FI124370B - Procedure and apparatus for assessing activity and functional ability based on interaction - Google Patents

Description

A method and arrangement for evaluating activity and activity based on interaction

The invention relates to a method for monitoring the activity and performance of a person or persons. The invention also relates to an arrangement for monitoring and evaluating activity and activity and to a server for monitoring activity and activity and a computer program for monitoring activity and activity.

The share of the aging population in industrialized countries is growing rapidly. Often an aging person lives in a place where relatives or friends do not have enough time to assess the person's health or performance. In such a case, relatives and friends may have a great deal of anxiety about coping with someone close to their daily routine.

In order to overcome this situation, various IT solutions have been developed that can monitor roughly the daily activities of one or more individuals. For example, an apartment occupied by a person may be equipped with various door or room sensors to indicate the use of a door or the movement of a person in a room. In this case, the movement of the person can be discovered over a period of time. If no signals are received from the sensors about a person's movement either at certain times or at certain time intervals, the arrangement will cause an alarm to be transmitted over the data network. Examples of such tracking systems are disclosed in JP 2007299121 and CN 101324662.

Solutions are also known in which a person has, for example, a device on his wrist that can monitor vital signs or send an alert to an outsider in situations where the person feels that his or her functional capacity is impaired. The alarm can be transmitted, for example, by radio, telephone or the Internet.

Owning and caring for pets is also becoming more common. Caring for Lemmik-30 tongues is an element of the hustle and bustle of busy people. The presence of a pet has also been found to be beneficial to human mental health and even to lower blood pressure. Playing with a pet maintains both the physical and mental fitness of the person.

35 Various computerized pet monitoring and guidance tools are known. In particular, the emergence and development of the Internet as a central 2 communication channel has facilitated the development of various pet monitoring and control systems. Such tracking and control tools can be used to monitor your pet's behavior, whether by video or audio, even when away from home. From the video and / or the sound of the pet, it can be inferred what kind of functional state the pet is in at that moment.

The information network can also be used to keep track of the pet's movement and stay. The pet's positioning at home can be accomplished, for example, by video surveillance, RFID tag readers, GPS, infrared detectors, acoustic positioning methods, ultrasonic positioning, radio positioning, or accelerometer positioning.

The information network can also be used to control the operation of various feeding and watering machines used by pets, if necessary. Such a feeding-15 automaton is known, for example, from US 2007/0295277.

At least part of the monitoring of your pet's daily activities can be provided to a suitably programmed home computer. In such a system, a home computer simulates the owner for at least part of the day. One such arrangement is disclosed in US 2006/0011144. The described arrangement includes real-time locating of the pet (dog) by various methods, control of feeding and beverage dispensers, monitoring of the dog's condition with an accelerometer (stationary or moving), monitoring of the dog's body temperature, dog bark tracking, creation and presentation for the dog. If an abnormal behavioral pattern is detected at any point in time, the computer will send an alert to the dog owner. Thus, the solution described in the reference may alert if the dog's behavior is momentarily different from the behavior stored in the computer's memory.

The arrangement disclosed in US 2006/0011144 is incapable of drawing conclusions in situations where the activity of the dog changes unexpectedly, although the activity remains within normal limits, but the movement of the dog is either temporarily or slightly different from normal movement. For example, the dog is moving as much as before, but the range of movement has changed from true-35. One possibility for the pet's movement to change as described is a sudden change in the condition of the person staying in the apartment, such as an illness.

3

It is an object of the invention to provide an arrangement in which information obtained through long-term monitoring of the activity and activity of the person being monitored can be utilized, both by that person and his / her companion, for example a pet or a partner. In particular, monitoring information related to the interaction of the subjects being monitored, such as the distance between locations and the interdependence of movements, shall be utilized. By comparing short-term follow-up results with long-term follow-up results, changes in behavior between subjects, person (s) and / or pet / pet that are not reflected in 10 short-term follow-up results alone can be identified.

The objects of the invention are achieved by a system whereby instantaneous movement, vital signs and behavior data obtained by means of motion measurement and other sensors connected to the subject (s) or pet (s) are compared with the corresponding long term measurement data of the subject (s) or pet (s). to detect the problem.

An advantage of the invention is that a change in the behavior of the person being monitored and the pet indicates a situation that is not merely apparent from the measurement data of the other subject being monitored.

A further advantage of the invention is that, in analyzing the problem, it is possible to visualize the movement of the monitored person / persons and the pet in the apartment over a time interval of choice for the relatives or friends via the data network. In motion visualization, the location of the person (s) and the pet's resting place can be used as a baseline, a kind of calibration information when the person or pet moves after resting.

A further advantage of the invention is that all other activities and vital signs measurement data detected during the movement of a person and a pet can be visualized at their location. This helps to avoid misleading conclusions and unnecessary contacts when interpreting measurement data. For example, if the subject is in the middle of the day without moving for long periods of time, but the tracking system shows that he is in his own bed, it can be concluded that he is at bedtime. Instead, if he or she is stationary in an unusual place, it is advisable to contact by phone and ask for wellbeing.

4

A further advantage of the invention is that changes in the activities of the subject being observed and the pet can be inferred from the occurrence of an event noticed by the pet, such as an illness or injury of the subject being observed.

