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US 9,176,932 B2Granted
Method for detecting falls and a fall detector
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorsConstant Paul Marie Jozef Baggen, Ningjiang Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for detecting a fall by a user includes a method of detecting a fall by a user. The method includes processing measurements obtained from one or more sensors to extract a respective value for a plurality of features associated with a fall. A respective log likelihood ratio for each of the values is determined. Whether the user has fallen is determined based on the determined log likelihood ratios.
Claims18
A method of detecting a fall by a user, the method comprising:
- with a processor or computer, processing measurements obtained from one or more sensors to extract a respective value for a plurality of features associated with a fall, wherein processing the measurements includes processing measurements obtained from an air pressure sensor to extract values indicating changes in altitude;
- with a processor or computer, determining a respective log likelihood ratio for each of said extracted values;
- with a processor or computer, determining whether the user has fallen based on the determined log likelihood ratios;
- and
- with a transmitter, in response to determining that the user has fallen, transmitting a signal indicating the user has fallen.
2 more elements
A fall detector, comprising:
- a means for determining altitude changes;
- an accelerometer configured to determine activity levels;
- a processor that is configured to:
- extract altitude change values from the determined altitude changes,
- determine an altitude change log likelihood ratio for said altitude change values,
- when the altitude change log ratio exceeds an altitude change threshold, extract activity level values from the determined activity levels,
- determine an activity level log ratio for the activity level values;
- and
- determine whether the user has fallen based on the determined altitude change and activity level log likelihood ratios.
6 more elements
An apparatus for detecting a fall by a user, the apparatus comprising:
- an altitude sensor means for determining a change in altitude and outputting an altitude signal, the altitude sensor means being configured to be attached to the user;
- a computer or processor programmed to:
- receive the altitude signal,
- extract altitude values from the altitude signal,
- determine log likelihood ratios for the altitude values,
- analyze the log likelihood ratios to determine whether the user has fallen;
- and
- a transmitter configured to transmit a fall signal when the user is determined to have fallen.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.