WO2009109642A1

WO2009109642A1 - Emergency call system

Info

Publication number: WO2009109642A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/052636
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sven-Erik Carlson; Pascal Stübi; Pascal Koenig
Original assignee: Faaros Ag
Priority date: 2008-03-07
Filing date: 2009-03-05
Publication date: 2009-09-11

Abstract

An emergency call device (1), comprising an element for triggering and/or forwarding an alarm or emergency call, is characterized by a watch (3) or a bracelet. Said device can transmit manually or automatically triggered alarms by mobile radio communication or a publicly or comprehensively accessible WLAN network to an external site. In addition, voice contact is enabled by a speaker that is integrated in the device and a microphone. The emergency call device works independently of a communication box and is therefore completely mobile. False alarms are prevented by way of different mechanisms. Intelligent power management enables a battery operating time of months or years, despite the integrated mobile radio communication or WLAN module.

Description

emergency call system

The present invention relates to an emergency call device and a method for operating an emergency call system for a person by means of an emergency call device.

As a rule, older people as well as those with health problems wish to stay in their own home or apartment for as long as possible. Moving to a retirement home, nursing home or hospital is often considered as a last resort.

The proportion of older people living in their own household is steadily increasing. A large number of the elderly live in a one-person household, in Switzerland, for example, more than 40% of those over 75 years old. Most of these individuals are healthy in themselves and have a high standard of living. Nevertheless, the risk of health or medical complications increases. In summary, it can be stated that due to demographic changes, the proportion of the elderly population is steadily increasing and there is a steady growth in one-person households.

In this context, there is an increasing demand for an emergency call system, by means of which, in particular, single elderly persons can, as needed, organize external assistance as quickly as possible. Various systems for monitoring the health of, for example, seniors and / or triggering an alarm in the event of health problems are known. The highest market share have emergency call systems with an emergency call device in the form of a bracelet, on which a

Emergency call button is arranged. The emergency call device communicates via radio communication with a communication box which is connected to the landline connection of the wearer, and gives this when pressing the emergency button to call the emergency call center. This organizes help and / or informs contact persons who have been specified by the carrier of the emergency call device in advance.

Such emergency call systems are offered by the British company Tunstall, the Swedish Neat Electronics AG, the German Bosch Security Systems and various others worldwide to operators of emergency call centers such as the Swiss Red Cross.

These systems have several disadvantages.

First, they only work in their own home because they are based on a radio link with a relatively short range to the communication box mentioned above. Thus, the emergency call function is not guaranteed outside a certain distance and in any case outside the home.

Second, these systems typically can only trigger manual alarms. The devices typically do not self-detect when the wearer is in distress. Third, vanity systems often do not support these systems and may not be available when needed.

Fourth, there are many false positives. One of the reasons for this is that alarms that are falsely triggered by the wearer are often difficult to cancel. This is because the cancellation is not performed on the device on the wrist, but on the above-mentioned communication box. For older people, who may be poor on their feet, this is problematic and can easily lead to stress and the like. Lead to falls.

Fifth, in an emergency, linguistic communication with an assistant may be difficult as it occurs via the communication box mentioned above. If the user person is too far away or does not speak too much, an agreement is not possible.

Sixth, changes to the emergency call path and the measures provided when an alarm is triggered can typically be carried out exclusively by the emergency call center. In particular, changes in the

Coordinates of relatives can only be carried out with large expenses incurred by the emergency call center.

Seventh, the operation of today's emergency call systems is expensive because the installation, maintenance and uninstallation typically has to be done by technicians on site in the carrier's home. - A -

It is therefore an object of the present invention to propose an emergency call device which does not have the disadvantages described above. A further object of the present invention is to design an emergency call system in such a way that the influenceability by the user person and / or the persons assigned by him can be increased.

According to the invention, an emergency call device according to the wording of claim 1 is proposed.

The emergency call device proposed according to the invention is a watch or a bracelet with at least one touch-sensitive or pressure-sensitive area in or on the watch or on a mounting element of the device, at the touch of which or by means of which an alarm or emergency call can be triggered ,

The proposed device according to the invention may preferably be a wristwatch, which is worn on the wrist. By mechanical operation, such as by pressing on the dial glass or the crown, the emergency call or alarm can be triggered. By pressing on the

Dial glass or the upper part of the bracelet, for example, a sensor (eg mechanical, inductance, capacitance, optical or resistance sensor) are activated, whereby the emergency call is triggered. Alternatively, it is also possible to arrange a so-called touch foil on the dial glass or to operate the crown mechanically. For the transmission of the emergency call, it is envisaged in the inventive device to integrate a mobile or W-LAN (Wireless Local Area Network) - module, by means of which a publicly resp. nationwide accessible network can be accessed. For recording

Voice contact with an external body can be additionally integrated a microphone and a speaker.

