Abstract: The present invention relates to a device, system and method for reliable and fast fall detection. The device comprises a sensor input (11) for obtaining sensor data related to movement of a subject acquired by a body-worn sensor (20, 22, 61) worn by the subject, and a video input (12) for obtaining video data of the subject and/or the subject's environment. An analysis unit (13) analyzes the obtained sensor data to detect one or more signal features indicative of a potential fall of the subject and for analyzing, if one or more such signal features have been detected, the detected one or more signal features and/or related sensor data in combination with related video data to identify similarities between: changes of the related sensor data and/or the signal features over time; and changes of the video data over time. An output (14, 64, 65, 66) issues a fall detection indication if the level and/or amount of detected similarities exceeds a corresponding threshold.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to wearable or insertable devices that allow for ongoing sampling and analysis of biomarkers and self-cleaning. In various embodiments, an apparatus may include a base (102) defining at least one reservoir (104), and at least one microneedle (106, 306, 406, 506, 606, 706, 806, 906) extending from the base. The at least one microneedle may define an inner lumen (409, 509, 609, 709, 809, 909) that fluidly couples the at least one reservoir with tissue of the patient. A mechanically responsive material (670, 770, 870) on an inner surface of the at least one microneedle defining the inner lumen may be reactive to various stimuli to undergo various mechanical responses, such as one mechanical response that purges fluid from the inner lumen of the at least one microneedle and another mechanical response that draws fluid into the inner lumen of the at least one microneedle.

Abstract: Various methods and apparatus for a wearable or insertable device (100, 200, 400, 600) with microneedles (106, 206, 306, 406, 606) that may be simultaneously used for radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting, communication, and transdermal fluid delivery and collection are disclosed. Such a device may comprise a substrate (102, 202, 302, 402, 602) that may be affixable/insertable into tissue (107, 607) of a patient, radio frequency circuitry (120, 220, 420, 620) disposed on the substrate, that may generate/process a signal with a frequency that may be modulated to carry information, and microneedles (106, 206, 306, 406, 606) extending from at least one surface of the substrate, where one or more microneedles define a micro-fluidic channel (130, 230, 430, 630) that fluidly couples the tissue with a conduit (132) of the substrate, and where one or more microneedles may be electrically coupled with the radio frequency circuitry and radiate/process electromagnetic waves based on the signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device, system and method for reliable and fast fall detection. The device comprises a sensor input (11) for obtaining sensor data related to movement of a subject acquired by a body-worn sensor (20, 22, 61) worn by the subject, and a video input (12) for obtaining video data of the subject and/or the subject's environment. An analysis unit (13) analyzes the obtained sensor data to detect one or more signal features indicative of a potential fall of the subject and for analyzing, if one or more such signal features have been detected, the detected one or more signal features and/or related sensor data in combination with related video data to identify similarities between: changes of the related sensor data and/or the signal features over time; and changes of the video data over time. An output (14, 64, 65, 66) issues a fall detection indication if the level and/or amount of detected similarities exceeds a corresponding threshold.

Abstract: In order to increase transmission reliability and transmission efficiency in the presence of interference at a transmitting or receiving node of a wireless network a device for controlling the node of the wireless network is provided, wherein the node is associated to at least one load unit. The device comprises a control unit that is adapted to adjust a communication mode of the node based on an operation state of the load unit.

Abstract: For improving the protection of a network against denial of service attacks and other hostile attacks, while keeping the operation of the network simple and efficient and considering restricted capacities of single network nodes, a control unit, a system and a method for operating a network with a plurality of nodes are provided, wherein at least one operation parameter of at least one node is adjusted based on a current network phase and a data packet received by the node (10) is processed based on the operation parameter.

Abstract: A Medical Body Area Network (MBAN) (10) includes a hub device (18) with a wireless communication transceiver (34). One or more sensor devices (14) each include a physiological sensor (24) for acquiring physiological data and a wireless communication transceiver (22) configured to connect with the wireless communication transceiver (34) of the hub device (18) to wirelessly transmit acquired physiological data to the hub device (18). One or more aggregator devices (16) each include a wireless communication transceiver (30) for receiving physiological data acquired by the one or more sensor devices (14). The hub device (18) is configured to respond to not wirelessly receiving a missing data portion of physiological data acquired by a sensor device (14) by requesting and receiving the missing data portion from an aggregator device (16).

Abstract: For load balancing in a large-scale wireless mesh network, a device, a system and a method are provided for controlling data packet transmissions in the wireless mesh network, wherein answers to more than one received data packet are aggregated in one answer-batch.

