Wearable devices for supporting the safety and well-being of the elderly

Abstract

This wearable device provides a safety support system for elderly people living alone or receiving home care. It integrates the measurement of the user's biometric information with their surrounding environment and automatically notifies them of abnormalities, enabling early response. [Solution] A bracelet-type device equipped with sensors for acceleration, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and ambient temperature, as well as GPS, transmits acquired data to a smartphone or cloud server via Bluetooth® communication. If an abnormality is detected through analysis, it automatically notifies the user and their family members. The notification continues until it is read or a reply is received, and safety support is provided by comprehensively assessing changes in ambient temperature and body temperature, as well as movement outside the usual range of activity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable device for supporting the life safety of the elderly and the like, and particularly relates to a technology for monitoring the state of a user using a plurality of biological sensors and environmental sensors, detecting signs of physical discomfort or abnormal behavior, and giving notifications.

Background Art

[0002] In conventional monitoring devices and emergency notification systems, the user himself / herself needs to perform an operation such as pressing an emergency button. It is difficult to respond in cases of unconsciousness, immediately after a fall, before and after bathing, or in a state of decreased sense of direction, and attention arousal in cases such as temperature changes is insufficient, and there are many single detections.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In recent years, with the increase in elderly people living alone and those receiving home care, the number of people aged 65 and over has reached approximately 39 million (31% of the total population), with approximately 2.3 million men and 4.4 million women living alone. Approximately 80% of accidental deaths in the home involve the elderly, with falls, slips, and sudden changes in condition during bathing being the main causes. According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, approximately 5,000 people die suddenly while bathing each year, 90% of whom are 65 years of age or older. The National Police Agency reports 17,000 missing persons reports involving the elderly each year, many of which are due to poor health or impaired sense of direction. Elderly people showing signs of frailty or those requiring support or care often have difficulty recognizing environmental changes such as temperature, and even if a fall or sudden change in condition occurs, those around them may not notice immediately, leading to delayed discovery. In situations where the person cannot perform emergency actions themselves, such as at night or before and after bathing, the time until rescue increases, and the risk to life increases. Conventional monitoring devices and notification systems require users to manually press buttons or perform other actions, and lack sufficient mechanisms for automatically detecting changes in physical condition or environment. While some devices utilize location information, their ability to analyze changes in movement range or abnormalities in dwell time to determine safety is limited. Furthermore, the lack of a comprehensive system for evaluating environmental factors such as outside temperature, temperature differences between rooms, and movement range, along with biometric information, remains a challenge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, this invention provides a bracelet-type monitoring device equipped with acceleration, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and ambient temperature sensors, as well as a GPS module. Data acquired from these sensors is transmitted via Bluetooth communication to a smartphone or cloud server, and if abnormalities in physical condition or behavior are detected through analysis, notifications are sent to the user's and registered family members' devices. Notifications continue until read or a reply is confirmed, and safety support is provided by comprehensively judging changes in ambient temperature and movement trends. If a simultaneous increase in body temperature and ambient temperature is detected, the device will issue an early warning of the risk of a sudden change in physical condition. Furthermore, the GPS module analyzes the user's range of activity, and if movement outside the normal range is detected, notifications are sent to the family members' or caregiver's devices. When the battery level falls below 30%, a notification prompting charging is sent, and if the device remains uncharged for a long period, a notification is sent to family members, etc. This ensures continuous operation and prevents device failure during high-risk times such as at night or while bathing. Communication content is encrypted, ensuring the protection of personal information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This invention comprehensively analyzes environmental and biological information to detect early signs of health problems, falls, and other accidents. This eliminates the need for user operation, allowing family members and caregivers to immediately understand the situation, thus enabling early detection and response. Furthermore, the inclusion of a GPS-based range detection function ensures safety during outings and enables location-based support, while also addressing risks associated with temperature fluctuations (heat-related and low-temperature related). Encrypted communication ensures data security and privacy, providing elderly care support within the scope of a medical device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Device external configuration diagram [Figure 2] Internal Configuration Block Diagram [Figure 3] System Configuration Diagram (Smartphone and Cloud Integration) [Figure 4]Anomaly detection and notification flowchart [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] This invention relates to a wearable device and its information processing system for acquiring multifaceted information on the user's biological state and surrounding environment, enabling early detection of abnormalities and support for safe living. In one embodiment of this invention, the device mainly consists of a bracelet-type housing worn on the wrist, and integrates multiple sensors and a communication module inside. Inside the device are an accelerometer, heart rate sensor, blood pressure sensor, body temperature sensor, ambient temperature sensor, GPS module, and a microcontroller that integrates and controls these. Data is periodically acquired from each sensor and analyzed by an anomaly detection algorithm. The microcontroller performs multidimensional judgments considering the rate of change based on past measurements and sudden changes in ambient temperature. If body temperature continues to rise and ambient temperature is trending upward, the risk of heatstroke is estimated. Conversely, if a decrease in body temperature and a sudden drop in ambient temperature are detected, the risk of physical condition changes due to a low-temperature environment is estimated. These judgments are not based on a single value, but on a comprehensive evaluation combining trend changes, time progression, and environmental factors, resulting in fewer false positives and more practical risk assessment than simple threshold judgments. When an anomaly is detected, the microcontroller transmits the information to a smartphone or cloud server via Bluetooth communication. On the cloud, notification priorities are assigned according to the type of anomaly, and notifications are automatically sent to the individual, family, and caregivers. The notification system has a mechanism to periodically resend it until it is confirmed to have been read or replied to on any receiving device, thereby preventing it from being overlooked in emergencies. In addition, when the battery level falls below 30%, a charging reminder is sent to the individual's and family's devices. If charging is not performed, a re-notification will be sent after a certain period of time. The GPS module acquires location information at regular intervals and learns the normal range of movement on the cloud. Based on the normal movement pattern, if movement outside the expected range occurs, a notification is automatically sent to the family's device. This allows for early detection of behavioral anomalies, achieving more accurate safety support than conventional simple out-of-range detection devices. The device's communication is encrypted, and data on the cloud is processed anonymously, so safety confirmation is possible with the minimum necessary information while ensuring the protection of personal information.Furthermore, the system structure is scalable, allowing for future applications such as behavioral prediction using AI analysis and comparative analysis among multiple users. This invention features a lightweight and compact design that does not interfere with the user's daily life, and has a waterproof structure that allows it to be worn before and after bathing or while sleeping. This enables real-time safety support in response to falls, sudden changes in body temperature, and sudden changes in the environment, preventing accidents and serious injuries through early detection and response to abnormalities. By linking and analyzing environmental data, including outside temperature, with biometric information, and automatically providing risk notifications tailored to individual behavioral patterns, it can achieve comprehensive and preventative safety support that was not possible with conventional single-sensor type monitoring devices. [Examples]

