System and method for detecting inflammation in a foot

• US 10,602,932 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2016
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siren Care, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Siren Care, Inc.
• Inventors: Ma, Ran, Fu, Jie, Scholten, Henk Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Abouelela, May A
• Application Number:
  US15/382,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20170188841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 600300, 600549, 702131, 73172, 3405731
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/07 Home care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• 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 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/447 specially adapted for aiding the prevention of ulcer or pressure sore development, i.e. before the ulcer or sore has developed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7271 Specific aspects of physiological measurement analysis A61B5/316, A61B5/349 and A61B5/374 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 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• 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: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/10 in respect of time, e.g. reacting only to a quick change of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/14 in respect of space
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

One variation of a method for detecting inflammation in a foot includes: accessing a first temperature measured through a left temperature sensor and a second temperature measured through a right temperature sensor at approximately a first time, the left temperature sensor arranged in a left sock and the right temperature sensor arranged in a right sock worn on the user'"'"'s feet; calculating a baseline difference between the first and second temperatures based on confirmation of absence of inflammation in the user'"'"'s left and right feet at the first time; accessing a third temperature measured through the left temperature sensor and a fourth temperature measured through the right temperature sensor at approximately a second time; and in response to a second temperature difference—between the third and fourth temperatures—differing from the baseline difference by more than a threshold difference, issuing an alarm through the user interface.

Claims

1. A method for detecting inflammation in a foot comprising:

at one or more processors;

in response to receipt of confirmation of absence of inflammation in a left foot of a user and a right foot of the user at a first time;

accessing a first temperature measured through a left temperature sensor, the left temperature sensor arranged in a left sock worn on the left foot of the user;

accessing a second temperature measured through a right temperature sensor, the right temperature sensor arranged in a right sock worn on the right foot of the user; and

calculating a baseline difference as a function of a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature;

receiving at a first sampling rate a first plurality of temperature measurements measured by the left sock and the right sock;

determining a user state based on one or more sensors in at least one of the left sock and the right sock;

in response to the determined user state, receiving at a second sampling rate a second plurality of temperature measurements measured by the left sock and the right sock during a monitoring period, wherein the second sampling rate is greater than the first sampling rate;

determining a plurality of sampled temperature differences based on the second plurality of temperature measurements, wherein each sampled temperature difference is determined as a temperature difference between a first region on the left foot and a second region on the right foot, wherein the first region and the second region are spatially corresponding regions;

predicting inflammation in at least one of the first region and the second region based on the sampled temperature differences differing from the baseline difference by more than a threshold difference; and

in response to the predicted inflammation, issuing an alarm through a user interface.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the threshold difference is 2.0 degrees Celsius.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing the alarm comprises:

generating an electronic notification comprising a prompt to visually inspect the left foot of the user; and

serving the electronic notification through a mobile computing device executing the user interface.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving confirmation of absence of inflammation in the left foot or right foot of the user responsive to the electronic notification; and

in response to receipt of confirmation of absence of inflammation in the left foot or right foot of the user, increasing the threshold difference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing the alarm comprises:

generating an electronic notification comprising a prompt to reduce physical activity for a duration of time; and

serving the electronic notification through a mobile computing device executing the user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

estimating an activity level of the user throughout the duration of time;

confirming reduction in physical activity of the user throughout the duration of time based on the estimated activity level;

accessing a third temperature measured through the left temperature sensor and accessing a fourth temperature measured through the right temperature sensor after the duration of time has elapsed;

calculating a second temperature difference as a function of a difference between the third temperature and the fourth temperature; and

in response to the confirmed reduction in physical activity of the user throughout the duration of time and in response to the second temperature difference differing from the baseline difference by more than the threshold difference;

generating a second electronic notification comprising a prompt to monitor the user; and

transmitting the second electronic notification to an electronic account associated with a care provider affiliated with the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a determination that at least one of the left sock and the right sock is in place on a foot based on a signal output by a proximity sensor arranged in the at least one sock;

accessing the first temperature after determining that the at least one sock is in place on the foot; and

entering a standby mode in response to a determination that the at least one sock has been removed from the foot.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

in response to the determination that the at least one sock is in place on the foot, transmitting confirmation that the at least one sock is in place on the foot to a mobile computing device executing the user interface;

accessing a temperature monitoring schedule for the user defining a temperature monitoring period; and

in response to absence of confirmation that at least one of the left sock and the right sock is in place on a foot during the temperature monitoring period;

generating an electronic notification comprising a prompt to place at least one of the left sock and the right sock on a foot; and

serving the electronic notification through a mobile computing device executing the user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, during a setup routine:

serving a first prompt, through the user interface, to confirm absence of visual signs of inflammation in the left foot of the user and the right foot of the user;

