HAND-HELD DEVICE HAVING HEALTH MONITORING CAPABILITIES

• US 20130261414A1
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LifeWatch Technologies Ltd. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Card Guard Scientific Survival Limited (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Tal, Yair, Pressman, Assaf, Tal, Benny
• Granted Patent: US 9,693,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/324
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0462 Apparatus with built-in sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/166 the sensor is mounted on a specially adapted printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle

Abstract

A method, a computer readable media and a hand-held device, the hand-held device may include a first sensor that is positioned such as to be contacted by a first hand of a user when the user holds the hand-held device; a second sensor that is positioned such as to be contacted by a second hand of the user when the user holds the hand-held device; wherein at least one sensor of the first sensor and the second sensor is a hybrid sensor that comprises an electrode, an illumination element and a light detector; and a health monitoring module arranged to process detections signals from the electrode and from the light detector such as to provide processed signals that are indicative of a state of the user.

Claims

1. A hand-held device, comprising:

a first sensor that is positioned such as to be contacted by a first hand of a user when the user holds the hand-held device;

a second sensor that is positioned such as to be contacted by a second hand of the user when the user holds the hand-held device;

wherein at least one sensor of the first sensor and the second sensor is a hybrid sensor that comprises an electrode, an illumination element and a light detector; and

a health monitoring module arranged to process detections signals from the electrode and from the light detector such as to provide processed signals that are indicative of a state of the user.

2. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid sensor comprises an electrode that defines a light illumination aperture and a light collection aperture;

wherein the illumination element is arranged to direct light towards the user through the light illumination aperture; and

wherein the light detector is arranged to detect light from the user that passes through the light collection aperture.

3. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid sensor comprises an electrode that defines a light illumination aperture and multiple light collection apertures;

wherein the illumination element is arranged to direct light towards the user through the light illumination aperture; and

wherein at least one light detector is arranged to detect light from the user that passes through the multiple light collection apertures.

4. The hand-held device according to claim 3, wherein the light illumination aperture is positioned between a pair of light collection apertures.

5. The hand-held device according to claim 3, wherein at least one light detector is shielded by an apertured shield.

6. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid sensor comprises multiple illumination elements and multiple light detectors that are spaced apart from each other.

7. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode, the light detector and the illumination element are proximate to each other.

8. The hand-held device according to claim 1, further comprising a third sensor that is positioned such as to be contacted by the first or second hand of the user when the user holds the hand-held device.

9. The hand-held device according to claim 8, wherein the third sensor is a hybrid sensor.

10. The hand-held device according to claim 8, wherein the third sensor is positioned at a first side of the hand-held device while the first and second sensors are positioned at a second side of the hand-held device, the second side is opposite to the first side.

11. The hand-held device according to claim 8, wherein the third sensor is positioned such as to be contacted by a thumb of one of the hands of the user while the first and second sensors are positioned such as to be contacted by index fingers of the user.

12. The hand-held device according to claim 8, further comprising a fourth sensor that is positioned such as to be contacted by the hand of the user that differs from a hand of the user that contacts the third sensor.

13. The hand-held device according to claim 8, wherein the health monitoring module is arranged to perform a common noise rejection algorithm on detection signals received from electrodes of multiple sensors out of the first, second and third sensors.

14. The hand-held device according to claim 13, the health monitoring module is arranged to perform the common noise rejection algorithm on detection signals received from electrodes of the first, second and third sensors.

15. The hand-held device according to claim 1 wherein the electrode comprises a conductive portion and at least one additional portion.

16. The hand-held device according to claim 15, wherein the additional portion is nonconductive.

17. The hand-held device according to claim 15, wherein the additional portion is at least three times thicker than the conductive portion.

18. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the health monitoring module is arranged to process detection signals from the light detector to provide an indication about a blood oxygen saturation level of the user.

19. The hand-held device according to claim 18, wherein the health monitoring module is arranged to process detection signals from the electrode to provide an indication about an electrical activity of a heart of the user.

20. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the health monitoring module is arranged to process detection signals from the light detector to provide an indication about an electrical activity of a heart of the user.

21. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the health monitoring module is arranged to correlate between the detection signals of the light detector and of the electrode to provide an indication about an electrical activity of a heart of the user.

22. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the health monitoring module is arranged to process the detection signals of the light detector to define a processing window for processing the detection signals of the electrode.

23. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the health monitoring module is arranged to process the detection signals of the light detector to detect a QRS complex;

define an expected timing of a detection of a QRS complex in the detection signals of the electrode; and

search for the QRS complex in detection signals of the electrode that are detected in proximity to the expected timing of detection.

24. The hand-held device according to claim 1 wherein the health monitoring module is arranged to activate the illumination element and the light detector of the hybrid sensor while collecting detection signals from the electrode.

25. The hand-held device according to claim 24, wherein the health monitoring module is arranged to ignore detection signals from the electrode while measuring a blood oxygen saturation of the user.

26. A method for monitoring a state of a user, the method comprising:

receiving detection signals from multiple sensors;

wherein the multiple sensors comprise a first sensor that is positioned such as to be contacted by a first hand of a user when the user holds the hand-held device and a second sensor that is positioned such as to be contacted by a second hand of the user when the user holds the hand-held device;

wherein at least one sensor of the first sensor and the second sensor is a hybrid sensor that comprises an electrode, an illumination element and a light detector; and

processing, by a health monitoring module, the detections signals from at least the electrode and from the light detector such as to provide processed signals that are indicative of a state of the user.