BODY PARAMETER SENSING

• US 20090018410A1
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2006
• 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: Ouwerkerk, Martin, Coene, Willem Marie Julia Marcel
• Application Number:
  US12/280,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20090018410A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes

Abstract

A body parameter sensing arrangement comprising clothing (10) and a plurality of sensors (12, 20) for sensing body signals, located at mutually movable relative positions in the clothing (10). Processing circuit (26) coupled to the plurality of sensors (12, 20), is configured to identify selected ones of the sensors (12, 20) that carry valid body signals. The identification by clustering the sensors (12, 20) according to similarity between signals from the sensors (12, 20). A cluster of sensors (12, 20) is determined with a maximal count of sensors (12, 20) within a minimal cluster diameter A cluster diameter defined by a measure of similarity or distance between signals form the sensors is used. The cluster is used to select sensors (12, 20) to identify the selected ones of the sensors (12, 20) that carries valid body signals on the basis of membership of the cluster

Claims

1. A body parameter sensing arrangement comprising clothing (10), a plurality of sensors (12, 20) for sensing body signals, located at mutually movable relative positions in the clothing (10) and a processing circuit (26) coupled to the plurality of sensors (12, 20), the processing circuit (26) being configured to identify selected ones of the sensors (12, 20) that carry valid body signals by clustering the sensors (12, 20) according to a measure of similarity between signals from the sensors (12, 20) and to use a cluster of sensors (12, 20) with a maximal count of sensors (12, 20) within a minimal cluster diameter defined by said measure of similarity, to select sensors (12, 20) to identify the selected ones of the sensors (12, 20) that carry valid body signals.

2. A body parameter sensing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit (26) is configured to compute values of a measure of similarity between signals for pairs of sensors (12, 20), with a respective mutual time offset between the signals for each pair, the respective time offsets being settable to mutually different values.

3. A body parameter sensing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit (26) is configured to select the time offsets dynamically according to a criterion that maximizes the similarity between the signals.

4. A body parameter sensing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit (26) is configured to compute correlations between signals from pairs of the sensors.

5. A body parameter sensing arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the processing circuit (26) is configured to search for pairs of sensors (12, 20) in the cluster for which pair the signals in the pair have correlations below a threshold and to remove each time one of the sensors (12, 20) in the pair from the cluster, which removed sensor (12, 20) has correlations above a threshold with less of the sensors (12, 20) than the other sensor (12, 20) in the pair.

6. A body parameter sensing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit (26) is configured to compute an average of signals for sensors (12, 20) from only the cluster.

7. A body parameter sensing arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the processing circuit (26) is configured to filter each of said individual signals from said cluster and to compute the average of signals for sensors (12, 20) from the filtered signals.

8. A body parameter sensing arrangement according to claim 6, comprising a non-volatile memory (29), the processing circuit (26) being configured to store the average in the non-volatile memory (29).

9. A body parameter sensing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the sensors comprise capacitive electrodes (20) configured to pick up potential changes on locations of the body.

10. A body parameter sensing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit (26) is configured to perform said clustering repeatedly to form respective clusters for respective time intervals to identify the selected ones of the sensors (12, 20) that carry valid body signals in the respective time intervals.

11. A method of processing body signals from a plurality of sensors for sensing body signals, located at mutually movable relative positions in the clothing the method comprising clustering the sensors according to a measure of similarity between signals from the sensors (12, 20) and to use a cluster of sensors (12, 20) with a maximal count of sensors (12, 20) within a minimal cluster diameter defined by said similarity to select sensors (12, 20), to identify the selected ones of the sensors (12, 20) that carry valid body signals.