Personnel condition detection system

Abstract

A personnel condition detection system comprises a tag identification device, a millimeter wave radar, a control device and a communication device. The tag identification device scans an identification tag carrying personal information held by a person to be detected to identify and output the personal information. The millimeter wave radar detects the movement speed and height of at least one person to be detected in a target area according to a detection initiation command to obtain at least one detection signal associated with the at least one person to be detected, respectively. The control device receives and stores the personal information, generates and transmits the detection initiation command to the millimeter wave radar based on the personal information, receives the at least one detection signal from the millimeter wave radar, determines whether any one of the at least one person to be detected is in a falling posture based on the at least one detection signal, and generates a warning signal when the determination result is yes. The communication device receives the warning signal and transmits it to a remote device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a detection system, and more particularly to a personnel status detection system. Prior Technology

[0002] With the global population aging rapidly, falls have become a common risk for the elderly (or patients), potentially leading to serious physical injuries such as fractures and head trauma, and even death. Therefore, early detection and reporting of falls can provide timely medical assistance. Consequently, developing accurate personnel condition detection systems is a key research area for those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide a personnel condition detection system that can accurately detect when a person falls.

[0004] Therefore, the personnel status detection system of the present invention includes: a tag identification device for scanning an identification tag carrying personal information of a person to be detected, thereby identifying and outputting the personal information; a millimeter-wave radar for receiving a detection start command and detecting the movement speed and body height of at least one person to be detected in a target area according to the detection start command, thereby obtaining at least one detection signal related to the at least one person to be detected, wherein the at least one person to be detected includes the person to be detected; and a control device electrically connected to... The millimeter-wave radar is electrically connected to the tag identification device to receive and store the personal information, and generates the detection start command based on the personal information and transmits it to the millimeter-wave radar. It also receives the at least one detection signal from the millimeter-wave radar. The control device determines whether any of the at least one person to be detected is in a falling posture based on the at least one detection signal, and generates a warning signal when the determination result is yes. A communication device is electrically connected to the control device to receive the warning signal and transmit the warning signal to a remote device.

[0005] In some embodiments, in the personnel status detection system of the present invention, the control device determines whether any of the at least one person to be detected is in the falling posture based on the at least one detection signal, a preset height, and a preset moving speed. When the body height of any of the at least one person to be detected obtained from the at least one detection signal is less than the preset height and the moving speed is greater than the preset moving speed, the determination result of the control device is yes.

[0006] In some embodiments, in the personnel status detection system of the present invention, when the body height of any of the at least one person to be detected obtained from the at least one detection signal is greater than or equal to the preset height or the moving speed is less than or equal to the preset moving speed, the judgment result of the control device is negative.

[0007] In some embodiments, the personnel status detection system of the present invention further includes: a cane body, which is rod-shaped, one end of the cane body being a grip portion for the person to be detected to hold, and the other end being a support portion having a first magnetic attraction member at the bottom, the grip portion being equipped with the tag identification device, and the millimeter-wave radar being installed on the cane body near the grip portion; and a base having a receiving groove, an opening of the receiving groove being located on a top surface of the base, the receiving groove being for the support portion of the cane body to be inserted and removed, a second magnetic attraction member being provided on a bottom surface inside the receiving groove, the second magnetic attraction member being magnetically attracted to the first magnetic attraction member, and the control device and the communication device being installed inside the base.

[0008] In some embodiments, the personnel status detection system of the present invention further includes: a cane body, which is rod-shaped, one end of the cane body being a grip portion for the person to be detected to hold, and the other end being a support portion having a first magnetic attraction member at the bottom, the grip portion being equipped with the tag identification device, and the millimeter-wave radar being installed on the cane body near the grip portion; a base having a receiving groove, an opening of the receiving groove being located on a top surface of the base, the base being equipped with the control device and the communication device; and a hollow base tube, which is installed in the receiving groove and allows the support portion of the cane body to be inserted into it in a pluggable manner, a second magnetic attraction member being provided on a bottom surface inside the hollow base tube, the second magnetic attraction member being magnetically attracted to the first magnetic attraction member.

