SYSTEM WITH VITAL DATA SENSOR

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns a system comprising an evaluation unit and a sensor, wherein the sensor can measure a vital parameter of an organism and the evaluation unit allows to conduct an evaluation based on the measured vital parameter. The evaluation unit is configured such that the evaluation unit can send a command signal to an external device, particularly to a household appliance, in dependency of a result of the evaluation, so that the external device carries out an action based on the command signal. The present disclosure also concerns a use, a method and a computer program product. The user can thereby save time and a very high operating comfort can be realized.

Claims

1. A system comprising an evaluation unit and a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to measure a vital parameter of an organism and the evaluation unit is configured to conduct an evaluation based on the measured vital parameter, wherein the evaluation unit is configured such that the evaluation unit can send a command signal to an external device in dependency of a result of the evaluation, so that the external device carries out an action based on the command signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device is a household appliance provided by a kitchen appliance or a robot vacuum cleaner.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor and a control unit are integrated in a transmitting device and a sensor signal of the sensor is converted by the control unit into a measurement signal which correlates with the measured vital parameter and is provided to the evaluation unit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the transmitting device is sized and configured to be worn on the body of the organism.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a skin contact sensor configured to measure electrical voltage fluctuations on a skin surface of the organism.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit is configured such that a comparison with a threshold value (M1, M2) is carried out for the evaluation of the measured vital parameter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein two sensors for different vital parameters are included in the system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit comprises a machine learning algorithm for the evaluation or determination of the command signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a feedback unit is provided by which a user can give a feedback to the machine learning algorithm.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit is configured such that the command signal can trigger an activation and/or a deactivation of the external device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit is configured such that the command signal can trigger a change of a setting of the external device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device is included in the system and is one of a kitchen appliance, an oven or a smart home server.

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. The system of claim 2, wherein the household appliance is a robot vacuum cleaner and a schedule of the robot vacuum cleaner is additionally taken into account by the evaluation unit in the evaluation.

18. The system of claim 2, wherein the household appliance is a kitchen appliance, and the kitchen appliance is configured to perform at least one of the following as the action: an automatic provision of an automatically generated recipe, an automatically suggested recipe recommendation and display of a recipe by the kitchen appliance.

19. The system of claim 4, wherein the transmitting device is integrated in a wristband, a footband, a headband, glasses, a hearing aid or a headphone.

20. A method comprising the steps of measuring a vital parameter of an organism via a sensor, conducting an evaluation based on the measured vital parameter via an evaluation unit, sending a command signal from the evaluation unit to an external device depending upon the result of the evaluation, and carrying out an action based on the command signal by an external device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the result of the evaluation is a falling-asleep event or waking-up event.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the organism is an infant.

23. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising evaluating a measurement signal from a sensor, the measurement signal associated with a vital parameter of an organism, conducting an evaluation based on the measured vital parameter, and sending a command signal from the evaluation unit to an external device depending upon the result of the evaluation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] It is shown:

[0063] FIG. 1: Schematic illustration of a system that, based on a measured vital parameter, can send a command signal to an external device that can carry out an action based on the command signal;

[0064] FIG. 2: Schematic illustration of the structure of a system that, based on a measured vital parameter, can send a command signal to an external device that can carry out an action based on the command signal;

[0065] FIG. 3: Schematic illustration of a diagram with the frequency of electrical voltage fluctuations measured on a skin surface over time;

[0066] FIG. 4: Schematic illustration of a diagram which shows the measurement signals from a measurement of an activity over time.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] FIG. 1 shows an organism 4 carrying a transmitting device 10 with a skin contact sensor 2 on its head and/or another transmitting device 11 with another sensor, in particular a gyrometer 3, on its wrist. The transmitting device 10 can be integrated in glasses or a headband. Sticking or fastening it with a plaster can also be applied. The organism 4 is a human organism or a person, respectively, and can be an infant, a toddler, a man or a woman. In particular, the skin contact sensor 2 is used to measure an electrical voltage on the skin surface so that voltage fluctuations can be determined from the sensor signal. Alternatively or in addition, the skin contact sensor 2 is used to measure the body temperature. The other sensor or gyrometer 3, respectively, is integrated in a wristband in such a way that one movement of the wrist is detected by the other sensor or the gyrometer 3, respectively.

