Telemedicine patient platform

• US 6,038,465 A
• Filed: 10/13/1998
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Melton, Hewlett E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy W.
• Application Number:
  US09/170,542
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 177/210 R, 177/245, 177/25.13, 177/25.19, 340/825.34, 33/700, 600/407, 600/587, 128/920, 128/922, 181/126, 382/115, 73/597, 73/602
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/107 Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0858 involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/50 having additional measuring devices, e.g. for height
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/539 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/922 including image analysis

Abstract

A system and a method for remote monitoring of a designated user utilize an integrated scale that is able to measure the body weight of a current user and determine whether the current user is the designated user. The identification of the current user is accomplished by measuring a preselected length of the current user by reflecting sound waves at location(s) that defines the preselected length and comparing the measured length to a corresponding length of the designated user that is stored in the integrated scale. When the current user is identified as the designated user, the integrated scale transmits the measured body weight to a remote monitoring device. The preselected length may be the distance from the bottom of a foot to the knee joint. Alternatively, the preselected length may be the length of a tibia or femur, or the skeletal height. The integrated scale may include devices to measure the heart rate and the respiratory rate of the current user by transmitting sounds waves and recording reflected sound waves from the chest cavity and the heart chambers.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a subject of interest comprising:

sound transceiving means, having a surface adapted to interface with said subject of interest, for emitting sound waves into said subject of interest and receiving sound waves reflected from interfaces of structures within said subject of interest;

analyzing means operatively connected to said sound transceiving means for calculating a measured value representative of a distance between a first location and a second location by measuring a propagation time for said sound waves propagating through said subject of interest, at least one of said first and said second locations being an interface that induces back-reflection within said subject of interest; and

evaluating means in communication with said analyzing means for comparing said measured value to a predetermined value calculated by measuring propagation time for sound waves propagating through a known subject.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a support platform to receive said subject of interest and a weighing means operatively connected to said platform for measuring a weight of said subject of interest by calculating a gravitational force exerted against said platform by said subject of interest.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said subject of interest being identified is a living subject and wherein said sound transceiving means generates said sound waves at a frequency that induces back-reflection at interfaces of structures that include bones and soft tissues.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said analyzing means is configured to measure a length of a tibia of said subject of interest, said first location and said second location defining extremities of said tibia.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein said analyzing means is configured to measure a length of a skeletal height of said subject of interest, said first location and said second location defining said skeletal height.

6. The system of claim 3 further comprising vital sign means for measuring a heart parameter and a respiratory parameter of said subject of interest, said vital sign means being coupled to said sound transceiving means to identify back-reflected sound wave energy that is indicative of positions of the heart and lungs of said subject of interest.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said sound transceiving means is an acoustic transducer capable of producing said sound waves of a predetermined frequency, said acoustic transducer being configured to detect reflections of said sound waves.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said acoustic transducer is configured to generate said sound waves having said predetermined frequency within a range of about 100 to 200 kilohertz.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said acoustic transducer is positioned to emit said sound wave in a generally upward direction toward said subject of interest and receive said reflected said sound waves, which are propagating back from said subject of interest to said acoustic transducer.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising an electrical transceiver electrically coupled to said evaluating means, said transceiver designed to establish communication with a host device in order to exchange information between said transceiver and said host device.

11. A system for identifying a living subject comprising:

an acoustic transducer designed to transmit sound waves and to receive an echo of said sound waves reflected from a preselected structure within said living subject;

a signal processor configured to calculate a measured value representing a distance from a reference location to said preselected structure, as a function of a measure of time sound wave energy propagating between said reference location and said preselected structure;

memory operatively associated with said signal processor having a capacity to store a control value representing a corresponding measure of distance with respect to a known subject; and

a comparator coupled to said signal processor to receive and compare said measured value to said control value to determine whether said living subject is equivalent to said known subject.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a weight measuring mechanism operatively connected to said signal processor, said weight measuring mechanism including a support to receive said living subject, said weight measuring mechanism being configured to measure a body weight of said living subject.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein said acoustic transducer is configured to generate said sound wave having a frequency in a range of about 100 to 200 kilohertz.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein said signal processor is designed to determine a length of a tibia of said living subject, said length of said tibia being said distance from said reference location to said preselected structure, said reference location being at a first end of said tibia and said preselected structure being at a second end.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein said signal processor includes circuitry capable of determining a heart rate and a respiratory rate of said subject of interest utilizing a time comparison of a plurality of sound waves and associated echoes, emitted and received by said acoustic transducer.

16. A method of identifying a living subject of interest on a device comprising steps of:

positioning said living subject of interest on said device in a predetermined position;

transmitting a sound wave to said living subject of interest from said device such that said sound wave propagates through said living subject of interest;

receiving an echo of said sound wave caused by reflection of said sound wave at a structure within said living subject of interest;

determining a measured value of a preselected distance from said structure to a reference location by measuring a time interval for said sound wave to traverse from said reference location to said structure and said echo to re-traverse from said structure back to said reference location; and

comparing said measured value with a control value of a corresponding measure of distance of a known subject to determine whether said living subject of interest is said known subject.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising a step of measuring a body weight of said living subject of interest while said living subject of interest is positioned on said device.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising a step of selectively transmitting said body weight to a host device when a positive determination has been made that said living subject of interest is said known subject.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of determining said measured value of said preselected distance includes calculating a length of a tibia of said living subject of interest, said length of said tibia defining said preselected distance.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising a step of measuring a heart parameter and a respiratory parameter of said living subject of interest and a step of selectively transmitting information regarding said heart parameter and said respiratory parameter to a host device when a positive determination has been made that said living subject of interest is said known subject.