Smart lighting system with fall detection and care functions and method thereof

Abstract

A smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions and a method thereof are provided. A smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a lighting unit provided inside a housing and emitting light; a plurality of illuminance sensors provided at a plurality of positions on the lower surface of the housing and detecting reflected light that returns from a floor surface or an object after the light emitted from the lighting unit is reflected; a speaker that outputs sound; and a communication unit that communicates with the outside. The control unit includes: calculating feature quantities including average illuminance, illuminance change rate, spatial imbalance, and duration of inactivity from the detected reflected light; and determining the user's state by analyzing the temporal change pattern of the calculated feature quantities, distinguishing between a fall while standing, a fall while lying in bed, a fall while waking up, and normal sleeping or waking movements; controlling the lighting, extinguishing, color adjustment, and brightness adjustment of the lighting unit and the lighting unit linked thereto according to the state in the case of a non-fall, and generating an alarm by flashing or modulating the color of the lighting unit or outputting a warning sound through the speaker in the case of a fall, and controlling to alarm at least one of an administrator server, a guardian terminal, a police station server, and a fire station server.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions, and more specifically, to a smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions capable of improving reliability and safety by pattern analyzing reflected light emitted based on lighting and illuminance sensors. Background Technology

[0002] With the entry into an aging society and the rapid increase in the elderly population living alone or those with limited mobility, falls within the home are recognized as a major safety hazard. In particular, falls frequently occur at night when moving to the bathroom or getting out of bed in dark or unlit environments, as poor visibility hinders reaction times.

[0003] Conventional fall prevention technology generally relies on wearable sensors (such as accelerometers and gyroscopes) to detect the user's posture or impact. However, this method causes significant discomfort as users must wear the device at all times, and proper detection is difficult if the device is not charged or is not worn. Additionally, there are blind spots for detecting falls in specific locations, such as beds or bathrooms, which are not covered by wearable sensors.

[0004] While some systems have been proposed to detect falls using cameras or infrared sensors, camera-based image processing methods have disadvantages, such as privacy infringement issues and unstable recognition rates depending on lighting conditions, shooting angles, and external light interference. Infrared sensors also have limitations in detecting falls across an entire space due to their narrow detection range and unidirectional detection limitations.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for more reliable and safer measures to detect fall accidents. Prior art literature

[0006] (Patent Document 0001) KR 10-1655969 B1 The problem to be solved

[0007] To solve the problems of the conventional technology described above, one embodiment of the present invention aims to provide a smart lighting system and a method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions that can improve reliability and safety by analyzing the pattern of reflected light emitted based on lighting and illuminance sensors. means of solving the problem

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems, the invention comprises: a lighting unit provided inside a housing and emitting light; a plurality of illuminance sensors provided at a plurality of positions on the lower surface of the housing and detecting reflected light that is reflected back from a floor surface or an object after the light emitted from the lighting unit is reflected; a speaker that outputs sound; and a communication unit that communicates with the outside. A smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions is provided, comprising: a control unit that calculates feature quantities including average illuminance, illuminance change rate, spatial imbalance, and duration of inactivity from the detected reflected light, and determines the user's state by analyzing the temporal change pattern of the calculated feature quantities, distinguishing between a fall while standing, a fall while lying in bed, a fall while waking up, and normal sleeping or waking movements to determine the state; if it is not a fall, controls the lighting unit and the lighting unit linked thereto to turn on, turn off, adjust color, and adjust brightness according to the state; and if it is a fall, controls the lighting unit to flash or modulate color, or output a warning sound through the speaker to generate an alarm and to set an alarm to at least one of an administrator server, a guardian terminal, a police station server, and a fire station server.

[0009] In one embodiment, the control unit controls the lighting unit to modulate the emitted light to a predetermined frequency, filters only the frequency component of the signal from the illuminance sensor to exclude the influence of external diffused light or scattered light, adjusts the sensitivity or amplification of the illuminance sensor when the intensity of the reflected light detected by the floor surface is below a reference value, and can correct the fall judgment by comparing the illuminance change rate for each of the plurality of illuminance sensors.

[0010] In one embodiment, the system further includes an infrared sensor equipped with the illuminance sensor to transmit and receive light in the infrared band and a camera for capturing images, and the control unit determines the user's state by reflecting the detection result of the infrared sensor and can switch the standby camera to a normal recording state when a fall is detected.

