Monitoring device for monitoring the delivery and taking of medication pills and a monitoring method
A device is provided for monitoring the delivery and taking of medication pills by detecting both the passage of a pill and the covering of a pill outlet region, which is indicative of an active operation of the user to remove the pill from the pill outlet region. In this way, pill delivery can be monitored as well as an indication of actual pill taking.
1. A monitoring device for monitoring the delivery and taking of medication pills, comprising:
a pill exit channel having a pill outlet region, the pill outlet region having a window;
a detector located at the pill exit channel, the detector configured to detect a covering of the window of the pill outlet region by a user and the passage of a pill past the detector, wherein a first type of detector signal is representative of the covering of the window of the pill outlet region and a second type of detector signal is representative of the passage of the pill; and
a controller for storing, interpreting or transmitting the detector signals.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detector comprises a light source and a light detector.
3. The device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the light detector is located adjacent the light source and is configured to detect reflected light.
4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is adapted to interpret the detector signals to discriminate between the passage of different types of pills.
5. The device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a high pass filter configured to filter the detector signals.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a set of one or more physiological sensors.
7. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pill exit channel is a mouthpiece.
8. The device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the controller is adapted to interpret the detector signals to discriminate between motion representative of insertion of the mouthpiece into the mouth of the user and the passage of a pill.
9. A pill storage, delivery and monitoring system, comprising:
a chamber configured to store medication pills;
a monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 ; and
a delivery system configured to deliver pills from the chamber to the monitoring system.
10. A method for monitoring the delivery and taking of medication pills, comprising, during the passage of a pill from a chamber to a pill exit channel which leads to a pill outlet region of a pill dispensing device:
obtaining, from a detector having a light source and a light detector, a first type of detector signal in response to the covering of a window in the pill outlet region by a user, wherein the window is in a line of sight of the light source;
obtaining, from the detector, a second type of detector signal in response to the passage of a pill; and
interpreting the detector signals to provide a report of the pill dispensing and pill taking history of the user of the pill dispensing device.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , comprising interpreting the detector signals to discriminate between the passage of different types of pills.
12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising providing physiological sensing at the pill outlet region.
13. A monitoring device for monitoring the delivery and taking of medication pills, comprising:
a pill exit channel having a pill outlet region;
a detector located at the pill exit channel, the detector configured to detect the covering of the pill outlet region by a user and the passage of a pill past the detector, wherein a first type of detector signal is representative of the covering of the pill outlet region and a second type of detector signal is representative of the passage of the pill, wherein the detector comprises a light source and a light detector;
a window in the pill exit channel in a line of sight of the light source; and
a controller for storing, interpreting or transmitting the detector signals.