Electrical Plug Device for Remote Activity Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
It is impractical for relatives or friends to regularly visit elderly or handicapped individuals for monitoring, necessitating a remote monitoring solution for their wellbeing and electrical equipment usage.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for remotely monitoring personal activity by generating and sending messages based on signal patterns from electrical plug devices, using a server that communicates with user equipment, and analyzing these signals to detect deviations from expected patterns, allowing for alerts to be sent to family members or friends.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If relatives or friends regularly visit elderly or handicapped individuals for monitoring, then monitoring reliability is improved, but loss of time and impracticality increase
Solution Approach 1:
An electrical plug device acts as an intermediary between the monitored individual and the monitoring system. The device automatically detects electrical equipment usage patterns and transmits this data to a remote server, eliminating the need for direct human visits while maintaining reliable monitoring of the individual's activity patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system performs self-service by automatically collecting, analyzing, and interpreting electrical usage data without requiring manual intervention from relatives or friends. The system autonomously generates alerts when abnormal patterns are detected, providing reliable monitoring while minimizing time investment from caregivers.
2Ease of operation
If remote monitoring is implemented using electrical plug devices, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical plug device serves multiple functions: it monitors electrical current usage, detects equipment switching events, tracks activity patterns over time, and triggers alerts. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate devices into a single unit, improving ease of operation while managing complexity through integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical monitoring (physical visits and observations) with automated electronic detection and data transmission. Electrical sensors and communication modules substitute for human presence, enabling remote monitoring to be operated simply by plugging the device into a standard electrical socket.
3Measurement precision
If signal patterns are analyzed to detect unusual behavior, then measurement precision is improved, but difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously collecting and storing electrical usage data to establish baseline activity patterns before abnormal events occur. This historical data is used to create expected patterns that enable precise detection of deviations, making the detection process more accurate while reducing the complexity of real-time analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by comparing real-time electrical usage signals against established expected patterns and automatically generating alerts when deviations are detected. This closed-loop approach continuously refines pattern recognition accuracy while automating the detection process, reducing manual analysis complexity through algorithmic comparison and automated decision-making.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a server for remotely monitoring personal activity, the method comprising: generating and sending a message to at least one user equipment, UE, if one of the following conditions is met: the server receives a signal from an electrical plug device and the received signal is in accordance with an expected pattern of signals; or the server receives a signal from an electrical plug device and the received signal is not in accordance with an expected pattern of signals; or the server does not receive a signal from an electrical plug device when a signal is expected in accordance with an expected pattern of signals.