Of course, it is possible to arrange the pressure / touch-sensitive area at another point on the watch, the bracelet and / or in the area of the bracelet. Further, it is also possible to use a pocket watch instead of a wristwatch, which is worn, for example, in a breast pocket, in a trouser pocket, on a collar or the like.

The big advantage, a watch or a bracelet as

To use emergency device, is that they are usually worn constantly and not a per se not customary utensil must be worn specially as an emergency call device. In addition, there is an aesthetic or psychological factor in that when wearing such a device external

People should not become aware of the carrying of the emergency call device. The clock resp. The bracelet can be modularized by means of various components such as bracelets, dials, hands, case procurement, etc. and thus individually adapted to the taste of the customer. With this design, the stigmatization of today's products can be broken.

According to one embodiment of the invention, it may also be useful that in the clock or the Mounting member is provided at least one sensitive to acceleration and / or rest organ, by means of which it can be determined whether the carrier of the emergency call device has fallen and / or whether the carrier is absolutely silent, such as in the case of unconsciousness. Also, a sensor for pulse measurement or the measurement of other physiological parameters may be provided to detect irregularities.

In order to avoid false or unintentionally generated emergency calls according to a further embodiment of the carrier has the ability to prevent the alarm for a certain time, such as for 20 seconds after triggering. During this time, for example, the wearer may press on the dial glass or the crown to prevent the distress call from being sent. The triggering of the emergency call can be further optically, acoustically, mechanically and / or tactile displayed by the dial lights, a beep or. an acoustic message is activated, the device vibrates and / or a part of the device protrudes. Thus, the wearer also has the opportunity to determine whether in the case of a false alarm, the ligation was successful or not.

To prevent the emergency device, which is not worn, generates an emergency call, for example because it is still, the sensor is only taken into account or the sensor is active only when, for example, the bracelet is closed as if it is on the arm of Carrier is mounted. For the transmission of the emergency call signal in the watch, the bracelet or in the mounting element such as the bracelet, a mobile phone or wireless module is provided to communicate the signal to the outside. By mobile telephony or mobile or a public resp. The alarm can be transmitted across the entire area to an external control center, to relatives or to a so-called web application. It is also possible to hold a conversation with the wearer via a built-in microphone and a loudspeaker.

Thus, the cause of the emergency call can be clarified in many cases and the assistance can be optimized. Unlike today's systems, the communication does not take place via a separate device, which is often not within immediate reach, but directly via an on-body, location-independent device. This significantly simplifies and improves communication.

In addition to the mobile communications infrastructure, the longer the number of wireless LAN networks that are open to the public (partially financed by the public sector, such as cities), the longer they emerge. Moreover, it is possible to merge private Wi-Fi networks together. Such W-LAN networks allow location independence and are just like mobile for the described application.

Also conceivable is a mobile-based emergency call device in which all available network providers can be accessed (roaming). This can be done, for example, by using a foreign SIM card, by accessing the official emergency number of a country, or by Special arrangements have been made with a network operator.

Also conceivable is a mobile-based emergency call device, in which the SIM card is reduced to the chip size, is present as an SMD component or is already present in the mobile radio module ("SIM on chip") in order to save space.

For the application described, it is critical to provide sufficient acoustics for the target group and nevertheless achieve high miniaturization. For this purpose, the loudspeaker can be installed in the lower part of, for example, a convex housing or in the "Distributed Mode" watchglass, in order to avoid acoustic feedback, suitable feedback-canceling methods can be used, as far as possible placing the microphone away from the microphone

Speaker, a good decoupling of the two components within the housing, or a combination of these techniques are provided. Furthermore, operation in both simplex and duplex mode is possible. It is also possible to adjust the volume automatically via the

Ambient noise levels or remotely via DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency), SMS (Short Message Service) or other data transmission techniques. The loudspeaker can be optimized via Helmholtz resonators in certain frequency ranges. any

Casing openings can be sealed with membranes.

