Wearable fetal monitoring system having textile electrodes

• US 10,448,891 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HealthWatch Ltd
• Original Assignee: HealthWatch Ltd
• Inventors: Amir, Uri, Malafriev, Oleg, Katz, Itzhak
• Primary Examiner(s): Morales, Jon Eric C
• Application Number:
  US15/835,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20180192951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/21 Maternity clothing; Clothing specially adapted for persons caring for infants
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2500/10 Knitted
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2500/20 Woven
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/02 Foetus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0209 Special features of electrodes classified in A61B5/24, A61B5/25, A61B5/283, A61B5/291, A61B5/296, A61B5/053
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/04 Arrangements of multiple sensors of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0011 Foetal or obstetric data
• 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 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02411 of foetuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• 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 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/288 : for foetal cardiography, e.g. scalp electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/344 : Foetal cardiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 : Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/366 : Detecting abnormal QRS complex, e.g. widening
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 : Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 : Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 : Vests
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 : Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 : for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• 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

Abstract

A seamless, smart fetal monitoring garment and methods of using thereof. The system includes a knitted or interwoven garment having a multiplicity of conductive textile electrodes for sensing maternal and fetal electrical vital signals. The maternal and fetal electrical vital signals are selected from a group including maternal heart rate, fetal heart rate and electromyogram (EMG) activities including uterine activities. The method includes wearing the garment, acquiring electrical mixed common, maternal and fetal vital signals from surface region of a pregnant woman, using the plurality of textile electrodes, optimally weighted summing-up the acquired signals, analyzing the summed-up signals to thereby extract the maternal signal and the fetal signal, including determining their heart rates, and including detecting health hazards and in some embodiments, including detecting a uterine contraction sequence suggesting the need to be hospitalized for birth giving.

Claims

1. A smart maternity monitoring garment comprising:

a) a tubular form having variable elasticity, said tubular form having a first multiplicity of knitted or interwoven lines, wherein each said line is knitted or interwoven with at least one non-conductive yarn; and

b) a second multiplicity of conductive textile electrodes for sensing maternal and fetal electrical vital signals, each said conductive textile electrode having;

i. a third multiplicity of vertically-aligned line segments, wherein each said segment is formed within said knitted or interwoven lines with a non-conductive yarn and a conductive yarn; and

ii. a skin-side face configured to electrically conduct said signal from a predetermined external surface region of a pregnant woman,

wherein said second multiplicity of conductive textile electrodes includes a preconfigured number of measuring electrodes and a preconfigured number of reference electrodes; and

wherein each said conductive textile electrode is adapted to be in communication flow with a processor.

2. The maternity garment of claim 1, wherein said maternal and fetal electrical vital signals are selected from a group including maternal heart rate, fetal heart rate and electromyogram (EMG) activities including uterine activities.

3. The maternity garment of claim 1, wherein said predetermined external surface region is selected from a group including the abdomen, the perineum and buttocks of said pregnant woman.

4. The maternity garment of claim 1, wherein said preconfigured number of measuring electrodes and said preconfigured number of reference electrodes are re-programmable.

5. The maternity garment of claim 4, wherein each given said conductive textile electrode, in a specific measurement instance, is paired with a preconfigured number of other said conductive textile electrodes, and wherein in each said pairing, said given conductive textile electrode serves either as a measuring electrode or as a reference electrode, thereby facilitating increasing the number of differential measurements acquired, in said specific measurement instance, beyond said second multiplicity of said conductive textile electrodes.

6. The maternity garment of claim 1, wherein each said measuring electrode is paired with at least one of said reference electrode.

7. The maternity garment of claim 6, wherein said pairing of said measuring electrodes and respective said reference electrodes is preset using said processor.

8. The maternity garment of claim 7, wherein said number of measuring electrodes, said number of reference electrodes and said pairing thereof are preset to thereby optimize the signal to noise (SNR) ratio.

9. The maternity garment of claim 1, wherein said measuring electrodes and said reference electrodes are positioned, within the maternity garment, in preconfigured locations.

10. The maternity garment of claim 9, wherein said position of said measuring electrodes and said reference electrodes are preconfigured to thereby optimize the spatial coverage of the uterine.

11. The maternity garment of claim 1, wherein said tubular form has a designated knitting or interweaving density, and wherein one or more designated regions have a knitting or interweaving density that is higher than said designated knitting or interweaving density of said tubular form, thereby providing said variable elasticity, to enable stable conductive contact of said skin-side face of each said electrode with the skin of said pregnant woman.

12. The maternity garment of claim 1, wherein said maternal and fetal monitoring is performed continuously, day and night, while performing everyday life chores.

13. The maternity garment of claim 1, wherein said processor is adapted to alert at least one preconfigured receiving entity, upon detecting a health hazard.

14. The maternity garment of claim 13, wherein said preconfigured receiving entity is selected from the group including a smart personal electronic device of said pregnant woman, a smart personal electronic device of another person, a medical personal, and a computerized center.

15. The maternity garment of claim 1, wherein said conductive textile electrode are in communication flow with the processor via conductive stripes or line traces;

wherein the tubular form further includes a generally vertical zipper; and

wherein said conductive stripes or line traces are attached to or knitted into the maternity garment in a path that is set to continuously pass through the continuous section of the maternity garment between the two unzipped parts of said zipper.

16. The maternity garment of claim 1 further comprising at last one pressure sensor for detecting activity of the uterus, such as contractions.

17. The maternity garment of claim 16, wherein the activity of the uterus includes contractions of the uterus.

18. The maternity garment of claim 1, further comprising at last one sensor for detecting the posture of said pregnant woman.