Wearable Fall Detection via Behavioral Pattern Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wearable devices for elderly individuals prone to falls often experience false positive and false negative emergency alerts due to unreliable data transmission, leading to unnecessary time and resource wastage, and may overlook actual emergencies due to the burden of miniaturized wireless apparatus and increased repeater nodes.

Innovation Solution

A wearable behavioral pattern collecting apparatus equipped with an acceleration sensor, behavioral pattern extractor, wireless communication unit, and position updating unit that generates and transmits emergency call information, including position estimation and behavioral patterns, to a remote monitoring server via a network of repeaters, enhancing reliability through real-time data transmission and IR irradiation for position determination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If miniaturized wireless apparatus and increased repeater nodes are used to expand network coverage, then area of coverage is improved, but reliability of data transmission deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork coverage areaVSAvoiddata transmission reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the monitoring network into multiple repeater nodes that independently transmit data. Each repeater handles local data collection and forwards it through the network, distributing the transmission load and reducing bottlenecks that would compromise reliability in expanded coverage areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The repeater nodes act as intermediaries between the wearable apparatus and the central monitoring server. These intermediaries relay and validate data transmissions, ensuring that even as network coverage expands to include more remote areas, each data packet maintains integrity through multiple verification points along the transmission path.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If simple acceleration-based fall detection is used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates leading to false positives and negatives

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection algorithm complexityVSAvoidfall detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges multiple detection approaches by combining acceleration data with behavioral pattern recognition. Instead of relying solely on simple acceleration thresholds, the system integrates pattern-based analysis that examines sequences of movements, allowing accurate fall detection while maintaining relatively simple device architecture through unified processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary behavioral pattern extraction and classification before final fall detection decision-making. By pre-processing acceleration data into recognizable behavioral patterns and storing them for reference, the system enables faster, more accurate real-time fall detection without requiring complex algorithms during the critical detection moment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If behavioral pattern extraction and real-time position updating are implemented, then reliability of emergency detection is improved, but use of energy increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemergency detection reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic behavioral pattern extraction and position updating rather than continuous processing. The apparatus extracts behavioral patterns at scheduled intervals and updates position information periodically, maintaining reliable emergency detection capability while significantly reducing average power consumption compared to continuous real-time processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses self-service mechanisms where behavioral patterns are extracted and stored locally for immediate comparison against current acceleration data. This local pattern matching eliminates the need for continuous cloud communication, allowing reliable real-time emergency detection while minimizing energy-consuming wireless transmissions to only when necessary.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9088871B2Behavioral pattern collecting apparatus, and behavioral pattern analyzing system and method using the same

Publication Date: 2015.07.21 ELECTRONICS & TELECOMM RES INST

AI summary

Disclosed are a wearable behavioral pattern collecting apparatus for generating collected information by analyzing a behavioral pattern of a wearer, and generating and thereby transmitting emergency call information when an emergency situation occurs, a network including a repeater to transmit information received from the behavioral pattern collecting apparatus to a remote monitoring server, and a behavioral pattern analyzing system and method for transmitting information on an emergency accident and a position of the wearer to a corresponding institution or a corresponding person in charge when an emergency situation such as a falling accident or the emergency accident occurs by observing a change in the behavioral pattern of the wearer.