[0011] In one embodiment, the device further includes a microphone for inputting voice and a fire detection sensor for detecting smoke or temperature, and the control unit recognizes the voice input into the microphone and controls the lighting unit or the linked lighting unit to turn on, turn off, adjust color, and adjust brightness according to the recognized command, and when a fire is detected by the fire detection sensor, it can control the lighting unit to output a fire alarm by flashing or color modulation and to output a warning sound through the speaker.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method for a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions is provided, comprising: a step of emitting light from a lighting unit; a step of detecting reflected light that is reflected back from a floor surface or an object by a plurality of illuminance sensors; a step of calculating a characteristic quantity including an average illuminance, an illuminance change rate, a spatial imbalance, and a duration of inactivity from the detected reflected light; a step of determining a user's state by analyzing the temporal change pattern of the calculated characteristic quantity, wherein the state is determined by distinguishing between a fall while standing, a fall while lying in bed, a fall while waking up, and normal sleeping or waking movements; a step of generating an alarm by modulating the light emission color of the lighting unit or outputting a warning sound through the speaker and alarming at least one of an administrator server, a guardian terminal, a police station server, and a fire station server if the determination result indicates a fall; and a step of controlling the lighting, extinguishing, color adjustment, and brightness adjustment of the lighting unit and the lighting unit linked thereto according to the corresponding state if the determination result indicates no fall. Effects of the invention

[0013] A smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to one embodiment of the present invention can improve user convenience by improving the reliability and safety of fall monitoring through pattern analysis of reflected light emitted based on lighting and illuminance sensors to determine the user's condition.

[0014] In addition, a smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can improve the accuracy of state judgment by using multiple illuminance sensors to simultaneously calculate the degree of imbalance of reflected light within a space and the rate of change in illuminance, thereby distinguishing between standing, sleeping, moving, and falling states, and simultaneously estimating the direction or approximate location of the fall occurrence.

[0015] In addition, the smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can automatically eliminate the influence of ambient light, such as external light or reflections from windows and walls, by frequency modulating emitted light and filtering reflected light, thereby improving reliability even in actual residential spaces with diverse lighting environments.

[0016] In addition, a smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can ensure consistent monitoring performance under various conditions by adding an infrared (IR) sensor to analyze the characteristics of reflected light, thereby enabling stable detection of reflected light even in low-reflection environments such as carpets.

[0017] In addition, a smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can distinguish various types of falls, such as falls while standing, falls from bed, and falls while waking up, by learning and analyzing time-series changes in illuminance patterns, thereby enabling situation-aware intelligent fall response.

[0018] In addition, a smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can prevent secondary damage caused by falls by automatically changing the brightness or color of the lighting unit or generating a voice alarm and sending an alarm to a guardian terminal or care center when a fall is detected, thereby enabling real-time response when a fall occurs.

[0019] In addition, the smart lighting system and method equipped with fall detection and caregiving functions can improve structural efficiency and reduce costs by allowing the entire room to be monitored without a separate rotating camera, as the lighting unit and illuminance sensor are located in the center of the ceiling.

[0020] In addition, a smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can contribute to the establishment of care infrastructure by improving safety and convenience in care environments or residential facilities for the elderly through integration with fire detection sensors and response to voice commands. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0021] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the principle of a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a control method for a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted to clearly explain the present invention, and the same reference numerals have been used for identical or similar components throughout the specification.

[0023] Hereinafter, a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the principle of a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to one embodiment of the present invention can communicate with an administrator server (10), a guardian terminal (20), and a government office server (30) to share the detected status of the user.

[0025] A smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions is a system for detecting whether a fall has occurred and changes in the user's posture to provide warnings and alarms while resolving personal privacy infringement and instability in status recognition, and can determine in detail whether a fall has occurred and changes in the user's posture by utilizing changes in the distribution of reflected light that is reflected back from the light emitted from the lighting unit.

[0026] At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions may be provided within a housing (102) attached to the ceiling, as shown in FIG. 2. That is, the housing (102) may contain the main components of the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions as shown in FIG. 3, which will be described later.

[0027] The housing (102) is installed in the center of the ceiling and may be equipped with a plurality of sensors (S1 to S4) on its lower surface. For example, the plurality of sensors (S1 to S4) may be radially symmetrically arranged from the center of the housing (102). At this time, each reflected light detected by the plurality of sensors (S1 to S4) can be used to determine the user's state.

[0028] That is, a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions emits light (T1, T2, T3) and can receive each reflected light (R1, R2, R3). For example, a first reflected light (R1) for a first radiant light (T1) emitted toward a person (P1) lying in bed can be detected. A second reflected light (R2) for a second radiant light (T2) emitted toward a floor surface (O1) can be detected. A third reflected light (R3) for a third radiant light (T3) emitted toward a person (P2) standing can be received. At this time, the illuminance of the reflected light received by a plurality of sensors (S1~S4) varies depending on the object being reflected and the distance, and this can be used to determine the user's condition.

