A new recording system has been developed for monitoring daily living activities, such as respiration, posture, activity/rest time periods and general activity level. The system employs a piezoelectric sensor, a dual axis accelerometer, two low-power active filters, a low-power 8-bit single chip microcomputer, 315MHz RF transmitter and a 256kB EEPROM. The piezoelectric sensor, whose electrical polarization voltage is produced by mechanical strain, detects body movements. Its high-frequency output components reflect body movements produced by walking and running activities, while the low frequency components are mainly generated by respiration. The dual axis accelerometer detects, from body X and Y tilt angles, whether the elderly person is standing, sitting or lying down (prone, supine, left side or right side). The detected respiratory, behavior and posture are stored by the EEPROM. These data are transmitted to a personal computer by the 315MHz RF transmitter and can be analyzed for elderly person overall health condition.
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