A new microcomputer-based safety and life support system for solitary-living elderly people.
A new safety and life support system has been developed to detect emergency situations of solitary-living elderly persons. The system employs a dual axis accelerometer, two low-power active filters, a low-power 8-bit single chip microcomputer and a personal handy phone. Body movements due to walking, running and posture changes are detected by the dual axis accelerometer and sent to the microcomputer. If the patient is in an inactive state for 5 minutes after falling, or for 64 minutes without previously falling, then the system automatically alarms the emergency situation, via the personal handy phone, to the patient's family, the fire station or the hospital.
Miyauchi
Kosuke
K
Department of Electronics, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Hiroshima 731-5193, Japan.
Yonezawa
Yoshiharu
Y
Maki
Hiromichi
H
Ogawa
Hidekuni
H
Hahn
Allen W
AW
Caldwell
W Morton
WM
D000054:Acceleration; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000295:instrumentation; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D018575:Home Care Services, Hospital-Based; D006801:Humans; D008838:Microcomputers; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014159:Transducers