Abstract: For improving data packet transmission from a collector node to one or more network nodes without additional routing protocols or increase of the overall network load, a system and a method are provided, wherein a node and/or the collector node receiving an uplink data packet addressed to the collector node is adapted to store at least a sender node information and a transmitting node information as a reverse-route information for a predetermined time.

Abstract: For secure configuration of network nodes from a backend with low connectivity requirements and workload at the backend and reduced communication overhead, a system, a control unit for a segment controller and a method for secure protocol execution in a network are provided, wherein protocol information is provided to a segment controller (60) for controlling a node (10) and a protocol is performed based on the protocol information to control the node (10), at least one response message of the node (10) being required at the segment controller (60) for performing one or more steps of the protocol.

Abstract: For reducing and homogenizing an end-to-end delay of data packet transmissions in a large-scale wireless mesh network, a device, a system and a method are provided for controlling data packet transmission in the wireless network, wherein transmission parameters of an intermediate node are adjusted based on a distance between the intermediate node and a sender node.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of monitoring a plurality of vital parameters of a patient 10 using a body sensor network with a set of on-body sensors 1 and at least one off-body monitoring device 2, the method comprising the following steps: with each on-body sensor 1, sensing a vital parameter and transmitting data related to the sensed vital parameter to the off-body monitoring device 2, and for at least one of the on-body sensors 1, determining the inclination of this on-body sensor 1 relative to the off-body monitoring device 2. In this way, a reliable and easy to use possibility for monitoring vital parameters of a patient 10 using a body sensor network is provided that minimizes the performance problem produced by RF attenuation caused by the body of the patient 10.

Abstract: There is provided a bed exit monitoring apparatus for monitoring a user and determining when the user has got out of a bed, the apparatus comprising a processor that is configured to receive measurements of the acceleration in three dimensions acting on a device that is attached to the user; and process the measurements to determine if the user has got out of bed.

Abstract: In order to increase transmission reliability and transmission efficiency in the presence of interference at a transmitting or receiving node of a wireless network a device for controlling the node of the wireless network is provided, wherein the node is associated to at least one load unit. The device comprises a control unit that is adapted to adjust a communication mode of the node based on an operation state of the load unit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a transceiver device for processing a medium access control (MAC) protocol used by a transceiver. The transceiver has a first antenna system for on-body communications and a second antenna system for off-body communications, the transceiver device being designed to reserve one or more data payloads for on-body communications and to allocate the first antenna system to the transceiver for the interval of time occupied by these data payloads, and/or to reserve one or more data payloads for off-body communications and to allocate the second antenna system to the transceiver for the interval of time occupied by these data payloads.

Abstract: For secure configuration of network nodes from a backend with low connectivity requirements and workload at the backend and reduced communication overhead, a system, a control unit for a segment controller and a method for secure protocol execution in a network are provided, wherein protocol information is provided to a segment controller (60) for controlling a node (10) and a protocol is performed based on the protocol information to control the node (10), at least one response message of the node (10) being required at the segment controller (60) for performing one or more steps of the protocol.

Abstract: For improving the protection of a network against denial of service attacks and other hostile attacks, while keeping the operation of the network simple and efficient and considering restricted capacities of single network nodes, a control unit, a system and a method for operating a network with a plurality of nodes are provided, wherein at least one operation parameter of at least one node is adjusted based on a current network phase and a data packet received by the node (10) is processed based on the operation parameter.

Abstract: For improving application data traffic in a communications network, data traffic of at least one application of the communications network is divided into two types in view of the current situation of the network—a first type comprising data, which can be transmitted by delaying the transmission, and a second type comprising data, which should not be delayed but should be transmitted at the current time. When an analysis of the current (average) load of the network shows that transmitting both types of data could lead to a heavy data traffic, a temporal transmission suppression session can be performed with regard to at least one entity of the communications network. In the temporal transmission suppression session, transmitting of data of the first type is interrupted during transmitting data of the second type. After completion of transmitting data of the second type, transmitting data of the first type is resumed.

Abstract: For improving data packet transmission from a collector node to one or more network nodes without additional routing protocols or increase of the overall network load, a system and a method are provided, wherein a node and/or the collector node receiving an uplink data packet addressed to the collector node is adapted to store at least a sender node information and a transmitting node information as a reverse-route information for a predetermined time.

Abstract: For reducing and homogenizing an end-to-end delay of data packet transmissions in a large-scale wireless mesh network, a device, a system and a method are provided for controlling data packet transmission in the wireless network, wherein transmission parameters of an intermediate node are adjusted based on a distance between the intermediate node and a sender node.