5

The method of evaluating a person's activity and activity according to the invention, wherein the activity information of a person being monitored on a first wireless monitor is measured, further comprises measuring at least one activity and activity information comparing the short term measurement data of the selected interaction parameter to the long term equivalent measurement information, and transmitting, based on the comparison, a change in the person's activity and performance to at least one data processing device if the interaction parameter is not set a threshold.

20

The personal activity and activity monitoring arrangement of the invention, which measures the activity information of a person being monitored on a first wireless monitor, further comprises a 25 second wireless tracking device, which comprises means for means for selecting at least one parameter for evaluating a person's and a pet's interactions with a short-term measurement means for comparing the location and activity data of the pet with the data transmission means 35 for comparing at least one observed, transmitting information describing changes in a person's activity and performance to at least one data processing device if the threshold value set for the interaction evaluation parameter is not met;

A server according to the invention is characterized in that the server comprises means for receiving activity data transmitted from both a person and a person's pet tracking device, comprising up-to-date animal position information and at least one person and / or animal activity information means , means for selecting a history-to-person interaction parameter from the activity history to compare short-term measurement data of the selected interaction parameter to corresponding long-term measurement data, and 10 means for transmitting information from the comparison to the set threshold is not met.

A computer program product according to the invention for use in the assessment of a person's ability and activity, comprising computer program code means stored on a computer readable medium, said code means being arranged to select at least one person and evaluation parameter - to compare short-term measurement data of the selected interaction parameter to long-term corresponding measurement data, and - to send, based on the comparison, information on a person's activity and performance change to at least one data processing device if the threshold for the interaction parameter is not met.

Certain preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

30

The basic idea of the invention is as follows: The person (s) to be monitored and the pet are provided with a device capable of transmitting various information describing the presence and movement of the person and the pet to the home computing device. The device carried by a person and a pet preferably comprises a processor unit 35 and a memory unit associated therewith, a transceiver, at least one 3D motion sensor and a microphone. The motion sensor may comprise some or all of the 3D accelerator, compass, and gyro sensors. The person-to-pet device may also include an audio or ultrasonic sonar, a loudspeaker, an RFID tag or 6-reader, a thermometer, and measurement sensors that monitor the vital functions of the person or pet.

As the person and pet move, the 3D motion sensor uses a location to calculate the location of the person and pet after a specified time interval. Each location is first stored in the memory unit of the person and pet. From time to time, location information is sent to a home PC. Location data can also be sent continuously to the PC in real time. The measurement data of the sensors can also be sent to the PC, whereby the location data are only calculated on the PC. The transceiver connected, for example, to a USB port (Universal Serial Bus) on a PC may serve as a base station.

Any other measurement of the person's or pet's behavior or physical condition is also transferred to a home PC. Examples of such information 15 include, for example, a person's sleeping, dining, and staying time, as well as various vital signs measurement results. Similarly, the pet's resting and resting time, noise, body temperature, heart rate, and eating and drinking events are transferred to the aforementioned PC.

Advantageously, the measurement data obtained from a home PC is transmitted to a server on the Internet. The server may provide information about the performance of the person being monitored and the pet to an outside person, that is, a follower, who has the permission and / or obligation to observe the person's performance and changes. The server-generated information allows the outsider 25 to display the behavior and the status of the person being monitored and the pet for a specified period of time. By utilizing the long-term tracking results contained in the server, it is possible to identify interactive changes in the behavior of the person being monitored and / or the pet, which are not simply found in either of the up-to-date tracking information. Such tracking 30 provides an image of abnormal interactions between the subject being observed and the pet. When a server-side application detects an abnormal interaction between a person and a pet, it sends an alert to a follower or other specified outside person or entity.

The invention will now be described in detail. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 7 illustrates an apparatus arrangement for monitoring a person's activity and performance in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a subject and pet Fig. 4a shows an example of presenting pet tracking information on a follower device, Fig. 4b shows an example of presenting tracking information of a person being monitored on 10 follower devices, Fig. 4c shows an example flow of a subject and pet over a time slot, Fig. 5 shows an exemplary flow chart Figure 6 shows an exemplary flow chart of the person j See Figure 7 for an overview of the main steps used to present tracking information, and Figure 7 shows an exemplary flow chart of how the tracking information of the person being monitored and the pet is utilized to provide an alarm.

The embodiments in the following description are exemplary only and one of ordinary skill in the art may implement the basic idea of the invention in a manner other than that described in the description. Although the description may refer to one embodiment or embodiments at multiple locations, this does not mean that the reference is directed to only one embodiment described, or that the feature described is useful in only one embodiment described. The individual features of two or more embodiments may be combined to provide new embodiments of the invention.

Figure 1 shows an example of a tracking arrangement 30 for a person 3 and a pet 1 according to the invention. The tracking arrangement 10 may be installed, for example, in an apartment used by the person being observed. An example of apartment 40 is shown in Figures 4a, 4b and 4c. The exemplary person 8 tracking arrangement 10 shown in Figure 1 preferably includes a wireless monitor 4 carried by the person 3 being monitored, a wireless monitor 2 carried by a pet 1, a wireless communication base 11 with antennas 11a, a wireless communication network 15, and a computer 17. Preferably. RFID readers (Radio Frequency IDentification) 12c, IR detectors 12b, video cameras 12a, microphones 12d, pressure sensors 12e, and door switches 12f.

The monitoring devices 2 and 4 according to the invention shown in Figure 1 are connected via wireless radio link 15 to at least one base station 11 belonging to the monitoring arrangement 10. The base station 11 can be, for example, a device connected to a USB port of a computer. The wireless radio link 15 may be, for example, an infrared (IR) link, a Bluetooth link, a ZigBee link, an UWB link (Ultra WideBand), a WLAN link (Wireless Local Area Network), or a cellular network link. Because of the short distance between the tracking devices 2, 4 and the base station 11 of the wireless radio network, the transmission powers of the tracking devices 2 and 4 are also small. This allows a long operating time for the monitoring devices 2 and 4.

By means of the monitoring arrangement 10 according to the invention, "remote treatment" or "" remote monitoring "of the person 3 to be monitored can be achieved. Through the arrangement, the remote person-3 can remotely monitor interaction with pet 1. The invention makes it possible to monitor the activity and ability of the subject 3 to be monitored by monitoring and analyzing the interaction between the subject 3 and the pet 1. In the arrangement of the invention, the relative or friend does not have to go to the physically monitored person.

25

The monitored person 3 shown in the example of Figure 1 may have a pet, 1 for example a dog. In the exemplary tracking system 10 illustrated, the person 3 and the pet 1 are provided with at least one tracking device 4 and 2 according to the invention. If the pet is a dog, the tracking device 2 can advantageously be shaped as a long blade carried by the dog.

The dog collar tracking device 2 preferably comprises a 3D motion sensor, which preferably comprises a 3D acceleration sensor, a 3D gyro sensor, and a 3D magnetometer sensor. By integrating motion sensor data over time, you can determine the movements of the koi-35 bar, the magnetometer's motion direction, and the gyro sensor's rapid changes in motion directions, combined to calculate the travel path in the apartment at a selected time interval.

Advantageously, the 3D motion sensor data can also be used to draw a '' map view '' of the apartment by means of a tracking device 2 or 4 of a person 3 or a dog 1. Alternatively, the map / floor plan of the apartment can be created / drawn by moving the 3D accelerometer by the owner throughout the apartment.

5

For example, a floor plan of a room can be provided as follows. The tracking device 2 or 4 is taken to the specified "home" in the apartment. At home, 2 or 4 motion measurements are initiated on the tracker. After that, the tracking device is manually moved from the home office, for example clockwise, to the nearest 10 corners of the room. The tracking device is held in a substantially horizontal position near a corner (for example, about 10 cm from both walls or if it is an outer corner about 10 cm from the corner). At the corner, the position measurement is re-registered, for example, by pressing a button on the tracker. After that, we proceed further clockwise to the next corner and proceed as described above. To get the floor plan of the apartment, the entire apartment is rotated following the walls. Each time you turn in a new direction at an angle or at a right angle, position measurement is recorded.

When finally returned to the origin, i.e., the home, the tracking device 2 or 20 4 is deactivated by a suitable function associated with the tracking device 2 and 4.

The tracking device 2 or 4 is then connected to the computer and the resulting floor plan is accepted. If needed, you can edit the image, add windows and furniture, for example, and reposition walls or corners.

25 The 3D accelerometer is an example of a motion sensor that can determine the position of a subject, such as a person or a pet, in 3D. Other positioning technologies can also be utilized in the tracking system of the invention. The tracking device 2 may also include a compass or gyro sensor that can be used to determine motion directions. Examples of other positioning technologies are the received signal strenght indication (RSSI) and the time of flight (TOF) method applied to wireless sensor networks, as well as positioning based on RFID readers. The position information computed by the 3D accelerometer can be calibrated and refined from time to time, for example by means of fixed RFID-35 readers 12c or IR detectors 12b.

The position of the person or pet being monitored can preferably be calibrated, for example, by means of a sleeping / resting position. The sleeping position and sleeping position are often 10 unchanged from day to day. The sleep or rest of a person or pet is indicated by the fact that no new acceleration data is available for a certain period of time. When a person or pet finally sets off, the probable direction of motion can be determined by using the specified sleeping position and acceleration measurement data. If 5 people or pets appear to be walking "through the wall" on departure, the tracking system will know that the tracker 2 or 4 coordinate system has been turned during sleep or at rest. In this case, the tracking system inverts or moves the coordinate system of the floor plan of the apartment so that the detected Path is adaptable to the floor plan of the apartment. In addition, in such cases, other positioning methods can be utilized when moving 10 people or a pet to accurately determine the location at a given time. Once accurate positioning has been completed, the acceleration dimensions alone can once again be used to track movement. Such a tracking system may not necessarily require compass direction measurement at any point.

15

In the tracking system according to the invention, the movements of the subject 3 and the pet 1 are continuously monitored and recorded. This allows the movement of the person 3 and the pet 1 in the apartment to be advantageously recorded over a longer period. The stored information may be processed statistically and / or using a neu-20 network. Information about the movement so processed and the interaction between the person and the pet can be used to send possible alarms. For example, the abnormally active movement and / or noise of the pet 1 in a situation where the person being observed 3 is stationary indicates that the subject 3 is severely impaired for one reason or another.

Advantageously, the movement time can be encoded with different colors or line shapes. For example, bright red can depict activity history from the last 15 minutes, yellow history from 15 to 60 minutes, green history from 1 to 3 hours, etc. 30

The tracking system 10 preferably comprises means for analyzing the path of the person 3 and / or the pet 1 by calculating correlation with, for example, the routes of the previous days. For example, the most recent route of the dog can be compared to the average of the last 10 days. The information available for comparison can be, for example, how many minutes the pet 1 stays at bedtime, at the front door, at the feeding area, at the observer's 3 resting places, etc.

