Health monitoring device

• US 10,111,590 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Thoen, Steven Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLACK-CHILDRESS, RAJSHEED O
• Application Number:
  US14/836,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20170055834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0285 Apparatus for single use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0257 Proximity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0261 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/029 Humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6808 Diapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6891 Furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/42 with wetness indicator or alarm

Abstract

One example discloses a health monitoring device, including: a communications circuit configured to receive a set of health sensor data based on a body surface; and a near-field antenna, coupled to the circuit, and conformally coupled to the body surface.

Claims

1. Health monitoring device, comprising:

a single-use structure comprising;

a set of sensors configured to generate a set of health sensor data based on a body surface;

a communications circuit configured to receive the set of health sensor data based on the body surface; and

a first near-field antenna, coupled to the circuit, and configured to be conformally coupled to the body surface, wherein the set of sensors and the first near-field antenna are externally powered passive circuits; and

a re-useable structure, wherein the re-usable structure is wearable, the re-usable structure comprising;

a near-field reader configured to process the set of health sensor data based on the body surface;

a second near-field antenna configured to communicate with the first near-field antenna in the single-use structure, wherein the second near-field antenna is configured to be conformally coupled to the body surface; and

wherein the first near-field antenna and the second near-field antenna are aligned to an axis of the body surface circumference, wherein the alignment to the axis of the body surface circumference provides proper angular alignment between the first and second near-field antennas,

wherein the single-use structure is wholly powered by a near-field signal from the re-useable structure.

2. The device of claim 1:

wherein the body surface has a maximum cross-section; and

wherein the first near-field antenna has at least one spatial dimension greater than or equal to the maximum cross-section.

3. The device of claim 1:

wherein the first near-field antenna is configured to surround at least one of;

the body surface, a waist, a torso, an arm, a leg, a lower body region, a wound, a chest, or a head.

4. The device of claim 1:

wherein the first near-field antenna includes at least one of;

an air core or a ferrite core.

5. The device of claim 1:

wherein a shape of the first near-field antenna is at least one of;

a solenoid, a dipole, a closed shape, a spiral or a loop.

6. The device of claim 1:

wherein the first near-field antenna includes a detachable electrical coupling between a first and second antenna segments.

7. The device of claim 1:

wherein the first near-field antenna is embedded in at least one of;

an item of clothing, a sock, an undergarment, a diaper, a bandage, a tape, a splint, a cast, a bed sheet, a cushion, or a covering.

8. The device of claim 1:

wherein at least one of the sensors is;

a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a gas sensor, molecular sensor, a microbial sensor, a stress sensor, a position sensor, or a proximity sensor.

9. The device of claim 1:

wherein the re-useable structure further comprises a wireless antenna configured to transmit the set of health sensor data using at least one of;

a wifi signal, a cellular signal, a Bluetooth signal, or a zigbee signal.

10. The device of claim 9:

wherein the re-useable structure is configured to transmit an alarm signal over the wireless antenna in response to a threshold value within the set of health sensor data.

11. The device of claim 1:

wherein the second near-field antenna is spatially positioned with respect to the first near-field antenna so as to maximize a coupling factor between the first and second near-field antennas.

12. The device of claim 1:

wherein the first near-field antenna has at least one spatial dimension greater than or equal to a cross-section of the body surface.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein a diameter of the first near-field antenna and the second near-field antenna is the same.

14. Health monitoring device, comprising:

a single-use structure comprising;

a set of sensors configured to generate a set of health sensor data based on a body surface;

a communications circuit configured to receive the set of health sensor data based on the body surface; and

a first near-field antenna, coupled to the circuit, and configured to be conformally coupled to the body surface, wherein the first near-field antenna is located in a top part of the single-use structure, wherein the set of sensors and the first near-field antenna are externally powered passive circuits; and

a re-useable structure, wherein the re-usable structure is wearable, the re-usable structure comprising;

a near-field reader configured to process the set of health sensor data based on the body surface, wherein the near-field reader is configured to be powered by a battery;

a second near-field antenna configured to communicate with the first near-field antenna in the single-use structure, wherein the second near-field antenna is configured to be conformally coupled to the body surface, wherein the second near-field antenna is configured to be powered by the battery, wherein the first near-field antenna and the second near-field antenna are aligned to an axis of the body surface circumference, wherein the alignment to the axis of the body surface circumference provides proper angular alignment between the first and second near-field antennas; and

wherein the single-use structure is wholly powered by a near-field signal from the re-useable structure.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the body surface has a maximum cross-section, and wherein the first near-field antenna has at least one spatial dimension greater than or equal to the maximum cross-section.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the first near-field antenna is configured to surround at least one of:

the body surface, a waist, a torso, an arm, a leg, a lower body region, a wound, a chest, or a head.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the second near-field antenna is spatially positioned with respect to the first near-field antenna so as to maximize a coupling factor between the first and second near-field antennas.

18. A method comprising:

generating, by a set of sensors of a single-use structure of a health monitoring device, a set of health sensor data based on a body surface;

receiving, by a communications circuit of the single-use structure, the set of health sensor data based on the body surface;

transmitting, by a first near-field antenna of the single-use structure, the set of health sensor data, the first near-field antenna configured to be conformally coupled to the body surface, wherein the set of sensors and the first near-field antenna are externally powered passive circuits; and

receiving, by a second near-field antenna of a re-useable structure of the health monitoring device the set of health sensor data from the first near-field antenna in the single-use structure, wherein the second near-field antenna is configured to be conformally coupled to the body surface, wherein the first near-field antenna and the second near-field antenna are aligned to an axis of the body surface circumference, wherein the alignment to the axis of the body surface circumference provides proper angular alignment between the first and second near-field antennas; and

processing, by a near-field reader of the re-useable structure, the set of health sensor data based on the body surface, wherein the re-usable structure is wearable, and wherein the single-use structure is wholly powered by a near-field signal from the re-useable structure.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

transmitting, by a wireless antenna of the re-useable structure, the set of health sensor data, wherein the transmission uses at least one of;

a wifi signal, a cellular signal, a Bluetooth signal, or a zigbee signal.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

transmitting, by re-useable structure, an alarm signal over the wireless antenna in response to a threshold value within the set of health sensor data.