WEARABLE HEART MONITORING APPARATUS

• US 20140257049A1
• Filed: 02/26/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Soundarapandian, Karthikeyan, Burnham, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/190,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257049A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

An apparatus mountable on a wearer'"'"'s wrist includes a housing having at front portion and an opposite a back portion. The back portion is wearably positionable in contact with the wearer'"'"'s wrist. The apparatus includes a PPG circuit for generating a PPG signal. The PPG circuit includes a light source and a photosensor on the housing back portion. The PPG signal may be used to continuously determine the wearer'"'"'s a pulse rate. The PPG signal may also be used in combination with an ECG signal to determine the wearer'"'"'s instantaneous blood pressure. The ECG signal may also be used to determine the wear'"'"'s heart rate. The ECG signal may be generated with an electrode mounted on the back of the housing and another electrode mounted on another portion of the housing, such as the back or one or more of the sides.

Claims

1. An apparatus mountable on a human limb comprising:

a housing having at front portion and an opposite back portion, said back portion being wearably positionable in contact with a wearer'"'"'s limb; and

a PPG circuit for generating a PPG signal including a light source on said housing back portion and a photosensor on said housing back portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an ECG circuit for generating an ECG signal, said ECG circuit comprising;

a first electrode on said housing front portion; and

a second electrode on said housing back portion engageable with said wearer'"'"'s limb.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, said first electrode being engageable with a wearer'"'"'s finger.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising processing circuitry connected to said PPG circuit for continuously processing said PPG signal to generate a signal indicative of a wearer'"'"'s pulse rate.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising processing circuitry for processing said PPG signal and said ECG signal to generate a signal indicative of a wearer'"'"'s blood pressure when he is touching said first electrode.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising processing circuitry connected to said ECG circuit for processing said ECG signal to generate a signal indicative of a wearer'"'"'s heart rate.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a display operably connected to said processing circuitry for displaying indicia indicative of a wearer'"'"'s pulse rate

8. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a display connected to said processing circuitry adapted to display indicia indicative of a wearer'"'"'s blood pressure.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a display adapted to display indicia indicative of a wearer'"'"'s heart rate.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, said housing comprising a generally wristwatch shaped housing attachable to a wearer'"'"'s wrist with a wrist band.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, said housing comprising a generally wristwatch shaped housing attachable to a wearer'"'"'s wrist with a wrist band.

17. The method of claim 2 comprising mounting a display on the front portion of the housing adapted to display at least one of the wearer'"'"'s pulse rate, heart rate and blood pressure determined using at least one of the PPG signal and the ECG signal.

12. A method of making a heart monitor comprising:

providing a generally wristwatch shaped housing having a front portion and having a back portion adapted to engage a wearer'"'"'s limb;

positioning a PPG circuit light source and light sensor on the back portion.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising mounting processing circuitry in the housing adapted to process a signal from the PPG circuit to determine the pulse rate of a wearer wearing the wristwatch shaped housing.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising mounting ECG signal generating circuitry in the housing including a first ECG circuit electrode mounted on the back portion of the housing and a second ECG circuit electrode mounted on the front portion of the housing.

15. The method of claim 14 comprising mounting further signal processing circuitry in the housing adapted to process signals from the PPG circuit and the ECG circuit to determine the instantaneous blood pressure of the wearer.

16. The method of claim 14 comprising mounting further signal processing circuitry in the housing adapted to process a signal from the ECG circuit to determine the heart rate of the wearer.

18. A method for a person to monitor at least one of his/her pulse rate, heart rate and blood pressure comprising:

receiving a generally wristwatch shaped device having a PPG photosensor on a back portion thereof; and

continuously wearing the generally wristwatch shaped device with the back portion engaging the person'"'"'s wrist.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said continuously wearing the device comprises wearing the device with a first ECG electrode on the back portion of the device engaged with the person'"'"'s wrist and further comprising engaging a second ECG electrode on a front portion of the device with one of the user'"'"'s fingers.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising reading at least one of a pulse rate, heart rate and blood pressure on a display on the front portion of the generally wristwatch shaped device.