WO2010029423A2

WO2010029423A2 - Device for determining and signaling the presence of a body mass and corresponding system comprising a plurality of such devices

Info

Publication number: WO2010029423A2
Application number: PCT/IB2009/006810
Authority: WO
Inventors: Diego Albertini; Giovanni Battista De Margaritis
Original assignee: Diego Albertini
Priority date: 2008-09-10
Filing date: 2009-09-08
Publication date: 2010-03-18
Also published as: ITBZ20080033A1; WO2010029423A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for determining and signalling the presence of a body mass in a defined position, enabling information on the presence of a person in a defined position to be readily available. Said device comprises at least one deformable hollow body (1), an appliance (3; 16) sensitive to pressure changes, an analysis appliance (4), at least one transmission appliance (6), and at least one alarm appliance (11). The hollow body (1) contains a substance that is compressed under the weight of the body mass. The appliance (3; 16) sensitive to pressure changes determines the presence or absence of pressure changes inside the hollow body (1) and emits a signal. The analysis appliance (4) analyses and identifies said signal and optionally emits a warning signal according to the result of the analysis. The transmission appliance (6) receives the warning signal and transmits it to the alarm appliance (11) which emits an alarm signal. The invention also relates to a corresponding system, comprising a plurality of devices according to the invention. Said system also comprises a computer/server (10), a plurality of personal appliances (12) for receiving the warning signal, and a transmission line (9) for the warning signals, and enables the determination and the signaling of the body mass in a plurality of different positions.

Description

DEVICE FOR DETERMINING AND SIGNALING THE PRESENCE OF A PHYSICAL MAS SE AND CORRESPONDING S OLD DEVICES UMFAS SENDES SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a device for the detection and the signaling of the presence of a physical mass in a certain place, at a certain moment and for a certain period of time. The invention further relates to a corresponding system comprising a plurality of such devices for detecting and signaling the presence of a body mass at a plurality of different specific locations. A preferred area of application of the invention is the hospital area and, in general, the area of care of the sick and / or non-self-sufficient persons who have to spend a lot of time in the bed, in which case the device for detecting and signaling the presence thereof People serve in their bed. In this regard, it should be noted that leaving your own bed can be both voluntary and unwanted, that is, the person has fallen off the bed. The need to constantly monitor the presence of such a person, from the newborn to the elderly, is well known, and it is equally well known that this information can sometimes be of crucial importance in maintaining the health of the individual, with the result that Need will always provide the necessary information as to the presence of the person in their bed to have .

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device which is suitable for immediately alerting a responsible person that the person has moved away from their bed or similar place, the device being easy to use, very reliable and easy to use should be inexpensive.

This object is achieved by a device comprising the features of claim 1, which enables the information to be obtained in a safe and instantaneously signaled manner, with the most suitable means and where it would be more appropriate.

The device according to the invention comprises the possibility of being connected to various devices which characterize their multiple applications, such as automatic or planned and programmable and automated commissioning with management of the alarm concerning unauthorized use of the bed or other possibility the delivery of a presignal at a constant pressure for a certain period of time, for one minute, two minutes, etc.

Moreover, the fiction, me se device geignet to be installed in jem household, since it is easy to trasportieren and install. The deformable hollow body is easily rolled or folded and the electrical-electronic devices rule, thanks to the small dimensions, easily be arranged in the same single packaging and finally i st its total weight very small. Moreover, the simplicity of the construction of the invention makes it suitable for low production Production costs suitable.

But there is also the more general need to detect and signal the presence of a physical mass at several different locations. For example, referring to the hospital area and the nursing area, it may be the physical mass of a group of patients in a hospital room or hospital ward, each of whom is in his bed, but it may be It can also be about the same physical mass, such as a sick one, or because he is no longer able to look after himself, an attentive family member who is at home from bed to the sickle and one of these moved to the S ofa and vice versa. It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a system which enables the detection and signaling of the presence of a body mass at a plurality of different locations. This object is achieved by a system having the features of claim 6.