[0009] In some embodiments, during a detection period of the millimeter-wave radar in the personnel status detection system of the present invention, the control device also generates a control signal and outputs it to a motor for controlling the extension and retraction of the hollow seat tube, so that the motor is controlled by the control signal to push the hollow seat tube upward and extend it out of the receiving groove.

[0010] In some embodiments, in the personnel status detection system of the present invention, during a period when the millimeter-wave radar stops detecting, the hollow seat tube is located in the receiving groove.

[0011] In some embodiments, in the personnel status detection system of the present invention, the first magnetic attractor is a magnet, and the second magnetic attractor is a magnetic metal, or the first magnetic attractor is a magnetic metal, and the second magnetic attractor is a magnet.

[0012] In some embodiments, in the personnel status detection system of the present invention, the identification tag is a one-dimensional barcode tag or a two-dimensional barcode tag.

[0013] In some embodiments, in the personnel status detection system of the present invention, the tag identification device is a camera or a barcode scanner.

[0014] Therefore, this invention uses millimeter-wave radar to detect the movement speed and height of at least one person to be detected in the target area. The control device then determines whether someone is in a falling posture based on the at least one detected signal, the preset height, and the preset movement speed. In this way, it can accurately detect whether someone has fallen. When the determination result is yes, an alarm signal is generated and transmitted to the remote device by the communication device. This allows for early detection and notification when someone falls, so that appropriate medical assistance can be provided in a timely manner. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0015] Figure 1 is a circuit block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the personnel status detection system of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the embodiment of the cane body and a base; Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating a hollow base tube extending upwards beyond the top surface of the base in this embodiment; and Figure 4 is a waveform diagram illustrating the use of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to analyze the detection signal in this embodiment to perform speed FFT to distinguish the movement speed of people. Implementation

[0016] This invention will be described in detail through the following embodiments and accompanying drawings, to help those skilled in the art understand the purpose, features, and effects of this invention. It should be noted that in the following description and claims, the terms "comprising" and "including" are used in an open-ended manner and should not be construed as closed terms such as "consisting of." Additionally, the term "electrical connection" is intended to indicate an indirect or direct electrical connection. Therefore, if one device is electrically connected to another device, this connection can be a direct electrical connection or an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections. Furthermore, in the following description and claims, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between elements, not to limit the elements themselves or indicate a specific order of elements.

[0017] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, an embodiment of the personnel status detection system 1 of the present invention is illustrated. The personnel status detection system 1 includes a tag identification device 11, a millimeter-wave radar 12, a control device 13, a communication device 14, a cane body 15, a base 16, and a hollow base tube 17. The cane body 15 and the base 16 can be placed in wards (rooms), corridors, or toilets in hospitals (or nursing homes).

[0018] The cane body 15 is rod-shaped, with one end being a grip portion 151 for a person to be detected to hold, and the other end being a support portion 153 with a first magnetic attraction member 152 at the bottom. The grip portion 151 is equipped with the tag identification device 11, and the millimeter-wave radar 12 is installed on the cane body 15 adjacent to the grip portion 151. The person to be detected could be, for example, a patient in a hospital or an elderly person in a nursing home.

[0019] The base 16 has a receiving groove 160, and an opening 161 of the receiving groove 160 is located on a top surface 162 of the base 16. The control device 13 and the communication device 14 are installed inside the base 16.

