Modular Smart Sensing Pad

Abstract

To provide a pressure sensing pad which can be cut according to a difference in environment when used in a home environment.SOLUTION: Provided is a combined smart sensing pad, in which each of a plurality of pressure sensing pads is a wireless pressure sensing device configured to sense pressure data in a different region of a planar sensing pad array. An external electronic computer is communicatively coupled to the planar sensing pad array to receive pressure data detected by the plurality of pressure sensing pads. The external electronic computer forms a pressure distribution by combining pressure data detected by the plurality of pressure sensing pads and position information associated with each pressure sensing pad. The external electronic computer monitors the pressure distribution and duration to determine whether to issue an alarm to the outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of pressure sensors, and particularly to a combined smart sensing pad and its monitoring system.

Background Art

[0002] As Taiwanese society is gradually moving towards an aging population, the care and services for the elderly have become serious problems and issues that need to be urgently addressed. According to official statistical data, unfortunately, many elderly people die due to unexpected injuries every year, and falls are often regarded as one of the important factors of unexpected injuries. Therefore, preventing the elderly from falling has naturally become the top priority for the younger generation and the younger generation when providing care.

[0003] With the development of science and technology, social economy, the progress of science and technology has affected the social economy and changed people's lifestyles. Therefore, how to utilize the achievements of modern science and technology to contribute to our daily lives has become the driving force for the continuous progress of science and technology. In particular, by detecting the daily movements of the elderly at home, the living conditions of the elderly at home can be effectively grasped, so that it is possible to quickly respond when abnormalities are discovered.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, conventional methods for detecting the living conditions of elderly people at home generally involve installing cameras in their homes for immediate detection. However, with methods that rely on the monitor or video feed of the cameras, problems cannot be quickly identified and addressed unless they are checked immediately by a human. As you can imagine, this is particularly impractical and inconvenient for the younger generation who work outside the home. Furthermore, it is inefficient because it requires a lot of time to check the video feed, and there is a high risk of problems not being detected immediately due to carelessness. Moreover, even if a problem is detected, it is impossible for the younger generation, who are far away, to rush to the scene and address it immediately.

[0005] For example, current sensing pads, such as pressure sensing pads, can be used to detect the activity levels of elderly individuals, enabling them to detect situations such as accidental collisions or fainting due to physiological conditions. However, these pressure sensing pads come in a standard size. Such single-size equipment is impractical for use in home environments because it cannot be cut to accommodate different environments, such as rooms, corridors, and common areas. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above, the present invention provides a combination smart sensing pad and a monitoring system thereof. These include a planar sensing pad array comprising a plurality of pressure sensing pads. Each of the plurality of pressure sensing pads is a wireless pressure sensing device configured to detect pressure data in different areas of the planar sensing pad array. An external computer is connected to communicate with the planar sensing pad array and receives the pressure data detected by the plurality of pressure sensing pads. The external computer forms a pressure distribution by combining the pressure data detected by the plurality of pressure sensing pads with location information associated with each pressure sensing pad. The external computer monitors the pressure distribution and duration to determine whether or not to issue an alarm to the outside.

[0007] In one embodiment, if one of the multiple pressure sensing pads is set as a wireless pressure sensing device in master mode, the remaining ones are set as wireless pressure sensing devices in slave mode.

[0008] In one embodiment, the master-mode wireless pressure sensing device is connected to communicate with the remaining multiple slave-mode wireless pressure sensing devices. The master-mode wireless pressure sensing device collects pressure data detected by the remaining multiple slave-mode wireless pressure sensing devices using a wireless transmission method and transmits it to the external computer using a wireless transmission method.

[0009] In one embodiment, the wireless pressure sensing device includes at least a pressure sensing unit, a processing unit electrically connected to the pressure sensing unit for processing pressure data input from the pressure sensing unit, and a wireless transmission module electrically connected to the processing unit for receiving the pressure data processed by the processing unit.

[0010] In one embodiment, the pressure sensing unit includes at least one pressure sensor.

[0011] In one embodiment, the processing unit is one of the following: an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a microcontroller.

[0012] In one embodiment, the processing unit and the wireless transmission module are integrated as a sensing circuit.

[0013] In one embodiment, the wireless transmission module is a Bluetooth® communication module.

