Wearable Device Object Detection via NFC and Camera Triggering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users often fail to remember important events related to their physical activities, such as medication adherence, which can lead to missed opportunities for timely action, especially in healthcare settings, due to the limitations of existing monitoring techniques that are primarily fixed and not easily integrated into daily life.
Innovation Solution
A wearable device equipped with a short-range communication module, camera module, and control unit that recognizes objects and determines if specific events occur, transmitting information to a management server for analysis using machine learning or artificial intelligence to record event occurrences and provide efficient guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a fixed installation type camera is used to analyze user activity, then the monitoring coverage is improved, but the ease of incorporation into daily life deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a fixed camera installation to a wearable device that moves with the user throughout the day. The wearable device includes a camera module that can capture images at various locations and times, allowing the system to adapt to different user activities and environments dynamically rather than being confined to a fixed position.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable device serves multiple functions: it acts as a monitoring device, a communication device with NFC for object recognition, and a data collection device. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate fixed installations into a single portable device that integrates seamlessly into daily life.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If wearable devices with multiple sensors are used to detect object events, then the detection capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the object recognition function from the wearable device by using NFC technology to read information from objects. This separates the detection function (NFC reading) from the imaging function (camera), allowing each component to be optimized independently and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The NFC module acts as an intermediary between the wearable device and the environment. Instead of the device directly analyzing all possible objects and scenes, the NFC module first identifies objects of interest through short-range communication, then triggers the camera to capture relevant images. This intermediary approach simplifies the detection process by filtering what needs to be imaged.
3Measurement precision
If the camera module operates continuously to capture all movements, then the measurement precision is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary object identification using NFC before activating the camera. The NFC module scans for objects in the vicinity and pre-determines which objects require imaging. This preliminary action filters out unnecessary camera activations, ensuring the camera only operates when an object of interest is detected, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining measurement precision for relevant events.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous operation, the camera operates periodically based on NFC detection triggers. The system checks for objects of interest at periodic intervals through NFC scanning, and the camera activates only when an object is detected. This periodic operation pattern maintains measurement precision for tracked objects while significantly reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable device according to various embodiments of the present invention is a wearable device wearable on a user's body, and may include a short-range communication module that recognizes the user's body and an object positioned within a predetermined area, a camera module that photographs an area adjacent to the wearable device to generate an image or a video related to at least one of movement of the user's body or the object, a control unit that determines whether or not to activate the camera module based on object information recognized through the short-range communication module, and a communication module that transmits information on the object recognized through the short-range communication module and the image or the video generated through the camera module to a management server.