Sensor Arrangement for Hygiene Monitoring with Sleep State
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hygiene monitoring systems in high-risk environments, such as hospitals, fail to accurately detect hygiene opportunities for healthcare workers, as they often rely on dispenser usage rather than specific hygiene events, and consume excessive power due to continuous active sensor operation.
Innovation Solution
A sensing system comprising a passive sensor that detects object presence with low power consumption and wakes up an active sensor for accurate motion and distance measurement within defined detection zones, transitioning back to a sleep state after detection to conserve power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an active sensor operates continuously to accurately detect motion and distance, then measurement precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The active sensor operates periodically rather than continuously. A passive sensor first detects object presence and triggers the active sensor only when needed. The active sensor wakes from sleep mode, performs detection, then returns to sleep mode, creating a periodic operation cycle that reduces energy consumption while maintaining detection accuracy when required.
Solution Approach 2:
A passive sensor acts as an intermediary between continuous monitoring needs and energy conservation. The passive sensor continuously monitors for presence with low power consumption and triggers the high-power active sensor only when an object is detected, mediating between the conflicting requirements of continuous accurate detection and energy savings.
2Reliability
If a passive sensor operates continuously to detect object presence, then reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The passive sensor operates continuously at low power to maintain reliable presence detection, while the active sensor operates periodically only when triggered. This periodic activation of the high-power component maintains system reliability for accurate measurement while minimizing overall energy consumption through idle sleep periods.
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 provides accurate detection of hygiene opportunities while minimizing power consumption by keeping the active sensor in a sleep state until awakened by the passive sensor, ensuring efficient operation and effective hygiene monitoring.
Implementation Method 1
the passive sensor may detect a nurse walking into a patient's room based upon infrared radiation emitted from the nurse due to body heat of the nurse
Implementation Method 2
an active sensor may comprise any sensing device, such as a time of flight device (e.g., a device that measures a time of flight based upon an arrival time difference between a first signal, such as an ultrasound signal, and a second signal, such as an RF signal)
Implementation Method 3
an emitter may send out one or more signals (e.g., photons, a light pulse, parallel beams, triangulated beams, ultrasound, an RF signal, infrared, etc.) that may reflect off the object and are detected by a receiver
Data Source
AI summary
One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for detecting an object, such as a person. For example, a sensing system may comprise a sensor arrangement. The sensor arrangement may comprise a passive sensor and an active sensor. The active sensor may be placed into a sleep state (e.g., a relatively low powered state) until awakened by the passive sensor. For example, responsive to detecting a presence of an object (e.g., a nurse entering a patient's room), the passive sensor may awaken the active sensor from the sleep state to an active state for detecting motion and/or distance of the object within a detection zone to create object detection data (e.g., an indication of a hygiene opportunity for the nurse). The active sensor may transition from the active state to the sleep state responsive to a detection timeout and/or a determination that the object left the detection zone.