For aesthetic reasons, the clock resp. keep the bracelet as small as possible. At the same time is a simple one Operation central for an emergency call system. The frequent charging cycles typical of today's wireless and wireless LAN-based devices are unreasonable for a good portion of the target audience. An intelligent power management is therefore absolutely central for reasons of device size as well as operation.

Today's transmission modules require relatively much power even in stand-by mode. In order to keep the power consumption of all these organs and sensors as low as possible, it is advantageous if in normal operation all modules - with the exception of the clock display - are disabled. In particular, the mobile or W-LAN module responsible for the external transmission of the emergency call signal can be deactivated or switched off in normal operation or operated in the power saving mode. It is conceivable to couple a mechanical pushbutton directly to the transmission module or to use a separate microcontroller with minimal power consumption for the control. There is at most the possibility of the mobile resp. To activate the W-LAN module at periodic intervals outside of the alarm case for test purposes. Further, the wearer may be periodically prompted to acknowledge his well-being - for example, to acknowledge a daily audible message. Such a message can be time configured and / or made dependent on motion algorithms to prevent it from being triggered at unfavorable times. Furthermore, such an acknowledgment can be done automatically, eg due to movement measurements, acoustic signals such as toilet flushing, etc.

Further preferred embodiments of the emergency call device according to the invention are characterized in the dependent claims.

Further proposed is a method for operating an emergency call system for a person by means of an emergency call device in accordance with the wording according to claim 16.

It is proposed that the wearer can trigger an emergency call, which is transmitted to an external center. The emergency call, if it is not subsequently switched off again manually by the carrier, is transmitted from the mobile radio module or W-LAN module installed in the device to a control center.

The dialed telephone number or the server, which depends on W-LAN resp. Cellular module is contacted, belongs to the organization, which operates the emergency call system to which the carrier or the emergency call device is connected. The emergency call is to a preferably automated

Switchboard (virtually over the Internet or physically) directed. When incoming emergency, the carrier of the control panel is automatically detected immediately uniquely by his phone number or login data (W-Lan), since for each carrier person in the center, the corresponding data stored or stored. The wearer of the emergency call device and / or his / her assigned relatives can always influence the way in which the emergency call is to be processed by the control center. This can happen through instructions to the organization or preferably directly - without the intervention of the organization - via an entry on a dedicated web page.

The carrier of the emergency call device and / or his assigned family members can specify when signing the contract or also on an ongoing basis which telephone numbers or which

In the event of an emergency call signal, or what measures are to be taken. Typically, an attempt is first made to contact the family and / or neighbors before the emergency call is processed by the organization's help center as the last instance.

Technically speaking, the incoming telephone call in the central office is first redirected to the first helper, if unsuccessful to the second, if unsuccessful to the third, etc. until a connection to a person or a

Organization, the central office can keep in touch with the carrier and keep the carrier informed through automated messages. These can either be communicated to the wearer acoustically via a loudspeaker on the watch or by displaying, for example, on the dial. Optionally, it is also possible to couple the emergency call device with a hearing aid so that the audio communication with the wearer can take place via the hearing aid. As a variant, it is also conceivable that the center after the incoming emergency call first breaks off the telephone connection with the person in distress carrier and then automatically contacted the auxiliaries according to the list. Once a connection with an assistant is successfully established, the carrier is called back to then join the two parties. This solution has the advantage that lower telephone costs arise on the emergency call device and the call duration is shortened on the emergency call device, which means saving energy on the emergency call device.

It is also advantageous if the center knows why an emergency call has been triggered. Depending on the alarm reason, the alarm path may be different. For example, it may be appropriate for the center to arrange immediate medical assistance without first contacting relatives.

But it is also possible that the emergency call device a direct telephone connection is made to a person without detour via the emergency central server. Thus, for example, by Ix pressing on dial or crown, the connection to the headquarters made by pressing twice directly to a person, such as daughter, son, etc., by pressing 3x to another person, etc. The device has the ability to Operation acoustically support resp. to simplify.

In the event that the carrier can not communicate his location, a more or less precise location may be via GPS, mobile network, W-LAN, motion sensors, wireless access to an independent mobile device, the additional installation of an avalanche seeker-like radio sensor or a combination of these and other methods according to the prior art from the device resp. be made by the organization.

Further preferred embodiments of the inventive method are also dependent

Claims characterized.

The invention will now be explained in more detail by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Showing:

1 schematically in perspective an inventive emergency call device in the form of a wristwatch,

Fig. 2 is a section through the inventive clock

Fig. 3 shows schematically the sequence when triggering an emergency call signal, and

4 schematically shows arrangement examples for triggering a manual alarm.

Fig. 1 shows schematically in perspective a wristwatch 1 as an emergency call device, by means of which an emergency call signal can be triggered externally or generated by a wearer in the case of medical or health problems. The emergency call device has the actual ührkörper 3, with the dial 5, which by means of the bracelet. 9 can be worn on the arm of a wearer. By means of terminal buckle 11 and holes 13 in the bracelet, the emergency device 1 can be attached to the arm of the wearer.

Fig. 2 shows the watch body 3 along the section line I-I. The dial 5 overlapping glass 21 may for example be laterally mounted on pressure-sensitive modules 23 on the watch body. By pressing on the dial glass 21 is now in a switching module 25, which includes a mobile module, the emergency call signal generated, which is delivered to the outside. A battery or a rechargeable battery 27 supplies power to both the sensor system as well as the circuit and the mobile telephone.

Instead of pressing on the glass 21, it is of course also possible to generate the emergency call by pressing on the button 7, which is usually used for the placement of the pointer. It is also possible to provide on the bracelet a pressure-sensitive area, upon actuation of the emergency call is generated. In order to avoid incorrect manipulation of a clock not worn and also to save power, it may be useful that the emergency call device is activated only when wearing the wristwatch. This can be done, for example, that when you close the buckle 11 in the holes 13, the emergency call device is only activated. That means, when not wearing the watch, the emergency call device is switched off. As already mentioned, it is possible to provide additional sensors to determine health problems of the wearer without a pressure actuation takes place on the device. This example, the fall of the wearer by acceleration, Höhenmessung- and / or acoustically responsive sensors are provided, or in the case of unconsciousness and / or death, by controlling by means of a motion sensor, whether the carrier over a certain time in absolute hibernation is located.

Based on Fig. 3, the principle of triggering an emergency call will be explained. If the wearer 31 presses on the emergency call device 1, for example due to discomfort with a finger on the dial glass 21, an emergency call signal 41 is triggered, which is transmitted to a center 43 of an organization, of which the emergency call device 1 of the carrier person 31 is managed. At this center a number of measures or telephone numbers 45 are stored or fixed in a predetermined order Tl, T2, etc., so that the further procedure is automatically triggered upon receipt of the emergency call signal. For example, a first person Pl is contacted by dialing the telephone number T1, which is shown schematically by means of the arrow 47.

If the contact with the person Pl is not successful, the telephone number T2, standing for another person can be selected. If no contact with a person such as relatives or neighbors can be recorded, an employee of the organization (Help Center) will be assigned to handle the emergency call. This person then decides on measures, such as the sending of auxiliary staff.

According to one embodiment, it is possible that the center 43 of the carrier person 31 or their appointed persons of trust at any time by phone or data communication such as SMS, Internet, etc. can be reached and so the measures or the order of the phone list can be influenced at any time. Thus, telephone numbers can be deleted, new ones added, their order changed, etc. This can be used to prevent unnecessarily providing medical assistance if care for the carrier 31 is initially sufficient by relatives or by neighbors.

As already mentioned above, an intelligent power management is necessary for the operation of the emergency call system proposed according to the invention both for reasons of device size and also for operation. Today's transmission modules require relatively much power even in standby mode. In order to keep the power consumption of all these organs and sensors as low as possible, it is advantageous if all modules, with the exception of the clock display are disabled in normal operation. In particular, the responsible for the external transmission of the emergency call signal mobile or W-Lan module can be disabled or switched off in normal operation or in the Power saving mode to be operated. As shown schematically in Figure 4, it is conceivable to couple the trigger mechanism such as a mechanical push button directly to the transmission module, as shown schematically in the arrangement example 1. Or, a separate microcontroller with minimal power consumption is used for the control, as shown schematically in the arrangement example 2. There is also the possibility the mobile resp. Activate the WLAN module outside the alarm period at regular intervals for test or acknowledgment purposes.

Of course, all the features of an emergency call device according to the invention listed in the preceding description are only examples which can be modified, modified or supplemented by further elements. The inventive method is, for example, and can be operated modified. Among other things, it is important or advantageous that the emergency call device is worn in the form of a watch or a bracelet; that the emergency call device functions independently of a communication box and is therefore completely mobile; and that via a built-in speaker and microphone directly speech contact between the wearer and an external body can be made. Furthermore, the alarms can be transmitted to an intelligent control center, which primarily contacts relatives of the person in distress and minimizes the workload for the operating organization.

