Devices and methods for remote hydration measurement
First Claim
1. A hand-held hydration monitor comprising:
- a viewfinder including one or more alignment features configured to align with a target on a subject;
a micro-impulse radar component including a pulse generator, a variable beam angle, an adjustable output power, and at least one antenna;
a data storage component including a calculated fixed beam width, a range of predetermined operating distances of the hand-held hydration monitor, and stored information associated with reference reflected pulses correlated with reference hydration states, wherein the stored information associated with the reference reflected pulses includes reference signal patterns correlated with measured hydration states;
a user interface including circuitry and a display; and
a computing component operably coupled to the viewfinder, the micro-impulse radar component, the data storage component, and the user interface and including a processor and circuitry, the circuitry includingalignment circuitry configured to determine the degree of alignment between the one or more alignment features associated with the viewfinder and the target on the subject and configured to determine a distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject based on the degree to which the target on the subject fills or under fills the one or more alignment features associated with the viewfinder;
alert circuitry configured to transmit an alert signal to the user interface if the determined degree of alignment meets or exceeds an alignment threshold, wherein the user interface includes circuitry configured to transmit an audible or optical alert message in response to the transmitted alert signal;
beam width control circuitry configured to adjust the variable beam angle of the micro-impulse radar component based on the determined distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject to maintain the calculated fixed beam width on the subject;
micro-impulse radar control circuitry configured to automatically actuate the pulse generator of the micro-impulse radar component to transmit one or more pulses having the adjusted beam angle to the target on the subject if the alignment threshold has been met and the determined distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject is within the range of predetermined operating distances of the hand-held hydration monitor; and
hydration determination circuitry configured to receive information associated with one or more reflected pulses from a tissue associated with the target on the subject in response to the transmitted one or more pulses, the information associated with the one or more reflected pulses including reflected signal patterns and circuitry configured to compare the reflected signal patterns received from the tissue with the reference signal patterns associated with the measured hydration states to determine a relative hydration state of the tissue.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Devices and methods are described for a hand-held hydration monitor including a viewfinder including one or more alignment features configured to align with a target on a subject; a micro-impulse radar component; a data storage component including stored information associated with reference reflected pulses correlated with reference hydration states; a user interface; and a computing component including a processor and circuitry, the circuitry including micro-impulse radar control circuitry configured to actuated the micro-impulse radar component, and hydration determination circuitry configured to receive information associated with one or more reflected pulses from a tissue associated with the target on the subject and to compare the information associated with the one or more reflected pulses from the tissue associated with the target on the subject with the stored information associated with the reference reflected pulses correlated with the reference hydration states to determine a relative hydration state of the tissue.
45 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A hand-held hydration monitor comprising:
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a viewfinder including one or more alignment features configured to align with a target on a subject; a micro-impulse radar component including a pulse generator, a variable beam angle, an adjustable output power, and at least one antenna; a data storage component including a calculated fixed beam width, a range of predetermined operating distances of the hand-held hydration monitor, and stored information associated with reference reflected pulses correlated with reference hydration states, wherein the stored information associated with the reference reflected pulses includes reference signal patterns correlated with measured hydration states; a user interface including circuitry and a display; and a computing component operably coupled to the viewfinder, the micro-impulse radar component, the data storage component, and the user interface and including a processor and circuitry, the circuitry including alignment circuitry configured to determine the degree of alignment between the one or more alignment features associated with the viewfinder and the target on the subject and configured to determine a distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject based on the degree to which the target on the subject fills or under fills the one or more alignment features associated with the viewfinder; alert circuitry configured to transmit an alert signal to the user interface if the determined degree of alignment meets or exceeds an alignment threshold, wherein the user interface includes circuitry configured to transmit an audible or optical alert message in response to the transmitted alert signal; beam width control circuitry configured to adjust the variable beam angle of the micro-impulse radar component based on the determined distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject to maintain the calculated fixed beam width on the subject; micro-impulse radar control circuitry configured to automatically actuate the pulse generator of the micro-impulse radar component to transmit one or more pulses having the adjusted beam angle to the target on the subject if the alignment threshold has been met and the determined distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject is within the range of predetermined operating distances of the hand-held hydration monitor; and hydration determination circuitry configured to receive information associated with one or more reflected pulses from a tissue associated with the target on the subject in response to the transmitted one or more pulses, the information associated with the one or more reflected pulses including reflected signal patterns and circuitry configured to compare the reflected signal patterns received from the tissue with the reference signal patterns associated with the measured hydration states to determine a relative hydration state of the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of determining a hydration state with a hydration monitor comprising:
