Monitoring of utility usage patterns from analysis of utility meters of a dwelling to detect abnormal use to protect the elderly or disabled occupant

摘要

The environment or dwelling inhabited by an elderly or disabled occupant is monitored for abnormal usage of the dwellings' utilities such as the gas, water or electricity supplies by monitoring and recording the usage from signals produced by the utility meters. The system provides data storage, processor and software for analysing the usage of one or more utilities to detect abnormal use patterns. The analysis involves comparing the monitored use with stored usage signatures which identify specific uses of that utility so that deviation from the stored signatures can indicate an alarm condition. Such deviation may also indicate a period of failing health, where the system can transmit such an indication to a health professional. The system may also have exit door open/close sensors and motion sensors.