[0068] The at least one transmitting device 10, 11 transmits, preferentially wirelessly, the at least one measuring signal 12, 13 to an evaluation unit 1 for evaluation. Depending on a result of the evaluation, the evaluation unit 1 generates a command signal 8, which is sent wirelessly to at least one external device 5, 6, 7. In particular, a kitchen appliance 5, an oven 6 and/or a smart home server 7 are provided as external device as shown. Preferably, the command signal 8 comprises device assignment information and command information. The command information triggers the action to be carried out by a certain external device 5, 6, 7. The device assignment information indicates the addressed external device 5, 6, 7 for which the respective command information is provided. Preferably, a command signal 8 can comprise several sets of device assignment information and associated command information. Several external devices 5, 6, 7 can carry out an action in parallel using the command signal 8.

[0069] FIG. 2 shows a schematic structure of a system, in particular the one of FIG. 1. Each transmitting device 10, 11 comprises at least one sensor 2, 3 each. In one embodiment, two sensors 2, 3 can thus be integrated in one transmitting device 10, 11. Each transmitting device 10, 11 comprises one control unit 9.

[0070] The evaluation unit 1, which receives at least one measurement signal 12, 13 from the at least one transmitting device 10, 11 or the control unit 9 of the transmitting device 10, 11, comprises a processor 14 and a memory 15. In particular, the processor executes steps of a method which are stored in the memory 15 in the form of a program. Preferably, the program comprises a machine learning algorithm. The evaluation unit 1 generates a command signal 8 in dependency of a result of the evaluation and sends the command signal 8 to an external device 5, 6, 7 so that the external device 5, 6, 7 carries out an action based on the command signal 8, such as switching light on and/or off by the smart home server 7 or automatically preparing a food by the kitchen appliance 5 and/or by the oven 6.

[0071] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a diagram resolved over time t in which a measurement curve k1 shows a vital parameter s1 with the measure value of a frequency of electrical voltage fluctuations on the skin surface at the head of the organism 4 measured by the skin contact sensor 2. In particular, the control unit 9 and/or the evaluation unit 1 comprise an algorithm for determining the frequency from a recorded course of the electrical voltage fluctuations, in particular from an electroencephalogram. During the state change from sleep state to wakeful state, i.e. during the wake-up-event, the frequency s1 changes from alpha waves to beta waves. Conversely, the frequency s1 changes from beta waves to alpha waves when the state change from the wakeful state to the sleep state, i.e. during the fall-asleep-event, occurs. A threshold value M1 is used particularly at a frequency of 12, 13 or 14 Hz. The evaluation includes a comparison of the measurement signal 11 or the measurement curve k1 with the threshold value M1. If the measurement signal is below the threshold value M1, the result is sleep state. If the measurement signal is above the threshold value M1, wakeful state is the result. If the M1 threshold is exceeded, wake-up event is the result. If the value falls below the M1 threshold, Sleep event is the result. In FIG. 3, such an exceeding occurs at the intersection P1 of trace k1 with the threshold value M1.

[0072] In one embodiment, an intersection point with a threshold value is predicted by extrapolating the measurement curve from measurement signals 11, 12 on the basis of a measurement curve. As a result, the predicted wake-up time and/or fall asleep time can be output. A particularly large saving of time can thus be achieved. In particular, this embodiment concerns the example in FIG. 3 with the measurement curve k1, the threshold value M1 and the intersection point P1. Alternatively or additionally, this embodiment particularly concerns the embodiment of FIG. 4 with the measurement curve k2, the threshold value M2 and the intersection P2.

