Dual Sensor Temperature Change Rate Comparison for False Alarm Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature monitoring systems, such as Tipi alarm techniques, often provide false alarms when detecting skin temperature changes, as they cannot distinguish between changes caused by kicking a quilt and other factors like dreaming or fever, leading to annoyance and exhaustion for parents.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus using dual temperature sensors to measure skin-surface and ambient temperatures, calculating change rates, and determining whether the ambient temperature change rate is faster than the skin-surface temperature change rate to accurately trigger alarms, reducing false alerts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single temperature sensor is used to detect skin temperature changes, then the system can provide simple temperature monitoring, but it generates false alarms by cannot distinguishing between legitimate events (quilt kicking) and other causes (dreaming, fever)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the temperature monitoring function into two separate sensor elements: one for measuring skin-surface temperature and another for measuring ambient temperature. This segmentation allows the system to independently monitor both temperatures and compare their change rates, thereby distinguishing between legitimate quilt-kicking events and false alarm causes without requiring a single complex sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing mechanism that compares the change rates of skin-surface temperature and ambient temperature. By analyzing the differential change rate between these two temperatures, the system can identify legitimate events versus false alarms, effectively using the ambient temperature as an intermediary reference to improve alarm accuracy.
2Speed
If temperature monitoring is continuously performed at high frequency, then rapid temperature changes can be detected, but it increases energy consumption and processing load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by calculating temperature change rates only when necessary - specifically, by comparing skin-surface temperature changes with ambient temperature changes. Rather than continuously processing all temperature data at maximum frequency, the system selectively analyzes temperature changes that exceed certain thresholds or show significant differential rates, thereby reducing unnecessary computational energy consumption while maintaining detection speed for legitimate events.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances alarm accuracy by differentiating between legitimate and false alerts, improving sleep quality for parents by minimizing unnecessary warnings and ensuring timely and correct responses to actual events like a child kicking a quilt.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a skin-surface temperature at a first temperature sensor element
Implementation Method 2
measuring an ambient temperature at a second temperature sensor element
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses (10) for detecting body-related temperature changes are provided. The method comprises measuring a skin-surface temperature at a first temperature sensor element (12) at a measuring rate (S21) and measuring an ambient temperature at a second temperature sensor element (13) at the measuring rate (S22). The method also comprises calculating a plurality of first change rates for the skin-surface temperature and a plurality of second change rates for the ambient temperature over a time interval (S23). The method further comprises determining, based on the plurality of first change rates and the plurality of second change rates, whether an ambient temperature change rate is faster than a skin-surface temperature change rate by a threshold (S24). The method additionally comprises selecting whether or not to trigger an alarm based on a result of the determining (S25). With the methods and apparatuses (10), the number of false alarms may be significantly reduced.