MONITORING VITAL SIGNS BASED ON SENSED CHANGES TO AN ELECTRICAL FIELD

• US 20140055269A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Life Detection Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Guy Mcllroy
• Inventors: Haggis, John, Howie, Eric, Mcllroy, Guy, Yuan, Nanci
• Granted Patent: US 9,035,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/08 Measuring electromagnetic field characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature

Abstract

Methods and systems for monitoring a well-being of a target are disclosed. In a method embodiment, data representing a process electric potential signal is received by a computer system. The process electric potential signal may be generated at least in part by one or more electric potential sensors in response to the detection of a change in an electric field of a target spaced apart from the one or more electric potential sensors. The method may further include identifying, using the computer system and based at least in part on the data electronically received by the computer system, a recurring pattern in the received data. The method may also include determining, using the computer system and based at least in part on the received data, whether a deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses a threshold. The deviation may comprise a subset of the data electronically received by the computer system.

Claims

11. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory;

electronically receive data representing a process electric potential signal, the process electric potential signal generated at least in part by one or more electric potential sensors in response to the detection of a change in an electric field of a target spaced apart from the one or more electric potential sensors;

identify, based at least in part on the data electronically received, a recurring pattern in the data representing a process electric potential signal; and

determine, based at least in part on the data electronically received, whether a deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses a threshold, the deviation comprising a subset of the data electronically received.

12. The system of claim 11, the one or more processors further configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory, determine the threshold based at least in part on the recurring pattern, such that the threshold corresponds to a threat to the well-being of the target.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the recurring pattern is based at least in part on an estimated position of the target in three-dimensional space.

14. The system of claim 11, the one or more processors further configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory, generate an alarm based at least in part on a determination that the deviation from the recurring pattern transgress the threshold, the alarm indicating a threat to the well-being of the target.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a movement of the target and wherein the deviation is caused at least in part by a particular movement of the target.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a recurring muscular movement of the target.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the recurring muscular movement comprises eye movement.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the process electric signal includes a convolution of a plurality of electric potential signals received from a plurality of the one or more electric potential sensors, the convolution of the plurality of electric potential signal describing the recurring pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field in a three-dimensional space.

20. The system of claim 19, the one or more processors further configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory, filter the electric potential signal based at least in part on an application of a convolution operator applied to the convolution of the plurality of electric potential signals.

21. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

electronically receiving data representing a process electric potential signal, the process electric potential signal generated at least in part by one or more electric potential sensors in response to the detection of a change in an electric field of a target spaced apart from the one or more electric potential sensors;

identifying, based at least in part on the data electronically received, a recurring pattern in the data representing a process electric potential signal; and

determining, based at least in part on the data electronically received, whether a deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses a threshold, the deviation comprising a subset of the data electronically received.

1. A method comprising:

electronically receiving, by a computer system, data representing a process electric potential signal, the process electric potential signal generated at least in part by one or more electric potential sensors in response to the detection of a change in an electric field of a target spaced apart from the one or more electric potential sensors;

identifying, using the computer system and based at least in part on the data electronically received by the computer system, a recurring pattern in the data representing a process electric potential signal; and

determining, using the computer system and based at least in part on the data electronically received by the computer system, whether a deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses a threshold, the deviation comprising a subset of the data electronically received by the computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the threshold based at least in part on the recurring pattern, such that the threshold corresponds to a threat to the well-being of the target.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring pattern is based at least in part on an estimated position of the target in three-dimensional space.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an alarm based at least in part on a determination that the deviation from the recurring pattern transgress the threshold, the alarm indicating a threat to the well-being of the target.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a vital sign of the target.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a movement of the target and wherein the deviation is caused at least in part by a particular movement of the target.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a recurring muscular movement of the target.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the recurring muscular movement comprises eye movement.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the process electric signal includes a convolution of a plurality of electric potential signals received from a plurality of the one or more electric potential sensors, the convolution of the plurality of electric potential signal describing the recurring pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field in a three-dimensional space.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising filtering the electric potential signal based at least in part on an application of a convolution operator applied to the convolution of the plurality of electric potential signals.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a vital sign of the target.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, the operations further comprising determining the threshold based at least in part on the recurring pattern, such that the threshold corresponds to a threat to the well-being of the target.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the recurring pattern is based at least in part on an estimated position of the target in three-dimensional space.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, the operations further comprising generating an alarm based at least in part on a determination that the deviation from the recurring pattern transgress the threshold, the alarm indicating a threat to the well-being of the target.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a movement of the target and wherein the deviation is caused at least in part by a particular movement of the target.

27. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a recurring muscular movement of the target.

28. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the recurring muscular movement comprises eye movement.

29. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the process electric signal includes a convolution of a plurality of electric potential signals received from a plurality of the one or more electric potential sensors, the convolution of the plurality of electric potential signal describing the recurring pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field in a three-dimensional space.

30. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 29, the operations further comprising filtering the electric potential signal based at least in part on an application of a convolution operator applied to the convolution of the plurality of electric potential signals.

25-1. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a vital sign of the target.

31. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors;

coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory;

monitor a pattern of disturbances in an electrical field;

detect an anomaly in the pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field;

determine a correspondence between the anomaly and a threat to a well-being of a target; and

generate an alarm based on the determining of the correspondence.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the processor-implemented module is further configured to:

receive a process electric potential signal from an electric potential sensor; and

identify the pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field from the process electric signal based on a comparison between a property of a candidate electric potential signal and a property of a previously identified vital sign electric potential signal.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the determining of the correspondence between the anomaly and the threat to the well-being of the target is based on a value of a characteristic of the anomaly transgressing a predetermined threshold.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the process electric signal includes a convolution of a plurality of electric potential signals received from a plurality of electric potential sensors, the convolution of the plurality of electric potential signal describing the pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field in a three-dimensional space.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the processor-implemented module is further configured to disambiguate the candidate electric potential signal from an additional candidate electric signal based on an application of a convolution operator to increase a fidelity of the candidate electric potential signal.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the pattern of the disturbances in the electric field corresponds to a level of functioning of a brain of the target and the correspondence between the anomaly and the threat to the well-being of the target is based on the level of the functioning transgressing a minimum threshold for a predetermined time period.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the pattern of disturbances in the electric field corresponds to a movement of a body of the target and the detecting of the anomaly is based on the movement of the body being different from each of a plurality of previously detected movements of the body.

38. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

monitoring a pattern of disturbances in an electrical field;

detecting an anomaly in the pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field;

determining a correspondence between the anomaly and a threat to a well-being of a target; and

generating an alarm based on the determining of the correspondence.

39. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a process electric potential signal from an electric potential sensor; and

identifying the pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field from the process electric signal based on a comparison between a property of a candidate electric potential signal and a property of a previously identified vital sign electric potential signal.

40. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the determining of the correspondence between the anomaly and the threat to the well-being of the target is based on a value of a characteristic of the anomaly transgressing a predetermined threshold.

41. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the process electric signal includes a convolution of a plurality of electric potential signals received from a plurality of electric potential sensors, the convolution of the plurality of electric potential signal describing the pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field in a three-dimensional space.

42. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the processor-implemented module is further configured to disambiguate the candidate electric potential signal from an additional candidate electric signal based on an application of a convolution operator to increase a fidelity of the candidate electric potential signal.

43. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the pattern of the disturbances in the electric field corresponds to a level of functioning of a brain of the target and the correspondence between the anomaly and the threat to the well-being of the target is based on the level of the functioning transgressing a minimum threshold for a predetermined time period.

44. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the pattern of disturbances in the electric field corresponds to a movement of a body of the target and the detecting of the anomaly is based on the movement of the body being different from each of a plurality of previously detected movements of the body.

45. A method comprising:

monitoring a pattern of disturbances in an electrical field;

detecting an anomaly in the pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field;

determining a correspondence between the anomaly and a threat to a well-being of a target, wherein the determining of the correspondence is performed by a processor; and

generating an alarm based on the determining of the correspondence.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

receiving a process electric potential signal from an electric potential sensor; and

identifying the pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field from the process electric signal based on a comparison between a property of a candidate electric potential signal and a property of a previously identified vital sign electric potential signal.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the determining of the correspondence between the anomaly and the threat to the well-being of the target is based on a value of a characteristic of the anomaly transgressing a predetermined threshold.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the process electric signal includes a convolution of a plurality of electric potential signals received from a plurality of electric potential sensors, the convolution of the plurality of electric potential signal describing the pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field in a three-dimensional space.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein the processor-implemented module is further configured to disambiguate the candidate electric potential signal from an additional candidate electric signal based on an application of a convolution operator to increase a fidelity of the candidate electric potential signal.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the pattern of the disturbances in the electric field corresponds to a level of functioning of a brain of the target and the correspondence between the anomaly and the threat to the well-being of the target is based on the level of the functioning transgressing a minimum threshold for a predetermined time period.