11

Alternatively, a neural network may be used to interpret pathways and interactions.

The SOM neural network (Self-Organazing Map) is a neural network that can be utilized in the present invention. In the SOM neural network, the statistical relationships between the elements of a multidimensional input data set are converted into simple geometric relationships.

The SOM neural network is updated by the following algorithm (1): 10 llx (tk) - mi (tk) || = minitll x (tk) - mi (tk) ||}, (1) where x {tk) is a multidimensional data vector received by the SOM neural network and m {tk) is an artificial neuron or weight vector. Time is expressed by the variable fk.

15

As a rule for updating the weight vector, formulas (2) and (3) can be used: m, (tk + 1) = mi (tk) + a (tk) [x (tk) - rrii (tk)], ie Nc (2) 20 mi ( tk + i) = mj (tk), otherwise. (3)

The parameter a is a "forgetting term", the magnitude of which depends on how much of the old neuron value remains in the update. It also controls network stability. Nc is a topological neighborhood, that is, a set of neurons that are in the network nearest to the 25 neurons performing the minimum operation.

The map update control means that the neurons m nearest to the data vector x are shifted towards the data vector x. Thus, neurons in the SOM neural network learn / excite through the input quantities they receive.

30

In the monitoring system of the invention, the SOM neural network learns or is trained to know the interactions of the person being monitored with a companion or pet at different times of the day. If the detected interaction event does not match the interaction event known to the SOM, then in this case an alert message is sent to the observing party.

Preferably, the neural network can be trained to provide an alarm when one or a particular combination of thresholds for tracking parameters is exceeded, lowered, or a combination thereof is an unwanted combination. Using a neural network, an alarm can be triggered, for example, when a particular combination of person and pet paths (or measurement data) occurs abnormally. For example, a person-to-pet interaction event has become more active than usual.

In the monitoring arrangement according to the invention, it is possible to investigate where the person and the pet have moved, where and at what time of the day interaction has been observed and how long the interaction event has lasted.

10

Also, the computer program on the computer 17 may alert the person and pet due to abnormal movement or noise. For example, if the pet stays for a certain amount of time next to a person's resting place and for example bark several times at a predetermined barking limit, the monitoring family or friend can preferably send an SMS alert or directly call Skype to listen and / or watch takes place.

In one embodiment of the invention, the person 3 and the pet 1 are provided with a use-20 different tracking device. The 3D tracking device 2 monitors the movement of the dog and another tracking device (not shown in Figure 1) connected to the actual tracking device via either a wired or wireless connection, for example, tracking the dog's tail swing and / or vital signs such as body temperature and heart rate.

25

For person 3, for example, there may be six different sensors. It is advantageous to attach the actual tracking device 4 to the height of the chest, for example as a band extending over the torso. The actual tracking device 4 handles communication to the nearest base station in the system. Some examples of other sensor locations include a headband or eyeglasses, and sensors on the wrists and ankles.

The strap around the head can preferably be used to indicate, for example, head movement, eye and ear movement, or even to measure brain electrical functions.

35

Figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment of a person 3 or pet 1 tracking device 4 or 2. In the following description, the tracking device is referred to only by reference numeral 2. The tracking device 2 preferably comprises an energy source 26, 13, such as a battery. The power source 26 is preferably rechargeable, for example, by connecting to a USB port on a computer. The electrical components contained in the tracking device 2 receive the energy they need to operate from this energy source 26. The 3D motion sensors 22 have at least one in the tracking device 2. The measuring range of the 3D-5 accelerometer used therein is preferably ± 10 g.

The measurement data of the 3D motion sensor 22 is processed at the measurement event in the central processing unit 21 (CPU) of the tracking device 2. The processing unit 21 is connected to the memory 23. The memory 23 is used to store the computer programs required for processing the measured values according to the invention. Also, at least temporarily, all values of the variables measured by the tracking device 2 are stored in the memory 23. The results calculated from the measured variables in the tracking device 2 are also stored in the memory 23.

15 An example of a variable computation performed by processing unit 21 is position data computation using measured acceleration data. The payroll calculator according to the invention is stored in memory 23. The computer program comprises computer program instructions by which the processing unit 21 calculates from the 3D acceleration measurement data the displacement of the tracking device 2 in three dimensions between two pe-20 successive acceleration measurements.

The processing unit 21 also communicates with the communication component 25. With this communication component, a communication link 15 is established with the wireless communication network base station 11 included in the tracking system. The communication 25 component 25 preferably supports at least one communication method. Some of the preferred methods of data transmission are infrared (IR) technology, Blue-tooth technology, ZigBee technology, UWB technology, WLAN technology, and various time or code division communication technologies used in cellular networks. Through the communication component, the measurement data 30 stored in the memory 23 of the tracking device 2 is transmitted over the wireless communication link 15 to the base station 11. From the base station, the measurement information is transmitted via the communication link 16 for storage to the computer 17. The communication link 16 may be either a wireless connection or a cable connection, or a combination thereof.