[0010] This device consists of a bracelet-type housing worn on the wrist. The housing contains the following modules: heart rate sensor, accelerometer (fall and motion detection), heart rate sensor, blood pressure sensor, body temperature sensor, ambient temperature sensor, GPS module, Bluetooth communication module, battery, and charging control circuit. These modules are integrated and managed by a microcontroller, and sensor data is acquired and aggregated at regular intervals. If abnormal values ​​are detected consecutively, data is calculated and sent to a cloud server. If notification conditions are met, notifications are sent to registered family members and caregivers via LINE or a dedicated app. In addition, it is possible to apply an algorithm that learns the user's movement patterns and temperature changes to predict abnormalities in the future. [Industrial applicability]

[0011] This invention can be widely applied to home care, elderly welfare, and community monitoring networks. Furthermore, through collaboration with local governments, care facilities, and home care services, it contributes to supporting the independence of the elderly and promoting integrated community care. [Explanation of symbols]

[0012] 1. Main unit (built-in sensors for blood pressure, accelerometer, body temperature, heart rate, etc., and GPS module) 2 bands 3. Band adjustment section 4 Display / notification section 5 Charging contacts 6. Outdoor temperature sensor

Claims

1. This wearable device for supporting the safety of the elderly is a bracelet-type monitoring device equipped with an accelerometer, heart rate sensor, blood pressure sensor, body temperature sensor, ambient temperature sensor, and GPS module. It transmits data acquired by each sensor wirelessly to an information processing device, and based on the analysis of the data, it notifies the user if it detects an abnormal physical condition, an abnormal environmental condition, or movement outside its usual range of activity.

2. The aforementioned wearable device is characterized by calculating the temperature difference (ΔT) between the ambient temperature and body temperature from the measurement results of an ambient temperature sensor and a body temperature sensor, and detecting a risk trend and issuing a warning notification when ΔT exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. A wearable device that learns the user's usual range of activity using a GPS module and has a behavioral analysis function that notifies a registered terminal when movement outside the usual range of activity is detected by comparing it with a behavioral model generated from past data.

4. A wearable device with a continuous notification control function, characterized in that the device has a notification control function that continues to resend notifications at regular intervals after a notification has been sent until a read or reply confirmation signal is sent back to the registered terminal.

5. The aforementioned device is a wearable device that maintains operation, and has a function to prompt charging when the battery level falls below 30%, and to automatically notify family members' devices if the uncharged state continues for a predetermined period of time.

6. A secure communication wearable device characterized by having an information security function that encrypts transmitted and received data and anonymizes personally identifiable information before transmission.

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