Method and related apparatus for measuring and analyzing a physical quantity of interest through the application of fuzzy logic rules

• US 6,179,782 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1999
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Cucè, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Cary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natnithithadha, Navin
• Application Number:
  US09/344,736
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 600/481, 600/485, 600/483, 128/897, 128/898, 128/920, 128/922, 128/923, 128/924, 128/925
• US Class Current: 600/481
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0475 Special features of memory means, e.g. removable memory cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• 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 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/923 by comparison of patient data to other data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/924 using artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/925 Neural network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 600/92 Method of making endoscopes

Abstract

A method measures and analyzes a physical quantity of interest having first and second significant values dependent on a plurality of characteristic parameters. The method includes storing the characteristic parameters in a storage support external of the measuring device and ancillary thereto; automatically measuring the first and second significant values; and analyzing, on a data processor, the measured significant values to produce a classification thereof based on a knowledge of said characteristic parameters. A system measures and analyzes a physical quantity of interest by application of fuzzy rules. The system comprises an apparatus for measuring the physical quantity of interest having its output connected to a fuzzy processor. The system also comprises a storage support, ancillary to the measuring apparatus, which stores the characteristic parameters of a user being tested, which is connected to a smart card reader/writer in turn connected to the measuring system and the fuzzy processor.

Claims

1. A method for measuring and analyzing a physical quantity of interest having first and second significant values dependent on a plurality of characteristic parameters, the method comprising:

storing said characteristic parameters in a storage support external of the measuring device and ancillary thereto, said characteristic parameters including diagnostic pictures of a user being tested;

automatically measuring said first and second significant values;

reading said characteristic parameters from the storage support; and

classifying the measured significant values by analyzing, on a data processor, the measured significant values based on said characteristic parameters read from the storage support.

2. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic parameters include parameters dependent on environmental conditions existing while the significant values are being measured, and on significant data of the user being tested.

3. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 2, wherein said significant data of the user being tested is clinical data comprising:

Surname, Name(s), Age, Sex, Race, Pregnancy, Weight, Arm circumference, Height, Normal systolic pressure, Normal diastolic pressure, Normal heart beat frequency, and readings taken at different times.

4. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 3, wherein said significant data of the user being tested further includes medical directions for a personalized classification of the measured values.

5. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 1, characterized in that a system of fuzzy rules is used wherein each rule allows a different diagnostic picture of the user to be identified.

6. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 5, characterized in that said system of fuzzy rules comprises a plurality of membership functions that are specific to each user and derived from measurements made in consideration of the significant values of the quantity of interest.

7. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 1, wherein said analyzing step includes analyzing the significant values based on fuzzy logic rules.

8. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 1, wherein:

said physical quantity of interest is arterial blood pressure; and

said first and second significant values correspond to diastolic and systolic pressures, respectively.

9. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 8, wherein said diagnostic pictures are related to the cardio-circulatory system of the user and include the following conditions:

Normal pressure conditions, Hypotension, High pressure, Hypertension, Acute hypotension, Acute hypertension.

10. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 8 wherein membership functions are obtained as rules expressed on the basis of the values relating to systolic pressure and diastolic pressure tied to the AND logic operator.

11. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 10, wherein the following system of fuzzy rules is used during the classifying step:

12. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 11, wherein, lacking personal statistic records, a system of fuzzy rules based on default statistic records is used to provide a classification of the pressure values.

13. A measuring and analyzing method according to claim 12, wherein the following system of fuzzy rules based on default statistic records is used:

14. A system for measuring and analyzing a physical quantity of interest by the application of fuzzy rules, said quantity having at least first and second significant values dependent on a plurality of characteristic parameters, the system comprising:

a measuring apparatus structured to measure the significant values of the physical quantity of interest;

a storage support, ancillary to the measuring apparatus and containing the characteristic parameters of a current user being tested;

a storage support reader/writer connected to the measuring apparatus and structured to read from and write to the storage support; and

a fuzzy processor coupled to the measuring apparatus and storage support, the fuzzy processor being structured to use a system of fuzzy rules wherein each rule allows a different user'"'"'s diagnostic picture to be identified.

15. A measuring and analyzing system according to claim 14, wherein the storage support reader/writer includes a smart card reader/writer structured to receive a storage support of the smart card type using a two-directional connection.

16. A measuring and analyzing system according to claim 14, wherein the smart card reader/writer is connected two-directionally to the measuring apparatus and one-directionally to the fuzzy processor, such that the measuring apparatus and processing system can both activate a phase of data reading from the storage support through the smart card reader/writer, whereas a phase of writing in such data can only be activated by the measuring apparatus.

17. A measuring and analyzing system according to claim 14, wherein the storage support stores clinical data of the current user which includes:

Surname, Name(s), Age, Sex, Race, Pregnancy, Weight, Arm circumference, Height, Normal systolic pressure, Normal diastolic pressure, Normal heart beat frequency, and readings taken at different times, wherein the fuzzy processor is structured to use the clinical data to classify the measured significant values.

18. A measuring and analyzing system according to claim 14, wherein the storage support stores medical directions corresponding to different diagnostic pictures of the current user being tested and the fuzzy processor is structured to classify the measured significant values using the medical directions.

19. A measuring and analyzing system according to claim 14, wherein said system of fuzzy rules comprises a plurality of membership functions which are specific to each user and derived from measurements of the physical quantity of interest made by said measuring apparatus, taking account of the significant values of the quantity of interest.

20. A measuring and analyzing system according to claim 14 wherein:

said physical quantity of interest is the arterial blood pressure of the current user; and

said first and second significant values correspond to the diastolic and systolic pressure values of the arterial blood pressure, respectively.

21. A measuring and analyzing system according to claim 20, wherein the measuring apparatus is structured to measure the arterial blood pressure and the heart beat frequency of the current user using an automatic device that calculates the arterial blood pressure based on appropriate sets of fuzzy rules derived from statistic trends of measured significant values.

22. A measuring and analyzing system according to claim 14, wherein the fuzzy processor uses the following system of fuzzy rules:

23. A measuring and analyzing system according to claim 22, wherein the fuzzy processor is structured to look for personal statistic records on the storage support and, if none are found, uses the following system of fuzzy rules based on default statistic records, to define a non-pathological condition of the patient:

28. The system of claim 14, wherein said system of fuzzy rules comprises a plurality of membership functions that are specific to the current user and derived from measurements of the physical quantity made by said measuring apparatus, taking account of the significant values of the physical quantity.

24. A system for measuring and analyzing a physical quantity of a current user by the application of fuzzy rules, the system comprising:

a measuring apparatus structured to measure the significant values of the physical quantity of interest;

a storage support, ancillary to the measuring apparatus and containing the characteristic parameters of the current user being tested and statistical information of other people related to the physical quantity;

a storage support reader to read the characteristic parameters and statistical information from the storage support; and

a fuzzy processor coupled to the measuring apparatus and storage support, the fuzzy processor being structured to use a system of fuzzy rules structured to classify the physical quantity of the current user based on the significant values measured and on the characteristic parameters and the statistical information read from the storage support.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the storage support reader includes a smart card reader/writer structured to receive a storage support of the smart card type using a two-directional connection.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the smart card reader/writer is connected two-directionally to the measuring apparatus and one-directionally to the fuzzy processor, such that the measuring apparatus and processing system can both activate a phase of data reading from the storage support through the smart card reader/writer, whereas a phase of writing in such data can only be activated by the measuring apparatus.

27. A measuring and analyzing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the storage support stores medical directions corresponding to different diagnostic pictures of the current user being tested and the fuzzy processor is structured to classify the measured significant values using the medical directions.