METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING VITAL SIGNS REMOTELY

• US 20170065220A1
• Filed: 11/11/2016
• Published: 03/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sleep Number Corporation
• Original Assignee: SleepIQ Labs Inc. (Sleep Number Corporation)
• Inventors: Young, Steven Jay, Gillon, William McKinnon, Rifredi, Richard Vincent, Krein, William Todd
• Application Number:
  US15/349,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20170065220A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/04 Babies, e.g. for SIDS detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/07 Home care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0261 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1102 Ballistocardiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/725 using specific filters therefor, e.g. Kalman or adaptive filters A61B5/316 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/003 Detecting lung or respiration noise
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/56 Devices for preventing snoring by influencing the respiratory system by gas treatment A61M16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/0007 Fluidic connecting means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/08 Means for indicating or recording, e.g. for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method and apparatus for monitoring vital signs, such as cardiopulmonary activity, using a ballistograph are provided. The method and apparatus may be used to monitor an infant sleeping in a crib, a patient in a hospital, a person with a chronic disease at home or in professional care, or a person in an elder-care setting.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an electronic control system, data received from at least one status sensor for collecting status information for a user positioned on a sleep surface;

analyzing, by the electronic control system, the data received from the at least one status sensor to determine that the user is snoring;

in response to determining that the user is snoring, triggering, by the electronic control system, a movement of at least a portion of the sleep surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one status sensor comprises an audio sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one status sensor comprises a video sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the data received from the at least one status sensor to determine that the user is snoring includes applying a digital filter to the received data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the digital filter is associated with a frequency range indicative of snoring.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein applying the digital filter to the received data includes selecting the digital filter, by the electronic control system, based on the digital filter being associated with the frequency range indicative of snoring.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the data received from the at least one status sensor to determine that the user is snoring includes applying a digital filter to the received data to select a portion of a signal represented by the data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the digital filter filters out portions of the signal that fall outside of a frequency range indicative of snoring.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sleep surface is an upper portion of a mattress and wherein triggering a movement of at least a portion of the sleep surface includes triggering a portion of the mattress to be raised.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering a movement of at least a portion of the sleep surface includes triggering a portion of the sleep surface to be raised.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering a movement of at least a portion of the sleep surface includes triggering a portion of the sleep surface to vibrate.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering a movement of at least a portion of the sleep surface includes triggering a portion of the sleep surface to shake.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic control surface is further configured to trigger a portion of the sleep surface to be raised in response to determining that the user is snoring.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic control surface is further configured to trigger a portion of the sleep surface to vibrate in response to determining that the user is snoring.

13. A sleep system comprising:

a sleep surface configured to support a user;

at least one status sensor for collecting status information for a user positioned on the sleep surface; and

an electronic control system configured to;

receive data from the at least one status sensor;

analyze the data received from the at least one status sensor to determine that the user is snoring; and

trigger a movement of at least a portion of the sleep surface in response to determining that the user is snoring.

14. The sleep system of claim 13, wherein the at least one status sensor comprises an audio sensor.

15. The sleep system of claim 13, wherein analyzing the data received from the at least one status sensor to determine that the user is snoring includes applying a digital filter to the received data.

16. The sleep system of claim 15, wherein the digital filter is associated with a frequency range indicative of snoring and wherein the electronic control system is further configured to select the digital filter based on the digital filter being associated with the frequency range indicative of snoring.

17. The sleep system of claim 13, wherein analyzing the data received from the at least one status sensor to determine that the user is snoring includes applying a digital filter to the received data to select a portion of a signal represented by the data.

18. The sleep system of claim 17, wherein the digital filter filters out portions of the signal that fall outside of a frequency range indicative of snoring.