# US 12,008,879 B2 · Personal system for the detection of a fall or a fall prone situation

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- Number: US 12,008,879 B2
- Document ID: US12008879B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/571,850
- Filed: 2022-01-10
- Published: 2022-05-05
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-31
- Assignees: Euro Protection Surveillance
- Applicants: Ellcie-Healthy
- Inventors: Philippe Peyrard
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008879B2

## CPC

- A61B 5/0059: {using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence (photoacoustic A61B5/0093; optical measurement of heart rate A61B5/02416; optical measurement of blood flow A61B5/0261; optical measurement of analytes A61B5/1455)}
- G08B 21/0446: {worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait}
- A61B 5/1117: {Fall detection}
- A61B 5/1123: {Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running (A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence)}
- A61B 5/163: {by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change}
- A61B 5/6803: {Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles}
- A61B 5/746: {Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms}
- G01C 22/006: {Pedometers}
- G02C 11/10: {Electronic devices other than hearing aids}
- G08B 21/043: {detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall}
- A61B 5/002: {Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building (A61B5/0017 takes precedence)}
- A61B 5/02055: {Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature}
- A61B 5/0531: Measuring skin impedance
- A61B 5/1103: {Detecting muscular movement of the eye, e.g. eyelid movement}
- A61B 5/1112: {Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS}
- A61B 5/4875: {Hydration status, fluid retention of the body}
- A61B 5/7239: {using differentiation including higher order derivatives}
- A61B 2560/0209: adapted for power saving
- G02C 5/2209: {Pivot bearings and hinge bolts other than screws}
- G02C 11/06: Hearing aids (construction of electric hearing aids H04R25/00)
- G08B 21/06: indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G02C: SPECTACLES; SUNGLASSES OR GOGGLES INSOFAR AS THEY HAVE THE SAME FEATURES AS SPECTACLES; CONTACT LENSES (trial frames for testing the eyes A61B3/04; goggles or eyeshields not having the same features as spectacles A61F9/00)

## Abstract

A method for preventing and detecting a fall of an individual and implementing a system worn by the individual. The system includes a plurality of sensors and an alarm. The plurality of sensors includes a triaxial accelerometer and a barometric sensor. Each sensor of the plurality of sensors generates a signal and is connected to a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory to collect and analyze data issued by the plurality of sensors, and to trigger an alarm in response to an analysis of the data.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for preventing and detecting a fall of an individual and implementing a system worn by the individual and comprising a plurality of sensors and an alarm, the plurality of sensors comprising:
a triaxial accelerometer; and
a barometric sensor;
wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors generates a first signal, and is connected to a microprocessor configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory to collect and analyze data issued by the plurality of sensors, and to trigger the alarm in response to an analysis of the data;
wherein a second signal from the triaxial accelerometer is acquired and processed to derive a walking pace parameter, a sit to stand parameter, and an acceleration magnitude over three axes of the triaxial accelerometer;
the method comprising:
computing a first composite index based on the walking pace parameter and the sit to stand parameter; and
generating a first type of the alarm in response to a determination that the first composite index exceeds a first predetermined threshold;
acquiring a third signal of the barometric sensor;
computing a second composite index based on:
the acceleration magnitude combined along the three axes of the triaxial accelerometer;
a variance of the acceleration magnitude over a predetermined duration;
an acceleration component over an axis of the three axes of the triaxial accelerometer parallel to gravity;
the acceleration magnitude combined over the three axes of the triaxial accelerometer in a plane perpendicular to the gravity; and
a variation of a barometric pressure between two moments of the barometric sensor; and
generating a second type of the alarm corresponding to the detection of the fall in response to a determination that the second composite index exceeds a second predetermined threshold.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a medallion configured to be worn by the individual and comprising the triaxial accelerometer, the barometric sensor and an alarm generator.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the system further comprises a pair of eyeglasses with folding stems, worn by the individual and comprising an IR emitter and an IR receiver both directed to a cornea of the individual and the triaxial accelerometer, the method further comprising:
controlling the IR emitter, collecting and processing a fourth signal from the IR receiver:
processing the fourth signal of the IR receiver to detect a closure and an opening of an eyelid of the individual;
computing an alertness composite index based on opening events of the opening of the eyelid and closure events of the closure of the eyelid:
computing a head posture parameter based on a fifth signal from the triaxial accelerometer of the eyeglasses;
when the second type of the alarm is generated, computing a third composite index based on:
a body posture parameter derived from the head posture parameter and the barometric sensor, and the alertness composite index; and
generating a third type of the alarm in response to a determination the third composite index exceeds a third predetermined threshold.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising determining that the eyeglasses are worn by the individual by performing a check out test that comprises activating the IR emitter and analyzing the fourth signal of the IR receiver in response thereto.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the computation of the first composite index based on the walking pace parameter comprises:
projecting the second signal issued by the triaxial accelerometer on as the axis of the three axes of the triaxial accelerometer parallel to a direction of the gravity to obtain a pedometer signal;
obtaining a threshold value and detecting consecutive peaks in the pedometer signal exceeding the first predetermined threshold, during a predetermined assessment time;
measuring a separation time separating two consecutive peaks during the predetermined assessment time;
computing a variance of the separation time over the predetermined assessment time;
utilizing the variance of the separation time in computing the first composite index;
obtaining a threshold angle and measuring a time of an angle of a head posture parameter variation exceeds the threshold angle during the predetermined assessment time; and
utilizing the time of the angle of the head posture parameter variation in computing the first composite index.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising:
detecting a sit to stand event by a predetermined pattern in the second signal issued by the triaxial accelerometer in an acceleration parallel to an axis of the gravity;
measuring a duration of the sit to stand event;
measuring a peak acceleration during the sit to stand event; and
utilizing the duration of the sit to stand event and the peak acceleration in computing the first composite index.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising counting a number of sit to stand events per day; and utilizing the number of the sit to stand events per day in computing the first composite index.