SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING SUBJECTS IN POTENTIAL PHYSIOLOGICAL DISTRESS

• US 20170296052A1
• Filed: 10/25/2016
• Published: 10/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adidas AG
• Original Assignee: Adidas AG
• Inventors: BEHAR, Andrew, Cobb, Jeff, Derchak, Alex, Keenan, Barry, Darnall, Dave
• Granted Patent: US 10,478,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for monitoring in real time the physiological status of one or more subjects, especially subject engaged in potentially hazardous or dangerous activities. Systems include wearable items with one or more physiological sensors and a local data unit (LDU) operatively coupled to the sensors. The LDUs digitize and filter sensor data, extract physiological parameters, determine abnormal or not acceptable physiological conditions, and communicate to external monitoring facilities. The external facilities display status and data concerning monitored subjects. In preferred embodiments, communication between the LDUs and the external monitoring facilities dynamically adjusts to the condition of the subjects and to system changes such as subjects and external facilities entering and leaving and/or moving from place to place. The invention also provides program products for performing this invention'"'"'s methods.

Claims

1. A portable monitoring apparatus for real-time monitoring of an ambulatory subject comprising:

a wearable item comprising one or more sensors, said sensors providing one or more signals responsive to the physiology of an ambulatory subject wearing said item; and

a portable data unit local to said wearable item comprising a processing device that

retrieves and processes said sensor signals in order to determine physiological information comprising indication of whether a physiological state of said subject is normal or not and/or is acceptable or not;

present to a wearer items selected from said physiological information; and

transmit items selected from said physiological information from said portable data unit to a location remote from said portable data unit, said items selected in dependence on said physiological state of said monitored subject

2. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein, if said physiological state is acceptable and/or normal, said items transmitted consist essentially of said acceptable and/or normal indication.

3. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein, if said physiological state is not acceptable and/or not normal, said items transmitted comprise some or all of said sensor data and/or said physiological information.

4. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said remote location commands said portable data unit to transmit selected items, and wherein said portable data unit transmits said selected items.

5. The portable apparatus of claim 1 further comprising directing said wireless transmission to a current remote location selected from one or more candidate remote locations.

6. The portable apparatus of claim 5 further comprising

selecting a new remote location from said candidate remote locations that is different from said current remote location;

and

directing future wireless transmissions to said new remote location and ceasing to direct future wireless transmissions to said current remote location.

7. The portable apparatus of claim 6 wherein remote locations transmit to said portable data unit, and wherein said new remote location currently has the greatest signal strength at said portable data unit of said other candidate remote locations.

8. The portable apparatus of claim 6 wherein remote locations are assigned priorities, and wherein said selected remote location currently has the greatest priority at portable data unit of said other candidate remote locations.

9. The portable apparatus of claim 1 where said selected items are encrypted prior to transmission.

10. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said wearable item comprises one or more of a band, and/or a shirt, and/or a body shirt and/or garment.

11. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said wearable item comprises a band into which said portable data unit is incorporated.

12. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said wearable item comprises a garment and a band attachable to said garment, wherein said portable data unit is incorporated into the band.

13. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said retrieving and processing further comprises digitizing signal from those sensors providing analog signals.

14. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensors comprise one or more of cardiac sensors, and/or respiratory sensors, and/or accelerometer sensors, and/or electrocardiogram sensors, and/or electroencephalogram sensors, and/or electro-oculogram sensors, and/or electro-myogram sensors, and/or surface or core temperature sensors, and/or blood oxygen saturation, and/or sound sensors, and/or ultrasound sensors, and/or ballistic impact sensors, and/or electrical impedance sensors.

15. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensors comprise one or more size sensors responsive to a size of the rib cage and/or to a size of the abdomen.

16. The portable apparatus of claim 15 wherein one or more of said size sensors is based in inductive plethysmographic technology.

17. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensors comprise a posture sensor and/or an activity-level sensor.

18. The portable apparatus of claim 17 wherein at least one of said posture and/or said activity-level sensors comprises one or more accelerometers.

19. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said physiological information further comprises one or more physiological parameters and/or temporal trends of said physiological parameters, and wherein said physiological state is further determined in dependence on one or more of said determined physiological parameters and/or trends.

20. The portable apparatus of claim 19 wherein said physiological parameters further comprise one or more parameters from the group consisting of parameters describing a subject'"'"'s lung function, parameters describing a subject'"'"'s cardiac function, parameters describing a subject'"'"'s posture, parameters describing a subject'"'"'s activity, parameters describing a subject'"'"'s temperature, parameters describing a subject'"'"'s ventilatory thresholds, parameters describing a subject'"'"'s energy consumption, and parameters describing a subject'"'"'s level of heat stress.

21. The portable apparatus of claim 19 wherein said physiological state is further determined by comparing values of one or more physiological parameters and/or trends, and/or combinations of said parameters and/or trends, to values said parameters and/or trends and/or combinations that are known to be acceptable or normal.

22. The portable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said processing device comprises a microprocessor and/or a field programmable gate array.