[0020] The hollow base tube 17 is installed in the receiving groove 160 and can be inserted into the support part 153 of the cane body 15. A second magnetic member 171 is provided on a bottom surface inside the hollow base tube 17, which can be magnetically attracted to the first magnetic member 152. In this embodiment, during a period when the millimeter-wave radar 12 stops detecting, the hollow seat tube 17 is located within the receiving groove 160 (as shown in FIG. 2). The second magnetic suction member 171 is controlled by the control device 13 to be magnetically attracted to the first magnetic suction member 152 and cannot be separated. During a period when the millimeter-wave radar 12 is detecting, the second magnetic suction member 171 is controlled by the control device 13 to be magnetically attracted to the first magnetic suction member 152 and can be separated. The hollow seat tube 17 is pushed upward and extended outside the receiving groove 160 by a motor (not shown, which is used to control the extension and retraction of the hollow seat tube 17) (as shown in FIG. 3). This allows the height of the cane body 15 to be increased when the person to be detected inserts the support part 153 of the cane body 15 (temporarily) back into the hollow seat tube 17, thereby increasing the detection range of the millimeter-wave radar 12 and improving the warning range. The first magnetic clasp 152 is a magnet, and the second magnetic clasp 171 is a magnetic metal, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first magnetic clasp 152 is a magnetic metal, and the second magnetic clasp 171 is a magnet. Furthermore, it should be noted that in another embodiment of the personnel status detection system 1 of the present invention (not shown in the figure), the hollow seat tube 17 may be omitted, and instead, the support portion 153 of the cane body 15 is inserted into the receiving groove 160 for pluggable insertion, and the second magnetic clasp 171 is located on the bottom surface within the receiving groove 160.

[0021] The tag recognition device 11 is used to scan an identification tag held by the person to be detected, which contains personal information of the person to be detected, in order to identify and output the personal information. In this embodiment, the tag recognition device 11 is a camera or a barcode scanner. The identification tag is a one-dimensional barcode (e.g., a barcode) tag or a two-dimensional barcode (e.g., a quick-response code (QR code)) tag. The personal information includes, for example, a name, medical record number, etc. For example, when the person to be detected needs to use a cane, the person to be detected can bring the identification tag held by them close to the tag recognition device 11 for scanning, and then take out the cane body 15 to assist their walking and activate the fall detection function described below.

[0022] The millimeter-wave radar 12 receives a detection start command and, based on the detection start command, detects the movement speed and height of at least one person to be detected in a target area to obtain at least one detection signal related to the at least one person to be detected. The at least one person to be detected includes the person being detected. The target area may be an area where a hospital bed is placed or a walking area of ​​the person to be detected, but is not limited thereto. Specifically, when the millimeter-wave radar 12 receives the detection start command, it emits an electromagnetic wave signal to the at least one person to be detected in the target area and is configured to receive a reflected signal (i.e., the at least one detection signal) reflected from the at least one person to be detected based on the electromagnetic wave signal to determine the body height and movement speed of the at least one person to be detected. The millimeter-wave radar 12 is, for example, the IWR6843ISK-ODS millimeter-wave radar developed by Texas Instruments. The radar range resolution of the millimeter-wave radar 12 (…) ) and radar velocity resolution ( As shown in equations (1) and (2) respectively: Equation (1), Equation (2), Where, parameters Represents the speed of light Parameter B represents the bandwidth, i.e. The parameter λ is the wavelength. ,parameter The millimeter-wave radar frequency is 60 GHz, and parameter N represents the number of signals transmitted by the millimeter-wave radar 12, which is 128. The representative period is 125 μs.

[0023] The control device 13 is electrically connected to the millimeter-wave radar 12 and the tag identification device 11 to receive and store the personal information. The control device 13 generates a detection start command based on the first received personal information and transmits it to the millimeter-wave radar 12, and receives at least one detection signal from the millimeter-wave radar 12. The control device 13 determines whether any of the at least one person to be detected is in a fallen posture based on the at least one detection signal, and generates an alarm signal if the determination result is yes, and does not generate an alarm signal if the determination result is no. When the control device 13 receives the personal information for the second time, the control device 13 generates a detection stop command based on the second received personal information and transmits it to the millimeter-wave radar 12, causing the millimeter-wave radar 12 to stop detecting according to the detection stop command. That is, during the aforementioned detection stop period, the millimeter-wave radar 12 will not restart detection until the control device 13 receives personal information again, but this is not limited to this. The detection period is defined as the time from when the control device 13 first receives the personal information and generates the detection start command to when it receives the personal information for the second time and generates the detection stop command. During the detection period, the control device 13 also generates a control signal based on the personal information and outputs it to the motor, so that the motor is controlled by the control signal to push the hollow seat tube 17 upwards out of the receiving groove 160, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, during the detection period, the motor may push the hollow seat tube 17 upwards out of the receiving groove 160 only when the person being detected inserts the support part 153 of the cane body 15 back into the hollow seat tube 17. In this embodiment, the control device 13 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a micro control unit (MCU), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a system on chip (SoC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other similar devices or combinations thereof.

