METHOD FOR MONITORING A PATIENT WITHIN A MEDICAL MONITORING AREA

• US 20160267327A1
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dragerwerk AG & Company KGaA (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Dragerwerk AG & Company KGaA (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Inventors: SCHLICHTING, Stefan, FRANZ, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 10,395,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/00 Medical imaging apparatus involving image processing or analysis A61B1/00009, A61B6/52 and A61B8/52 take precedence; image processing per se G06T; details of algorithms for analysing medical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1077 Measuring of profiles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1079 using optical or photographic means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0263 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the direction in which child or item is located
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance

Abstract

A method for monitoring a patient (22a) within a medical monitoring area (100) by means of a monitoring system (200) with a depth camera device (210). The method includes the following steps:

• • generating a point cloud (30) of the monitoring area (100) with the monitoring system (200);
  • analyzing the point cloud (30) for detecting predefined objects (20), especially persons (22);
  • determining a location of at least one detected object (20) in the monitoring area (100); and
  • comparing the determined location of the at least one detected object (20) with at least one predefined value (40) for the location of this detected object (20).

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a patient within a medical monitoring area the method comprising the steps of:

providing a monitoring system with a depth camera device;

generating a point cloud of the monitoring area with the monitoring system;

analyzing the point cloud for detecting predefined objects related to the patient;

determining a location of at least one detected object in the monitoring area; and

comparing the determined location of the at least one detected object with at least one predefined value for the location of the at least one detected object.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the analysis of the point cloud for detecting at least one predefined object is performed on the basis of predefined object-specific parameters comprising at least one of the object-specific parameters from a set of object-specific parameters comprising:

location of the point cloud,

change in the location of the point cloud over time;

contour of the point cloud;

change in contour of the point cloud over time;

volume of the point cloud; and

change in volume of the point cloud over time.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein an object detected as a person is detected as a patient on the basis of at least one person-specific parameter, comprising at least one person-specific parameter from the set of person-specific parameters comprising:

location of the person; and

properties of the contour of the person.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein an alarm signal is generated when a predefined deviation from the at least one predefined value for the location of the detected object is exceeded.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one predefined value for the location of the detected object is formed as an absolute predefined value relative to the monitoring area.

6. A method d in accordance with claim 5, wherein the at least one absolute predefined value is a location boundary, which the detected object, as a person defined as a patient, must not Cross.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the person is defined as a patient during a first-time motion of the detected object in the form of a person across the location boundary.

8. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the steps of the method are carried out only for a section of the location of the monitoring area on a side of the location boundary, on which side the detected object is located.

9. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the at least one absolute predefined value is a maximum change of a location of the detected object over time or a minimum change of the location of the detected object over time or both a maximum change of a location of the detected object over time and a minimum change of the location of the detected object over time.

10. A method accordance with claim 9, wherein the predefined and detected object is at least one limb of a person.

11. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the absolute predefined value is formed as a value that can be set in the form of a maximum change of a location of the detected object or a minimum change of the location of the detected object or both a maximum change of a location of the detected object and a minimum change of the location of the detected object.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the change of the location of the detected object over time takes place by means of the room mean square error of the determined location of the detected object.

13. A method accordance with claim 5, wherein the at least one absolute predefined value is a rhythm of the change of the location of the detected object over time.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

detecting at least two predefined objects in the form of adjacent joints of a limb of a person;

determining a vector between a proximal joint and a distal joint; and

inserting the determined vector into a time series.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein at least two limbs are monitored, and a comparison of a rhythmic change of the respective location is compared to a predefined minimum duration.

16. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the at least one absolute predefined value is a distance of the determined location of the at least one detected object, in the form of the head of a person, from a floor of the monitoring area or from a wall of the monitoring area or from both a floor of the monitoring area and from a wall of the monitoring area.

17. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the at least one absolute predefined value is the change of the determined location of the at least one detected object, compared to a predefined change of the location of the at least one detected object.

18. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one predefined value for the location of the detected object is formed as a relative predefined value relative to the monitoring area.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the at least one relative predefined value is a distance of the locations of a first detected object and at least one second detected object of a person.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the first detected object is a limb of the person and the second detected object is a tube placed on the person.

21. A method in accordance with claim 20, wherein the second object in the form of a tube is detected by a dependence of the second object in the form of a tube on at least one additional object.

22. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein a surrounding first enveloping body is formed for the first object and a surrounding second enveloping body is formed for the second object, and a collision of the two enveloping bodies is monitored.

23. A method in accordance with claim 22, wherein at least two second objects are detected, and a combined enveloping body is formed for the individual enveloping bodies of the second objects.

24. A method in accordance with claim 22, wherein the respective enveloping body is formed around a center of gravity of the respective object.

25. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the distance of the locations is taken into account in relation to a minimum duration for an actual distance dropping below a predefined minimum distance.

26. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one preliminary stage predefined value is predefined and used for the comparison in addition to the at least one predefined value.

27. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of comparison activates at least one functionality of the method.

28. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein an object recognized as a person is monitored over the course of time in respect to a location of the person.

29. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising that a step of storing the determined locations of the at least one detected object.

30. A patient monitoring system comprising:

a depth camera device for monitoring a monitoring area; and

a control unit configured to;

generate a point cloud of the monitoring area based on the monitoring by the depth camera device;

analyze the point cloud and detecting predefined objects related to a patient;

determine a location of at least one detected object in the monitoring area; and

compare the determined location of the at least one detected object with at least one predefined value for the location of the at least one detected object.