Preferably, the communication component 25 also comprises communication means capable of communicating with the RFID reader. Using the information of the RFID reader 12c, the position information of the tracking device 2, calculated from the data of the 3D accelerometer, can be verified on computer 17, for example, where a person 3 or pet 1 appears to pass through a wall. If necessary, the position information calculated from the acceleration measurement data is preferably corrected to correspond to the position information obtained from the RFID reader 12c.

Advantageously, the tracking device 2 may comprise measuring sensors 24 other than the acceleration sensor 22 of the 3D-5. The other sensors may be either part of the tracking device 2 or 4, or may be separate sensors across a person's or pet's body. The measurement data of these sensors is transmitted to the tracking device via either a wired or wireless communication link 27.

10 Other types of sensors include compass, gyro sensor, barometric sensor, body temperature sensor, respiratory sensor, muscle sensor, head sensor, heart rate sensor, brain sensor, voice or speech sensor. The data of these measuring sensors is also processed and stored at least temporarily by the processing unit 21 in memory 23. During the recording, the processing unit 21 combines the data of the other measuring sensors with the position information obtained from the accelerometer 22. The combined measurement data is stored in memory 23, from which it is periodically transferred to computer 17 for further processing.

20 When the pet is in motion, it is possible that the coordinate system of the tracker 2 has rotated while the pet is lying down. Due to the rotation of the coordinate system, it may appear that the pet is moving '' through the wall ''. In such a case, in one embodiment of the invention, the compass or gyro sensor measurement data can be utilized to determine the direction of movement of the pet when the pet is lying down. From this measurement data it is possible to find out the true direction of movement of the pet, which advantageously corrects the directional information provided by the acceleration measurement.

In another embodiment of the invention, the known position of the dog and the sleeping position 30 can also be utilized in calibrating the coordinate system of the tracking device 2. If the pet is most often sleeping in the same position / orientation, the tracking system will preferably update / calibrate the sleeping position coordinates from this location information.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tracking system learns to make standard corrections automatically after it has made the same "walk through the wall" correction several times and has found that "walking through the walls" ends with the said coordinate system corrections.

15

Measuring data from the tracking device 2 or 4 can be used to track the movement of an object or objects from one location to another. The information can also be used to deduce the mode of movement, such as walking, running or crawling. It is also possible to deduce from the measurement data the position of the object being observed, such as standing, sitting, lying down, or any abnormal position. In addition, sensors attached to the wrists and ankles can be used to measure the movement of the limbs and any tremors that may occur.

Tracker 2 or 4 can also track the subject's recording pattern, such as volume, pitch, duration, repetition, and non-normal sounds. For example, speech, crying, crying, yawning, breathing sounds and whining can be distinguished from human sounding. Barking, howling, growling, purring, moaning, moving sounds, breathing sounds, yawning and wheezing can advantageously be distinguished from pet noise.

15 Combining all of the measurement data described above gives a picture of the interaction between the person 3 and the companion and / or pet 1. Once the system has been taught interaction routines related to normal life, the system then distinguishes abnormal interaction situations by, for example, statistical computation methods or utilizing neural network technology.

20

Figure 3 shows an example of the use of tracking data in the Internet environment. The pet 1 has a tracking device 2 which at least continuously measures the position of the pet. The monitored person 3 has a tracking device 4 which continuously measures the location of the monitored person. The measured tracking data is transmitted via the data-25 transmission network 16,18 to the computer 17. The measured data is stored on the computer 17 at least temporarily.

From the computer 17, a communication connection 18 to the Internet 30 can be established. Also, the server 31, which is advantageously utilized for utilizing the tracking information, is connected 30 via the communication connection 36 to the Internet. A communication link 30a between the computer 17 and the server 31 can thus be established over the Internet. This arrangement allows the measurement data obtained from the tracking device 2 and 4 to be transferred from the computer 17 to the server 31 for further analysis and possible presentation. The transmitted tracking device measurement data is stored in database 33 via data link 32 35.

Reference 34 discloses another data processing device capable of establishing a communication link 35 to the Internet 30. Through the communication link 30b established to the Internet 16, a data analysis and presentation request for tracking devices 2 and 4 can be made from the data processing device 34 to the server 31. The server 31 checks whether or not the service request made by the data processing device 34 is allowed. If the service request is allowed, then the server 31 retrieves from the database 33 information for the tracking devices 2 and 4 defined in the service request for the time period specified in the service request. The server 31 processes the measurement data, and transmits the processed data to the data processing device 34. The data processing unit 34 may either be a data processing device or a third-party data processing device having the right to monitor the performance of the person 3 used by a family member or friend.

10

Figure 4a shows an example of a dog movement pattern shown in a tracking system according to the invention. The floor plan of apartment 40 is created by some prior art graphic drawing program. For example, by moving the dog tracking device 2 in the apartment 40, the dimensions of the floor plan are calibrated to the measuring data of the tracking device by means of a measuring-15 holder.

In the example of Figure 4a, the tracking of a pet 1, for example a dog, begins at point 41. Line 43 depicts the movement of the dog in the apartment 40 for the selected time interval. Preferably, line 43 is modified in such a way that the movement of the dog at different times can be represented. For example, the movement time can preferably be encoded with different colors or line shapes. For example, bright red can depict activity history from the last 15 minutes, yellow history from 15 to 60 minutes, green history from 1 to 3 hours, etc. Using coding procedures gives a clear picture of the dog's movements at different times.