The system according to the invention enables a multiple application of the device according to the invention and of several of them, each of which is arranged in a different location. Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be explained in more detail below with the aid of drawings, which illustrate a purely exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schemati cal top view of a first embodiment of the inventive device and the various components have been schematized with B

FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of the first embodiment of the device according to the invention from FIG. 1 and the various parts of the base have been schematized with blocks,

Figure 3 is a schematic plan view corresponding to Figure 1 of a second embodiment of the device according to the invention; Figure 4 is a schematic side view corresponding to Figure 2 of a second embodiment of the device according to the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic plan view of a system according to the invention and the various components have been schematized with blocks.

DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a device for detecting and signaling the presence of a body mass at a particular location, at a particular moment and for a particular period of time

As can be seen from the figures, it comprises at least one deformable hollow body 1, which contains in its interior a substance which is suitable to be compressed under the action of the weight of a body mass arranged on the deformable hollow body 1.

This deformable hollow body 1 is placed on the mattress of a bed or the cushion of a chair or a sofa on which the person lies or sits, from whom one wants to control the presence. The device according to the invention further comprises a for Pressure changes sensitive device 3; 16, which is in communication with the deformable hollow body 1, to detect the presence or absence of pressure changes in the interior of the deformable hollow body 1. This pressure sensitive device 3; 16 outputs a signal that depends on the presence or absence of these pressure changes in the interior of the deformable hollow body 1. Such a change in pressure results, for example, when a person gets up from the bed on which the deformable hollow body 1 is arranged, because it 1 is no longer crushed in this case.

This signal is of two types: a first type associated with the presence of a pressure change and a second type associated with the absence of a pressure change. In order to avoid possible errors that might arise due to the pressure changes caused by the person's movements in the bed or on the chair, but that are not associated with the person's departure or falling out of the bed, this can be done for Pressure changes sensitive device 3; Set 16 so that it only gives the signal of the first kind when a certain limit value of the pressure change is exceeded. In addition, it can also be provided that this signal is not emitted until this pressure change continues to exist even for a period of time which is longer than a certain limit duration.

Furthermore, the device according to the invention includes an examination device 4, at least one transmission device 6 and at least one alarm device 11. The examination device 4 receives the device 3 which is sensitive to pressure changes; 16 emitted signal, it examined and recognizes it and then, depending on the outcome of his examination, possibly gives a warning signal. Such a warning signal is emitted when the signal received from the examination device 4 is a signal of the first kind. The warning signal emitted by the examination device 4 is received by the at least one transmission device 6 which, after it has received the warning signal emitted by the examination device 4, transmits it to the at least one alarm device 1 1. This alarm device 1 1, upon receipt of the transmission device 6 transmitted warning signal, an alarm signal. The alarm signal can be of any kind.

The various components 3; 16, 4 and 6 of the device according to the invention are electrically connected to one another, for example, with reference to the component parts 3, 4 and 6 in FIG. 1, via the two electrical cables 5 which extend from the device sensitive to pressure changes 3 and out For safety reasons, they must be supplied with electricity of at most 12 volts by means of batteries or other suitable systems. With regard to the connection between the transmission device 6 and the alarm device 1 1, this connection can take place both via cables and via radio waves, if the alarm device 1 1 is not close to, or even in another room. In this latter case, both devices 6 and 11 are capable of transmitting and receiving radio wave signals. In the figures, the connection was shown by cables with solid lines, while the connection was represented by broadcast waves with lines consisting of dots. The two types of connection can also be provided together. To meet the need, the deformable hollow body 1 on the bed If necessary, the device according to the invention can be suitably and expediently equipped with suitable fastening straps 2 for bonding to the bed mattress or to the cushions of the chair. In the figures, two embodiments of the invention are shown, which differ from each other because of some B estandteile the inventive device.

