NON-INTRUSIVE PATIENT GUIDANCE/TRACKING/MINDING SYSTEM

提出的创新是一种廉价的可见光监护系统（VLMS），它为痴呆症和阿尔茨海默氏症患者及其护理人员提供跟踪和监护信息。该系统使建筑物中的单个照明装置能够传输自己独特的代码和信号，这样就可以通过落在用户个人提醒器和跟踪器（PM/T）传感器上的光线了解用户的位置。PM/T根据患者的位置对患者进行引导和刺激。发送到护理站的信号传递每个病人的确切位置，并在适当的时候发送干预警报。该提案寻求资金支持，通过以下方式演示VLMS概念：1)开发一种能够通过环境光向PM/T提供数据的发射器，以及一种高质量的PM/T，该PM/T将向患者提供指导信息，并向护理人员传达患者位置和干预警报；2)在痴呆症和阿尔茨海默氏症患者及其护理人员中测试和验证该系统。拟议的商业应用：将开发一种新的廉价技术，用于跟踪和监护痴呆症和阿尔茨海默氏症患者，包括改进的镇流器变压器，用于调制灯具输出和个人监护和跟踪设备（PM/T），为患者提供指导信息，为护理人员提供位置和警告信息。商业产品将是改进型镇流器变压器，个人监护和跟踪装置以及信息传输系统的设计。

The proposed innovation is an inexpensive Visible Light Minder System (VLMS) that provides tracking and minding information to dementia and Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers. The system makes it possible for individual lighting fixtures in a building to transmit their own unique code and signal so that the location of the user will be known from the light falling on his/her Personal Minder and Tracker (PM/T) sensor. The patient receives guidance and stimulation from the PM/T based on his/her location. Signals sent to the attendants station transmit the exact position of each patient and send intervention alerts when appropriate. This proposal seeks funding to demonstrate the VLMS concept by l) developing a transmitter capable of providing data to the PM/T via ambient light as well as a high quality PM/T that will give guidance messages to patients and communicate patient position and intervention alerts to caregivers and 2) testing and verifying the system with dementia and Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: A new inexpensive technology for tracking and minding dementia and Alzheimer's patients will be developed, consisting of modified ballast transformers to modulate output of light fixtures and personal minder and tracker devices (PM/T) to supply guidance information to patients and location and warning information to caregivers. Commercial products will be the modified ballast transformers, the personal minder and tracker devices and the design of the information transfer system.