Emergency Response Console Tone Simulation for PERS Compatibility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal emergency response systems (PERS) lack compatibility with standard telephone lines for both emergency and non-emergency medical communications, and they do not provide digital 'handshake and disconnect' signals, making them incompatible with common PERS systems.
Innovation Solution
A communication system that includes a transmitter and a console connected to a communication network, which generates recognizable tones for digital 'handshake and disconnect' signals, allowing for seamless communication with both emergency and non-emergency medical facilities, and is compatible with existing PERS systems by simulating DTMF tones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a PERS system uses standard telephone lines for emergency calls, then emergency communication capability is provided, but the system cannot communicate with medical professionals in non-emergency situations
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables a single PERS console to perform multiple functions: it can initiate both emergency calls (using DTMF handshake/disconnect signals) and non-emergency medical consultation calls (using alternative voice line signals) through the same telephone line interface, eliminating the need for separate communication systems
2Adaptability or versatility
If a system is designed for both emergency and non-emergency communications, then communication versatility is improved, but compatibility with existing PERS systems deteriorates due to lack of digital handshake and disconnect signals
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary signal processing mechanism that translates between different communication protocols: it generates standard DTMF handshake and disconnect signals for emergency calls while simultaneously supporting alternative voice line signaling for non-emergency calls, allowing a single system to interface with multiple response centers through different signaling methods
3Ease of operation
If elderly persons use a PERS system, then emergency help can be summoned easily, but difficulty in determining, remembering, and dialing phone numbers remains a problem
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the phone number dialing function from the user's responsibility and relocates it to the system's pre-programmed database. The console stores multiple pre-programmed telephone numbers for different response centers, and the automated signaling system handles the actual dialing and connection establishment, reducing the user's cognitive and physical burden
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system comprises a transmitter, a console in operative communication with the transmitter, an audible communication device and a tone simulator. The transmitter is in operative communication with the console and operative to send a first signal to the console. The console is operatively connected to a communication network and is operative to send a second signal over the communication network to at least two response systems. The console comprises a receiver operative to receive the first signal from the transmitter, a controller operative to compare the first signal from the transmitter with a set of pre-determined values, access a communication network and dial one of the at least two pre-programmed voice line addresses, and a communication interface operative to connect the receiver to a communication network. The audible communication device is coupled to the controller and the communication interface. Each pre-programmed voice line address corresponds to one of the two different response systems. The tone simulator generates a first tone upon connection of a voice line communication to one of the two different response systems and a second tone upon termination of audible communication on the voice line between a user of the communication system and an individual at one of the two different response systems. The first tone signals to the console that the voice line communication has begun, and the second tone signals to the console that the voice line communication has ended.