[0024] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the control device 13 determines whether any of the at least one person to be detected is in the falling posture based on the at least one detection signal, a preset height, and a preset moving speed. When the body height of any of the at least one person to be detected obtained from the at least one detection signal is less than the preset height and the moving speed is greater than the preset moving speed (representing that a corresponding person among the at least one person to be detected has indeed fallen), the judgment result of the control device 13 is yes; when the body height of any of the at least one person to be detected obtained from the at least one detection signal is greater than or equal to the preset height or the moving speed is less than or equal to the preset moving speed, the judgment result of the control device 13 is no, but it is not limited to this. Referring further to Figure 4, it illustrates the waveform obtained by analyzing at least one detection signal using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to perform a speed FFT to distinguish the movement speed of a person. The horizontal axis is the Doppler FFT axis, representing the movement speed of the person, and the vertical axis is the amplitude, representing the intensity of the reflected detection signal. It should be noted that, because the hands or other parts of the body move unpredictably when a person falls or moves, meaning that the hands or other parts of the body may experience drastic speed changes, the waveform will have a maximum speed on the Doppler FFT axis, but a very small amplitude. If the speed of hand movement is used to determine whether the person being detected has fallen, misjudgment is likely to occur. Therefore, the present invention considers the maximum speed of the torso of the person being detected, which is the maximum amplitude, rather than the maximum value of the Doppler FFT axis, when considering the movement speed of at least one person being detected. Since the maximum speed of the torso is unlikely to change drastically due to movement alone, a drastic speed change indicates that one of the persons being detected has indeed fallen, thus avoiding the aforementioned misjudgment. As shown in Figure 4, since the control device 13 considers the speed change of the torso of the person to be detected when falling, it needs to determine whether the moving speed of the Doppler FFT axis corresponding to the maximum amplitude (circle A in Figure 4) is greater than the preset moving speed, rather than the noise caused by the shaking of other parts, so that the control device 13 can accurately determine whether any of the at least one person to be detected is in the falling posture.

[0025] The communication device 14 is electrically connected to the control device 13 to receive the warning signal and transmit the warning signal to a remote device, such as a panel at a nursing station, to provide immediate notification of a fall, enabling nursing staff to provide timely medical assistance. In this embodiment, the communication device 14 may include a wired communication device and / or a wireless communication device. The former may be an Ethernet communication device or an RS485 communication device, and the latter may be a WiFi communication device or a Bluetooth communication device.

[0026] For example, when the personnel status detection system 1 is used in a hospital environment, the cane body 15 and the base 16 are public equipment provided in the hospital, and multiple sets of this public equipment are available for borrowing. When not borrowed, the cane body 15 is inserted into the hollow base tube 17 of the base 16, and the first magnetic member 152 and the second magnetic member 171 are magnetically locked to each other, that is, the cane body 15 is locked, thus preventing the cane body 15 from being stolen. When a patient (i.e., the person to be detected) wants to borrow the cane body 15, the patient only needs to provide the QR code wristband (an identification tag containing the patient's personal medical record number) worn on their wrist to the tag identification device 11 for scanning. After scanning, the cane body 15 becomes unlocked, allowing the patient to take the cane body 15 to assist their walking. At the same time, the millimeter-wave radar 12 installed in the cane body 15 activates its detection function. In other words, the patient can directly borrow the cane body 15 by scanning the QR code wristband worn on their wrist, thus achieving the effect of sharing a cane. When the cane body 15 is borrowed, and the patient inserts the cane body 15 into the base 16 in the hospital corridor and no one uses it, the millimeter-wave radar 12 installed in the cane body 15 can detect falls in the target area to detect whether people in the hospital corridor have fallen. If someone falls, the control device 13 can send the warning signal back to the nursing station (i.e., the remote device). In this way, the personnel status detection system 1 has the effect of detecting whether multiple people have fallen.

