Floor Pressure Sensor with Signal Processing for Fall Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current monitoring systems in caretaking institutions, such as hospitals and nursing homes, are inadequate for detecting falls and monitoring activity levels without compromising the autonomy and privacy of residents, as they often require wearable devices or are not sensitive to moisture, limiting their effectiveness and user acceptance.
Innovation Solution
A floor-based monitoring system utilizing a resilient multilayer flooring with integrated sheet-type pressure sensors, featuring a ferroelectret polymer film sandwiched between electrode layers, which generates an electric signal in response to pressure, connected to a microcontroller for fall detection and activity monitoring, and communicates via a communications module to alert caregivers and control building automation systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wearable monitoring devices are used to detect falls and monitor activity levels, then monitoring effectiveness is improved, but user autonomy and privacy are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces wearable mechanical/electronic monitoring devices with a floor-based pressure sensor system. The monitoring function is transferred from the user's body (wearable device) to the floor structure itself, eliminating the need for users to wear or carry monitoring equipment while maintaining fall detection and activity monitoring capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor covering acts as an intermediary between the user and the monitoring system. Instead of direct contact with wearable sensors on the user's body, the floor serves as a mediating element that detects pressure changes and transmits this information to the monitoring system, preserving user autonomy while enabling effective monitoring.
2Reliability
If conventional monitoring systems are used, then fall detection is possible, but the systems are not resistant to moisture and cannot be used in bathrooms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible floor covering with integrated pressure sensors that can be laid directly on existing floors. This thin film structure is inherently resistant to moisture and can be installed in wet environments like bathrooms, unlike rigid conventional monitoring systems. The flexible nature allows the sensors to maintain contact and functionality while exposed to moisture.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor covering system employs composite materials that combine pressure-sensitive elements with moisture-resistant flooring materials. This composite structure enables the monitoring system to function reliably in humid and wet environments while maintaining its fall detection capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If dense sensor fields are installed in floors, then activity monitoring precision is improved, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The floor covering serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the structural flooring material and the monitoring sensor system. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate sensor installation processes, reducing installation complexity while maintaining precise activity monitoring capabilities through the integrated pressure sensors.
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
The system effectively detects falls and monitors activity levels without the need for wearable devices, providing non-intrusive long-term health monitoring, alerting caregivers to potential emergencies or health degradation, and is resistant to moisture, allowing its use in various environments like bathrooms.
Implementation Method 1
The sheet-type pressure sensor comprises a ferroelectret polymer film sandwiched between a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer
Data Source
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AI summary
A monitoring system comprises a floor covering with a sheet-type pressure sensor and a sensor control unit. The latter includes an ADC for providing a digital raw signal, a microcontroller configured to carry out data extraction by signal processing of the digital raw signal and generating a digital processed signal having a lower digital bandwidth than the digital raw signal, and a communications module connected to or integrated within the microcontroller so as to receive the digital processed signal. The communications module is configured to establish data communication with one or more database servers and to transmit the extracted data to the one or more database servers.