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determining a degree of alignment between a target on a subject and one or more alignment features in a viewfinder of the hydration monitor, the hydration monitor including the viewfinder, a micro-impulse radar component including a pulse generator, a variable beam angle, an adjustable output power, and at least one antenna, a data storage component including stored information associated with reference reflected pulses correlated with reference hydration states, the stored information associated with the reference reflected pulses including reference signal patterns correlated with measured hydration states, a user interface, and a computing component including a processor and circuitry; determining a distance between the hydration monitor and the subject based on the degree to which the target on the subject fills or under fills the one or more alignment features associated with the viewfinder; transmitting an alert signal to the user interface if at least one of the determined degree of alignment fails to meet an alignment threshold and the determined distance between the hydration monitor and the subject fails to fall within a range of predetermined operating distances of the hydration monitor; generating an audible or optical alert message with the user interface in response to the transmitted alert signal; adjusting the variable beam angle of the micro-impulse radar component based on the determined distance between the hydration monitor and the subject to maintain a calculated fixed beam width on the subject; automatically actuating the pulse generator of the micro-impulse radar component to transmit one or more pulses having the adjusted beam angle towards the target on the subject if the alignment threshold has been met and the determined distance between the hydration monitor and the subject falls within the range of predetermined operating distances of the hydration monitor; receiving information associated with one or more reflected pulses from a tissue associated with the target on the subject in response to the transmitted one or more pulses, the information associated with the received one or more reflected pulses including reflected signal patterns; determining a relative hydration state of the tissue by comparing the reflected signal patterns received from the tissue associated with the target on the subject with the reference reflected signal patterns associated with the measured hydration states; and reporting the determined relative hydration state of the tissue associated with the target on the subject through the user interface of the hydration monitor. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A hydration monitoring system comprising:
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an article of clothing including one or more markings configured to be worn over a target on a subject; and a hand-held hydration monitor including a viewfinder including one or more alignment features configured to align with the one or more markings on the article of clothing worn over the target on the subject; a micro-impulse radar component including a pulse generator, variable beam angle, adjustable output power, at least one receiver, and at least one antenna; a data storage component including a calculated fixed beam width, a range of predetermined operating distances, and stored information associated with reference reflected pulses correlated with reference hydration states, wherein the stored information associated with the reference reflected pulses includes reference signal patterns correlated with measured hydration states; a user interface including circuitry and a display; and a computing component operably coupled to the viewfinder, the micro-impulse radar component, the data storage component, and the user interface, and including a processor and circuitry, the circuitry including alignment circuitry configured to determine the degree of alignment between the one or more alignment features associated with the viewfinder and the one or more markings on the article of clothing worn over the target on the subject and configured to determine a distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject based on the degree to which the one or more markings on the article of clothing worn over the target on the subject fills or under fills the one or more alignment features associated with the viewfinder; alert circuitry configured to transmit an alert signal to the user interface if at least one of the determined degree of alignment fails to meet an alignment threshold and the determined distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject fails to fall within the range of predetermined operating distances of the hand-held hydration monitor, wherein the user interface includes circuitry configured to transmit an audible or optical alert message in response to the transmitted alert signal; beam width control circuitry configured to adjust the variable beam angle of the micro-impulse radar component based on the determined distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject to maintain the calculated fixed beam width on the subject; micro-impulse radar control circuitry configured to automatically actuate the pulse generator of the micro-impulse radar component to transmit one or more pulses having the adjusted beam angle to the target on the subject if the alignment threshold has been met and the determined distance between the hand-held hydration monitor and the subject falls within the range of predetermined operating distances of the hand-held hydration monitor; and hydration determination circuitry configured to receive information associated with one or more reflected pulses from a tissue associated with the target on the subject in response to the transmitted one or more pulses having the adjusted beam angle, the information associated with the one or more reflected pulses including reflected signal patterns, and circuitry configured to compare the reflected signal patterns received from the tissue with the reference signal patterns associated with the measured hydration states to determine a relative hydration state of the tissue associated with the target on the subject. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification