System for monitoring an inhabited environment

[0001] This invention relates to monitoring activity and behaviour patterns, and in particular to monitoring such activity and behaviour patterns by measuring use of utilities and correlating such use with other indicative activities, or pre-recorded data, to generate an alarm signal.

[0002] The population of the UK, and indeed most of the western world, is changing and the number of older persons is growing substantially. The projected number of people over 65 years of age in Great Britain is projected to increase by over 2 million (30%) from 7.8 million in 1996 to over 10 million in 2021 (Health Education Authority, 1998). In 1996 15% of all British households consisted of a lone person over pensionable age. Many older, infirm or disabled persons prefer to remain in their own homes rather than move to a nursing or residential home despite the probability of needing nursing or domiciliary help being greater among people who live alone (Grundy E, 1997, Population Trends, 84, 14-20). Whilst such older, infirm and disabled persons can in general live in their own homes satisfactorily, emergency situations can arise, where urgent external assistance is required, for example, elderly people living on their own who fall and cannot get up. To deal with this problem, it has become customary to provide older, infirm and disabled persons living in their own homes with alarm call buttons, which when activated call assistance from a call centre, warden, or relative. As both the population and the trend to remain in ones home is growing, the number of persons living at home who may at some point require urgent external assistance is increasing.

[0003] As mentioned above, alarm call buttons for the disabled or elderly to summon assistance are widely used. However, these devices suffer poor compliance; that is their usefulness is severely restricted as they are infrequently carried or worn due to the user either being unwilling to carry and use the alarm, or simply forgetting to carry the device. If the user cannot activate the alarm in an emergency it is useless.

[0004] In an attempt to overcome the shortcomings of alarm call buttons, so-called Smart homes are being developed, which use a number of sensors and switches around the home to detect person movement and activity. Such systems have full compliance as the person need only be in the environment for the system to monitor their activity and initiate an alarm call when an abnormal situation requiring assistance is detected. The problems with these systems are the complexity and cost associated with the many components, as well as their installation and commissioning.

[0005] Another known means of generating an emergency alarm signal monitors the activity of a person within a dwelling by monitoring the use of water in that dwelling. If water is not used for a pre-determined period, indicating a degree of incapacitation of the occupant, an alarm is raised.

[0006] In United Kingdom patent no 1,446,568 there is described a water supply system of a residence having a warning system. Flow of water into the dwelling is measured continuously. If there is no flow of water into the dwelling for period of more than ten hours, emergency assistance is assumed to be required, and an alarm call is raised.

[0007] In United Kingdom patent application no 2,151,383 and United Kingdom patent application no 2,324,183 there are also described detection devices which monitor flow of water into a dwelling, and raise an alarm call in the absence of water flow during a specified period.

[0008] United Kingdom patent application no 2,343,040 describes a person inactivity alarm system which monitors the flow of water into a dwelling, and the movement of a person in the dwelling, in bed asleep. An alarm call is raised if water has not been used for a predetermined period, and the person is not asleep in bed.

[0009] United Kingdom patent application no 2,348,726 describes the use of sensors arranged on furniture to monitor the activity of a person in a dwelling. In the absence of activity, an alarm call is raised.

[0010] WO 01/63578 describes a device, which senses current used by a device such as a television set, identifies abnormal behaviour patterns and raises an alarm call.

[0011] The known devices for monitoring utilities (water, electricity etc) and raising an alarm call after a period of abnormal use are crude devices. The invention therefore seeks to provide an improved monitor and alarm device.

[0012] The invention provides a monitor system for monitoring an environment inhabited by an occupant as specified in claim 1.

[0013] Another aspect of the invention provides a computer program for operating the monitor system of the invention as specified in claim 22.

[0014] In the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of a monitor system for monitoring an environment inhabited by an occupant according to the invention:

[0015] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a living environment monitored with a system according to the invention;

[0016] FIG. 2 is a layout diagram of a monitor system according to the invention;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the algorithmic steps executed by the software of the system of the invention.

[0018] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a plan view of a dwelling 20 having a front exit door 21 and a back exit door 22. Each door is equipped with a switch 5 which is closed when the door is closed and open when the door is open, or vice versa. The dwelling 20 comprises a living room 23, a bedroom 24, a bathroom 25, kitchen 26 and a hall 27. A motion sensor 6 is also located in the vicinity of each of the exit doors 21, 22. Motion sensor detect movement of objects, namely people, in the room, and in this example each motion detector is arranged to detect motion in the immediate vicinity of the exit doors 21, 22.

[0019] The dwelling 20 has a water supply 28. A water meter 7 is installed inside the house to meter water entering the dwelling 20 before any branching or water usage occurs, for example to the kitchen where a washing machine 10 is located, and the bathroom 25, where water consuming devices in the form of a sink 11, a toilet 12, and a bath 13 are located. The water meter 7 can be any type of water meter equipped with signal generating means for generating an electric or electronic signal indicative of water use. The signal from the water meter 7 may allow determination of water usage through variables such as volumetric flow rate, duration of flow and volume of water used.

[0020] The controller may include means to shut-off the mains water supply, if a continuous flow of water indicative of for example, an over flowing bath, is detected.

[0021] Referring now to FIG. 2, an activity and behavioural monitor and alarm device includes a controller 1 having a plurality of inputs including the outputs of an alarm raise switch 2, a remote control signal receiver 15, a door switch 5, a motion detector 6, a water meter 7 an alarm reset switch 9, and a system de-activation switch 16. The controller 1 further includes a plurality of outputs including an alarm warning means 8, and an alarm call raising means in the form of a telephone link 4.

[0022] The controller 1 also mounts a number of the devices from which it receives inputs, namely the alarm reset button 9, the alarm raise button 2, and the infra red receiver unit 15.

[0023] A remote control device 3 can active the manually operable functions of the device 1, namely the alarm reset and the raise alarm functions. The remote control 3 sends a signal to the remote control signal receiver 15, from which an electronic signal is transmitted to a micro-processor of the controller 1. The remote control device 3 could take the form of a pendant, a wristband or a hand-held remote control device.

[0024] The input devices of the controller 1, i.e. the raise alarm button 2, door switch 5, the motion detector 6, the water meter 7 having a means of generating an electrical or electronic signal representative of water consumption, the remote control receiver 15, are well known to those skilled in the art, and will therefore not be described in any greater detail in this specification.

[0025] The data processing software may be stored in any machine readable form. For example, the software may be embodied on a record medium such as a compact disc, stored in a computer memory, embodied in a read-only memory, or carried on an electrical signal.

[0026] In use, when a water consuming device is activated, for example the toilet 12, the water meter 7 generates a signal indicating water consumption. At the same time the switches 5 generate signals indicating that the doors 21, 22 are either open or closed, and the motion sensors 6 generate signals indicating movement or absence of movement within the house in the vicinity of the exit doors. These signals are received by the controller 1.

[0027] The controller includes data storage means and data processing means, including a microprocessor and data processing software. The inputs to the controller are received by the micro-processor and analysed by the software. The controller may be programmed with the respective characteristic water consumptions associated with typical household activities (referred to hereinafter as signatures). For example, toilet flushing, bathing, showering, teeth cleaning, face washing, hand washing, clothes washing, dish washing, vegetable washing, garden watering, kettle filling, pan filling, bucket filling, cooking, drinking and so on. Each signature can be identified as a water use requiring the presence of a person in the environment, for example teeth cleaning, or a water use which does not necessarily require the presence of a person in the environment, for example cloths washing, where a washing machine may be switched on automatically when no one is present in the environment.

[0028] In use, as the controller 1 monitors water consumption, actual water consumption is compared against the programmed water consumption signatures. If the measured water consumption is within an acceptable threshold of the programmed signature for a device, then the software identifies the water use as being that of the matched signature, for example filling a kettle.

