPC title