SYSTEMS TO MONITOR BODY PORTIONS FOR INJURY AFTER IMPACT

• US 20160143536A1
• Filed: 11/21/2014
• Published: 05/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Leuthardt, Eric C., Malamud, Mark A., Pan, Tony S., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Tegreene, Clarence T., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, JR., Lowell L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,143,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0257 Proximity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0261 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6829 Foot or ankle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6844 Monitoring or controlling distance between sensor and tissue

Abstract

Systems are described for monitoring extremities for injury following an impact. A system embodiment includes, but is not limited to, a device including a deformable substrate integrated with a textile; a sensor assembly coupled to the deformable substrate, the sensor assembly configured to generate one or more sense signals based on detection of a physical impact to a body portion and based on detection of a physiological parameter; circuitry operably coupled to the sensor assembly and configured to receive the one or more sense signals based on detection of the physical impact and to determine whether the physical impact exceeds a threshold impact value, the circuitry configured to instruct the sensor assembly to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion when the physical impact exceeds the threshold impact value; and a reporting device operably coupled to the circuitry; and an external device communicatively coupled with the device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a device configured for positioning proximate to a body portion, the device including;

a deformable substrate configured to interface with the body portion;

a sensor assembly coupled to the deformable substrate, the sensor assembly configured to generate one or more sense signals based on detection of a physical impact to the body portion and based on detection of a physiological parameter of the body portion;

circuitry operably coupled to the sensor assembly and configured to receive the one or more sense signals based on detection of a physical impact to the body portion and to determine whether the physical impact exceeds a threshold impact value, the circuitry configured to instruct the sensor assembly to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion when the physical impact exceeds the threshold impact value; and

a reporting device operably coupled to the circuitry and configured to generate one or more communication signals based on instruction by the circuitry; and

an external device communicatively coupled with the device, the external device configured to receive the one or more communication signals from the reporting device and to determine a recommended course of action pertaining to at least one of the device and the body portion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the deformable substrate includes a conformable structure configured to conform to a skin surface of the body portion.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the deformable substrate is integrated with a textile configured to interface with the body portion.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the textile includes an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein at least a portion of the deformable substrate is positioned between the inner surface and the outer surface.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the textile includes an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the deformable substrate is attached to one of the inner surface or the outer surface.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the deformable substrate is integral to a weave of the textile.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein one or more fiber of the textile secures the deformable substrate to at least a portion of the textile.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the textile includes one or more electronic threads.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry includes a comparison module configured to compare the one or more sense signals based on detection of a physical impact to the body portion to reference data indicative of the threshold impact value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the reference data indicative of the threshold impact value correlates to a threshold for a traumatic injury.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly includes a pressure sensor configured to detect the physical impact to the body portion and to generate one or more sense signals responsive to the detection of the physical impact.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the circuitry is configured to instruct the sensor assembly to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion based upon the one or more sense signals generated by the pressure sensor.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly includes a proximity sensor configured to detect the physical impact to the body portion and to generate one or more sense signals responsive to the detection of the physical impact.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the circuitry is configured to instruct the sensor assembly to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion based upon the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly includes a motion sensor configured to detect a movement of the body portion and to generate one or more sense signals responsive to the detection of the movement.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the motion sensor includes an accelerometer.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the circuitry is configured to instruct the sensor assembly to begin monitoring for the physical impact to the body portion based upon the one or more sense signals generated by the motion sensor.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to provide an auditory indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals based on detection of a physical impact to the body portion.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to provide an auditory indication pertaining to the one or more physiological parameters of the body portion detected by the sensor assembly.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to provide a visual indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals based on detection of a physical impact to the body portion.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to provide a visual indication pertaining to the one or more physiological parameters of the body portion detected by the sensor assembly.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to provide a tactile indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals based on detection of a physical impact to the body portion.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to provide a tactile indication pertaining to the one or more physiological parameters of the body portion detected by the sensor assembly.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to communicate with the external device.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device is communicatively coupled with an external network.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the external network includes a health provider network.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine a recommended course of action based on the one or more physiological parameters of the body portion detected by the sensor assembly.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the recommended course of action determined by the circuitry includes a recommendation for medical treatment.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the reporting device is configured to report the recommended course of action determined by the circuitry.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the reporting device is configured to report the recommended course of action determined by the circuitry to the external device.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the reporting device is configured to report the recommended course of action determined by the circuitry to an external network.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the external network includes a health provider network.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein the reporting device is configured to display the recommended course of action determined by the circuitry on a display device.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the display device includes a display screen coupled to the deformable substrate.

47. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to report the recommended course of action determined by the external device.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the reporting device is configured to display the recommended course of action determined by the external device on a display device.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the display device includes a display screen coupled to the deformable substrate.

50. The system of claim 1, further including a power supply configured to supply power to one or more of the sensor assembly, the circuitry, and the reporting device.

54. The system of claim 50, wherein the power supply includes one or more wireless power coils configured to receive a remote power signal.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the one or more wireless power coils includes one or more inductive coils configured to receive a remote power signal from a transmission coil.

93. The system of claim 3, wherein the textile is structured at least in part as at least one of a sleeve, a glove, a sock, and a finger cot, the at least one of a sleeve, a glove, a sock, and a finger cot configured to interface with at least a portion of the body portion.

94. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly includes at least one of an oxygenation sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a chemical sensor, and an optical sensor, the at least one of an oxygenation sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a chemical sensor, and an optical sensor configured to detect the one or more physiological parameters of the body portion when the physical impact exceeds the threshold impact value.

95. The system of claim 1, wherein the body portion includes at least one of a finger, a hand, a wrist, a toe, a foot, an ankle, an arm, an elbow, a leg, a knee, a shoulder, a hip, a spine, and a torso.

9-12. -12. (canceled)

22-26. -26. (canceled)

34-36. -36. (canceled)

51-53. -53. (canceled)

56-70. -70. (canceled)

71. A method, comprising:

detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a physical impact to the body portion;

generating one or more sense signals based on detection of the physical impact to the body portion;

determining whether the detected physical impact exceeds a threshold impact value;

when the detected physical impact is determined to exceed the threshold impact value, instructing a sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion;

generating one or more communication signals based on at least one of detection of the physical impact, determining whether the detected physical impact exceeds a threshold impact value, and the one or more physiological parameters of the body portion;

transmitting the one or more communication signals to an external device; and

determining, via the external device, a recommended course of action pertaining to at least one of the epidermal electronic system (EES) and the body portion.

72. The method of claim 71, wherein determining whether the detected physical impact exceeds a threshold impact value includes:

comparing the one or more sense signals based on detection of the physical impact to reference data indicative of the threshold impact value.

73. The method of claim 72, wherein the reference data indicative of the threshold impact value correlates to a threshold for a traumatic injury.

74. The method of claim 71, wherein detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a physical impact to the body portion includes:

detecting the physical impact to the body portion with a pressure sensor.

75. The method of claim 74, wherein instructing a sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion includes:

instructing the sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion based on detecting the physical impact to the body portion with the pressure sensor.

76. The method of claim 71, wherein detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a physical impact to the body portion includes:

detecting the physical impact to the body portion with a proximity sensor.

77. The method of claim 76, wherein instructing a sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion includes:

instructing the sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion based on detecting the physical impact to the body portion with the proximity sensor.

78. The method of claim 71, wherein detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a physical impact to the body portion includes:

detecting the physical impact to the body portion with a motion sensor.

79. The method of claim 78, wherein instructing a sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion includes:

instructing the sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion based on detecting the physical impact to the body portion with the motion sensor.

88. The method of claim 71, wherein transmitting the one or more communication signals to an external device includes:

wirelessly transmitting the one or more communication signals to the external device.

89. The method of claim 71, further including:

displaying the recommended course of action on a display device.

90. The method of claim 71, further including:

transmitting the recommended course of action to the epidermal electronic system (EES).

91. The method of claim 71, wherein the recommended course of action includes a recommendation for medical treatment.

96. The method of claim 71, wherein instructing a sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion includes:

Instructing at least one of an oxygenation sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a chemical sensor, and an optical sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion.

97. The method of claim 71, wherein generating one or more communication signals based on at least one of detection of the physical impact, determining whether the detected physical impact exceeds a threshold impact value, and the one or more physiological parameters of the body portion includes:

providing at least one of an auditory indication, a visual indication, and a tactile indication, the at least one of an auditory indication, a visual indication, and a tactile indication pertaining to at least one of detection of the physical impact, determining whether the detected physical impact exceeds a threshold impact value, and the one or more physiological parameters of the body portion.

80-87. -87. (canceled)

92. A computer program product comprising:

non-transitory computer-readable media having encoded instructions for executing a method for monitoring a biological body portion for injury following a physical impact, the method including;

detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a physical impact to the body portion;

generating one or more sense signals based on detection of the physical impact to the body portion;

determining whether the detected physical impact exceeds a threshold impact value;

when the detected physical impact is determined to exceed the threshold impact value, instructing a sensor to detect one or more physiological parameters of the body portion;

generating one or more communication signals based on at least one of detection of the physical impact, determining whether the detected physical impact exceeds a threshold impact value, and the one or more physiological parameters of the body portion;

transmitting the one or more communication signals to an external device; and

determining, via the external device, a recommended course of action pertaining to at least one of the epidermal electronic system (EES) and the body portion.