Wireless Medication Compliance Sensing Device, System, and Related Methods

• US 20150286852A1
• Filed: 04/15/2015
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Promed Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Trackblue LLC
• Inventors: Sengstaken, Robert W. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,904,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/035 Blister-type containers blisters in general B65D75/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0436 resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0454 for dispensing of multiple drugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0472 of the count-down type, i.e. counting down a predetermined interval after each reset
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/049 automatically changing in response to a schedule deviation by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor

Abstract

A system and related methods for wireless medication compliance sensing is provided. The system includes a housing having a plurality of medication compartments. A breakable substrate is positioned on at least one side of the housing, wherein the breakable substrate covers an opening to the plurality of medication compartments. A sensor array is positioned on the at least one side of the housing. The sensor array has a plurality of resistors, wherein one of the plurality of resistors is positioned across one of the openings of the plurality of medication compartments. A wireless tag is connectable to the sensor array, the wireless tag further comprising a transmitter, an accelerometer, and a sensing circuit, wherein the sensing circuit is adapted to scan the sensor array upon activation of the accelerometer, and wherein the transmitter transmits a signal having scanned sensor array data externally from the wireless tag.

Claims

1. A system for wireless medication compliance sensing, the system comprising:

a housing having a plurality of medication compartments;

a breakable substrate positioned on at least one side of the housing, wherein the breakable substrate covers an opening to the plurality of medication compartments;

a sensor array positioned on the at least one side of the housing, the sensor array having a plurality of resistors, wherein one of the plurality of resistors is positioned across one of the openings of the plurality of medication compartments; and

a wireless tag connectable to the sensor array, the wireless tag further comprising a transmitter, an accelerometer, and a sensing circuit, wherein the sensing circuit is adapted to scan the sensor array upon activation of the accelerometer, and wherein the transmitter transmits a signal having scanned sensor array data externally from the wireless tag.

2. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag is removably connectable to the sensor array with a spring clip.

3. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag further comprises an alignment guide for aligning the wireless tag to the sensor array.

4. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag further comprises a battery providing a quantity of power to the transmitter and the accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer uses less than 10 μ

Ah of the quantity of power.

5. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits the signal having scanned sensor array data using short-wavelength UHF radio waves in an ISM band of between 2.4 GHz and 2.485 GHz.

6. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the breakable substrate further comprises a printable substrate, wherein the sensor array is printed on the printable substrate using a conductive ink.

7. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the signal having the scanned sensor array data includes an identification of the wireless tag.

8. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the signal having the scanned sensor array data includes a state of each of the plurality of resistors.

9. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the sensing circuit is adapted to scan the sensor array to sense an operation of each of the plurality of resistors individually.

10. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits a status signal at predetermined intervals externally from the wireless tag.

11. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, wherein the sensor array further comprises a plurality of rows and columns, each of the plurality of rows and columns positioned adjacent to at least one of the plurality of medication compartments, wherein one of the plurality of resistors is connected between one of the plurality of rows and one of the plurality of columns.

12. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 11, wherein the sensor array further comprises at least one of:

a control row and a control column, wherein the at least one control row and control column is used for sensing a size of the sensor array.

13. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, further comprising a perforation within the housing between at least a portion of the medication compartments, wherein the portion of the medication compartments is separable from the housing.

14. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 1, further comprising:

an external server in communication with the wireless tag through an external network; and

an interface device interfacing the communication between the external server and the wireless tag.

15. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 14, wherein the interface device further comprises at least one of:

a hardware device;

an application on a mobile device; and

an application on a home automation device.

16. The system for wireless medication compliance sensing of claim 14, wherein a timestamp of receipt of the signal having scanned sensor array data is recorded on the external server.

17. A method for wirelessly sensing medication compliance, the system comprising:

providing a housing having a plurality of medication compartments, the housing having a breakable substrate positioned on at least one side thereof, wherein the breakable substrate covers an opening to the plurality of medication compartments;

interfacing a sensor array with the breakable substrate on the at least one side of the housing, wherein the sensor array has a plurality of resistors, wherein one of the plurality of resistors is positioned across one of the openings of the plurality of medication compartments;

connecting a wireless tag to the sensor array, the wireless tag comprising a transmitter, an accelerometer, and a sensing circuit;

scanning the sensor array with the sensing circuit upon activation of the accelerometer; and

transmitting a signal externally from the wireless tag with the transmitter, wherein the signal has scanned sensor array data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein scanning the sensor array with the sensing circuit upon activation of the accelerometer further comprises sensing a break in the breakable substrate and one of the plurality of resistors over the opening to one of the plurality of medication compartments with a wireless tag connectable to the sensor array.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising using at least one of a control row and control column to sense a size of the sensor array.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein scanning the sensor array with the sensing circuit upon activation of the accelerometer further comprises scanning the sensor array to sense an operation of each of the plurality of resistors individually.