Calibration packaging apparatuses for physiological monitoring garments

• US 10,201,310 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Life Company Limited (Aiful Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Life Company Limited (Aiful Corporation)
• Inventors: Mauri, Marco Lorenzo, Giovanelli, Marco, Longinotti-Buitoni, Gianluigi, Rigoni, Rudy
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, An T
• Application Number:
  US15/335,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20170112440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers

Abstract

A calibration packaging apparatus for a physiological monitoring garment is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a chamber to hold a physiological monitoring garment with a plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors. The apparatus is configured to calibrate the plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors simultaneously during a calibration process in which the apparatus is moved through a predetermined pattern and/or a random pattern. Methods of calibrating using the apparatus are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A calibration packaging apparatus for simultaneously calibrating a plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors of a physiological monitoring garment that is held within the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a housing, the housing comprising;

a securement within the housing configured to hold the physiological monitoring garment so that the separation between each of the sensors of the plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors remains constant as the housing is moved; and

a separator within the housing dividing the housing into a first region for holding the physiological monitoring garment and a second region for holding a phone, wherein the separator comprises an opening therethrough for connecting the phone to a connector on the physiological monitoring garment;

wherein the housing and the separator are made entirely of non-magnetic materials, and

a non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores instructions, which, when performed by a processor, cause the processor to;

communicate with the plurality of sensors to receive raw data from the sensors;

display instructions to position the calibration packaging in a plurality of positions for a period of times; and

transmit calibration information on each sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pair of reference markings an outer peripheral surface region of the housing that are separated by 90 degrees.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the separator is in the inner region and configured to be positioned between a phone and the first physiological monitoring garment.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator is configured to shield magnetic energy between a phone and the first physiological monitoring garment.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of markings.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an ergonomic hand-grip configured to facilitate rotation.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the ergonomic hand-grip comprises rubber.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the ergonomic hand-grip comprises soft-touch plastic.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the securement comprises at least one tie.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the securement comprises at least one strap.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a flat bottom surface that is configured to slide open.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a controller configured to control the calibration process.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a phone having a controller, wherein the phone is configured to attach to an sensory management system (SMS) on the physiological monitoring garment through the separator and control the calibration process.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an output in the inner region configured to provide feedback of the calibration process.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 further configured to be connected to a cloud through the phone.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 further configured to be a docking station.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an additional chamber configured to hold at least one of an earphone and an earphone cable, a wristband, a camera, a charger cable, a USB adapter and a USB cable.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transparent cover.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the apparatus is circular with a diameter between about 10 cm to about 50 cm.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is formed primarily of a molded plastic.

21. A calibration packaging apparatus for a physiological monitoring garment, the apparatus comprising:

an inner region for storage;

a cover configured to cover the inner region;

a first physiological monitoring garment comprising a first plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors;

a first chamber in the inner region configured to hold the first physiological monitoring garment;

a phone;

a second chamber in the inner region configured to hold the phone;

a separator between the first chamber and the second chamber, wherein the separator comprises a sheet extending through the inner region to shield magnetic energy between the phone and the garment;

an opening through the separator through which the phone may connect to a sensory management system in the first physiological monitoring garment;

a retainer in the inner region configured to secure the first physiological monitoring garment within the inner region so as to maintain the relative distances between the first plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors during a calibration process; and

wherein the entire first chamber, second chamber and separator are made of non-ferromagnetic and non-diamagnetic materials so that the first plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors may be accurately and simultaneously calibrated.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising orientation markings on the cover configured to show a specific positions.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the phone is configured to perform automatic calibration parameter computation.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the phone comprises an LED configured to provide feedback of the calibration process.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the phone comprises a screen configured to provide feedback of the calibration process.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a third chamber configured to hold a second physiological monitoring garment having a second plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors, wherein the first garment is configured to be connected with the second garment during the calibration process such that the first plurality and the second plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors are calibrated at the same time.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first chamber and second chamber are configured to hold the phone at least 2 cm from any of the first plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors.

28. A method of calibrating a physiological monitoring garment, the method comprising:

placing a first physiological monitoring garment inside a first chamber in a first inner region of a calibration packaging apparatus, the garment comprising a first plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors;

connecting a sensory management system on the garment with a phone that is in a second chamber of the calibration packaging apparatus;

securing, using a retainer, the first physiological monitoring garment in the first inner region to keep constant a plurality of relative distances between all sensors of the first plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors during a calibration process; and

shielding magnetic energy between the phone and the garment using a separator in the inner region between the phone and the garment and

simultaneously calibrating the first plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors by moving and rotating the apparatus by moving the apparatus through a plurality of motions.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising monitoring the calibration process by a feedback signal.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising initiating a calibration process using the phone.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising initiating a calibration process using a controller in the inner region of the apparatus.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein moving and rotating the apparatus following an instruction including following instructions presented by the phone.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein moving and rotating the apparatus comprises following instruction presented on a display of the phone visible through the calibration apparatus.

34. A method of calibrating a physiological monitoring garment, the method comprising:

placing a first physiological monitoring garment inside a first chamber in an inner region of a calibration packaging apparatus, the garment comprising a first plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors;

connecting a sensory management system on the garment with an output in another chamber of the inner region or through a cover;

using a fixing retainer in the inner region to keep constant a plurality of relative distances between the first plurality of position sensors, motion sensors, or position and motion sensors during a calibration process; and

using a separator in the inner region between the phone and the garment, to shield magnetic energy between the phone and the garment;

allowing a calibration process to be initiated;

showing an instruction to move and rotate the apparatus on the smart screen;

allowing the apparatus to be moved and rotated following the instruction;

calibrating all sensors to be calibrated simultaneously;

providing feedback of the calibration process; and

indicating completion of the calibration process.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein initiating a calibration process including initiating a calibration process through a smart screen of the phone.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein initiating a calibration process including initiating a calibration process through a controller in the inner region of the apparatus.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein calibrating all sensors to be calibrated simultaneously including calibrating all sensors to be calibrated simultaneously by the phone.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein calibrating all sensors to be calibrated simultaneously including calibrating all sensors to be calibrated simultaneously by a controller in the inner region of the apparatus.