System for quantifying asynchrony between signals

• US 5,846,189 A
• Filed: 11/27/1996
• Issued: 12/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Steven M. Pincus
• Original Assignee: Steven M. Pincus
• Inventors: Pincus, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHAETZLE, KENNEDY
• Application Number:
  US08/757,258
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 600/481, 600/483, 600/484, 600/509, 600/515, 600/518, 600/544, 600/551, 128/920, 128/923, 128/897, 128/898, 364/130, 705/10, 705/35, 705/36
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/35 by template matching
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/923 by comparison of patient data to other data

Abstract

A data processing environment processes a plurality of signals to detect a system state. The specific system can be, for example, a living human, where the signals are biological parameters. A processor operates the data points from two signals by defining respective classes of contiguous runs of a prescribed length of the data. The processor then assigns quantitative values to measure the regularity and stability of similar patterns between the first and second sets of classes of data points from the defined classes. These assigned quantitative values are aggregated to quantify the degree of asynchrony or conditional irregularity between the signals.

Claims

1. In a data processing environment, a method of processing a plurality of sets of data points to detect a system state, comprising the steps of:

with a processor, operating on a first set of data points and a second set of data points from a system, comprising the operating steps of;

a) defining a first class of contiguous runs of a prescribed length for the first set of data points;

b) defining a second class of contiguous runs of the prescribed length for the second set of data points;

c) assigning quantitative values to measure the regularity and stability of similar patterns between the first and second sets of data points from the defined classes;

d) aggregating the assigned quantitative values to quantify asynchrony between the first and second sets of data points; and

determining a state of the system from the quantified asynchrony.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing at least one set of data points having values of a biological parameter measured from a living biosystem.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second sets of data points are time-series data, the first set of data points being temporally inconcurrent with the second set of data points.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of aggregating comprises averaging the assigned quantitative values.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing at least one set of data points having values of a market indicator measured from a financial market.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least one set of data points having values of a parameter measured from an electromechanical system.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the electromechanical system is an aerodynamic system measuring gas flow parameters.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the electromechanical system is a hydrodynamic system measuring fluid flow parameters.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the processor operates on serial sets of data points.

10. In a data processing system, a method to detect a medical state from a plurality of biological signals from a living animal, comprising the steps of:

providing a first set of medical data points having values from a first biological signal;

providing a second set of medical data points having values from a second biological signal;

operating on the first and second sets of medical data points with a processor, comprising the operating steps of;

a) defining a first class of contiguous runs of a prescribed length of the first set of medical data points;

b) defining a second class of contiguous runs of the prescribed length of the second set of medical data points;

c) assigning quantitative values to measure the regularity and stability of similar patterns between the first and second sets of medical data points from the defined classes;

d) aggregating the assigned quantitative values to quantify asynchrony between the first and second biological signals; and

determining a medical state of the living animal from the quantified asynchrony.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of the biological signals is a hormone secretion level.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of the biological signals is a cardio-respiratory time series.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of the biological signals is a respective electroencephelogram (EEG) time series.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of the biological signals is selected to detect a specific medical state.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the specific medical state is female menopause.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the specific medical state is a quantative hormonal change in a male.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the first and second biological signals are selected to yield from the operating step a site of a medical condition in the animal body.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the first and second sets of medical data points are time-series data, the first set of medical data points being temporally inconcurrent with the second set of medical data points.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of aggregating comprises averaging the assigned quantitative values.

20. A computing apparatus for processing a plurality of sets of serial data points to detect a system state, the system comprising:

a first set of data points having values from a first system signal of a system;

a second set of data points having values from a second system signal of the system;

a processor operating on the first and second sets of data points, the processor comprising the operating steps of;

a) defining a first class of contiguous runs of a prescribed length of the first set of data points;

b) defining a second class of contiguous runs of the prescribed length of the second set of data points;

c) assigning quantitative values to measure the regularity and stability of similar patterns between the first and second sets of data points from the defined classes; and

d) aggregating the assigned quantitative values to quantify asynchrony between the first and second sets of data points, the quantified asynchrony representing a state of the system.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein at least one of the sets of data points comprises values of a biological parameter measured from a living being.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the first and second sets of data points are time-series data, the first set of data points being temporally inconcurrent with the second set of data points.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the step of aggregating comprises averaging the assigned quantitative values.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein at least one of the sets of data points comprises values of a market indicator from a financial market.

25. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein at least one of the sets of data points compries values of a parameter measured from an electromechanical system.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the electromechanical system is an aerodynamic system and the measured parameters are gas flow parameters.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the electromechanical system is a hydrodynamic system measuring fluid flow parameters.

28. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the processor operates on serial sets of data points.

29. A computing system to detect a medical state from a plurality of biological signals from a living animal, the system comprising:

a first set of medical data points having values from a first biological signal;

a second set of medical data points having values from a second biological signal;

a processor operating on the first and second sets of medical data points, the processor comprising the operating steps of;

a) defining a first class of contiguous runs of a prescribed length of the first set of medical data points;

b) defining a second class of contiguous runs of the prescribed length of the second set of medical data points;

c) assigning quantitative values to measure the regularity and stability of similar patterns between the first and second sets of medical data points from the defined classes; and

d) aggregating the assigned quantitative values to quantify asynchrony between the first and second biological signals.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein at least one of the biological signals is a hormone secretion level.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein at least one of the biological signals is a cardio-respiratory time series.

32. The system of claim 29 wherein at least one of the biological signals is a respective electroencephelogram (EEG) time series.

33. The system of claim 29 wherein the first and second biological signals are selected to detect a specific medical state.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the specific medical state is female menopause.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein the medical state is a quantitative hormonal change in a male.

36. The system of claim 29 wherein the first and second biological signals are selected to localize a site of a medical condition in the animal body.

37. The system of claim 29 wherein the first and second sets of medical data points are time-series data, the first set of medical data points being temporally inconcurrent with the second set of medical data points.

38. The system of claim 29 wherein the step of aggregating comprises averaging the assigned quantitative values.