[0014] In one embodiment, the monitoring system for the above-described combination smart sensing pad includes the following as the execution flow of monitoring: Initialization of the planar sensing pad array is performed. The plurality of pressure sensing pads are connected to each other and a connection is established with the external computer. The plurality of pressure sensing pads collect location information of pressure points. Then, it is determined whether the number of pressure points is greater than a threshold, and if it is not, the location information of the pressure points is continued to be collected. If it is greater, it is then determined whether this condition persists for a predetermined period of time, and if it persists, an alarm is issued to the outside.

[0015] In one embodiment, the number of pressure points corresponds to the number of activated pressure sensing pads. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1A] Figure 1A shows a schematic plan view of a modular smart sensing pad provided based on one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B]Figure 1B shows a circuit block diagram of a pressure sensing pad provided according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a monitoring system for a combination smart sensing pad provided based on one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] Figure 3A shows a schematic diagram of a power supply connection method for a planar sensing pad array provided based on one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] Figure 3B shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of the power line connection point and the power ground line connection point of a smart sensing pad provided according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] Figure 4A shows a schematic diagram of mapping the position information of a combined planar sensing pad array, provided according to an embodiment of the present invention, to a display device of a portable device. [Figure 4B] Figure 4B shows a functional block diagram of a portable device provided based on an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a flowchart illustrating the monitoring process performed by a monitoring system of a combination smart sensing pad provided based on an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a circuit block diagram of a pressure sensing pad provided based on another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] Here, in the present invention, specific embodiments and aspects of the invention will be described in detail. These descriptions are for interpreting the structure or steps, and the flow of the present invention, are for explanatory purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims of the present invention. Therefore, in addition to the specific embodiments and preferred embodiments described in the specification, the present invention can be widely implemented in other different embodiments. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to specific specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand the effects and advantages of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Moreover, the present invention can also be applied and implemented by other specific embodiments. Each detailed matter described in detail in this specification can be applied according to the differences in needs, and various supplements or modifications are possible on the premise of not departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0018] Well-known pressure sensing pads have a standard size in shape. Such single-size equipment cannot be cut according to environmental differences when used in a home environment, so inconvenience during laying is caused due to differences in home use environments. To improve this point, the present invention provides a combined smart sensing pad.

[0019] FIG. 1A shows a schematic plan assembly view of a combined smart sensing pad provided based on an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, each smart sensing pad (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, ···) can be connected to each other to form a planar sensing pad array 100 extending in the X direction and the Y direction.

[0020] In one embodiment, the above smart sensing pad is a pressure sensing pad (e.g., 101a). The structure of the pad is such that the main body has a flat shape and has two main directions and a thickness direction that can be represented by coordinates (x, y, z). Also, a plurality of pressure sensors (not shown) are provided inside the main body. The main body is basically square and has four sides, but is not limited thereto and may be rectangular. Also, the material of the main body is made of a waterproof and anti-slip material in order to make the sensors and corresponding electric circuits provided inside waterproof and to prevent slipping on the surface of the pressure sensing pad.

[0021] In one embodiment, one pressure sensing pad is connected and extended by structural engagement / attachment of adjacent sides to form a combined smart sensing pad. As the method of engagement / attachment, a fastener may be used, or they may be engaged with each other by an engagement structure. FIG. 1 shows a simplified illustration and does not show the above detailed structure.

[0022] In one embodiment, the above pressure sensor is resistive, capacitive or piezoelectric.

[0023] In one embodiment, the size of the one pressure sensing pad may be changed and adjusted according to the use.

[0024] Figure 1B shows a circuit block diagram of one pressure sensing pad 101a. One pressure sensing pad 101a is a wireless pressure detector and includes a pressure sensing module 103 having a plurality of pressure sensors (103a, 103b, 103c, 103d), a processing unit 105 which is electrically connected by wires to a sensing circuit 104 and receives the detected pressure signal, and a wireless transmission module 107 which receives the pressure signal processed by the processing unit 105 and transmits it to the outside. The pressure sensing module 103 and the sensing circuit 104 (including the processing unit 105 and the wireless transmission module 107) are configured to be powered by an external power supply 109. According to an embodiment of the present invention, one pressure sensing pad 101a is a wireless pressure detector that can be set to master mode or slave mode.

[0025] In one embodiment, the wireless transmission module 107 is a Bluetooth® communication module.

[0026] In one embodiment, the processing unit includes an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a microcontroller, and the like.

[0027] In one embodiment, the sensing circuit 104 and the wireless transmission module may be integrated into a single IC chip.