[0029] The software analyses actual water consumption and its pattern and frequency of consumption. The software identifies the type of water usage in the manner described above, and then analyses the frequency of specific signatures, for example teeth cleaning, and compares this with the recorded data for typical frequency of teeth cleaning for the occupants of the environment. If the patterns and frequency deviate beyond programmed limits, which may indicate a problem with the occupants health then external support can be advised.

[0030] As previously mentioned, the controller 1 also receives inputs from switches 5 and motion sensors 6. By monitoring the outputs of the switches 5 and motion sensors 6, more sophisticated automatic alarm signalling can be achieved. Most persons leave any given environment by one exit, if they are leaving that environment for an extended duration. A motion sensor 6 in the vicinity of the door 21, and a switch 5 associated with the door 21, enable the system to recognise that a person has left the environment. The controller 1 receives an input from the motion sensor 6 by the door 21 indicating motion in that area. The door is then opened causing the controller 1 to receive an output from the switch 5 indicating that the door 21 is open. As the person exits the environment through the door, the motion sensor 6 behind the door ceases to sense motion, and its output to the controller 1 changes. The person having exited the environment through the door 21 closes the door, thereby changing the status of the switch 5, and its output to the controller 1. If a person remains in the property the alarm will be immediately reset by water usage.

[0031] The system records water use, and whilst in the circumstances of a person leaving the environment as described above, the alarm is disabled if no one remains in the environment, the controller continues to record any water use, for example a washing machine or dishwasher may have been set off prior to the person leaving the environment, or be timed to switch on whilst the person is out. The system may therefore collect data on both water usage and house occupancy.

[0032] The system therefore monitors water usage over time, in order to generate the alarm signal. If the monitor recognises that the environment is occupied but water usage has ceased for an abnormal period of time, indicating that the occupant of the environment may have come to harm, for example, he or she may have fallen over, an alarm condition is reached. The software of the controller then generates an output to activate the alarm 8 to alert occupants to the alarm condition. The alarm 8 may comprise a visual, audio or vibration device, or other known alarm devices such as systems for alerting deaf people. If a false alarm situation has arisen, the occupants may then reset the system using a reset button 9. This is another means of reducing the number of false alarms being communicated externally. If the alarm warning is not reset after a short period of time, the software generates an alarm call via the telephone connection 4 to a source of help, for example a warden, a family member, or call centre. The alarm warning 8 and reset button 9 could be incorporated into a remote control 3.

[0033] By providing the controller 1 with a telephone connection 4, remote access to the system can be gained, thereby permitting remote checking of the device, updating device software and downloading data gathered by the controller.

[0034] In addition to raising an alarm call in the event of an accident, the system can also be used to monitor possible deterioration in health of the occupant of the environment. Certain patterns of water usage, for example bathing less frequently, or changes in drinking water consumption are indicative of failing health. The data collected by the system can therefore be analysed by health professionals to assist in the diagnosis of health deterioration to identify patterns of behaviour indicative of failing health. The software may be programmed to highlight patterns of water usage indicative of behaviour indicative of failing health. The controller 1 could be programmed to automatically raise such problems with external support, such as the occupant's doctor, via the telephone connection 4. Equally, the controller may be interrogated in situ, and any relevant data view and/or downloaded for examination by a suitable health professional.

[0035] It is possible to fine tune the system's alarm response, and report generation by providing the facility for the software to statistically analyse the data continuously received by the system in real-time. The software is programmed to establish a statistical distribution of water usage in an environment. In the case of an alarm to indicate the an occupant is in danger, the software generates an alarm signal when the time between water uses in an occupied environment approaches a threshold value, for example the 95^th percentile value. Alternatively, the software may generate an alarm signal when, in an occupied environment, the time elapsed since the last water use equals the mean time between water uses plus the standard deviation.

[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates the steps performed by the software in operation of the system of the invention.

[0037] The invention provides a system for monitoring an inhabited environment which is much more sensitive than the known prior art devices which monitor utility consumption in order to identify situations where the occupant of the environment is in danger, yet which is significantly simpler and therefore less costly to install than the so called smart systems of the prior art which monitor individual utility consuming devices.