receiving, through the user interface, confirmation of absence of visual signs of inflammation in the left foot of the user and the right foot of the user; and

serving a prompt, through the user interface, to remain sedentary for a duration of time comprising the first time;

wherein accessing the first temperature, accessing the second temperature, and calculating the baseline difference comprise accessing the first temperature, accessing the second temperature, and calculating the baseline difference during the setup routine.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating an activity level of the user based on motion data recorded through a motion sensor integrated into at least one of the left sock and the right sock; and

setting the threshold difference directly proportional to the activity level of the user.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein determining a plurality of sampled temperature differences comprises calculating a rate of temperature change between a second temperature difference and a third temperature difference;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

in response to the rate of temperature change exceeding a threshold rate of change, withholding an alarm responsive to the second temperature difference and the third temperature difference differing from the baseline temperature difference by more than the threshold difference.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user state is user motion, and wherein determining the user state comprises determining the user state based on one or more motion sensors in at least one of the left sock and the right sock.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user state is inflammation in at least one of the left foot and the right foot, and wherein determining the user state comprises determining the user state based on one or more temperature sensors in at least one of the left sock and the right sock.

14. A method for detecting inflammation in a foot comprising:

at one or more processors;

receiving confirmation of absence of inflammation in a left foot of a user and a right foot of the user through a user interface;

accessing a first temperature measured through a left temperature sensor the left temperature sensor arranged in a left foot-borne device worn on the left foot of the user;

accessing a second temperature measured through a right temperature sensor, the right temperature sensor arranged in a right foot-borne device worn on the right foot of the user;

calculating a linear combination of the first temperature and the second temperature;

storing the linear combination as a baseline difference in response to confirmation of absence of inflammation in the left foot of the user and the right foot of the user;

receiving at a first sampling rate a first plurality of temperature measurements measured by the left foot-borne device and the right foot-borne device;

determining a user state based on one or more sensors in at least one of the left foot-borne device and the right foot-borne device;

in response to the determined user state, receiving at a second sampling rate a second plurality of temperature measurements measured by the left foot-borne device and the right foot-borne device during a monitoring period, wherein the second sampling rate is greater than the first sampling rate;

determining a plurality of sampled temperature differences based on the second plurality of temperature measurements, wherein each sampled temperature difference is determined as a temperature difference between a first region on the left foot and a second region on the right foot, wherein the first region and the second region are spatially corresponding regions;

predicting inflammation in at least one of the first region and the second region based on the sampled temperature differences differing from the baseline difference by more than a threshold difference; and

in response to the predicted inflammation, issuing an alarm through the user interface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the user state is user motion, and wherein determining the user state comprises determining the user state based on one or more motion sensors in at least one of the left foot-borne device and the right foot-borne device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the user state is inflammation in at least one of the left foot and the right foot, and wherein determining the user state comprises determining the user state based on one or more temperature sensors in at least one of the left foot-borne device and the right foot-borne device.

17. A system for detecting inflammation in a foot comprising:

a set of left socks comprising a first left sock, wherein the first left sock comprises a left set of temperature sensors;

a set of right socks comprising a first right sock, wherein the first right sock comprises a right set of temperature sensors;

a computer program configured to;

execute on a computing device;

during a first period of time, access first left temperature data read at a first sampling rate from the left set of temperature sensors and access first right temperature data read at the first sampling rate from the right set of temperature sensors and access first right temperature data read at the first sampling rate from the right set of temperature sensors;

determine a user state based on one or more sensors in at least one of the first left sock and the first right sock;

during a second period of time in response to the determined user state, access second left temperature data read at a second sampling rate from the left set of temperature sensors and access second right temperature data read at the second sampling rate from the right set of temperature sensors, wherein the second sampling rate is greater than the first sampling rate;

calculate a plurality of sampled temperature differences between second left temperature data from the left set of temperature sensors and second right temperature data from the right set of temperature sensors; and

issue a notification on a display of the computing device in response to the sampled temperature differences exceeding a threshold difference.

18. The system of claim 17:

wherein at least one of the first left sock and the first right sock comprises;

a first temperature sensor arranged in a first Ossa digit region;

a second temperature sensor, a third temperature sensor, and a fourth temperature sensor arranged along a boundary between a phalange region and a metatarsal region;

a fifth temperature sensor arranged along a boundary between the metatarsal region and a tarsal region; and

a sixth temperature sensor arranged in a heel region.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the user state is user motion, and wherein the computer program is configured to determine the user state based on one or more motion sensors in at least one of the left sock and the right sock.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the user state is inflammation in at least one of the left foot and the right foot, and wherein the computer program is configured to determine the user state based on one or more temperature sensors in at least one of the first left sock and the first right sock.