[0029] In this way, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can monitor the entire room without a separate rotating camera by having the lighting unit and illuminance sensor located in the center of the ceiling, thereby improving structural efficiency and reducing costs.

[0030] Here, the administrator server (10) may be a server of an institution that manages subjects, such as a care center or a nursing hospital. The administrator server (10) can store and manage information received from a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions. That is, the administrator server (10) can manage the status of each user, fall occurrence records, and response logs.

[0031] The guardian terminal (20) may be a terminal of the guardian for the user. That is, the guardian terminal (20) may be a terminal owned by the guardian registered by the user. For example, the guardian terminal (20) may be a wireless portable electronic device such as a smartphone, smartpad, and laptop.

[0032] The government office server (30) may be a server of a government office such as a police station or a fire station. When the government office server (30) receives an emergency alarm, such as a fall or fire, from a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions, it may automatically generate a dispatch order according to a registered protocol or notify nearby rescue personnel within its jurisdiction to dispatch.

[0033] In this way, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to one embodiment of the present invention can improve the reliability and safety of fall monitoring by determining the user's condition through pattern analysis of reflected light emitted based on lighting and illuminance sensors, thereby improving user convenience.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 3, a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions may include a sensor unit (110), a camera (120), a microphone (130), a lighting unit (140), a speaker (150), a communication unit (160), a storage unit (170), and a control unit (180). Here, the sensor unit (110), camera (120), microphone (130), lighting unit (140), speaker (150), communication unit (160), storage unit (170), and control unit (180) may be integrally provided within a housing (102).

[0036] The sensor unit (110) can detect reflected light that is reflected back from surrounding structures such as a floor surface (O1) and a bed (O2) after light emitted from the lighting unit (140) is reflected. The sensor unit (110) may include an illuminance sensor (112), an infrared sensor (114), and a fire detection sensor (116).

[0037] The light sensor (112) may be provided at multiple locations on the lower surface of the housing (102). That is, the light sensor (112) may be the same as the multiple sensors (S1 to S4) of FIG. 2. In this case, the light sensor (112) can detect reflected light that is reflected back from the floor surface (O1) or object (O2) after light emitted from the lighting unit (140) is reflected. The multiple light sensors (112) can individually detect the intensity of light reflected from multiple directions within the space.

[0038] The infrared sensor (114) is equipped with an illuminance sensor (112) and can transmit and receive light in the infrared band. Here, the infrared sensor (114) is a sensor for compensating for cases where the floor surface (O1) has weak light reflection, such as a carpet or rug, and can complement the illuminance sensor (112) by using a signal in the infrared band, which has a higher reflectivity than visible light.

[0039] A fire detection sensor (116) can detect whether a fire has occurred by detecting smoke or temperature. For example, the fire detection sensor (116) may include one or more of an optical, ionization, or thermal detection sensor. Here, in the case of an optical sensor, the presence of a fire can be detected by detecting the degree to which light emitted from the lighting unit (140) is scattered by smoke particles. A thermal detection sensor can detect whether a fire has occurred by analyzing the rapid rate of increase in indoor temperature.

[0040] The camera (120) can capture images. At this time, the camera (120) operates mainly in a standby state, but when a fall is detected, it turns on according to the control of the control unit (180) to capture the fall state. For example, when the camera (120) is in a standby state, it can disable the shooting function and operate at minimum power. As another example, the camera (120) can capture images at a low resolution, low light, or low contrast level, such as when only the approximate outline is recognizable. That is, the camera (120) can protect the individual's privacy by selectively capturing images only when a fall occurs.

[0041] The microphone (130) can receive voice input from a user, etc. The microphone (130) may include an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) function to compensate for reverberation or reflected sound in an indoor environment. At this time, the microphone (130) may be set to automatically change its sensitivity profile according to the difference in noise levels between day and night. For example, the microphone (130) may increase its sensitivity at night to respond to even small voice commands, and lower its sensitivity during the day to prevent misrecognition of surrounding living noise.

[0042] The lighting unit (140) is provided inside the housing (102) and can emit light. For example, the lighting unit (140) may be made of LED lighting. The lighting unit (140) can be linked with neighboring lighting units under the control of the control unit (180). In addition, the brightness, color, and light emission pattern of the lighting unit (140) can be adjusted under the control of the control unit (180). Furthermore, the lighting unit (140) can emit light modulated at a preset frequency.

[0043] The speaker (150) can output voice such as warning guidance. That is, the speaker (150) can output voice guidance or a siren as a warning corresponding to the detection of a fall or fire. In addition, the speaker (150) can output a response to the user's voice through the microphone (130) under the control of the control unit (180).

