DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PREDICTING A LOSS OF CONTROL OVER A MUSCLE

• US 20100286572A1
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V., Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V., Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg
• Inventors: Schmitt, Hubert, Aschenbrenner, Stefan, Thielecke, Joern, Moersdorf, Hans-Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 8,821,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/006 Detecting skeletal, cartilage or muscle noise A61B7/003 and A61B7/008 take precedence

Abstract

A device for predicting a loss of control over a muscle of a human being has a detector for detecting a sound of the muscle, an acquirer for acquiring an acceleration of the human being and an evaluator for evaluating the sound and the acceleration to determine an imminent loss of control over the muscle from the sound and the acceleration.

Claims

1. A device for predicting a loss of control over a muscle of a human being, comprising:

a detector for detecting a muscle sound;

an acquirer for acquiring an acceleration of the human being; and

an evaluator for evaluating the sound and the acceleration to determine an imminent loss of control over the muscle from the sound and the acceleration.

2. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector for detecting is implemented to detect the sound of a supportive muscle or a leg muscle, and wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to determine an imminent loss of control of the supportive muscle or the leg muscle.

3. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to output in the ease of determining an imminent loss of control of the muscular system, a warning signal detectable, by the human being.

4. The device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the warning signal comprises a photo signal and/or an acoustic signal and/or a tangible stimulus.

5. The device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to transfer the warning signal to a predetermined notification institution.

6. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to acquire the sound and the acceleration in temporal intervals and combine same to form a data set.

7. The device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to compare the data set to a model data set and to determine a percentage matching value to draw conclusions about a current movement of the human being, the model data set corresponding to a data set which may be generated by a certain movement of the human being.

8. The device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the model data set comprises a parameter, and wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to vary the parameter in order to maximize a percentage matching value.

9. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to store data of the detector for detecting a sound and/or data of the acquirer for acquiring an acceleration.

10. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaluator for evaluating comprises a transferrer and the transferrer is implemented to acquire data from the detector for detecting a sound and/or data from the acquirer for acquiring an acceleration or transfer same to a central unit.

11. The device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the transferrer acquires data in a wireless manner or transfers data in a wireless manner.

12. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector for detecting and the acquirer for acquiring and the evaluator for evaluating are housed together in a combined sensor.

13. The device in accordance with claim 12, wherein the combined sensor comprises an attacher for attaching to a thigh or leg of the human being.

14. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector for detecting comprises an attacher for attaching to a thigh and the acquirer for acquiring an acceleration comprises an attacher for attaching to a hip area of the human being.

15. The device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a further acquirer for acquiring cardiac muscle sounds, wherein the further acquirer may be attached close to the heart of the human being and the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to perform determining the loss of control also from the cardiac muscle sounds.

16. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector for detecting and the acquirer for acquiring or the combined sensor comprise an attacher for attaching to a head-neck area to determine head nodding resulting from over-tiredness of the human being.

17. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector for detecting and/or the acquirer for acquiring comprise a wireless, transmitter, the wireless transmitter being implemented to transmit sensor data to the evaluator for evaluating.

18. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaluator allows transmitting data by means of Bluetooth.

19. The device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a further detector for detecting further sounds originating outside the human being, and wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to receive data from the further detector for detecting further sounds and to form a sound difference between the sounds and the further sounds.

20. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the acquirer for acquiring an acceleration is implemented to determine a timeline of the position of a torso of the human being relative to the gravitational field.

21. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to receive data of the detector for detecting a sound in predetermined time intervals, and is further implemented to additionally receive, when reaching a sound threshold value, data from the acquirer for acquiring an acceleration in order to generate a warning signal when an acceleration threshold value is exceeded.

22. The device in accordance with claim 21, wherein the sound threshold value represents a bandwidth of a sound pattern, and wherein the acceleration threshold value comprises violation of a certain acceleration value.

23. The device in accordance with claim 21, wherein the evaluator for evaluating is implemented to acquire acceleration data from the acquirer for acquiring the acceleration within a predetermined time interval after the detector for detecting has acquired a sound above or below the sound threshold value and to generate the warning signal when the acceleration threshold value is exceeded.

24. A method for predicting a logs of control over a muscle of a human being, comprising:

detecting a muscle sound;

acquiring an acceleration of the human being; and

evaluating the sound and the acceleration in order to determine an imminent loss of control over the muscular system from the sound and the acceleration.

25. The method in accordance with claim 24, wherein detecting the sound takes place at a first position of the body and acquiring the acceleration takes place at a second position of the body and the method additionally comprises optimizing, optimizing comprising altering the first and/or second positions of the body so that improved detection of the sound and improved acquiring of the acceleration are achieved.

26. The method in accordance with claim 25, wherein optimizing is performed in such a way that sounds indicating a potential loss in tone are clearly detectable.

27. The method in accordance with claim 24, further comprising:

detecting environmental sounds; and

forming a difference signal,

wherein a source of the environmental sounds is outside the muscle and is of an origin deviating from that of the loss in tone, and the difference signal is formed from the sound of the muscle and the environmental sound so that sensitivity for muscle sounds resulting from an imminent loss in tone is increased.

28. A computer program comprising a program code for performing a method for predicting a loss of control over a muscle of a human being, comprising:

detecting a muscle sound;

acquiring an acceleration of the human being; and

evaluating the sound and the acceleration in order to determine an imminent loss of control over the muscular system from the sound and the acceleration when the program runs on a computer.