Wireless infant health monitor

• US 10,499,837 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2017
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Owlet Baby Care, Inc. (Owlet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Owlet Baby Care, Inc. (Owlet, Inc.)
• Inventors: Workman, Kurt Gibbons, Hodges, Tanor G., Colvin, Jacob B., Felt, Wyatt M., Monroe, Jordan J., Bomsta, Zachary David
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Chu Chuan
• Application Number:
  US15/594,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/04 Babies, e.g. for SIDS detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• 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 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6829 Foot or ankle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• 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: A61B 5/747 in case of emergency, i.e. alerting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0208 Combination with audio or video communication, e.g. combination with "baby phone" function
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 : for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A system for wirelessly monitoring the health of an infant comprising a sensing module removably disposed within a wearable article. At least a portion of the sensing module can be in contact with an infant'"'"'s foot. The sensing module can include a processing unit configured to receive and process health readings received by the sensing module. A wireless transmitter can also be in communication with the processing unit. The wireless transmitter can be configured to transmit the processed health readings to a receiving station. The receiving station can indicate an alarm if the processed health readings indicate a health trend that falls outside of a particular threshold.

Claims

1. A computer system for wirelessly monitoring the health of a patient, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors configure the computer system to perform at least the following;

receive from a pulse oximeter sensor at least a blood-oxygen level of a patient;

identify a particular alarm level based upon a health reading relating to the blood-oxygen level of the patient;

elevate the particular alarm level to a higher alarm level based upon a reading received from an accelerometer that indicates an attribute of the patient other than blood-oxygen level, wherein the attribute comprises an indication that the patient is in a particular position; and

trigger an alarm alert at the higher alarm level.

2. The computer system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a sensing module that comprises the pulse oximeter sensor disposed longitudinally upon an arm that extends away from a body of the sensing module.

3. The computer as recited in claim 2, further comprising a wearable article that is configured to hold the sensing module.

4. The computer as recited in claim 3, wherein the wearable article is configured to be worn around a foot and the wearable article comprises:

a pocket configured to removably hold at least a portion of the sensing module; and

an alignment feature configured to guide the arm of the sensing module such that the pulse oximeter sensor disposed upon the arm is configured to be held in close contact with the foot.

5. The computer system as recited in claim 3, wherein the wearable article comprises a sock.

6. The computer as recited in claim 5, further comprising socks of multiple different sizes, wherein the sensing module is configured to be disposable in each of the socks of multiple different sizes, such that the same sensing module is useable within different sock sizes.

7. The computer system as recited in claim 3, wherein the arm comprises a flexible material that is configured to wrap at least partially around the foot.

8. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein triggering an alarm alert comprises sending a communication to a base station.

9. A wearable sensor device for monitoring health of a patient, the sensing module comprising:

a sensing module that comprises a body and an arm extending away from the body;

a pulse oximeter sensor disposed longitudinally upon the arm of the sensing module;

a wearable article that is configured to hold the sensing module, the wearable article comprising;

a pocket configured to removably hold at least a portion of the sensing module; and

an alignment feature configured to guide the arm of the sensing module such that the pulse oximeter sensor disposed upon the arm is configured to be held in close contact with the patient; and

a processing unit configured to execute computer-readable instructions that when executed cause the wearable sensor system to;

receive from the pulse oximeter sensor at least a blood-oxygen level of the patient;

identify a particular alarm level based upon a health reading relating to the blood-oxygen level of the patient;

elevate the particular alarm level to a higher alarm level based upon a reading received from an accelerometer that indicates a particular attribute of the patient other than blood-oxygen level, wherein the particular attribute comprises an indication that the patient is in a particular position; and

trigger the particular alarm at the higher alarm level.

10. The wearable sensor device as recited in claim 9, wherein triggering the particular alarm comprises sending a communication to a base station.

11. The wearable sensor device as recited in claim 9, wherein the wearable article comprises a sock.

12. The wearable sensor device as recited in claim 11, wherein the sensing module is configured to be disposed in multiple different sizes of socks, such that the same sensing module is useable for patients that require different sock sizes.

13. The wearable sensor device as recited in claim 9, wherein the arm comprises a flexible material that is configured to wrap at least partially around the foot.

14. The wearable sensor device as recited in claim 9, wherein the pulse oximeter sensor comprises multiple photoemitters and multiple photodetectors disposed longitudinally upon the arm of the sensing module.

15. A sensor system for wirelessly monitoring the health of a patient, comprising:

a sensing module for gathering health data from a patient, the sensing module comprising;

a body and an arm extending away from the body, and

a pulse oximeter sensor disposed longitudinally upon the arm of the sensing module;

a sock that is configured to removably hold the sensing module, the sock comprising;

a pocket configured to removably hold at least a portion of the sensing module, and

an alignment feature configured to guide the arm of the sensing module such that the pulse oximeter sensor disposed upon the arm is configured to be held in close contact with the patient;

a processing unit configured to execute computer-readable instructions that when executed cause the wearable sensor system to;

receive from the pulse oximeter sensor at least a blood-oxygen level of the patient;

identify a particular alarm level based upon a health reading relating to the blood-oxygen level of the patient;

elevate the particular alarm level to a higher alarm level based upon a reading received from an accelerometer that indicates an attribute of the patient other than blood-oxygen level, wherein the particular attribute comprises an indication that the patient is in a particular position; and

trigger an alarm alert at the higher alarm level.