[0044] The communication unit (160) can communicate with an external administrator server (10), a guardian terminal (20), and a government office server (30). For example, the communication unit (160) can communicate via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, 5G, or an IoT dedicated network (NB-IoT, LoRa, etc.).

[0045] The storage unit (170) may store information necessary for the operation of the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions. That is, the storage unit (170) may store information associated with the control of the control unit (180). For example, the storage unit (170) may store extracted feature quantities, analysis results regarding the feature quantities, history of user status and falls, and guardian and administrator information.

[0046] The control unit (180) is communicationally connected to the sensor unit (110), camera (120), microphone (130), lighting unit (140), speaker (150), communication unit (160), and storage unit (170) to control the overall operation of the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions. Here, the control unit (180) may include a preprocessing unit (181), an illuminance analysis unit (182), a status determination unit (183), an alarm unit (184), a diffused light correction unit (185), and a voice processing unit (186).

[0047] The preprocessing unit (181) can preprocess the signal detected by the sensor unit (110). That is, the preprocessing unit (181) can convert the detected signal of the sensor unit (110) from analog to digital and perform noise removal and normalization processing. At this time, the preprocessing unit (181) can remove noise that occurs due to differences in the detection environment, such as sensor location, reflectance, and response speed, for each of the multiple illuminance sensors (112). In addition, the preprocessing unit (181) can time synchronize the signals detected from the multiple sensors along the time axis.

[0048] The illuminance analysis unit (182) can calculate the average illuminance from the reflected light detected by the sensor unit (110). At this time, the illuminance analysis unit (182) can calculate characteristic quantities including the illuminance change rate of the detected reflected light, spatial imbalance, and duration of inactivity. Here, the average illuminance is a value obtained by averaging the illuminance values ​​measured by a plurality of illuminance sensors (112) at time t, and is a physical quantity representing the overall light quantity distribution within the space.

[0049] The illuminance change rate is a value representing the temporal rate of change in illuminance within a specific time interval, serving as an indicator to quantify changes in illuminance caused by user movements (standing, sitting, falling, etc.). In other words, a rapid increase in the absolute value of the illuminance change rate signifies sudden movements such as rapid changes in posture or falls, while a gradual or constant rate indicates normal movement or a stationary state.

[0050] Spatial imbalance is a value representing the deviation in the distribution of illuminance values ​​among multiple illuminance sensors (112), and is an indicator for quantifying the illuminance asymmetry phenomenon that occurs when a user or object is located in a specific area within the space or falls over.

[0051] That is, the spatial imbalance is calculated in the form of the standard deviation between the light sensors (112), and the larger the value, the more unbalanced the light distribution within the space. For example, if a user falls in a specific direction, the value of the light sensor (112) in that direction drops sharply, and the spatial imbalance value increases.

[0052] The inactivity duration refers to the time during which the output change of the illuminance sensor (112) remains below a reference threshold within a certain time interval. This is a temporal characteristic quantity for determining the interval during which there is almost no movement of the user or a period of continuous stationary state.

[0053] The state determination unit (183) can determine the user's state by analyzing the temporal change pattern of the feature quantity calculated by the illuminance analysis unit (182). At this time, the state determination unit (183) can determine various types of falls (falling while standing, falling from bed, falling while waking up) using a rule-based algorithm or a learning-based model. That is, the state determination unit (183) can determine the state by distinguishing between a fall while standing, a fall while lying in bed, a fall while waking up, and normal sleeping or waking movements.

[0054] In this way, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can simultaneously calculate the degree of imbalance of reflected light and the rate of change in illumination within the space using a plurality of illuminance sensors (112), thereby distinguishing between a standing state, a sleeping state, a moving state, and a falling state, and simultaneously estimating the direction or approximate location of the fall occurrence, thus improving the accuracy of the state determination.

[0055] For example, the state determination unit (183) can determine that the average illuminance vibrates slightly within a certain range according to the user's movement or fine movements, and that the spatial imbalance also maintains a low value. Here, in the case of normal activities such as standing, walking, or light hand movements, the reflected light changes slightly according to the user's movement, so the average illuminance exhibits a periodic vibration pattern with a small amplitude within a certain range. At this time, the illuminance change rate fluctuates repeatedly within a certain range, and the spatial imbalance maintains a low value close to zero due to the small deviation between sensors. Therefore, the state determination unit (183) can determine that the user is in a normal operation state if the fine vibration of the average illuminance + low spatial deviation persists for a certain period of time or longer.

[0056] For example, when a user moves slowly around a room, the illuminance values ​​of the illuminance sensors (112) intersect each other and show a waveform of weak amplitude, but the overall average illuminance remains stable without significant change. Therefore, the state determination unit (183) can determine that the state is in a normal activity state when this time pattern persists.

