Waterproof optically-sensing fiberless-optically-communicating vitality monitoring and alarming system, particularly for swimmers and infants

• US 20110241887A1
• Filed: 04/02/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: George Anthony Mckinney
• Original Assignee: George Anthony Mckinney
• Inventors: McKinney, George Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,659,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.6
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/088 by monitoring a device worn by the person, e.g. a bracelet attached to the swimmer

Abstract

The vitality of a swimmer, or of a child, is monitored by a periodically-activated micro-powered solar- and battery-powered waterproof microminiaturized (1) optical sensor of heart activity, electrically connected to (2) a microprocessor monitor, for jointly determining when a person'"'"'s heart activity has stopped. When and if required, the microprocessor causes to be transmitted, through water a blue-green light alarm signal. When this optical alarm signal is received by an optical receiver/alarm in air, the receiver/alarm produces an audio and/or visual alarm that, when sensed by a human, potentially timely permits rescue and resuscitation of the swimmer, or the child. The battery-and-solar-powered monitor that forms the core of the vitality monitoring system is roughly ten times faster and more capable, with but one-tenth the power consumption, than previous real-time biological monitoring systems.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the vitality of a person comprising:

a waterproof sensor, mounted to a person, periodically sensing the person'"'"'s heart activity to produce an electrical signal indicative thereof;

a waterproof monitor receiving the electrical signal of the sensor and transmitting an optical alarm signal when the person'"'"'s heart activity is determined to be stopped; and

an optical receiver of the transmitted optical alarm signal, causing to be produced in air an alarm that can be sensed by a human upon receipt of the alarm signal;

wherein at such times as the optical alarm signal is timely generated by the monitor, and the alarm in air timely produced by the optical receiver and sensed by the human, the person whose heart activity has been sensed to be stopped can prospectively be aided by the human.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the waterproof sensor comprises:

an optical sensor of blood flow within micro-capillaries of the person'"'"'s body as indicative of the activity or inactivity of the person'"'"'s heart.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein optical sensor of blood flow is mounted to the earlobe of a swimmer.

4. The system according to claim 2 wherein optical sensor of blood flow is mounted to the web of a baby'"'"'s hand.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the monitor determines the monitored person'"'"'s heart activity to be stopped from successive electrical signals received that are unchanging, and thus representative of a stopped, as opposed to a functioning, heart.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the monitor comprises:

a microprocessor running microcode; and

a memory in which the received electrical signals indicative of the monitored person'"'"'s heart activity are stored;

wherein the microprocessor and the memory are only activated but periodically, thus saving power; and

wherein each time the microprocessor and the memory are periodically energized an electrical signal received from the sensor is both stored and compared to a preceding succession of electrical signals already stored, the optical alarm signal being transmitted if and when a predetermined number of stored electrical signals are determined to be the same, thus potentially meaning that the sensed person'"'"'s heart activity has stopped.

7. The system according to claim 6

wherein the microprocessor and the memory are activated only but every 200 milliseconds;

and

wherein the optical alarm signal is transmitted if and when 100 stored electrical signals are sensed to be invariant, meaning that the sensed person'"'"'s sensed heart activity has been unchanging for 20 seconds, and the sensed person'"'"'s heart activity has stopped.

8. The system according to claim 6 wherein the monitor further comprises:

a battery providing electrical power to the microprocessor and the memory; and

a solar cell for recharging the battery from incident received light illumination.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein the optical alarm signal produced by the monitor is blue-green light transmittable through water.

10. The system according to claim 1

wherein the optical receiver and alarm produces in air an audio alarm that can be sensed by the human.

11. The system according to claim 1

wherein at least the sensor and the monitor are both so waterproof by virtue of being coated with a transparent polymer, which transparent polymer neither interferes with (1) any optical path for sensing of the person'"'"'s heart activity by the sensor, or (2) transmitting of the optical alarm signal by the monitor.

12. A system according to claim 1

wherein the waterproof sensor and the waterproof monitor are integrated in a single package that is affixed to the ear lobe, or to the web of the hand.

13. A system according to claim 1

wherein the waterproof sensor and the waterproof monitor are in combination microminiaturized, and less than 1 square centimeter in area.

14. A method of monitoring the vitality of a swimmer who is at times submerged while swimming, the method comprising:

sensing in and with a sensor blood flow in and of the swimmer as an indication of the swimmer'"'"'s heart beat over time in order to produce a succession of electrical signals;

receiving, storing, and interpreting in a monitor the succession of electrical signals received from the sensor in order to transmit an optical alarm signal if and when this succession of signals indicates that blood flow in the swimmer is consistently the same, and that the swimmer'"'"'s heart could have stopped;

receiving in an optical receiver any optical alarm signal transmitted from the monitor, and producing responsively thereto an alarm signal that can be sensed by a human;

wherein at such times as the optical sensing is accurate, the optical alarm signal prudently and timely produced, and this optical alarm signal timely received by the optical receiver to produce the alarm signal that can be sensed the human, the person whose heart activity is sensed to be stopped can prospectively be aided by this human.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the sensing is of blood flow comprises:

optically sensing blood flow within the micro-capillaries of the swimmer'"'"'s ear lobe as the indicated of the swimmer'"'"'s heart beat.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein optical sensing of blood flow is waterproof, and can also transpire entirely underwater.

17. The method according to claim 14 wherein the interpreting in the monitor determines the monitored person'"'"'s heart activity to be stopped from successive electrical signals received from the sensor that are unchanging, and thus representative of a stopped, as opposed to a functioning, heart.

18. The method according to claim 14 wherein the receiving, storing, and interpreting in the monitor comprises:

running microcode in a microprocessor; and

periodically storing within a memory the received electrical signals indicative of the monitored person'"'"'s heart activity;

so as by interpretation of the stored signals to determine whether a most recent succession are all the same, thus potentially meaning that the sensed person'"'"'s heart activity has stopped.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein running of microcode in the microprocessor, and the periodically storing within a memory, transpire only but periodically, saving power.

20. The method according to claim 19

wherein the running of microcode in the microprocessor, and the periodically storing within a memory, transpire only but every 200 milliseconds;

and

wherein the producing of the optical alarm signal is only if and when 100 stored electrical signals are sensed to be invariant, meaning that the sensing of the person'"'"'s blood flow as does indicate heart activity has been unchanging for 20 seconds, and the sensed person'"'"'s heart has stopped.

21. The method according to claim 14 further comprising:

providing electrical power from a battery to the sensor; and

recharging with a solar cell the battery from received ambient light illumination.

22. The method according to claim 14 wherein the optical alarm signal transmitted by the monitor is blue-green light transmittable through water.

23. The method according to claim 14 further comprising:

waterproofing at least the sensor and the monitor are both so waterproof by coating with a transparent polymer, which transparent polymer neither interferes with (1) any optical path for the sensing in and with a sensor blood flow in and of the swimmer, nor (2) any transmitting of the optical alarm signal from the monitor.