Infant incubator with non-contact sensing and monitoring

• US 6,679,830 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dragerwerk AG & Company KGaA (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Barsky, Barry E., Kolarovic, Ronald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Veniaminov, Nikita R
• Application Number:
  US10/068,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20020173696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 600/22, 600/300, 600/301, 600/529, 600/534, 600/484, 600/549, 600/483, 600/410, 600/27, 600/537, 600/407, 600/595, 600/323, 340/573.1, 340/575, 340/457, 340/667, 565/5, 128/920, 128/903, 273/3, 273/14, 454/195, 704/276, 327/309
• US Class Current: 600/22
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/045 Newborns, e.g. premature baby monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0803 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/70 Means for positioning the patient in relation to the detecting, measuring or recording means
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/00 Baby-incubators; Couveuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/46 for temperature

Abstract

An infant care unit of the type comprising means for controlling the environment in which the infant resides includes one or more sensors spaced apart from the infant to sense a physiological parameter and provide a sensor output, the controlling means being responsive to the sensor output to change the environment or provide an alarm or other indication of the parameter. The sensors include one or more of an infrared sensor for sensing the infant'"'"'s temperature, cameras coupled to video processing software for sensing respiration rate, heart rate or skin perfusion, microphones coupled to audio processing software for sensing respiration rate, breathing difficulty, or infant distress. Speakers are provided for cancelling noise or providing audio signals to the infant. The camera, microphone and speakers are capable of being coupled to a computer network for remote monitoring of the infant.

Claims

1. An infant care unit comprising:

means for controlling the environment in which an infant may reside,

one or more sensors spaced apart from the infant to sense a physiological parameter of the infant and provide a sensor output, the controlling means being responsive to the sensor output to change the environment or provide an alarm or other indication of the parameter; and

a respiration sensor adapted to be out of physical contact with the infant for determining the respiration rate of the infant, the respiration sensor being a device having a field of vision including a portion of the infant and generating a video feed.

2. The infant care unit of claim 1 comprising a temperature sensor adapted to be spaced out of physical contact with the infant to determine the temperature of the infant.

3. The infant care unit of claim 2 which the temperature sensor is an IR sensor.

4. The infant care unit of claim 2 comprising a system for heating the environment in which an infant may reside and a control system for the heating system, the control system being operatively connected to the temperature sensor.

5. The infant care unit of claim 1 comprising a plurality of temperature sensors adapted to be spaced about and out of physical contact with the infant to determine the temperature of the infant.

6. The infant care unit of claim 5 in which each temperature sensor is an IR sensor.

7. The infant care unit of claim 6 comprising side and end walls adapted to be spaced about the infant and providing an enclosure, the IR temperature sensors being positioned on the side and end walls.

8. An infant care unit comprising:

an enclosure in which an infant may reside,

means for controlling the environment in the enclosure,

one or more sensors spaced apart from the infant to sense a physiological parameter of the infant and provide a sensor output, the controlling means being responsive to the sensor output to change the environment or provide an alarm or other indication of the parameter, and

a respiration sensor adapted to be out of physical contact with the infant for determining the respiration rate of the infant, the respiration sensor being a device generating an audio feed of sounds within the enclosure.

9. The infant care unit of claim 8 comprising a temperature sensor adapted to be spaced out of physical contact with the infant to determine the temperature of the infant.

10. The infant care unit of claim 9 in which the temperature sensor is an IR sensor.

11. The infant care unit of claim 9 comprising a system for heating the environment in the enclosure and a control system for the heating system, the control system being operatively connected to the temperature sensor.

12. The infant care unit of claim 8 comprising a plurality of temperature sensors adapted to be spaced about and out of physical contact with the infant to determine the temperature of the infant.

13. The infant care unit of claim 12 in which each temperature sensor is an IR sensor.

14. The infant care unit of claim 13 comprising side and end walls adapted to be spaced about the infant and providing an enclosure, the IR temperature sensors being positioned on the side and end walls.

15. The infant care unit of claim 8 and further comprising a speaker located within the enclosure and coupled to a sound generating device for generating sounds within the enclosure.

16. The infant care unit of claim 15 wherein the sound generating device includes a feedback device for feeding the audio feed to the speaker to cancel noise within the enclosure.