[0057] The state determination unit (183) can determine that the user is in a sleeping state if the average illuminance is generally low and maintained at a constant level, there is little change over a long period of time, and the spatial imbalance is also maintained at a very stable level. Here, in the sleeping state, since the user is lying in a stable position in a certain location (e.g., a bed), the amount of light reflected from the lighting unit (140) is maintained at a constant level, so the average illuminance converges to a low value, and the range of change over time appears very small. At this time, the range of fluctuation in the average illuminance is maintained at a level of ±1% or less of the total measured value, showing a much more stable illuminance pattern compared to the activity state or the fall state.

[0058] The illuminance change rate is close to zero and is maintained at a constant value continuously. This is because there are only minute changes in illuminance that respond only to the absence of user movement or very slow breathing or changes in body position. Therefore, if the state judgment unit (183) detects this minute change rate pattern for a certain period of time (e.g., tens of seconds to several minutes or more), it can classify it as a static stable state.

[0059] The spatial imbalance indicates a uniform state with almost no deviation between multiple illuminance sensors (112). This is because the light distribution within the space is maintained constant as the user lies in a fixed position. For example, when sleeping, the difference in illuminance between the left and right sensors is maintained at ±0.5 lux or less, so the entire space exhibits a homogeneous illuminance distribution. Therefore, the state determination unit (183) can determine that the state is spatially stable if this state persists for a certain period of time.

[0060] The state judgment unit (183) can determine that a fall has occurred if the average illuminance drops rapidly within a short period of time and the spatial imbalance increases rapidly. At this time, the state judgment unit (183) can make a final determination of a fall if the illuminance change rate is below a certain value for a certain period of time and the non-operation duration continues for a certain period of time.

[0061] Here, at the moment a fall occurs, the user's body rapidly changes posture and approaches the floor surface, causing a rapid decrease in the amount of light reflected from the lighting unit (140). Accordingly, the illuminance values ​​measured by the multiple illuminance sensors (112) decrease rapidly within a short period of time, and the overall average illuminance drops sharply instantaneously. At the same time, because only the sensor values ​​in a specific area (the direction of the fall) become significantly lower, the spatial imbalance exhibits a characteristic of rapidly increasing. Therefore, the state judgment unit (183) can temporarily determine the point in time when the rapid decrease in average illuminance + the rapid increase in spatial imbalance are simultaneously detected as a candidate time for the occurrence of a fall.

[0062] After the point of potential fall, the user's movement is almost stopped or only slight shaking occurs, so the rate of change in illuminance is lowered below a certain threshold value, and the average illuminance is maintained at a low level for a long time. At this time, the state judgment unit (183) detects a section in which the rate of change in illuminance is maintained at a certain value (e.g., 0.5% / s or less), and at the same time, if the duration of inactivity exceeds a set threshold time (e.g., 10 seconds or more), it can determine this as a fall maintenance section.

[0063] In this way, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can distinguish various types of falls, such as falling while standing, falling from a bed, and falling while waking up, by learning and analyzing time-series changes in the illuminance pattern, thereby enabling situation-aware intelligent fall response.

[0064] The state determination unit (183) can determine the user's state by reflecting the detection result of the infrared sensor (114). That is, the state determination unit (183) can determine the user's state based on the detection result of the infrared sensor (114) when the reflected light received from the illuminance sensor (112) is below a certain level or when it is difficult to detect the rate of change. At this time, the state determination unit (183) can determine the user's state based on the average illuminance, the rate of change in illuminance, the degree of spatial imbalance, and the duration of inactivity from the reflected light of the infrared light, similar to the illuminance sensor (112).

[0065] As such, a smart lighting system and method equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can ensure consistent monitoring performance under various conditions by adding an infrared (IR) sensor to analyze the characteristics of reflected light, thereby enabling stable detection of reflected light even in low-reflection environments such as carpets.

[0066] The state determination unit (183) can control the camera (120) in standby mode to switch to a normal recording state to monitor the fall when a fall is detected. At this time, the state determination unit (183) can control the camera (120) to adjust its shooting angle to the expected fall location. Additionally, the state determination unit (183) can control the camera (120) to switch back to standby mode when a certain amount of time has elapsed after the fall, or when the illuminance change rate and the duration of inactivity return to a normal range.

[0067] The state determination unit (183) can control the lighting unit (140) and the linked lighting unit to turn on, turn off, adjust the color, and adjust the brightness according to the state when there is no fall. For example, if the state determination unit (183) determines that there is a wake-up state, it can control the lighting unit (140) to switch its color to daylight (white, 5000K or higher) and gradually increase the brightness to 80-100% to create a natural wake-up lighting environment. Optionally, the state determination unit (183) can also perform window opening and closing by linking with a curtain linkage module or an external IoT system.