According to a first embodiment of the inventive device, which is shown in Figures 1 and 2, the deformable hollow body 1 may consist of a leak-tight thin mattress, which is made of a durable, soft, flexible and non-toxic and non-flammable material and with a specially is filled with specific, non-toxic and non-inflammatory gelatin, which is particularly homogeneous. The thin mattress 1 is intended in particular for a bed and is made of a non-toxic plastic and has a thickness of a few mm. The remaining dimensions of the thin mattress 1 are in the order of the dimensions of the bed mattress or the cushion of the sickle. Further, in this first embodiment, the pressure sensitive device is a diaphragm pressure sensor 3. The membrane pressure sensor 3 is arranged at a certain point of the thin mattress 1 itself. More specifically, the membrane pressure sensor 3 is arranged as a closure for a filling of the thin mattress with the gelatin opening of a filling tube, through which the thin mattress 1, which is otherwise a closed hollow body, is filled with the gelatin.

As a result of the deformation of the gelatin, which is caused by the person who sits on the thin mattress 1, puts or moves or gets off the thin mattress 1, arise in the thin Mattress 1 pressure changes. These pressure changes are felt by the membrane of the diaphragm pressure sensor 3 and they cause a vibration of the membrane. In the presence of the aforementioned conditions, the diaphragm pressure sensor 3 emits a signal of the first kind.

According to a second embodiment of the erfindungsgemääs sen device, which is shown in Figures 3 and 4, the deformable hollow body 1 is again a thin mattress, but in this case in its interior with a fluid, for example E zweckmässig air, filled S. contains hose 13. The tube 13 is closed like a circle in itself, extends like a snake and emerges from the thin mattress 1. This particular arrangement of the tube 13 is achieved by a T-shaped fitting 15 whose output is connected via a further hose 14 to a vacuum gauge 16, which in the present second embodiment serves as a pressure sensitive device. The two tubes 13, 14 are expediently made of silicon. As a result of the compression or the expansion of the fluid contained in the tube 13, which is caused by the person sitting on the thin mattress 1, puts or moves or dissolves from the thin mattress 1, arise in the tube 13 pressure changes. These pressure changes are from

Vacuum gauge 16 noticeable, which is angeordent as a closure of the other tube 14. In the presence of the aforementioned conditions, the vacuum gauge 16 outputs a signal of the first kind.

It will now, by way of example only and certainly not in a limiting or limiting their use, the operation of the inventive device based on a the most common uses of the device according to the invention, namely for determining and signaling whether a person who has to lie in bed due to any infirmity or age is in place. At the moment in which a person lies down on a bed or sits in a chair on which the deformable hollow body 1 is arranged, it presses the deformable hollow body 1 with the mass of its body. This circumstance causes a considerable pressure change inside the deformable body 1. Equal pressure change also occurs when a person rises from the bed or the chair. If, instead, a person lies or sits, the pressure changes are smaller and are caused by the movements that the person performs without getting up. The pressure change sensitive device 3 is set to respond only to large pressure changes, such as those arising when the person gets up from the bed or armchair. The signal of the first type associated with the presence of such a significant change in pressure is delivered by the pressure sensitive device 3 and received by the examination device 4, which examines the signal, recognizes and then outputs the warning signal transmitted by the transmission device 6 to the alarm device 11. This latter device 1 1 can also be located in a different room than the room in which the person to be checked should be. It can also be a portable alarm device 11, which receives the warning signal via radio waves and is carried by a person who is capable of providing assistance. As has been described above, the invention also includes a system shown in FIG. 5 for detecting and the signaling of the presence of a physical mass at several different locations. Such an inventive system comprises, in addition to a plurality of devices according to the invention as described above, also a computer / server 10 and a plurality of personal receivers 12 of the warning signal. The computer / server 10 is in operable and signal-effective connection with each device. The personal receivers 12 are in operative and signal-effective connection with the computer / server 10 and they are assigned to selected persons who are ready to help.

