MODULATED PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSOR

• US 20130046204A1
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cercacor Laboratories
• Inventors: Lamego, Marcelo, Dalvi, Cristiano, Vo, Hung
• Granted Patent: US 9,782,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/586
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0051 by applying vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure

Abstract

A modulated physiological sensor is a noninvasive device responsive to a physiological reaction of a living being to an internal or external perturbation that propagates to a skin surface area. The modulated physiological sensor has a detector configured to generate a signal responsive to the physiological reaction. A modulator varies the coupling of the detector to the skin so as to at least intermittently maximize the detector signal. A monitor controls the modulator and receives an effectively amplified detector signal, which is processed to calculate a physiological parameter indicative of the physiological reaction.

Claims

1. A modulated physiological sensor is responsive to a physiological reaction of a living being to an internal or external perturbation that propagates to a surface area of the living being and is detected by a detector, the modulated physiological sensor comprising:

a detector configured to communicate with a surface area of a living being so as to generate a signal responsive to a physiological reaction of the living being to a perturbation;

a modulator that varies the coupling of the detector to the surface area so as to at least intermittently maximize the detector signal; and

a monitor that controls the modulator and receives the detector signal so as to calculate a physiological parameter indicative of a physiological state of the living being.

2. The modulated physiological sensor according to claim 1 wherein the modulator is a vibration element that mechanically accentuates the coupling of the detector to the surface area.

3. The modulated physiological sensor according to claim 2 further comprising a substrate that co-mounts the detector and the vibration element.

4. The modulated physiological sensor according to claim 3 further comprising an attachment that releasably affixes the substrate, detector and vibration element to the surface area.

5. The modulated physiological sensor according to claim 4 wherein the detector is an accelerometer.

6. The modulated physiological sensor according to claim 5 wherein the vibration element is a coin motor.

7. The modulated physiological sensor according to claim 6 wherein the substrate is a circuit board that mechanically mounts and electrically interconnects the accelerometer and coin motor.

8. The modulated physiological sensor according to claim 7 wherein the attachment is a tape having a sticky side that attaches to the surface area and a housing side that encloses the circuit board.

9. A modulated physiological sensing method comprising:

providing a detector responsive to a physiological wave generated within a living being that propagates to a skin surface;

coupling the detector to the skin surface;

modulating the detector coupling so as to generate a modulated detector output indicative of the physiological wave;

demodulating the detector signal so as to derive a physiological signal; and

determining a physiological parameter from the physiological signal.

10. The modulated physiological sensing method according to claim 9 wherein modulating comprises vibrating the detector.

11. The modulated physiological sensing method according to claim 10 wherein vibrating comprises co-mounting the detector and a vibration element.

12. The modulated physiological sensing method according to claim 11 wherein the co-mounting comprises mounting the detector and the vibration element to a common substrate.

13. The modulated physiological sensing method according to claim 12 further comprising attaching the common substrate to the skin surface.

14. The modulated physiological sensing method according to claim 13 further comprising:

mounting a second detector and a second vibration element to the common substrate; and

isolating the combination detector and vibration element from the combination second detector and second vibration element.

15. A modulated physiological sensor comprising:

a detector means for responding to physiological propagations reaching a skin surface of a living being;

a modulator means for varying the coupling of the detector means to the skin surface; and

a monitor that demodulates a sensor signal from the detector means so as to analyze the physiological propagations and generate a physiological parameter output.

16. The modulated physiological sensor according to claim 16 further comprising:

a substrate means for mounting the detector means and the modulator means; and

an attachment means for securing the substrate to the skin surface.

17. The modulated physiological sensor according to claim 16 further comprising a control signal from the monitor that sets a frequency of the modulator means above a low frequency cutoff of the detector means.

18. The modulated physiological sensing method according to claim 17 wherein the modulator means is a vibration element.

19. The modulated physiological sensing method according to claim 18 wherein:

the detector means is a plurality of detectors;

the modulator means is a plurality of vibration elements; and

the substrate means incorporates at least one isolation element so as to isolate detector and vibration element pairs.

20. The modulated physiological sensing method according to claim 18 wherein the vibration element remotely modulates the detector via an acoustic wave.