[0068] As another example, when the state judgment unit (183) determines that the user is transitioning to a sleep preparation state or sleep mode, it can control the lighting unit (140) to switch its color to a warm color temperature of 2700 to 3000K and gradually reduce its brightness to 10 to 20% to minimize glare. At this time, when the state judgment unit (183) detects that the user is lying down completely, it can control the lighting unit (140) to automatically turn off completely after a certain period of time.

[0069] As another example, when the state determination unit (183) determines that the user is moving (e.g., moving to the restroom, moving between rooms), it can track the user's movement path and control the lighting unit (140) along the path to turn on sequentially. At this time, when the user finishes moving, the state determination unit (183) can control the lighting located at the rear to automatically turn off.

[0070] The state determination unit (183) can control the camera (120) in standby to switch to a normal recording state to monitor the fire when a fire is detected by the fire detection sensor (116). At this time, the state determination unit (183) can control the camera (120) to adjust its shooting angle to the expected location of the fire. Here, the state determination unit (183) can determine the expected location of the fire based on the change in illumination caused by the flames of the fire.

[0071] When the state judgment unit (183) determines that there is a fall, the alarm unit (184) may generate an alarm by flashing or changing the color of the lighting unit (140) or by outputting a warning sound through the speaker (150). At this time, the alarm unit (184) may send an alarm to at least one of the administrator server (10), the guardian terminal (20), and the government office server (30) via a communication network.

[0072] Here, the alarm unit (184) can sequentially send alarms to the administrator server (10), the guardian terminal (20), and the government office server (30) according to the fall detection result. For example, the alarm unit (184) can send a first alarm to the administrator server (10) or the guardian terminal (20) when a fall is anticipated. Additionally, the alarm unit (184) can send a second alarm to the government office server (30) when a fall is confirmed.

[0073] In this way, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can automatically change the brightness or color of the lighting unit when a fall is detected, generate a voice alarm, and send an alarm to a guardian terminal or care center, thereby enabling real-time response when a fall occurs and preventing secondary damage caused by the fall.

[0074] The alarm unit (184) can output a fire alarm by flashing or color modulating the lighting unit (140) when a fire is detected by the fire detection sensor (116). At this time, the alarm unit (184) can be controlled to output a warning sound through the speaker (150). Optionally, the alarm unit (184) can sequentially alarm the administrator server (10), the guardian terminal (20), and the government office server (30).

[0075] The diffuse light correction unit (185) can distinguish and remove ambient diffuse light components, such as external light or wall reflections, by using light from the lighting unit (140) as a reference signal. To this end, the diffuse light correction unit (185) can control the lighting unit (140) to modulate the emitted light to a predetermined frequency. At this time, the diffuse light correction unit (185) can exclude the influence of external diffuse light or scattered light by filtering only the modulated frequency component of the signal from the illuminance sensor (112).

[0076] In this way, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can automatically eliminate the influence of ambient light, such as external light or reflections from windows and walls, by frequency modulating the emitted light and filtering the reflected light, thereby improving reliability even in actual residential spaces with various lighting environments.

[0077] The diffuse light correction unit (185) can adjust the sensitivity or amplification of the illuminance sensor (112) when the intensity of the reflected light detected by the floor surface (O1) is below a reference value. For example, if the floor surface (O1) is a material with low light reflectivity such as a carpet, rug, or rubber mat, the reflected intensity of the light emitted from the lighting unit (140) is generally detected as weak. At this time, when the average reflected light intensity is detected to be below a reference value, the diffuse light correction unit (185) can increase the sensitivity of the illuminance sensor (112) or increase the amplification gain of the illuminance sensor (112) to improve the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR).

[0078] At this time, the diffuse light correction unit (185) can correct the fall judgment by comparing the illuminance change rate for each of the multiple illuminance sensors (112). That is, the diffuse light correction unit (185) can calculate the relative difference in the illuminance change rate between sensors by comparing and analyzing signals collected from the multiple illuminance sensors (112). Through this, the diffuse light correction unit (185) can distinguish between an overall decrease in environmental illuminance (e.g., clouds or blockage of external light) and a local change in reflected light caused by user action (e.g., fall, movement).

[0079] The voice processing unit (186) can recognize voice input through the microphone (130). At this time, the voice processing unit (186) can control the lighting unit (140) or the lighting unit linked thereto to turn on, turn off, adjust color, and adjust brightness according to the recognized command.

[0080] In addition, the voice processing unit (186) is linked with the illuminance sensor (112) and the state determination unit (183) to automatically adjust the voice response sensitivity according to the user's state. For example, the voice processing unit (186) can increase the sensitivity to respond to even quiet voices when it is determined to be in a sleeping state, and lower the sensitivity to prevent misrecognition caused by surrounding noise when it is in an active state.

