Wearable personal area data network

• US 20060224048A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aware Technologies, Inc. (Idhasoft Limited)
• Original Assignee: Aware Technologies, Inc. (Idhasoft Limited)
• Inventors: Devaul, Richard W., Elledge, Christopher, Barkalow, Daniel, Carlton-Foss, John
• Application Number:
  US11/258,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224048A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• 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 5/11 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 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A near-field communications network enables a body-wearable personal area network. The near-field communications takes place in the magnetic near-field. A master node with an orthogonal antenna array controls the network. The orthogonal antenna array is orientable to maximize signal strength. The antennas are designed and operated so as to strand the energy of transmission of communications in the near-field. This reduces the detectability of the communications outside of the immediate area of the near-field network.

Claims

1. A wearable master device for a remote monitoring network, comprising:

a controller to control the master device and to control data transmissions in the network;

a power module associated with the controller; and

a transceiver to receive data about a condition of a wearer of the wearable master device and to transmit the data about the condition to other devices in the network.

2. The wearable master device of claim 1 wherein the controller further comprises an analysis device to take the received data as input, the analysis device to determine the condition of the wearer in response to the received data.

3. The wearable master device of claim 1 wherein the transceiver further comprises a magnetic field generator, the magnetic field generator to generate a transmission medium through which the transceiver transmits and receives data.

4. The wearable master device of claim 3 wherein the transmission medium is a near-field RF field.

5. The wearable master device of claim 1 wherein the controller controls at least one wearable slave device.

6. The wearable master device of claim 5 wherein the wearable slave device is a sensor, the sensor to sense a condition of the wearer of the wearable master device.

7. The wearable master device of claim 1 wherein the transceiver transmits data to an external device.

8. The wearable master device of claim 7 wherein the external device is a second master device.

9. The wearable master device of claim 1 wherein the transceiver transmits data to a plurality of external devices.

10. The wearable master device of claim 9 wherein the plurality of external devices are master devices.

11. The wearable master device of claim 1 wherein the transceiver transmits data using a plurality of communications modalities.

12. The wearable master device of claim 3 wherein the magnetic field generator comprises at least one antenna.

13. The wearable master device of claim 3 wherein the magnetic field generator comprises an orthogonal antenna array.

14. The wearable master device of claim 13 wherein the orthogonal antenna array is configured to operate as a virtual single antenna.

15. The wearable master device of claim 3 wherein the magnetic field generator comprises an interface to other master devices.

16. The wearable master device of claim 3 wherein the transmission medium enables transmission through water.

17. The wearable master device of claim 3 wherein the transmission medium enables transmission through body fluids.

18. The wearable master device of claim 3 wherein the transmission medium enables transmission through living tissue.

19. A wearable personal area network, comprising:

a plurality of sensors to be placed on a wearer;

at least one analytic device to analyze data from at least one of the plurality of sensors, the analytic device to determine a condition of the wearer; and

a master device to control the plurality of sensors and the at least one analytic device, the master device to communicate the condition to at least one external device.

20. The wearable personal area network of claim 19 wherein one of the at least one external devices is a second master.

21. The wearable personal area network of claim 19 wherein one of the plurality of sensors communicates with one of the at least one external devices.

22. The wearable personal area network of claim 19 further comprising a near-field transmission medium over which the master device and the plurality of sensors communicate.

23. The wearable personal area network of claim 22 wherein the near-field transmission medium is a magnetic field.

24. A personal area data network, comprising:

a plurality of sensors placed on a person'"'"'s body;

at least one analytic device to analyze data from at least one of the plurality of sensors, the analytic device to determine at least one condition of the person; and

a first master device to control the plurality of sensors and the at least one analytic device;

a second master device in communication with at least one of the first master device and the plurality of sensors; and

a third master device in communication with the second master device.

25. The personal area data network of claim 24 wherein the at least one analytic device further analyzes quality of the data from the at least one of the plurality of sensors.

26. The personal area data network of claim 24 wherein the second master device initiates communication with at least one of the plurality of sensors with the purpose of receiving sensor data.

27. The personal area data network of claim 24 wherein the second master device transmits the received sensor data to the third master.

28. A communications linkage, comprising:

a first master device;

a second master device; and

an inductive transmission medium to provide a communications medium enabling the first master device to communicate with the second master device.

29. The communications linkage of claim 28 wherein the inductive transmission medium further comprises a near-field RF field.