[0027] As can be seen from the above description, the feature of the present invention is that the millimeter-wave radar 12 is used as a sensor to detect the movement speed and height of at least one person to be detected in the target area, and the control device 13 determines whether someone is in a falling posture based on the at least one detection signal, the preset height, and the preset movement speed. In this way, it is possible to accurately determine whether someone has fallen, and when the determination result is yes, the warning signal is generated and transmitted to the remote device by the communication device 14. This can further enable early detection and notification when someone falls, so as to provide corresponding medical assistance in a timely manner.

[0028] The present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention and should not be construed as limiting its scope. It should be noted that all variations and substitutions equivalent to these embodiments should be considered within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the claims.

[0029] 1: Personnel Status Detection System 11: Tag recognition device 12: Millimeter-wave radar 13: Control device 14: Communication device 15: The cane itself 16: Base 17: Hollow Seat Tube 151: Grip section 152: First magnetic component 153: Support section 160: Receiving slot 161: Opening 162: Top surface 171: Second magnetic component A: Circle

Claims

1. A personnel status detection system, comprising: a tag identification device for scanning an identification tag carrying personal information of a person to be detected, thereby identifying and outputting the personal information; a millimeter-wave radar for receiving a detection start command and, according to the detection start command, detecting the movement speed and body height of at least one person to be detected in a target area to obtain at least one detection signal related to the at least one person to be detected, wherein the at least one person to be detected includes the person to be detected; a control device electrically connected to the millimeter-wave radar and electrically connected to the tag identification device to receive and store the personal information, and generating the detection start command according to the personal information and transmitting it to the millimeter-wave radar, and receiving the at least one detection signal from the millimeter-wave radar, wherein the control device determines, at least according to the at least one detection signal, whether any of the at least one person to be detected is in a falling posture, and generates an alarm signal when the determination result is yes; A communication device electrically connected to the control device to receive the warning signal and transmit the warning signal to a remote device; a cane body in the shape of a rod, one end of which is a grip for the person to be detected to hold, and the other end is a support part with a first magnetic attraction at the bottom, the grip part is equipped with the tag identification device, and the millimeter-wave radar is installed on the cane body near the grip part; and a base having a receiving groove, an opening of which is located on a top surface of the base, the receiving groove allowing the support part of the cane body to be inserted and removed, a second magnetic attraction on a bottom surface inside the receiving groove, the second magnetic attraction being magnetically attracted to the first magnetic attraction, and the control device and the communication device being installed inside the base.

2. The personnel status detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The control device determines whether any of the at least one person to be detected is in the falling posture based on the at least one detection signal, a preset height, and a preset moving speed. When the body height of any of the at least one person to be detected obtained from the at least one detection signal is less than the preset height and the moving speed is greater than the preset moving speed, the determination result of the control device is yes.

3. The personnel status detection system as described in claim 2, wherein, If the body height of any of the at least one person to be detected, obtained from the at least one detection signal, is greater than or equal to the preset height, or the moving speed is less than or equal to the preset moving speed, then the judgment result of the control device is negative.

4. The personnel status detection system as described in claim 1 further comprises: a hollow seat tube, retractably installed in the receiving groove, wherein the hollow seat tube in the receiving groove is for inserting the support portion of the cane body into which it is inserted, and a bottom surface of the hollow seat tube in the receiving groove has the second magnetic element.

5. The personnel status detection system as described in claim 4, wherein, During a detection period of the millimeter-wave radar, the control device also generates a control signal and outputs it to a motor for controlling the extension and retraction of the hollow seat tube, so that the motor is controlled by the control signal to push the hollow seat tube upward and extend it out of the receiving groove.

6. The personnel status detection system as described in claim 4, wherein, During a period when the millimeter-wave radar stops detecting, the hollow seat tube is located within the receiving slot.

7. The personnel status detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The first magnetic attractor is a magnet, and the second magnetic attractor is a magnetic metal, or the first magnetic attractor is a magnetic metal, and the second magnetic attractor is a magnet.

8. The personnel status detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The identification label can be a one-dimensional barcode label or a one-dimensional barcode label.

9. The personnel status detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The tag identification device is a camera or a barcode scanner.

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