Portable electronic device and a health management system arranged for monitoring a physiological condition of an individual

• US 20070027386A1
• Filed: 07/08/2004
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Muehlsteff, Jens, Schmidt, Ralf, Such, Olaf, Reiter, Harald, Lauter, Josef, Montvay, Amdras
• Application Number:
  US10/564,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20070027386A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval

Abstract

The invention relates to a portable electronic device, like a shaver, a toothbrush, a walkman, a telephony unit, etc., said device being arranged to measure a signal representative of a physiological condition of a user during a conventional usage of said device. In an embodiment of the electric shaver (25), it is provided with a first contact surface (26) comprising a plurality of shaving heads (26a, 26b, 26c). The shaving heads are manufactured from an electrically conducting material, usually a metal and are suited to provide a good electrical contact to the individual'"'"'s skin during shaving, thus constituting a first electrode. The second contact surface (28′) is provided on the housing of the shaver, in particular on a grip portion (28) thereof, where a contact to a hand of the individual is enabled. The second contact surface (28′) comprises a second electrode (29). Additionally, the second contact surface (28′) can comprise a further sensor (29′) arranged to provide additional data on the physiological condition of the user. The signal measured from the electrodes is supplied to the input of the amplifier (30), which is preferably a differential amplifier. The signal from the differential amplifier (30) is then supplied to a band-pass filter (32), which is preferably set for the range of 0.02 Hz to 100 Hz. The limited amplified biosignal (33) is then forwarded to the analogue-to-digital converter (34). The digitized signal is then analyzed by the analysis means (35), the results of the analysis, comprising the deduced health-related parameter is being displayed on a display (36) of the electric shaver. Additionally the health-related parameter and/or the raw data are transmitted to a remotely arranged unit by a built-in transmission means (38). Preferably, the transmission means (38) comprises a wire-less transmitter.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device (1) arranged to be brought into a contact with an individual'"'"'s skin when being used by said individual, said device comprising a first contact surface (6) and a second contact surface (6′

), wherein the first contact surface comprises a first electrode (8) and the second contact surface comprises a second electrode (8′

), said first electrode being electrically isolated from said second electrode;

the device further comprising means for measuring an electrical signal (10) from said first electrode and said second electrode during the usage of said device, said electrical signal being representative of a physiological condition of said individual.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said device further comprises analysis means (20) arranged to perform an analysis of said electrical signal (M) in order to derive a health-related parameter (15).

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said device further comprises a user interface (18) connectable to said analysis means (20), said user interface being arranged to present said health-related parameter to the individual.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said device further comprises transmission means (16) arranged to forward said health-related parameter to a remotely arranged unit.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said device is arranged to measure an electrical signal generated by cardiac activity.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said device is an electric shaver (25), the first contact surface (26) comprising a front surface of a shaving head (26a, 26b, 26c), the second contact surface (28′

) comprising a grip portion (28) of the shaver.

7. A device according to claim 5, whereon said device is an electric shaver (25) comprising a plurality of shaving heads (26a, 26b, 26c), the first contact surface comprising a first electrode (26a), the second contact surface comprising a second electrode (26b), the electrical shaver further comprising a grip portion (28), said portion being arranged to comprise a further electrode (29) conceived to provide a reference signal.

8. A device according to claim 5, wherein said device is an electric toothbrush (40), the first contact surface comprising a brush head (41), the second contact surface comprising a grip portion (42) of the toothbrush.

9. A device according to claim 5, wherein said device is a telephone handset (50), the first contact surface comprising a housing area (51) of the telephone handset, said area being arranged in a direct vicinity of an earpiece (53), the second contact surface comprising a grip portion (52) of the telephone handset (50).

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein said telephone handset is a mobile telephone handset (50), the first contact surface comprising a keypad (51′

), the second contact surface comprising a grip portion (52) of the mobile telephone handset.

11. A device according to claim 5, wherein said device comprises an earphone and a body unit, the first contact surface being arranged on the earphone, the second contact surface being arranged on the body unit.

12. A health management system arranged to monitor a physiological condition of an individual, said system comprising

sensing means (65) arranged to detect a signal representative of said condition,

analysis means (66) arranged to analyze said signal in order to derive a health-related parameter (66′

),

transmission means (64′

) actuatable by said analysis means, said transmission means being arranged to forward said parameter to a remotely arranged medical care provider (62′

), said provider being arranged to process said parameter in order to derive a health condition of said individual, wherein

said sensing means (65) comprise a portable electronic device arranged to be brought into a contact with an individual'"'"'s skin when being used by said individual, said device comprising a first contact surface and a second contact surface, wherein the first contact surface comprises a first electrode and the second contact surface comprises a second electrode, said first electrode being electrically isolated from said second electrode;

the device further comprising means for measuring an electrical signal from said first electrode and said second electrode during the usage of said device, said electrical signal being representative of a physiological condition of said individual.

13. A health management system according to claim 12, wherein the transmission means is arranged for transmitting said parameter by means of a wireless signal to a base unit arranged to enable a connection to the medical care provider by means of a communication network.

14. A health management system according to claim 12, wherein the device further comprises a user interface actuatable by the analysis means, said user interface being arranged to present said parameter to the individual.