SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC SENSOR POSITION RECOGNITION

• US 20100188231A1
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Maria Bongers, Edwin Geradus Johannus, Lanfermann, Gerd, Te Vrugt, Juergen, Willmann, Richard Daniel, Winter, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 9,386,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/395 with marking agent for marking skin or other tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• 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 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/96 using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic sensor position recognition system comprising: a position recognition unit (1) located at pre-determined positions on a person'"'"'s body and bearing a unique identification; a sensor (2) bearing a unique identification; a communication unit (3) assigned to the sensor and being in communication with the position recognition unit (1) and the sensor (2); a data processing unit (4) in communication with the communication unit; and a database (5) being in communication with the data processing system (4) and comprising the correlation of the unique identification of the position recognition unit (1) and the pre-determined position of the position recognition unit (1). The system according to the invention provides an automatic association between sensors and body segments as well as means to obtain these associations. As a result, no human interaction is required any more to assign a body segment to a sensor. Thus, assignment errors can be prevented and the patient is not burdened any more with attaching a particular sensor to a specific body segment and can concentrate more on the exercises he is supposed to undertake.

Claims

1. An automatic sensor position recognition system comprising:

a position recognition unit (1) located at pre-determined positions on a person'"'"'s body and bearing a unique identification;

a sensor (2) bearing a unique identification;

a communication unit (3) assigned to the sensor and being in communication with the position recognition unit (1) and the sensor (2);

a data processing unit (4) in communication with the communication unit; and

a database (5) being in communication with the data processing system (4) and comprising the correlation of the unique identification of the position recognition unit (1) and the pre-determined position of the position recognition unit (1).

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the unique identification information of the position recognition unit (1) is stored in a form that is readable by optical means.

3. System according to claim 1, wherein the unique identification information of the position recognition unit (1) is stored in a form that is readable by electrical or electronic means.

4. System according to claim 1 wherein the position recognition unit (1) is part of a garment worn by the person.

5. System according to claim 1, wherein the position recognition unit (1) is located directly on and/or in the person'"'"'s body.

6. System according to claim 1, wherein the position recognition unit (1) and the sensor (2) are adapted to interact in such a way that the reading of the unique identification information of the position recognition unit (1) is permitted in only one pre-defined spatial orientation of the sensor (2).

7. System according to claim 1, wherein the sensor (2) is selected from the group comprising motion sensors, inertial sensors, acceleration sensors, gravity sensors, magnetic field sensors, body temperature sensors, pulse sensors, blood oxygen sensors, electromyographical sensors, electrocardiographical sensors and/or optical markings for visual tracking.

10. Use of a system according to claim 1 for automatically recognizing the position of a sensor on a person'"'"'s body.

8. A method for automatically recognizing the position of a sensor on a person'"'"'s body comprising the steps of:

providing a position recognition unit (1) at a pre-determined position on a person'"'"'s body, the position recognition unit (1) bearing a unique identification;

placing a sensor (2) onto the position recognition unit (1);

reading the unique identification from the position recognition unit (1) using a communication unit (3) assigned to the sensor (2);

reading the unique identification of the sensor (2);

transmitting the data pair of the unique identifications of the position recognition unit (1) and the sensor (2) to a data processing unit (4);

accessing a database (5) comprising the correlation of the unique identification of the position recognition unit (1) and the pre-determined position of the position recognition unit; and

correlating the unique identifier of the sensor (2) with the pre-determined position of the position recognizing unit (1).

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein the sensor (2) is selected from the group comprising motion sensors, inertial sensors, acceleration sensors, gravity sensors, magnetic field sensors, body temperature sensors, pulse sensors, blood oxygen sensors, electromyographical sensors, electrocardiographical sensors and/or optical markings for visual tracking.