[0081] In this way, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can contribute to the establishment of care infrastructure by linking with a fire detection sensor and responding according to voice, thereby improving safety and convenience in care environments or elderly residential facilities.

[0082] Hereinafter, a control method for a smart light equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0083] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a control method for a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 4, a control method (200) for a smart light equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions includes the steps of emitting light (S210), detecting reflected light (220), calculating a feature quantity from the detected reflected light (S230), determining the state of a user according to the calculated feature quantity (S240), and generating an alarm or controlling the light according to the result of the determination (S250 to S270).

[0085] To explain in more detail, as illustrated in FIG. 4, first, a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions emits light from a lighting unit (140) (step S210). At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can irradiate light onto the floor surface (O1) of an indoor space or surrounding objects. Optionally, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can emit light modulated at a preset frequency to exclude the influence of external diffused light or scattered light.

[0086] Next, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions detects reflected light that is reflected back from the floor surface (O1) or an object by light emitted from the lighting unit (140) through a plurality of illuminance sensors (112) (step S220). At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can individually detect the intensity of light reflected from multiple directions within the space.

[0087] Next, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions calculates feature quantities from the detected reflected light (step S230). At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can calculate average illuminance, illuminance change rate, spatial imbalance, and duration of inactivity from the reflected light.

[0088] Next, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions determines the user's condition by analyzing the temporal change pattern of the calculated feature quantity (step S240). At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can determine the user's condition by using a rule-based algorithm or a learning-based model to distinguish between various fall types (falling while standing, falling while lying in bed), falls while waking up, and normal sleeping or waking movements.

[0089] For example, a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can be determined to be in normal operation if the average illuminance vibrates slightly within a certain range according to the user's movement or minute movements, and the spatial imbalance also maintains a low value. Additionally, a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can be determined to be in a sleeping state if the average illuminance is generally low and maintained consistently, there is almost no change for a long time, and the spatial imbalance is also maintained very stably. Furthermore, a state judgment unit (183) of a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can be determined to be in a sleeping state if the average illuminance is generally low and maintained consistently, there is almost no change for a long time, and the spatial imbalance is also maintained very stably.

[0090] Next, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions determines whether the user's condition is a fall (step S250), and if it is determined to be a fall, generates an alarm and gives an alarm (step S260). At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions may generate an alarm by modulating the light emission color of the lighting unit (140) or by outputting a warning sound through the speaker (150).

[0091] At the same time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can monitor falls by switching the standby camera (120) to a normal recording state. At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can adjust the shooting angle of the camera (120) to the expected fall location.

[0092] Optionally, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can transmit an alarm signal to at least one of an administrator server (10), a guardian terminal (20), and a government office server (30). At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can send a first alarm to the administrator server (10) or the guardian terminal (20) when a fall is anticipated. Additionally, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can send a second alarm to the government office server (30) when a fall is confirmed.

[0093] If, as a result of the judgment in step S250, it is not a fall, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions performs lighting control according to the state (step S270). At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can turn on, turn off, adjust the color, and adjust the brightness of the lighting unit (140) and the lighting unit linked thereto according to the user's state, such as normal operation, movement, sleeping, waking up, etc.

[0094] For example, when a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions determines the weather condition, it can switch the color of the lighting unit (140) to daylight (white, 5000K or higher) and gradually increase the brightness to 80-100% to create a natural weather lighting environment. Optionally, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can also perform window opening and closing by linking with a curtain linkage module or an external IoT system.

[0095] As another example, a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can minimize glare by switching the color of the lighting unit (140) to a warm color temperature of 2700 to 3000K and gradually reducing the brightness by 10 to 20% when the user is transitioning to a sleep preparation state or is determined to be in sleep mode. At this time, when the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions detects that the user is lying down completely, it can control the lighting unit (140) to automatically turn off completely after a certain period of time.

[0096] As another example, a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can track the user's movement path and sequentially turn on the lighting units (140) along the path when it is determined that the user is moving (e.g., moving to the restroom, moving between rooms). At this time, the smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions can control the lights located at the rear to automatically turn off when the user finishes moving.

[0097] The above methods can be implemented by a smart lighting system (100) equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions as illustrated in FIG. 1, and in particular, can be implemented by a software program that performs these steps, in which case such programs can be stored on a computer-readable recording medium or transmitted by a computer data signal combined with a carrier wave on a transmission medium or communication network.

[0098] At this time, the computer-readable recording medium includes all types of recording devices in which data readable by a computer system is stored, and may be, for example, ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, hard disk, optical data storage device, etc.