25

Reference 42 describes the location of the most recent measurement. Reference 44 may be used, for example, to describe locations where the dog has barked or otherwise sounded for one reason or another. Reference 45 describes the place where the dog has rested. If the measured resting position 45 is normal for the dog in question, the known resting position 45 30 can be used to calibrate the measurement data of the dog's motion from the 3D accelerometer as the dog moves after resting. This avoids any possible measurement error caused by the turning of the 3D sensor and the inaccuracy of the acceleration measurement during dog rest.

Figure 4b shows an example of a person 3 moving pattern shown in the tracking system of the invention in the same apartment where the pet movement is shown in figure 4a.

17

In the example of Figure 4b, the tracking of person 3 is started at point 45. The line 43b depicts the movement of person 3 in the apartment 40 for the selected time interval. Preferably, line 43b is modified in such a way that the movement of a person at different times can be represented as described above.

5

Reference 47 describes the person's visit to the toilet. Reference 48 describes a person's activity in the kitchen. Reference 49 describes a place where a person has rested or otherwise spent long periods of time. Position 49 may be, for example, a chaise lounge.

By combining the movement and interaction points of Figures 4a and 4b, a near real-time view of the functions and operational condition of the person 3 is obtained. The server 31 belonging to the monitoring system is able to use the tracking data to determine whether the performance of the person 3 is reduced to such an extent that it necessarily requires the presence of someone.

15

Figure 4c depicts the movement of human 46 and dog 41 as a function of time in the apartment 40 shown in Figures 4a and 4b. The flow chart in Figure 4c can advantageously record the time on the paths 43b and 43 of the person 46 and pet 41 at certain intervals. at the time of the moment 10.07.10. At the time of 10.07.40 person is at 48b located in the kitchen. Correspondingly, at 10.07.10, dog 41 has awakened to the movement of 46. Dog 41 is also in the kitchen at 10.07.40, tracking 46 activities. Preferably, the human and pet motion sequences of the recorded data can be viewed as easily reproducible animations.

For example, when using neural network computing, parameters such as current, previous (e.g., 10-second history) position coordinates, motion directions and velocities, physiological measurements of the person 46, companion, and / or pet 41 are searched for parameters. By gradually allowing the neural network to organize (learn), for example, for a month to recognize normal daily routines, it becomes sensitive to abnormal situations and can thus trigger alarms.

35

Figure 5 shows an exemplary flow chart of the main functions performed by the tracking device 2 or 4 during tracking. In the following description, only reference number 2 is used when referring to the tracking device, although the tracking device 18 is also concerned. In step 50, the tracking device 2 is activated. The tracking device 2 can be activated, for example, by switching the tracking device 2 on by a switch on the tracking device. As a result of activating the tracking device 2, at least the 3D acceleration measurement is triggered by 51 tracking devices. During activation, the position of the tracking device 5 2 in the used floor plan coordinate system of the apartment is preferably calibrated.

Thereafter, the tracking device 2 continuously measures the accelerations in three orthogonal dimensions.

In step 52, the processor unit 21 of the tracking device 2 calculates, by means of two successive 3D motion measurements 10, how much and in what direction the tracking device 2 has moved between these measurements. In step 53, the calculated position information is stored in memory 23 of tracking device 2.

Step 54 checks whether the stored measurement data is transmitted via base station 11 15 to the computer 17. If it is determined in step 54 that no recording is made at this stage, proceed to step 55 to check whether another measurement for person 3 or pet 1 is required. If it is determined in step 55 that no other measurements are performed, the process returns to step 51, after which a new acceleration measurement is performed.

20

If it is found in step 55 that measurements other than 3D motion measurement are made, the process moves to step 58. In step 58, the other specified measurements are made and their results stored in the memory 23 of the tracking device 2.

Other possible measurements include, for example, various vital signs, target position information, gestural and facial measurements, target sound, and limb movements.

During recording, a time link is established between the other measured measurement data and the nearest 30 motion measurement data. By doing so, the computed position data and other measurement data can be presented in correct temporal proportions later. After recording, the tracking process returns to step 51 where a new 3D motion measurement is performed.

If it is found in step 54 that the measurement data stored in the memory 23 of the tracking device 2 is transferred to the computer 17, the process is branched to step 56. The communication may be initiated at certain intervals, when storage 23 memory is full or by command from the computer 17. In step 56, the measurement data stored in the memory 23 of the tracking device 2 19 is transmitted via the tracking arrangement base station 11 to the computer 17.

After the data transfer has been made, in step 57 it is checked whether the monitoring is still in active mode 5 or not. If the measurement is still in active mode, the process returns to step 51 where a new 3D motion measurement is performed.

If it is determined in step 57 that it is no longer necessary to perform monitoring, then the tracking device 2 is closed in step 59. Preferably, the closing can be accomplished by sending a command from the computer 17 to the tracking device 2. Preferably, the received shutdown instruction is executed after the first communication step 56 which is executed after the monitoring end command sent by the computer 17.

Figure 6 shows an exemplary flowchart of the main steps of the tracking process of the computer 17 and the server 15 during object tracking. In step 60, the tracking program on the computer 17 is activated. In active mode, the computer 17 can receive and transmit data from either the server / server 31 or the tracking device / tracking device 2 or 4.

In step 61, the measurement data in the memory 23 of the tracking device 2 or 4 is transferred to the computer 17. The communication may be initiated either by the computer 17 or by the tracking device.

In step 62, the measurement data received from the tracking device 2 or 4 is stored in the memory of the communication device 25. After the received measurement data is stored, in step 63 it is checked whether or not the stored measurement data is transferred to the server 31. If check 63 results in the measurement data not being transferred to the server 31 at this point, the computer returns to step 61 to await the next transmission of measurement data from the tracking devices 2 and 4.

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If the check in step 63 results in the transfer of the measurement data to the server 31, then in step 64 the computer 17 establishes a communication link over the Internet to the server 31.

35 In step 70, the computer 17 transmits the last stored measurement data to a server 31 which receives the measurement data. In step 71, the server 31 stores the measurement data in the database 33. The server then preferably checks whether a monitoring or evaluation request exists for the stored measurement data. If no monitoring or evaluation request is made, the server process proceeds to step 78, where the stored measurement data is neither processed nor displayed to outsiders.

If it is found in step 72 that at least one tracking request has been made for the tracking devices 2 and 4 from which the measurement data was received, then the process proceeds to step 73. In step 73, the tracking parameters are checked or set. Examples of monitoring parameters are the monitoring interval, position data, and some physiological measurement result, such as body temperature or heart rate.

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In step 74, the server retrieves from database 33 the measurement data for the selected monitoring devices 2 and 4 and the selected monitoring / evaluation parameters. In step 75, the server 31 processes the measurement data with a suitable computer program such that the measurement data retrieves information about selected parameters. If necessary, position and direction calibration is performed on the measurement data based on the last observed resting position before sending the measurement data to the data processing device 34.

In step 76, the processed tracking information is sent over the Internet to the data processing device that has made an approved tracking request. The processed tracking data 20 is transmitted in a ready-made format to the requesting data processing device 34.

After processing and presenting the information, next, in step 77, it is checked whether any of the tracking requests for tracking devices 2 and 4 are still valid. If there is no longer a missed monitoring request, the process moves to step 78, where the measurement data in database 33 is not currently being utilized.

Fig. 7 is an exemplary flowchart of Fig. 6 illustrating the main software functions performed by the server in step 75 30 in the case where it is desired to compare the latest measurement data with the long-term average data, for example, to generate an alarm

In step 751, a check is made to see if any evaluation parameter comparison te-35 kernel is provided. The evaluation parameter can be, for example, monitoring of interactions in the apartment based on measurement data or monitoring of physiological measurement data or a combination thereof. If no comparison request is made, in step 752, the measurement data retrieved from the database 33 is processed into a suitable form for the data processing device 21 34. In step 753, the processed data is sent to a data processing device 34 for presentation.

If, at step 751, it is determined that at least a request for comparison evaluation parameter 5 has been requested, then proceed to step 754. Step 754 compares the latest monitoring information of the selected evaluation parameter, for example, with a long-term average or conclusions using a neural network.

In step 755, a decision is made as to whether or not the observed difference between the last-10 most recent measurements and the long-term monitoring results in an alarm monitoring entity. If the difference resulting from the comparison does not either exceed or fall below a threshold value set for a particular tracking parameter, no alert is sent. In this situation, the process moves to step 753, where the existing measurement information can be sent to the data processing device 34 that made the tracking request. Once the measurement information 15 has been sent, the process proceeds to step 76 of Figure 6.

If the neural network is utilized in decision-making in step 755, the neural network in use can be trained to provide an alarm in step 755 when a certain combination of threshold values set for the evaluation parameters is not met. Fulfillment of threshold 20 may mean exceeding or falling below a predetermined interaction parameter, or different combinations of said thresholds.

If, as a result of the comparison, at step 755, it is determined that the difference value obtained is above or below the threshold set for at least one estimation parameter, the alarm is generated. In step 756, the measurement data to be sent to the data processing device 34 requesting the tracking request is accompanied by information which evaluation parameter describing the interaction or physiological measurements does not meet predefined thresholds. When the alarm is connected to the measurement data to be transmitted, the process proceeds to step 76 of Figure 30.

All process steps of the interactive activity monitoring process shown in Figures 5-7 may be implemented by computer program instructions executed in a suitable general purpose processor or special processor. The computer program instructions may be stored on computer readable media, such as a data disk or memory, from which the processor may retrieve and execute said computer program instructions. References to computer-readable media may also include, for example, special components such as programmable USB Flash 22 memories, logic networks (FPLAs), client-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and signal processors (DSPs).

Some preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus of the invention have been described above. The invention is not limited to the solutions just described, but the inventive idea can be applied in numerous ways within the scope of the claims. In addition, the invention is not limited to monitoring the interaction between a human and a single pet, but may also replace two or more pets whose interaction with the individual is monitored individually or together.