Each of the devices according to the invention is arranged at a different location. With reference to FIG. 5, these different locations may be, for example, the beds 8 of a hospital room 17. All devices according to the invention are, via the own transmission device 6, connected to a transmission line 9, which may consist of both cables and radio waves, as in the case shown in Figure 5, in which the individual transmission devices 6 send a broadcasting wave signal of certain frequency , This transmission line 9, which may be of the "Can-B us" type, for example, is also connected to the computer / server 10 and to the personal receivers 12. The computer / server 10 has suitable software for immediate distribution the warning signals both in the control room and to the personal receivers 12 which are intended for the on-duty personnel and which are worn by this on-duty personnel who are thus free to move in the hospital The computer / server 10 is in another Room 18 as the room 17 in which the beds are 8 and he 10 is also intended To save the data in a dedicated "Data Book", from which all data as well as any statistics that may be desired can be extracted.

The operation of such a system is as follows. Referring to the example in the hospital room 17, in which several B etten 8 (not shown) are located on each bed E 8 a device according to the invention arranged, of which, to simplify the drawing, schemati cal only the deformable hollow body. 1 was presented. The functioning of the device of each bed 8, which has already been described above, is independent of the other devices, so that it can also happen that two devices become active at the same time in order to detect and signal that two different patients have gotten up from their beds 8 are. The respective warning signals emitted by the respective examination devices 4 of the two devices according to the invention arranged in the sections 8 of these two patients are transmitted to the respective alarm devices 1 via the respective transmission devices 6 of the two devices and via the transmission line 9 1 and directly to the computer / server 10. The computer / server 10 may in turn transmit these warning signals to the respective personal receiving devices 12 to intervene by the appropriate emergency personnel. However, the computer / server 10 can also pass on the warning signals to further alarm devices 1 1 arranged at other suitable locations.

Claims

PATENT APPLICATIONS

Device for detecting and signaling the presence of a body mass at a specific location, characterized in that it comprises: at least one deformable hollow body (1) containing in its interior a substance suitable under the action of the weight of a body To be compressed on the deformable hollow body (1) arranged physical mass, a pressure-sensitive device (3; 16), which is in communication with the deformable hollow body (1) to the presence or absence of pressure changes in the interior of the deformable hollow body (1), and outputs a signal which depends on the presence or absence of these pressure changes inside the deformable hollow body (1), an inspection device (4) which outputs the signal from the pressure sensitive device (3; 16) receives, examines and recognizes it and then gives it depending on the outcome of its investigation if a warning signal is emitted, at least one transmission device (6) which receives and transmits the warning signal emitted by the examination device (4) and at least and an alarm device (11) which receives the warning signal transmitted by the transmission device (6) and upon receipt of this warning signal Alarm signal outputs.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the deformable hollow body (1) is filled with a gelatin thin mattress and that is sensitive to pressure changes Device is a membrane pressure sensor (3), which is arranged as a closure for serving for the filling of the thin mattress with the gelatinous opening.

3. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the deformable hollow body (1) is a thin mattress, which contains in its interior a fluid-filled tube (13) which is closed like a loop, extending in a serpentine manner and from the thin mattress emerges and that the sensitive to pressure changes device is a Unterdruckmes ser (16), which is arranged as a closure for a further hose (14) which is connected to the exiting end of the hose (13).

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmission device (6) transmitted warning signal is a broadcast wave signal and that the alarm device (1 1) receives this broadcast wave signal.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises fastening straps (2) for fastening the deformable hollow body (1).

A system for detecting and signaling the presence of a physical mass at a plurality of different particular locations, comprising a plurality of apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims from 1 to 5, characterized in that it further comprises: a computer / server ( 10), via a transmission line (9) in operable and signal effective connection with each Device is, and a plurality of personal receiving devices (12) of the warning signal, which are also on the transmission line (9) in operable and signal-effective connection with the computer / S erver (10) and selected persons are assigned ready to use