WIRELESS PREGNANCY MONITOR
First Claim
1. An apparatus for automatically detecting a pregnancy status of a patient, the apparatus comprising:
- a patch of material having a proximal side configured for adhering to human skin and a distal side opposite to the proximal side;
an electromyography (EMG) sensor coupled to the patch of material, the EMG sensor comprising at least two electrodes disposed towards the proximal side of the patch of material;
a fetal heart rate (FHR) sensor coupled to the patch of material and configured for detecting a fetal heart rate signal when the proximal side is adhered to skin of a patient; and
an electronic circuit coupled to the patch of material, coupled to the EMG sensor and to the FHR sensor, and configured for providing an output based on an EMG signal from the EMG sensor correlated in time to an FHR signal from the FHR sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A apparatus for automatically detecting a pregnancy status of a patient include a patch for adhering to human skin, a uterine contraction sensor, such as electromyography (EMG), coupled to the patch with at least two electrodes, and an inertial sensor for sensing fetal movement, or Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) sensor, such as Fetal EKG or a Doppler Ultrasound. An electronic circuit is coupled to the patch, the EMG sensor and the inertial sensor, and/or FHR sensor. The circuit provides an output based on a uterine contraction signal from the EMG sensor (or Doppler ultrasound) correlated in time to a fetal movement, and/or fetal heart rate. The apparatus may include a thermometer to aid in automatically providing an indication of a pregnancy complication or ovulation status of the patient, based on the output.
101 Citations
61 Claims
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1. An apparatus for automatically detecting a pregnancy status of a patient, the apparatus comprising:
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a patch of material having a proximal side configured for adhering to human skin and a distal side opposite to the proximal side; an electromyography (EMG) sensor coupled to the patch of material, the EMG sensor comprising at least two electrodes disposed towards the proximal side of the patch of material; a fetal heart rate (FHR) sensor coupled to the patch of material and configured for detecting a fetal heart rate signal when the proximal side is adhered to skin of a patient; and an electronic circuit coupled to the patch of material, coupled to the EMG sensor and to the FHR sensor, and configured for providing an output based on an EMG signal from the EMG sensor correlated in time to an FHR signal from the FHR sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for automatically detecting a pregnancy status of a patient, the method comprising:
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coupling a combined electromyography (EMG)/fetal heart rate (FHR) sensor device to an abdomen of a patient, the sensor device comprising an EMG sensor and an FHR sensor coupled to an electronic circuit; producing an EMG signal from the EMG sensor correlated in time to an FHR signal from the FHR sensor; and automatically providing an indication of a pregnancy status of the patient, based on the EMG signal correlated in time to the FHR signal. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. An apparatus for automatically detecting a pregnancy status of a patient, the apparatus comprising:
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a patch of material having a proximal side configured for adhering to human skin and a distal side opposite to the proximal side; an electromyography (EMG) sensor coupled to the patch of material, the EMG sensor comprising at least two electrodes disposed towards the proximal side of the patch of material; an inertial sensor coupled to the patch of material and configured for sensing fetal movement when the proximal side is adhered to skin of a patient; and an electronic circuit coupled to the patch of material, coupled to the EMG sensor and to the inertial sensor, and configured for providing an output based on an EMG signal from the EMG sensor correlated in time to a fetal movement signal from the inertial sensor. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A method for automatically detecting a pregnancy status of a patient, the method comprising:
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coupling a combined electromyography (EMG)/fetal heart rate (fetal movement) sensor device to an abdomen of a patient, the sensor device comprising an EMG sensor and an inertial sensor coupled to an electronic circuit; producing an EMG signal from the EMG sensor correlated in time to an fetal movement signal from the inertial sensor; and automatically providing an indication of a pregnancy status of the patient, based on the EMG signal correlated in time to the fetal movement signal. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. An apparatus for automatically detecting a pregnancy status of a patient, the apparatus comprising:
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a patch of material having a proximal side configured for adhering to human skin and a distal side opposite to the proximal side; a Doppler ultrasound sensor coupled to the patch of material, configured for sensing one or both of a fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contraction when the proximal side is adhered to skin of a patient; and an electronic circuit coupled to the patch of material, coupled to the Doppler ultrasound sensor, and configured for providing an output based on an indication of uterine contraction correlated in time to an FHR signal from the Doppler ultrasound sensor. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58)
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59. An apparatus for automatically detecting a pregnancy status of a patient, the apparatus comprising:
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a patch of material having a proximal side configured for adhering to human skin and a distal side opposite to the proximal side; a uterine contraction monitor coupled to the patch of material, configured for sensing uterine contraction when the proximal side is adhered to skin of a patient; and an electronic circuit coupled to the patch of material, coupled to the uterine contraction monitor, and configured for providing an output based on an indication of uterine contraction correlated in time to a Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) signal. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61)
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Specification