US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Thomas E Simkins

Mark A Johnson

A motion detection monitor for patient movement, comprising a sensor for viding signals in response to patient movement to provide an alarm under predetermined conditions of patient movement. A processor, including an oscillator, is provided for receiving signals from the sensor, to provide oscillator interrupt signals proportional to active signals. The interrupt signals are observed within a contiguous series at time windows. The alarm condition is satisfied when interrup signals are detected within each window. The sensor preferably includes a conductive sphere in a cylinder having an interior portion locating the sphere therein with conductive end plates and conductive inner surfaces, the inner surfaces being tapered to direct the sphere to an at rest condition in contact with at least one surface and at least a part of the inner surface in any orientation of the sensor. The motion detection device further includes jumper circuits for adjusting the parameters used to distinguish from casual motion and for providing a visible alarm. The motion detection device further includes a remote, tetherless receiver for receiving the alarm signal, the transmitter means repeatedly providing the alarm signal over a periodic interval until the processor is reset by an operator. The visible alarm is pulsed with relatively short pulses sufficient to activate the alarm, the short pulses being less than sufficient to activate the receiver.

Motion sensor

A motion detection device for use as a monitor for patient movement, inclng a sensor for generating motion signals, an integrator for integrating the motion signals over a period of time, and a threshold level of signals generating an alarm signal upon exceeding a predetermined minimum value of the motion signals to activate an alarm. The sensor includes an edge detector for providing a motion sensed outpost of a series of sharp voltage rises and falls to generate a sequence of voltage pulses of predetermined magnitude and time duration which generate an alarm signal if the pulses are generated faster than a preset rate of voltage decay based upon a preselected minimum movement to be sensed. The preferred intermittent switch comprises a conductive rolling sphere in a cylindrical chamber having a conductive wall with one electrical pole and end plates electrically insulated from the conductive wall and having the other electrical pole such that movement of the element caused by movement of the cylinder will generate intermittent electrical contact between one end plate and the cylinder wall. The device preferably further includes a transmitter producing a transmitted radio signal upon receipt of the alarm signal, the radio signal being receivable by a conventional radio.

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Troy, NY, United States of America

Thomas E Simkins