[0028] Figure 2 shows a monitoring system 20 for a combination smart sensing pad, which includes a planar sensing pad array 100 made up of multiple pressure sensing pads (101a, 101b, 101c, ...), a router 115, the internet 117, and a portable device 119. When one of the multiple pressure sensing pads (101a, 101b, 101c, ...) (for example, pressure sensing pad 101d) is set to master mode, the rest are set to slave mode. The master unit (pressure sensing pad 101d) is connected to communicate with the multiple slave units (the remaining pressure sensing pads 101a, 101b, 101c, 101e, 101f, 101g, 101h). The master unit (pressure sensing pad 101d) uses a wireless transmission method to collect pressure data detected by the other slave units (pressure sensing pads 101a, 101b, 101c, 101e, 101f, 101g, 101h), and transmits it to the mobile device 119 via the Internet 117 after passing through the router 115.

[0029] In one embodiment, each pressure sensing pad can be considered as a pressure point Pi (i=1,2,3,...) in a planar sensing pad array, and the average of the pressure values ​​detected by multiple pressure sensors installed inside it becomes that pressure value.

[0030] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned portable device 119 can be one of the external computers such as a smartphone, tablet PC, or laptop computer.

[0031] Figure 3A shows a schematic diagram of the power connection method for the planar sensing pad array 100. The diagram shows the wiring configuration of the power line 123 and power ground line 125 located at the bottom of the smart sensing pad. The power line 123 is shown as a thick line, and the power ground line 125 is shown as a composite line.

[0032] Figure 3B shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of the power line connection points and power ground line connection points of the smart sensing pads. Each smart sensing pad (101a, 101b) has up to four sets of power connection points, including power line connection points (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) and power ground line connection points (133a, 133b, 133c, 133d) provided on smart sensing pad 101a, and power line connection points (131e, 131f, 131g, 131h) and power ground line connection points (133e, 133f, 133g, 133h) provided on smart sensing pad 101b. Power connection between smart sensing pads (for example, between smart sensing pads (101a, 101b)) is achieved by connecting the connection points (131b, 131e) with a connecting wire, as shown in Figure 3B.

[0033] Figure 4A shows a schematic diagram of mapping the position information of a combined planar sensing pad array 100, provided according to an embodiment of the present invention, to the display device of a portable device. After combination is complete, the planar sensing pad array 100 has all smart sensing pads 101a to 101h connected to each other, and a connection with the portable device 119 is established. The portable device 119 (or server 121) performs a setting operation to map the position marks (coordinates) of the smart sensing pads 101a to 101h to the corresponding positions on the graphical user interface GUI of the display device of the portable device 119, thereby enabling monitoring of the response distribution of the planar sensing pad array 100 to pressure. The above response distribution of the planar sensing pad array 100 to pressure is abbreviated as the pressure distribution. The pressure distribution is a combination of pressure data information and position information (coordinates of the sensing pads), and can be monitored by an external computer as the basis for deciding whether or not to issue an alarm externally.

[0034] Figure 4B shows a functional block diagram of the portable device 119. The portable device 119 may include a controller 151, an input / output (I / O) device 153, a memory 155, and an interface 157. These components are connectable to each other via a bus 159.

[0035] The controller 151 may include a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, and some similar processing unit. The I / O device 153 may include at least one of a keypad and a display. Memory 155 is available for storing instructions executed by the controller. In some embodiments, interface 157 can be configured to connect to a wireless transmission module 107 (see Figure 2) of the pressure sensing pad 101a via a wireless network.

[0036] When the portable device 119 receives a signal (or data) via a wireless network interface, it can process the signal to generate a pressure response map associated with a specific location and output it via a display device (screen).

[0037] Figure 5 shows a flowchart illustrating the monitoring process of a combination smart sensing pad monitoring system. First, in step S501, the sensing pads are initialized. That is, the planar sensing pad array 100 is configured so that all smart sensing pads 101a to 101h are connected to each other and a connection is established with the portable device 119. Next, in step S503, the sensing pads collect pressure point location information. Since one pressure point corresponds to one activated pressure sensing pad, a larger number of pressure points means that more pressure sensing pads have been activated. Then, in step S505, it is determined whether the number of pressure points is greater than a threshold. If it is, it means that the contact area (or the number of activated pressure sensing pads) is larger than the area when standing normally, and there is a risk that the user has fallen. In this case, in step S507, it should be determined whether the situation has continued for a predetermined time (e.g., several minutes). If it has, an alarm needs to be issued externally via wireless communication (step S509). The receiving device that receives the alarm can be, for example, a smartphone, laptop computer, tablet PC, or other device having Bluetooth® functionality and wireless communication capabilities.

