MULTI-SENSOR PATCH AND SYSTEM

• US 20110213559A1
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prima Tek II LLC (Prima Tek II)
• Original Assignee: Prima Tek II LLC (Prima Tek II)
• Inventors: Kirkpatrick, Donald E., Dalgleish, Scott D., Pollack, Richard S., Letkomiller, Joseph Michael, Webster, Wade W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0475 Special features of memory means, e.g. removable memory cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/06 Arrangements of multiple sensors of different types
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for remote sensing and/or monitoring utilizing a sensing device, such as may be implemented in a patch that can be placed on or affixed to a subject, where the sensing device includes multiple sensors. For example, one embodiment of the present invention includes a wireless human temperature skin patch providing accurate measurement of human temperature from a sensing device applied to the skin and even in the presence of differing ambient temperature. In such an embodiment, the patch can include, for example, a flexible, breathable bandage or adhesive strip or pad to affix the sensing device to a patient. The sensing device can include multiple sensors such as two or more temperature sensors that can be used to accurately determine the patient'"'"'s core body temperature from the measured temperature at the skin.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving sensor data from a sensing device, the sensing device comprising a plurality of sensors and the sensor data including data from each of the plurality of sensors;

comparing the received sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors to the received sensor data for others of the plurality of sensors;

comparing the received sensor data to a saved set of previously received sensor data; and

determining whether the received sensor data is reliable based on comparing the received sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors to the received sensor data for others of the plurality of sensors and comparing the received sensor data to the saved set of previously received sensor data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining the received sensor data is not reliable, discarding the received sensor data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining the received sensor data is reliable, saving the received sensor data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the received sensor data to a saved set of previously received sensor data comprises comparing a rate of change of the received sensor data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising saving the received sensor data in a profile.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising comparing the rate of change of the received sensor data to a rate of change recorded in the profile.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining an occurrence of an event based on comparing the rate of change of the received sensor data to the rate of change recorded in the profile.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise temperature sensors, wherein the sensing device is affixed to a human patient, and wherein the event comprises an onset of a fever.

9. A system for measuring a temperature of a subject, the system comprising:

a patch including a sensing device with a microcontroller, a wireless transmitter, and a plurality of sensors, the plurality of sensors including as least a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a supporting system including a memory, a processor, and a wireless receiver communicatively coupled with the transmitter of the sensing device, wherein the memory includes a series of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the supporting system to receive sensor data from a sensing device, the sensor data including data from each of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, compare the received sensor data from the first temperature sensor to the received sensor data from the second temperature sensor, compare the received sensor data to a saved set of previously received sensor data, and determine whether the received sensor data is reliable based on comparing the received sensor data from the first temperature sensor to the received sensor data from the second temperature sensor and comparing the received sensor data to the saved set of previously received sensor data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein comparing the received sensor data to a saved set of previously received sensor data comprises comparing a rate of change of the received sensor data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor of the supporting system to compare the rate of change of the received sensor data to a rate of change recorded in a profile.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor of the supporting system to determine an occurrence of an event based on comparing the rate of change of the received sensor data to the rate of change recorded in the profile.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the patch is affixed to a human patient and wherein the event comprises an onset of a fever.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising a reader device communicatively coupled with the sensing device via the wireless transmitter of the sensing device, wherein the reader device receives temperature data from the sensing device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the reader device further communicates commands to the sensing device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the reader device further provides the temperature data to the supporting system.

18. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to handle sensor data from a multi-sensor device by:

receiving sensor data from the multi-sensor device, the sensor data including data from at least a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor;

comparing the received sensor data from the first temperature sensor to the received sensor data from the second temperature sensor;

comparing the received sensor data to a saved set of previously received sensor data; and

determining whether the received sensor data is reliable based on comparing the received sensor data from the first temperature sensor to the received sensor data from the second temperature sensor and comparing the received sensor data to the saved set of previously received sensor data.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein comparing the received sensor data to a saved set of previously received sensor data comprises comparing a rate of change of the received sensor data.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising comparing the rate of change of the received sensor data to a rate of change recorded in the profile.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, further comprising determining an occurrence of an event based on comparing the rate of change of the received sensor data to the rate of change recorded in the profile.