DE20110045U1 - warning system - Google Patents

Description

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The invention relates to a wader system, in particular for preventing the so _- called sudden infant death. r >

It is known that one in a thousand infants dies completely unexpectedly, i.e. without any signs of illness or preceding warning symptoms, while sleeping in bed.

Systems are known which report ^whether a sleeping baby wakes up, becomes restless or cries via telephone lines or via another room or outside or to another location. Alarm devices are also known which work via cables and electrodes, comparable ^to the technology ^used to record electrocardiograms. For example, ECG adhesive is applied to particularly vulnerable children, the heartbeat is measured and the signal is sent to an alarm device which gives an alarm tone if anything unusual is detected.

However, none of the alarm systems proposed so far allows the receiver to determine whether the physiological life processes, in particular breathing, are disturbed or no longer take place.

The object of the invention was to provide an alarm device, in particular a warning system for preventing so-called sudden infant death, which does not have the disadvantages of the prior art but rather reliably gives an alarm, acoustically and/or optically or in some other way, regardless of background noise, and indicates as soon as an infant stops breathing and/or other physiological life functions, such as heartbeat.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that a microphone (1) is placed a short distance from the baby and the signal emitted by the microphone is amplified (2) and fed to an evaluation electronics (3) which differentiates between signs of life (physiological life processes) and sound sources from the environment. If no signs of life are detected, an alarm signal is passed on to a loudspeaker (4) via wire or transmitter (5) and antenna (6).

The differentiation between signs of life (physiological life processes) and ^ sound sources from the environment can be carried out in one variant by installing a second microphone (Γ) in the vicinity of the baby's bed in such a way that it records the ambient ^noises . The resulting signal is also amplified and fed to the evaluation electronics (3). This second microphone serves as a reference so that it can be precisely distinguished which noises are in the

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environment and which come from the child. If the evaluation computer determines that the signals generated are only ambient noises and not signs of life from the child, an alarm signal is transmitted to a loudspeaker (4) or transmitter (5, 5') with antenna (6).

The invention therefore relates to an alarm device which is particularly suitable for preventing sudden infant death, comprising one or more microphones (1, 1'), one or more amplifiers (2, T) and an alarm device (4) which converts signals received from the microphone(s) and the amplifier(s) into alarm signals, which device is characterized in that it has an evaluation computer (3) for detecting and evaluating the signals received from the amplifier(s).

The alarm device according to the invention serves primarily to monitor the vital functions and to give an alarm in the event of imminent death due to the cessation of vital functions, in particular in the event of imminent infant death, by listening to the vital functions in the vicinity of the person and, if applicable, the ambient noises, by evaluating the signals received in order to distinguish the noises caused by vital functions from noises in the environment and by giving an alarm as soon as vital functions, such as breathing, are no longer recognizable.

Advantages of the invention include the lack of contact in contrast to known devices in which a sensor or contactor must be applied to the skin.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing.

1. Microphone

2. Amplifier

3. Evaluation computer

4. Alarm device

5. Sender

6. Antenna

Figure 1

The microphone 1 is placed near the cot, close to the sleeping baby, and is connected to the amplifier 2 and the evaluation computer 3, e.g. via cable connections. The evaluation computer 3 distinguishes the vital sounds from the ambient noise and monitors the vital sounds, for example breathing. If this stops or breathing stops,

a signal is given and the alarm device 4, which e.g. generates a warning torrent or siren tone sequence or gives an optical alarm - red light - is activated via wire or transmitter 5 and antenna 6.

Figure 2

Figure 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention. According to this, an additional microphone Γ is installed at a greater distance from the infant. This second microphone Γ registers noises in the environment, i.e. background noise. This background noise is amplified in a second amplifier 2' and also fed into the evaluation computer 3. The evaluated signals are sent to the alarm device 4 via wire or transmitter 6 and antenna 6.

The signal sent by the second microphone 1' serves as a reference so that it is possible to distinguish very precisely which noises are coming from the environment and which are coming from the baby. If the evaluation computer 3 detects that the signals generated are only ambient noises and not signs of life from the baby, an alarm is triggered.

Claims (1)

Alarm device, in particular for preventing sudden infant death (SID), comprising one or more microphones (1, 1'), one or more amplifiers ( 2 , 2 ') and an alarm device ( 4 ) which converts signals received from the microphone(s) and the amplifier(s) into alarm signals, characterized in that the device has an evaluation computer ( 3 ) for detecting and evaluating the signals received from the amplifier(s).