Vital signs monitoring system

• US 10,512,432 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shahparnia, Shahrooz, Klaassen, Erno H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tejani, Ankit D
• Application Number:
  US15/675,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20180042556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0252 using ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0214 Capacitive electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• 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 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02444 Details of sensor A61B5/02427 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1102 Ballistocardiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/304 Switching circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/327 Generation of artificial ECG signals based on measured signals, e.g. to compensate for missing leads
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4815 Sleep quality
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 : Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 : Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 : Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence

Abstract

This relates to a monitoring system capable of measuring a plurality of vital signs. The monitoring system can include a plurality of sensors including, but not limited to, electrodes, piezoelectric sensors, temperature sensors, and accelerometers. The monitoring system can be capable of operating in one or more operation modes such as, for example: capacitance measurement mode, electrical measurement mode, piezoelectric measurement mode, temperature measurement mode, acceleration measurement mode, impedance measurement mode, and standby mode. Based on the measured values, the monitoring system can analyze the user'"'"'s sleep, provide feedback and suggestions to the user, and/or can adjust or control the environmental conditions to improve the user'"'"'s sleep. The monitoring system can further be capable of analyzing the sleep of the user(s) without directly contacting or attaching uncomfortable probes to the user(s) and without having to analyze the sleep in an unknown environment (e.g., a medical facility).

Claims

1. A system for determining one or more physiological signals of a user, the system comprising:

one or more first electrodes configured to;

measure one or more electrical signals of the user;

one or more second electrodes configured to capacitively couple to the one or more first electrodes; and

logic configured to;

generate one or more first signals indicative of a first plurality of changes in capacitive coupling, the first plurality of changes in capacitive coupling being between the one or more first electrodes and the one or more second electrodes;

determine one or more locations of the user based on the one or more first signals;

select a subset of the one or more first electrodes based on the determined one or more locations of the user;

generate one or more second signals indicative of a second plurality of changes in capacitive coupling, the second plurality of changes in capacitive coupling being between the subset of the one or more first electrodes and the one or more second electrodes;

detect the one or more electrical signals of the user using the subset of the one or more first electrodes;

generate one or more third signals indicative of the detected one or more electrical signals of the user; and

determine one or more physiological signals based at least in part on the one or more second signals and the one or more third signals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more first electrodes are located within a first portion of the system, and the one or more second electrodes are located within a second portion of the system, the second portion is at least partially physically separated from the first portion.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first portion is included in a sheet, and the second portion is included in a blanket.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more switches configured to electrically couple at least two of the one or more first electrodes together or at least two of the one or more second electrodes together,

wherein the logic is further configured to associate a decrease in each of the second plurality of changes in capacitive coupling to an increase in gap due to a body of the user physically separating the one or more first electrodes from the one or more second electrodes.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first section with a first granularity;

a second section with a second granularity capable of being different from the first granularity; and

one or more switches configured to couple or decouple the one or more first electrodes together, the one or more second electrodes together, or both to dynamically change one or more of the first and second granularities.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more first electrodes are configured to capacitive couple to the user.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of temperature sensors configured to measure temperature, wherein the plurality of temperature sensors includes a first set of temperature sensors and a second set of temperature sensors, the first set of temperature sensors are located in a first region underneath the user when laying on the system, and the second set of temperature sensors are located in a second region.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is further configured to generate a temperature image from signals from the first set of temperature sensors and from signals from the second set of temperature sensors.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the logic is further configured to determine a location of the user'"'"'s body based on the temperature image.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more accelerometers configured to measure acceleration, vibrations, or both.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more accelerometers are located on a same layer as the one or more first electrodes.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more first electrodes are located on a first layer, and the one or more second electrodes are located on a second layer.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more piezoelectric sensors configured to generate one or more fourth signals, wherein the logic is configured to determine the one or more physiological signals further based on the one or more fourth signals.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more piezoelectric sensors are interleaved with one or more rows of the one or more first electrodes, the one or more second electrodes, or both.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more piezoelectric sensors include one or more sections of rigid material physically connected with flexible material.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more switches configured to electrically couple at least two of the one or more piezoelectric sensors together.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more piezoelectric sensors include a first one or more piezoelectric sensors and a second one or more piezoelectric sensors,

wherein the first one or more piezoelectric sensors are electrically isolated from and capable of taking independent measurements from the second one or more piezoelectric sensors.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more first electrodes are disposed on the one or more piezoelectric sensors.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more first electrodes are located in every other row, and the one or more second electrodes are located in others of the every other row of the one or more first electrodes.