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Claims (13)

A method for evaluating a person's (3) activity and functionality via a data transmission network (30), in which method 5 - measuring (50-56) with a first wireless monitoring device (4) activity information for a person (3) which is monitored in real time - stores (56, 61-64, 70-71) the activity information about the person in a database (33), which is accessible via a data transfer network, and stores (73- 75) a description of the person's activity history that can be displayed via the data transmission network from the activity information stored in the database, the description of which is displayed (76) on the screen of a data processing apparatus (34), characterized in that to evaluate the person's (3) functional ability comprises: the requirement that 15 meters (50-56) with a second wireless monitoring device (2) activity information for a person's (3) pets (1) monitored in real time - select (751) tone an evaluation parameter included in the activity information describing the interaction of the person (3) and the pet (1) to be used in the evaluation of activity and functional ability 20 - compare (754) short-term measurement information of the evaluation parameter describing the interaction with a corresponding long-term monitoring parameter transmits (756) information on the basis of the comparison regarding change in the person's (3) activity and ability to at least one data processing apparatus (34), if the tolerance value set for the evaluation parameter describing alternators cannot be fulfilled. c3 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, as an evaluation parameter for the person's (3) activity and functional ability, at least one of the following monitoring parameters included in both the person's (3) and the domestic animal's (1) activity information is used: the person's (3) lane (43b) ooh movement, pet owner (1) lane (43) ooh movement (43), speed of movement, sound (44), body c3 temperature and heartbeat. tn o ^ 35 Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the measurement values of the selected evaluation parameter from the selected measurement period are compared with the corresponding long-term average value for the evaluation parameter. 28 4. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that the measurement values of the selected evaluation parameter from the selected measurement period are analyzed with a neuronal network, which has learned the measurement signal values related to the person's (3) and the pet's (1) corresponding regular interaction events. 5 5. Evaluation arrangements for a person's (3) activity and functionality, comprising - an at least partially wireless data transmission network (15, 16, 18, 30, 36) - a first wireless monitoring device (4) comprising means for defining a person's (3) real-time transfer and activities and means for creating a data transfer connection to a wireless data transmission network (15) - means (2, 17, 31) for storing the person's (3) location information and activity information in the database (33) which is available through the data transmission network (30) and means (31) for processing information stored in the database (33) for a description of the activity history of the person (3) which can be displayed via the data transmission network, the description of which is arranged to be displayed on a data transmission network. data processing apparatus screen (34), characterized in that the evaluation arrangement comprises: - a second wireless monitoring device (2), comprising means for defining a person's (3) pet's (1) real-time movement and activity as well as means for creating a data transmission connection to a wireless data transmission network (15) means (2, 17, 31) for storing the pet's (1) location information and activity information in the database (33) available through the data transmission network (30) - means for selecting at least one evaluation parameter describing the interaction of the person (3) and the pet (1), to be used in evaluating the person (3) activity and functional ability ^ means for comparing short-term measurement information for the evaluation parameter ° describing the interaction with corresponding long-term measurement information and o-means for transmitting information found on the basis of the comparison, which describes a change in the person's (3) activity and functional ability, til at least x a data processing apparatus (34), if the tolerance value set for evaluation the inertia parameter describing the interaction is not met. o CM CM Activity evaluation and performance evaluation arrangement according to claim 35, characterized in that the evaluation parameter for the activity (3) of the person (3) is at least one of the following monitoring parameters included in the activity information of the person (3) and the pet (1): the person 29 ( 3) route (43b) and movement, pet (1) path (43) and movement (43), speed of movement, sound (44), body temperature and heartbeat. Evaluation arrangement for activity and functional capacity according to claim 5, characterized in that the measurement values of the selected evaluation parameter from the selected measurement period are arranged to be compared with the corresponding long-term average value for the evaluation parameter. Evaluation arrangement for activity and ability according to claim 10, characterized in that the measurement values of the selected evaluation parameter from the selected measurement period are arranged to be analyzed with a neuronal network, which has been measured measuring signal values related to the person's (3) and the domestic animal. interaction events. A server (31), comprising - means for receiving activity information transmitted from the monitoring device (4) of the person (3), which activity information comprises the person's real-time location information and at least one information describing the person's functional means for storing the received activity information in the database (33) - means for processing the activity information stored in the database (33) into a description of the person's (3) activity history that can be displayed via the data transmission network, which description is arranged to be displayed on a data processing apparatus (34) screen, characterized in that the server (31) comprises: means for receiving activity information transmitted from the person's (3) pet monitor (1) monitoring device (2), which activity information comprises the pet's residence time information and at least an information describing the pet's ac - § tivity in oo 30 - means to choose the right at least one evaluation parameter included in the Activity x story, describing the interaction of the person (3) and the pet (1), to be used in evaluating the person's (3) activity and functional ability cm - means for comparing short-term measurement information for the evaluation parameter o describing the interaction with corresponding long-term measurement information and 35. means for transmitting information found on the basis of the comparison, which describes a change in the person's (3) activity and ability, to at least one data processing apparatus (34), if the tolerance value set for the evaluation parameter describing the interaction is not met. 30 Server according to claim 9, characterized in that the evaluation parameter for the activity (3) of the person (3) is at least one of the following parameters included in both the activity information of the person (3) and the pet (1): the path (43b) of the person (3) and movement. the path (43) of the pet (1) and movement (43), speed of movement, sound (44), body temperature and heartbeat. Server according to claim 9, characterized in that the measurement values of the selected evaluation parameter from the selected measurement period are arranged to be compared in the server with the corresponding long-term average value for the evaluation parameter. 12. Server according to claim 9, characterized in that the measurement values of the selected evaluation parameter from the selected measurement period are arranged to be analyzed with a neuron network included in the server, which is the measurement signal values which relate to the person (3) and the pet ( 1) common exchange rate chance events. Computer program product, characterized in that it comprises computer program code means stored in a storage device readable by a computer, which code tools are arranged to perform all steps in any method defined in claims 1-4 where said program is run in the computer. δ CM CD O 00 CM X cc CL O CM CM LO O δ CM