SENSOR, PROCESSING MEANS, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION ON A VITAL PARAMETER OF A LIVING BEING

• US 20070299330A1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Couronne, Robert, Aschenbrenner, Stefan, Bode, Stephan, Moersdorf, Hans-Joachim
• Application Number:
  US11/749,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299330A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/368
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A sensor for providing information on a vital parameter includes a mounter for attaching the sensor to a living being, a light source connected to the mounter to radiate light into a part of the body of the living being, and a light receiver connected to the mounter and implemented to receive part of the light to provide, in dependence on an intensity of the light received, a light intensity signal depending on the vital parameter. Additionally, the sensor includes an acceleration sensor connected to the mounter and implemented to provide an acceleration signal in dependence on an acceleration in at least one direction. The sensor is implemented to transfer the light intensity signal and the acceleration signal to a processor for a combining processing of the light intensity signal and the acceleration signal, or to generate the light intensity signal in dependence on the acceleration signal.

Claims

1. A sensor for providing information on a vital parameter of a living being, comprising:

a mounter for attaching the sensor to the living being;

a light source connected to the mounter for radiating light into a part of the body of the living being;

a light receiver connected to the mounter and implemented to receive part of the light radiated to provide, in dependence on an intensity of the light received, a light intensity signal depending on the vital parameter; and

an acceleration sensor connected to the mounter and implemented to provide an acceleration signal in dependence on an acceleration in at least one direction,

wherein the sensor is implemented to transfer the light intensity signal and the acceleration signal to a processor for a combining processing of the light intensity signal and the acceleration signal or to generate the light intensity signal in dependence on the acceleration signal.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the vital parameter includes a pulse frequency of a living being, and wherein the light source and the light receiver are arranged such that an optical attenuation in the part of the body between the light source and the light receiver is influenced by a change in volume in a blood vessel in the part of the body.

3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the vital parameter includes a portion of different blood components of blood in a blood vessel of the living being, wherein the portions of the different blood components of the blood influence a wavelength dependence of an optical attenuation in the part of the body between the light source and the light receiver, and

wherein the sensor is implemented to determine the wavelength dependence of the optical attenuation in the part of the body between the light source and the light receiver.

4. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the light source and the light receiver are arranged to allow transmission measurement through the part of the body.

5. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the mounter is implemented to attach the sensor around a human carpus, a human wrist or a human forearm.

6. The sensor according to claim 5, wherein the mounter is implemented to attach the sensor to a human wrist, and wherein the light source is attached to the mounter to radiate light into the wrist from an outward side of the wrist.

7. The sensor according to claim 5, wherein the mounter is implemented to attach the sensor around a human wrist, and wherein the light receiver is attached to the mounter to receive light from an inward side of the wrist.

8. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the mounter is implemented to attach the sensor around a human ankle bone, a human ankle joint or a human lower leg.

9. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the mounters, the light source and the light receiver are implemented to mount the sensor to a part of the body or around a part of the body such that an artery in the part of the body is arranged between the light source and the light receiver.

10. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes, as a processor, a pulse determiner implemented to determine a pulse frequency of the living being from temporal variations of the light intensity signal, the pulse frequency of the living being representing the vital parameter.

11. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a plurality of light sources of different light wavelengths and is implemented to radiate light of different wavelengths into the part of the body to allow determining an optical attenuation between the light sources and the light receiver in dependence on the wavelength.

12. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a plurality of light receivers of different spectral sensitivities to allow determining an optical attenuation between the light source and the light receivers in dependence on the wavelength.

13. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes, as a processor, a blood composition determiner implemented to determine, using a wavelength dependence of the optical attenuation in the part of the body between the light source and the light receiver, portions of different blood components of blood in a blood vessel of the living being.

14. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes the processor, and wherein the processor is implemented to correct the light intensity signal in dependence on the acceleration signal to counteract changes in the light intensity signal due to the acceleration.

15. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes the processor, wherein the processor is implemented to determine the information on the vital parameter from the light intensity signal, and wherein the processor is additionally implemented to correct the information on the vital parameter in dependence on the acceleration signal to counteract a change in the light intensity signal due to the acceleration.

16. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes the processor,

wherein the processor is implemented to determine the information on the vital parameter from the light intensity signal and to generate from the acceleration signal reliability information associated to the information on the vital parameter which indicates high reliability of the information on the vital parameter with small an acceleration magnitude and indicates lower a reliability of the information on the vital parameter with greater an acceleration magnitude.

17. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes the processor, and wherein the processor is implemented to only determine the information on the vital parameter from the light intensity signal or output same if the acceleration signal indicates that the acceleration is within a predetermined allowed region, and to otherwise provide, instead of current information on the vital parameter, information, determined before, on the vital parameter or an error signal indicating an error.

18. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes the processor, wherein the processor is implemented to only determine the information on the vital parameter from the light intensity signal if the acceleration signal indicates that the acceleration is within a predetermined allowed region, and otherwise not to provide information on the vital parameter.

19. The sensor according to claim 1, the sensor further comprising:

an attenuation measure detector implemented to determine attenuation information describing an optical attenuation between the light source and the light receiver; and

a light source adjuster implemented to determine a light power or light energy radiated by the light source in dependence on the attenuation information.

20. The sensor according to claim 19, wherein the attenuation measure detector is implemented to determine information on a water portion in a tissue of the part of the body and to derive the attenuation information from the information on the water portion.

21. The sensor according to claim 19, wherein the attenuation measure detector is implemented to determine a skin impedance of the part of the body and to derive the attenuation information from the skin impedance.

22. The sensor according to claim 19, wherein the mounter includes a first electrode and a second electrode which are arranged to electrically contact the part of the body, the attenuation measure detector being implemented to determine an impedance between the first electrode and the second electrode and to derive the attenuation information from the impedance.

23. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a light source driver implemented to switch off the light source when the acceleration signal indicates that the acceleration is greater than a maximally allowed acceleration.

24. A processor for providing information on a vital parameter of a living being based on a light intensity signal and an acceleration signal from a sensor, the light intensity signal describing an intensity of light received from a light receiver attached to a living being from a part of the body of the living being, and the acceleration signal describing an acceleration at the location of an acceleration sensor mechanically connected to the light receiver, comprising:

a combiner implemented to combine the light intensity signal and the acceleration signal to determine the information on the vital parameter.

25. A method for providing information on a vital parameter of a living being, comprising:

determining information on an optical attenuation in a part of the body of the living being between a light source and a light receiver, wherein the optical attenuation depends on the vital parameter, and wherein the light source and the light receiver are attached to the part of the body by mounter;

determining information on an acceleration of the light source, the light receiver or the mounter; and

combining the information on the optical attenuation and the information on the acceleration to obtain the information on the vital parameter.

26. A method for providing information on a vital parameter of a living being in connection with a device comprising a light source and a light receiver which are arranged to determine information on an optical attenuation in a part of the body of the living being between the light transmitter and the light receiver, the optical attenuation depending on the vital parameter, and the light source and the light receiver being attached to the part of the body by a mounter, comprising:

determining information on an acceleration of the light source, the light receiver or the mounter; and

should the information on the acceleration indicate that the acceleration is greater than a predetermined maximally allowed acceleration, switching off the light source and/or interrupting a generation of the information on the vital parameter using the information on the optical attenuation;

otherwise determining the information on the vital parameter of the living being from the information on the optical attenuation in the part of the body of the living being between the light source and the light receiver.

27. A computer program for performing a method for providing information on a vital parameter of a living being, comprising:

determining information on an optical attenuation in a part of the body of the living being between a light source and a light receiver, wherein the optical attenuation depends on the vital parameter, and wherein the light source and the light receiver are attached to the part of the body by mounter;

determining information on an acceleration of the light source, the light receiver or the mounter; and

combining the information on the optical attenuation and the information on the acceleration to obtain the information on the vital parameter, when the computer program runs on a computer.

28. A computer program for performing a method for providing information on a vital parameter of a living being in connection with a device comprising a light source and a light receiver which are arranged to determine information on an optical attenuation in a part of the body of the living being between the light transmitter and the light receiver, the optical attenuation depending on the vital parameter, and the light source and the light receiver being attached to the part of the body by a mounter, comprising:

determining information on an acceleration of the light source, the light receiver or the mounter; and

should the information on the acceleration indicate that the acceleration is greater than a predetermined maximally allowed acceleration, switching off the light source and/or interrupting a generation of the information on the vital parameter using the information on the optical attenuation;

otherwise determining the information on the vital parameter of the living being from the information on the optical attenuation in the part of the body of the living being between the light source and the light receiver, when the computer program runs on a computer.