BLE Beacon and Camera Patient Tracking With Privacy Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing monitoring systems for patient care in healthcare facilities face challenges in accurately identifying and locating individuals without compromising privacy and require expensive, proprietary infrastructure, while also being insensitive to body positioning and prone to privacy issues.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a wireless, wall-mounted base unit with a microprocessor connected to a camera and beacon detector, which scans for Bluetooth Low Energy beacons and processes image data to determine object coordinates, enabling precise location and identification of individuals, and integrates with a cloud platform for real-time data analysis and feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If camera-based imaging systems are used for patient monitoring, then location tracking is possible, but privacy concerns arise and reliable identification is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces Bluetooth Low Energy beacons as an intermediary technology between the camera system and the patient identification process. The beacons transmit digitally encoded ID information wirelessly, allowing the system to identify and locate patients without requiring the camera to capture and analyze visual images, thereby resolving the privacy concern while maintaining tracking accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical image processing system with an electronic signal-based system using BLE beacons. Instead of relying on camera-based visual recognition, the system uses wireless electromagnetic signals to transmit identification data, eliminating the need for complex image analysis and reducing privacy intrusion
2Measurement precision
If RTLS systems with multiple infrastructure pieces are deployed for precise locating, then meter- or sub-meter level accuracy is achieved, but device complexity and installation cost increase substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the mobile device serve multiple functions: it acts as both the user interface for patients and the tracking beacon simultaneously. By integrating the BLE transmitter into the existing mobile device, the system eliminates the need for separate beacon hardware, reducing infrastructure complexity while maintaining sub-meter locating accuracy through triangulation algorithms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the function of the tracking beacon with the patient's mobile device. Instead of requiring separate beacon devices and infrastructure, the system combines identification, location tracking, and user interface functions into a single integrated solution, substantially reducing device complexity and installation requirements
3Measurement precision
If proprietary RTLS technology is used for tracking, then precise location information is obtained, but cost increases and users are locked into expensive infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes inexpensive, widely-available mobile devices that patients already possess as the tracking beacons. By leveraging these common devices instead of proprietary expensive infrastructure, the system achieves precise location tracking at minimal cost, making the technology accessible and eliminating vendor lock-in
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs standard Bluetooth Low Energy technology that is universally supported across different mobile device platforms. This approach allows the system to use any modern smartphone or tablet as a beacon, eliminating the need for proprietary hardware and reducing costs while maintaining precise location capabilities through standard triangulation algorithms
4Reliability
If imaging systems are used for tracking, then people can be tracked despite body movements, but the systems are insensitive to body positioning unless specifically programmed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces accelerometers in the mobile device as an intermediary sensor to detect body positioning and movement. Instead of relying on camera-based visual analysis, the system uses the accelerometer data to determine patient position and activity state, providing reliable tracking while easily capturing body positioning information
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed embodiments include a system and method for patient management using multi-dimensional analysis and computer vision. The system includes a base unit having a microprocessor connected to a camera and a beacon detector. The beacon detector scans for advertising beacons with a packet and publishes a packet to the microprocessor. The camera captures an image in a pixel array and publishes image data to the microprocessor. The microprocessor uses at least a Beacon ID from the packet to determine if an object is in a room, and Camera Object Coordinates from the image data to determine the coordinates of the object in the room.