HEALTH CARE DEVICE AND POWER MANAGEMENT METHOD THEREFOR

• US 20140100707A1
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Original Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Inventors: YU, Chih-Hsiung, CHUNG, Yung-Ming, WU, Hsin-Hsueh, HUANG, Yung-Chih, WANG, Shih-Wei
• Granted Patent: US 9,395,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A power management method for a health care device is included. The method includes: detecting whether a smart garment is in contact with a user body; operating the health care device in a normal mode when the smart garment is in contact with the user body, or operating the health care device in a low-power mode when the smart garment is not in contact with the user body; and under the low-power mode, detecting whether the health care device is tapped to determine whether to transmit user health data to a user device.

Claims

1. A power management method for a health care device, the health care device comprising a leads-off detection unit, a processing unit and an activity detection unit, the power management method comprising:

determining by the leads-off detection unit whether a smart garment is in contact with a user body;

operating the health care device in a normal operating mode when it is determined that the smart garment is in contact with the user body, or else operating the health care device in a low-power mode when it is determined that the smart garment is not in contact with the user body; and

under the low-power mode, detecting by the activity detection unit whether the health care device is tapped to determine whether to transmit user health data detected by the health care device to a user device.

2. The power management method according to claim 1, wherein the leads-off detection unit detects respective potentials of a plurality of metal contacts of the health care device to determine whether the smart garment is in contact with the user body.

3. The power management method according to claim 1, wherein the health care device further comprises:

a power activation detection unit, for detecting a magnetic field change to determine whether the health care device is fixedly attached to the smart garment.

4. A health care device, comprising:

a processing unit;

a power module, for powering the health care device;

a physiological signal measurement unit, coupled to the processing unit, for measuring a user physiological signal;

a leads-off detection circuit, coupled to the processing unit, for detecting whether a smart garment fixedly attached to the health care device is in contact with a user body; and

a wireless communication unit, coupled to the processing unit, for transmitting user health data measured by the health care device to a user device;

wherein, when the processing unit determines that the smart garment is in contact with the user body, the processing unit controls the health care device to operate in a normal operating mode;

when the processing unit determines that the smart garment is not in contact with the user body, the processing unit controls the health care device to operate in a low-power mode.

5. The health care device according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit deactivates the wireless communication unit to enter the low-power mode.

6. The health care device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a plurality of metal contacts, coupled to the leads-off detection circuit;

wherein, the leads-off detection circuit detects respective potentials of the metal contacts and transmits the potentials of the metal contacts to the processing unit, and the processing unit accordingly determines whether the smart garment is in contact with the user body.

7. The health care device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a charging detection contact, for detecting whether the health care device is placed at an external charging module;

wherein, when the health care device is placed at the external charging module, the health care device charges the power module via the metal contacts.

8. The health care device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a power activation detection unit, for detecting a magnetic field change to determine whether the health care device is fixedly attached to the smart garment.

9. The health care device according to claim 4, wherein when the processing unit determines that the smart garment is in contact with the user body, the processing unit determines that the smart garment is worn within predetermined period;

and if the smart garment is not worn within predetermined period, the processing unit deactivates the wireless communication unit to enter the low-power mode.

10. The health care device according to claim 4, further comprising:

an activity detection unit, coupled to the processing unit;

wherein, when the health care device operates in the low-power mode, the processing unit activates the wireless communication unit and transmits the user health data to the user device when the activity detection unit detects that the health care device is tapped.