Ambulatory system for measuring and monitoring physical activity and risk of falling and for automatic fall detection
US9005141B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 22, 2012 |
| Grant date | Apr 14, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 18, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG16H50/20
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention relates to a light-weight, small and portable ambulatory sensor for measuring and monitoring a person's physical activity. Based on these measurements and computations, the invented system quantifies the subject's physical activity, quantifies the subject's gait, determines his or her risk of falling, and automatically detects falls. The invention combines the features of portability, high autonomy, and real-time computational capacity. High autonomy is achieved by using only accelerometers, which have low power consumption rates as compared with gyroscope-based systems. Accelerometer measurements, however, contain significant amounts of noise, which must be removed before further analysis. The invention therefore uses novel time-frequency filters to denoise the measurements, and in conjunction with biomechanical models of human movement, perform the requisite computations, which may also be done in real time.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.