MONITORING OF USE STATUS AND AUTOMATIC POWER MANAGEMENT IN MEDICAL DEVICES
First Claim
1. A method for automatically determining use status of an electronic medical device and/or activating said electronic medical device, such as an electronic stethoscope, the method comprising providing a patient portion of the device, i.e. one or more portions of the device that during use is brought into contact with portions of a patient, with contact or proximity detector means that provides an output signal when said patient portion is proximate to or in contact with a portion of a patient, said output signal, optionally after a predetermined signal processing, providing a signal-processed version of said output signal, determining the use status of the device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method is provided for automatically determining the use status of an electronic medical device (e.g., an electronic stethoscope) and/or activating such a device. The method includes providing a patient portion of the device, i.e., one or more portions of the device that, in use, are brought into contact with a patient, with a contact or proximity detector. The detector provides an output signal when the patient portion is proximate to, or in contact with, a portion of a patient. This output signal, after signal processing, is used in determining the use status of the device.
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Citations
44 Claims
- 1. A method for automatically determining use status of an electronic medical device and/or activating said electronic medical device, such as an electronic stethoscope, the method comprising providing a patient portion of the device, i.e. one or more portions of the device that during use is brought into contact with portions of a patient, with contact or proximity detector means that provides an output signal when said patient portion is proximate to or in contact with a portion of a patient, said output signal, optionally after a predetermined signal processing, providing a signal-processed version of said output signal, determining the use status of the device.
- 16. An electronic stethoscope comprising a chestpiece comprising a stethoscope sensor for picking up sounds from a patient'"'"'s body, where said chestpiece is provided with contact or proximity detector means that provides an output signal when said chestpiece is proximate to or in contact with a surface portion of a patient, said output signal, or a signal-processed version of said output signal, determining the use status of the device and/or activating the stethoscope when said chestpiece is proximate to or in contact with said surface portion of a patient.
- 32. An electronic auto-injection device comprising a main body and a needle, where the device is provided with detection means for detecting an electronically conductive pathway established between said needle and said main body of the device when the needle is inserted into the tissue of a patient, said detecting means providing an output signal, where the output signal, or a signal-processed version hereof, determines the use status, such as proper insertion of the needle into a patient'"'"'s tissue, of the auto-injection device.
- 34. An electronic auto-injection device comprising a main body and a needle, where the device is provided with vibration sensing means for sensing the vibration of the needle and/or the vibration of the device main body, said vibration sensing means providing an output signal, where the output signal, or a processed version hereof, determines the use status of the device.
- 35. An electronic auto-injection device comprising a main body, a needle and an interface plate for providing an interface between the device and a surface portion of a patient, where said interface plate is provided with capacitance proximity sensing means for sensing proximity of the interface plate to a surface portion of a patient, where the capacitance proximity sensing means provides an output signal, where the output signal, or a signal-processed version hereof, determines the use status of the device.
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38. An electronic inhaler device comprising a mouthpiece, where the mouthpiece is provided with two- or four-pole impedance-measuring means formed for contact with the mouth or lip portion of a patient, wherein the measured impedance provides information about the use status, such as whether the lips of the patient are properly folded around the mouthpiece, of the inhaler device.
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39. An electronic inhaler device comprising a mouthpiece, where the device is provided with vibration-sensing means for providing an output signal when the mouthpiece of the device is subjected to vibrations caused by contact of the mouthpiece with lip portions of a patient, where the vibration-sensing means provides an output signal indicating such vibration, and where the output signal, or a signal-processed version hereof, indicates use status of the device.
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40. An electronic inhaler device comprising a mouthpiece and a hand grip portion, where the hand grip portion is provided with either two- or four-pole impedance-sensing means or with vibration-sensing means, said means providing an output signal indication when a person is holding said hand grip portion, where said output signal, or a signal-processed version hereof, is used for turning on an LCD display and/or for initiating a text guidance on the display relating for instance to proper inhalation technique and/or time elapsed since last dose of medicament provided by the device.
Specification