[0038] Although the above only describes the fall prevention function, the monitoring system of the combination pressure sensing pad provided by the present invention can be applied to other cases as well. For example, (1) as a smart mattress, it can be used for monitoring to prevent pressure ulcers, etc. (2) by laying it on balconies as an intrusion prevention measure, it can reduce the number of lattice windows and improve the appearance of the city. (3) by designating each space in a room as a fall detection area, it can prevent situations where problems occur in the lives of people living alone and go unnoticed.

[0039] Furthermore, from another perspective of the present invention, each smart sensing pad may be equipped with a light sensor and transmitted externally via a Bluetooth® wireless module. For example, the smart sensing pad could light up when someone is in the bathroom, and a large area of ​​the smart sensing pad could be shielded if the person falls.

[0040] In one embodiment, when an optical sensor is provided on each smart sensing pad (pressure sensing pad) (similar to Figure 1B), referring to Figure 6, one pressure sensing pad 101a includes not only the original pressure sensing module 103 but also at least one optical sensing module 103f electrically connected to the processing unit 105 of the sensing circuit 104. That is, in this embodiment, each of the multiple pressure sensing pads (101a, 101b, 101c...) is capable of detecting not only pressure but also light rays. The master-slave mode configuration is the same as in Figure 2. Therefore, the planar sensing pad array formed by combining each pressure sensing pad can also be applied to the detection of light rays. Similar to the monitoring flow in Figure 5, if it is detected that the area of ​​the region where light is blocked in the planar sensing pad array exceeds a predetermined threshold, there is a risk that the user has fallen. In this case, it is further determined whether it has continued for a predetermined time (e.g., several minutes), and if it has, an alarm is sent externally via wireless communication.

[0041] The above description represents preferred embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the scope of the rights claimed herein. The scope of protection shall be determined based on the claims and equivalent field described below. Any modifications or supplements implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the present patent shall be equivalent variations or designs completed in the spirit disclosed herein and shall be included in the claims described below. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 100 Planar Sensing Pad Array 103a, 103b, 103c, 103d Multiple pressure sensors 103 Pressure Sensing Module 103f Optical Sensing Module 104 Sensing Circuit 105 Processing Units 107 Wireless transmission module 109 External power supply 20 Smart Sensing Pad Monitoring System 101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e, 101f, 101g, 101h Pressure Sensing Pads 115 Router 117 Internet 119 Mobile devices 123 Power line 125 Power ground wire 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d, 131e, 131f, 131g, 131h Power line connection points 133a, 133b, 133c, 133d, 133e, 133f, 133g, 133h Power supply ground wire connection point 151 Controller 153 Input / Output Devices 155 memory 157 Interfaces 159 Bus S501, S503, S505, S507, S509 Step

Claims

1. A combination smart sensing pad including a planar sensing pad array formed by combining multiple pressure sensing pads, Each of the aforementioned plurality of pressure sensing pads is A wireless pressure sensing device configured to detect pressure data in different regions of the aforementioned planar sensing pad array, It can be set to master mode or slave mode. Multiple adjacent pressure sensing pads are joined together along the X and Y directions by structural engagements / interlocks provided on their edges, forming a combined smart sensing pad. The aforementioned engagement / connection method involves mutual engagement using a fastener structure or an engagement-type structure. The aforementioned combination smart sensing pad is If at least one of the aforementioned multiple pressure sensing pads is set to Master mode, the remaining ones are set to Slave mode wireless pressure sensing devices. The wireless pressure sensing device in master mode is connected to communicate with the remaining wireless pressure sensing devices to collect pressure data and transmit it to an external computer to determine whether a state in which the user may have fallen has persisted for longer than a predetermined time, and if so, to issue an alarm to the external computer via wireless communication, thus forming a combined smart sensing pad.

2. The combination smart sensing pad according to claim 1, wherein the external computer is connected to the planar sensing pad array to receive the pressure data and position information and form a pressure distribution.

3. The wireless pressure sensing device comprises at least, Pressure sensing unit and A processing unit electrically connected to the pressure sensing unit for processing pressure data input from the pressure sensing unit, The combination smart sensing pad according to claim 1, comprising a wireless transmission module electrically connected to the processing unit and receiving pressure data processed by the processing unit.

4. Furthermore, the combination smart sensing pad according to claim 3 includes an optical sensor electrically connected to the processing unit.

5. The combination smart sensing pad according to claim 1, wherein the external computer determines whether the number of pressure points is greater than a threshold, and if it is greater, an alarm is issued to the outside.

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