Claims

claims

1. Emergency call device comprising an organ for triggering or

Forwarding an alarm or emergency call, characterized by a clock (3) or a bracelet with at least one sensitive to touch or pressure area, the touch or pressing the alarm or emergency call can be triggered, as well as for the transmission of the emergency call signal integrated mobile - or W-LAN module, suitable for access to a public resp. nationwide accessible network.

2. Emergency call device according to claim 1, characterized in that for receiving voice contact with an external

In addition, a microphone and a speaker is integrated.

3. Emergency call device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the dial glass of a clock touch-sensitive or pressure-sensitive is such that a signal such as an alarm or emergency call can be triggered on touch or pressure.

4. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the sensor is a mechanical, an inductance, capacitance, optical or resistance sensor.

5. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in the clock, in the mounting element for the clock or bracelet a sensor is provided, which at least one acceleration and / or

Height measurement and / or resting sensitive organ, by means of which it can be determined whether the carrier of the emergency call device falls over or is absolutely silent or no longer moving and based on an automatic alarm can be triggered.

6. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that additional sensors are provided for the detection of one or more of the following parameters of the wearer: heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature, oxygen saturation, with abnormalities an automatic alarm can be triggered.

7. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the pressure range or optionally another pressure range and the sensors are coupled in such a way that an already triggered alarm or an emergency call in a simple manner on the emergency call device is canceled, said If necessary, a combination of visual, acoustic, mechanical and / or tactile signal transmitters are arranged on the emergency call device in order to make the wearer aware of the alarm state.

8. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the volume of loudspeaker and / or microphone is automatically controlled by the ambient noise level and / or remotely via DTMF, SMS or other data transmission techniques.

9. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that in the mounting element of the clock, in particular in the watch band, a switching element is provided to activate or deactivate the sensitive area and / or that a switching element in the Armbandschliessmechanismus is arranged in that the sensitive area or the sensor system is activated when the bracelet is closed and that the sensitive area as well as the sensor system is deactivated when the bracelet is not closed.

10. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the emergency call device via GPS, the

Mobile network, W-LAN, radiolocation, motion sensor, a wireless interface to an external mobile device or a combination thereof can be localized.

11. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the mobile radio module only in an alarm condition and / or a periodically performed Test and / or a periodically performed acknowledgment is active or activatable.

12. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the state of charge of the battery resp. of the battery after one

Emergency call and / or periodically checked, calculable via a voltage measurement or due to a record of use ("Activity Logging"), as soon as a threshold is exceeded, the device automatically outputs a local audible message and / or an external body notified and whereby the device can independently check whether the instruction is followed.

13. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein a rechargeable battery over time by means of "energy harvesting" can be fed, for example via micro-movements, thermoelectrics, or solar cells, wherein the components required for this are arranged inside or on the housing or in the bracelet ,

14. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein a bracelet is provided, which is portable even in humid environments, such as when showering, for example, achieved by the materialization - such as natural rubber, a special such as hydrophobic Surface coating, via perforations and / or a combination thereof.

15. Emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that there is a wireless connection to a hearing aid to allow an external body communication with the wearer of the emergency call device.

16. A method for operating an emergency call system for a person by means of an emergency call device according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the person or the carrier of the emergency call device by pressing a pressure-sensitive area on a clock a mounting element of the clock or on a bracelet Emergency call can be triggered, which is transmitted via a mobile network or a W-LAN to an external center.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that automated when triggering an emergency call in the center according to a predetermined order, for example by pressing one or more times the pressure-sensitive area, telephone numbers are dialed to forward the emergency call to the desired location, in the case a busy line, an answering machine, or a non-acceptance of the call within a particular one Time the call is automatically routed to the next person.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 or 17, characterized in that the list of stored in the emergency call device and / or a central telephone numbers or their order by remote from the lazy person and / or by a person authorized by the carrier at any time, for example by SMS Message, via module radio or W-LAN module,

Internet, etc. can be influenced, changed or started periodically to check whether new data may be available.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that in case of failed contact with a person specified by the carrier person ultimately automatically a constantly busy Call Center is contacted.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that after triggering the emergency call by the center and / or by a contacted telephone number or corresponding person or body, telephone contact or communication (51,53) with the wearer of the Emergency call device is possible.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that the order of the people to be contacted or the measures to be taken may vary depending on the alarm reason.