[0099] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the concept of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented in this specification. Those skilled in the art who understand the concept of the present invention may easily propose other embodiments within the scope of the same concept by adding, changing, deleting, or adding components, and such are also to be considered to fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0100] 100: Smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions 102 : Housing 110 : Sensor part 112: Light sensor 114: Infrared sensor 116: Fire detection sensor 120: Camera 130 : Microphone 140 : Lighting unit 150 : Speaker 160 : Communication unit 170 : Storage unit 180 : Control unit 181: Preprocessing Unit 182: Irregularity Analysis Unit 183: Status determination unit 184: Alarm unit 185 : Diffuse light correction unit

Claims

Claim 1 A lighting unit provided inside a housing and emitting light; a plurality of illuminance sensors provided at a plurality of positions on the lower surface of the housing to detect reflected light that is reflected back from a floor surface or an object after being emitted from the lighting unit; a speaker that outputs sound; a communication unit that communicates with the outside; and a control unit that calculates characteristic quantities including average illuminance, illuminance change rate, spatial imbalance, and duration of inactivity from the detected reflected light, and determines the user's state by analyzing the temporal change pattern of the calculated characteristic quantities, distinguishing between a fall while standing, a fall while lying in bed, a fall while waking up, and normal sleeping or waking movements to determine the state, and if it is not a fall, controls the lighting unit and the lighting unit linked thereto to turn on, turn off, adjust color, and adjust brightness according to the state, and if it is a fall, controls the lighting unit to turn on or change color or output a warning sound through the speaker to generate an alarm and to set an alarm to at least one of an administrator server, a guardian terminal, a police station server, and a fire station server.A smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions, comprising: the average illuminance is a value obtained by averaging the illuminance values ​​measured by the plurality of illuminance sensors at time t, representing the overall light quantity distribution within the space; the illuminance change rate is a value indicating the speed of temporal change of illuminance within a certain time interval, serving as an indicator for quantifying changes in illuminance according to user movements; the spatial imbalance is a value indicating the deviation in the distribution of illuminance values ​​among the plurality of illuminance sensors, serving as an indicator for quantifying illuminance asymmetry that occurs when a user or object is located in a specific area within the space or falls; the inactivity duration refers to the time during which the output change of the plurality of illuminance sensors remains below a reference threshold within a certain time interval; the control unit classifies and determines fall types using a rule-based algorithm or a learning-based model; and the control unit adjusts the sensitivity or amplification of the illuminance sensors to improve the SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) when the intensity of the average reflected light detected by the floor surface is below a reference value. Claim 2 A smart lighting system having a fall monitoring and caregiving function, wherein the control unit controls the lighting unit to modulate the emitted light to a predetermined frequency, filters only the frequency component of the signal from the illuminance sensor to exclude the influence of external diffused light or scattered light, and compares the illuminance change rate for each of the plurality of illuminance sensors to correct the fall detection. Claim 3 A smart lighting system according to claim 1, further comprising: an infrared sensor equipped together with the illuminance sensor to transmit and receive light in the infrared band; and a camera for capturing images; wherein the control unit determines the user's condition by reflecting the detection result of the infrared sensor and switches the standby camera to a normal recording state when a fall is detected, the smart lighting system having fall monitoring and caregiving functions. Claim 4 A smart lighting system having fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to claim 1, further comprising: a microphone into which voice is input; and a fire detection sensor that detects smoke or temperature; wherein the control unit recognizes the voice input into the microphone and controls the lighting, extinguishing, color adjustment, and brightness adjustment of the lighting unit or the linked lighting unit according to the recognized command, and when a fire is detected by the fire detection sensor, controls the output of a fire alarm through the flashing or color modulation of the lighting unit and the output of a warning sound through the speaker. Claim 5 A control method for a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions according to claim 1, comprising: a step of emitting light from a lighting unit; a step of detecting reflected light that is reflected back from a floor surface or an object by a plurality of illuminance sensors; a step of calculating characteristic quantities including average illuminance, illuminance change rate, spatial imbalance, and duration of inactivity from the detected reflected light; a step of determining the state of a user by analyzing the temporal change pattern of the calculated characteristic quantities, wherein the state is determined by distinguishing from each other a fall while standing, a fall while lying in bed, a fall while waking up, and normal sleeping or waking movements; and, if the result of the determination is a fall, a step of generating an alarm by modulating the light emission color of the lighting unit or outputting a warning sound through the speaker and alarming at least one of an administrator server, a guardian terminal, a police station server, and a fire station server. A control method for a smart lighting system equipped with fall monitoring and caregiving functions, comprising the step of controlling the lighting, turning off, color adjustment, and brightness adjustment of the lighting unit and the lighting unit linked thereto according to the state when, based on the judgment result, it is not a fall.

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