[0073] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates another example of a diagram in which a measurement curve k2 represents a vital parameter s2 with the measured value of an activity over time t. In particular, the measurement curve corresponds to the measurement signals determined based on the sensor signals of the gyrometer 3, preferably on the wrist of the organism 4. The measure of activity corresponds to the number of changes of direction within a defined period of time, e.g. ten seconds. If a threshold value M2 is exceeded, e.g. six changes of direction within a period of ten seconds, the wake-up event is the result of the evaluation. In FIG. 4, such an exceedance occurs at intersection P2 of the trace k2 with the threshold value M2.

[0074] As described above, the external device 5, 6, 7 is in one embodiment a household appliance, namely a kitchen appliance 5 or a robot vacuum cleaner. If the household appliance is a robot vacuum cleaner, a schedule of the robot vacuum cleaner can be additionally taken into account in the evaluation. If the household appliance is a kitchen appliance 5, the action can be an automatic provision of an automatically generated recipe, an automatically suggested recipe recommendation and/or the display of a recipe by the kitchen appliance (5).

[0075] If the evaluation unit 1 determines a predicted time for the occurrence of an event on the basis of the measured vital parameter, in particular on the basis of the intersection of a measurement curve from measurement signals with a threshold value by extrapolation of the measurement curve, the following embodiments are enables. In one embodiment, the evaluation unit 1 sends the command signal for carrying out an action to a kitchen appliance or a robot vacuum cleaner at a defined time interval, i.e. time distance, before the predicted point in time. The time of completion of the action can thus be determined relative to the predicted time.

[0076] In one embodiment, the action is a deactivation, in particular an immediate deactivation, of a selection of household appliances or of all household appliances covered by the system to which the evaluation unit 1 can send command signal 8. In this way, the complexity of the control can be minimized and, at the same time, great time savings and user comfort can be achieved. For example, the household appliances are deactivated in time for falling asleep, so that noise emissions can be reduced and electricity saved by means of a very simple control. The defined time interval mentioned above can also support falling asleep by deactivating household appliances at the defined time interval before the predicted time of falling asleep.

[0077] Preferably, the cleaning appliance is a robot vacuum cleaner. In particular, a schedule for the robot vacuum cleaner is provided. The schedule preferably includes a route and/or a timetable for cleaning. For example, the timetable stipulates that the robot vacuum cleaner must regularly travel the route in order to clean the floor of living areas.

[0078] In one embodiment, the evaluation unit 1 is configured such that, in dependency of a result of the evaluation of a measured vital parameter, the evaluation unit sends a command signal 8 to the robot vacuum cleaner or a control system for administrating the schedule of the robot vacuum cleaner, wherein the command signal 8 causes the schedule, i.e. the route and/or the timetable, to be changed in dependency of a result of the evaluation of the vital parameter. The route can thereby be changed such that the bedroom for example is widely bypassed if the organism is close to the fall-asleep-event or wake-up-event. Alternatively or additionally, the schedule can be changed such that the robot vacuum cleaner stops cleaning close to the fall-asleep-event or wake-up-event (especially at the defined time interval from the predicted time of the fall-asleep-event or wake-up-event) or stops cleaning temporarily and continues cleaning at a later time.

[0079] A kitchen appliance 5 has at least the three functions of heating, chopping and blending a food. Preferably, the kitchen appliance can access stored recipes for a variety of foods. Preferably, a recipe can be displayed on the kitchen appliance via an interactive display, e.g. touch screen display, and processed by the user step by step. In one embodiment, the kitchen appliance can process a recipe completely self-acting and thus automatically prepare a food (dish).

[0080] In one embodiment, the evaluation unit 1 is configured in such a way that, in dependency of the result of the evaluation of a measured vital parameter, the evaluation unit sends a command signal 8 to the kitchen appliance. This command signal 8 causes that, in dependency of a result of the evaluation of the vital parameter, suggestions for recipe changes or recipes that have already been adapted accordingly are displayed, in particular via the display of the kitchen appliance. In this way, the user can take his body condition with special care and awareness thereof into account when preparing food with the help of the kitchen appliance and with the support of the system. This allows a significant time saving and a significant increase in user comfort.

[0081] In the case of automatic food preparation, it can be provided that the underlying recipe can be changed directly. This also saves the user the time of adapting his food to his physical condition, e.g. in the case of obesity or diabetes.