Wireless medical sensor system

• US 7,387,607 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Davidovici, Sorin, Holt, Gordon D., Wykoff, Richard, Qi, Xiao-Feng, Barnett, Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno; Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Yun Haeng
• Application Number:
  US11/144,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20060276714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 600/301, 128/903, 607/60
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0462 Apparatus with built-in sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/30 Input circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/308 for electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

A monitoring device having a signal receiver, a pseudo-ground, a digital processor and a transceiver, the signal receiver having an ability to receive a sensed signal representing a patient vital sign, the pseudo-ground having an ability to generate a baseline signal that is compared with the sensed signal, the transceiver having an ability to wirelessly transmit a processed signal from the digital processor to a base station or a wireless gateway and to receive an incoming signal from the base station or the wireless gateway, and the digital processor having an ability to process the sensed signal and the incoming signal locally within the monitoring device is disclosed.

Claims

1. A monitoring device comprising a signal receiver, a pseudo-ground, a digital processor and a transceiver, the signal receiver having an ability to receive a sensed signal comprising a patient vital sign, the pseudo-ground having electrical circuitry that causes a nanovolt pulse to be generated within the monitoring device or between two or more sensors or between two or more monitoring devices that are not physically attached and having an ability to generate a baseline signal that is compared with the sensed signal, the transceiver having an ability to wirelessly transmit a processed signal from the digital processor to a base station or a wireless gate and to receive an incoming signal from the base station or the wireless gateway, and the digital processor having an ability to process the sensed signal and the incoming signal locally within the monitoring device.

2. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver to compute the position of the monitoring device.

3. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the signal receiver comprises an analog front end that serves as a point of attachment to a sensor probe external to the monitoring device or to a sensor probe internal within the monitoring device.

4. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises no analog cable between the signal receiver and the transceiver.

5. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is a radio-frequency transceiver.

6. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the patient vital sign is selected from the group consisting of heart rate, heart beat, heart murmur, heart intensity, a electro-cardio signal, diabetes, asthma, pulse rate, oxygen content, blood pressure, lung noise, respiration rate, occlusion, adrenal level, acetycholine level, temperature, sodium levels, activity level, three axis acceleration and combinations thereof.

7. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the pseudo-ground allows the monitoring device to function without a direct wired attachment to a sensor.

8. The monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter.

9. The monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a battery.

10. The monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a bio-sealable material over a portion of at least one component of the monitoring device.

11. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device has a unique identifier to identify the monitoring device.

12. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device has an ability to determine the base station among a plurality of base stations to send the processed signal.

13. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device has an ability to hand off the processed signal from a first base station to a second base station as the monitoring device moves out of a communication range of the first base station.

14. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the digital processor has an ability to compress or encrypt data.

15. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the digital processor has an ability to determine a quality of the sensed signal obtained by the signal receiver and then determine whether to turn on or turn off the transceiver.

16. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the digital processor has an ability to perform data smoothing and signal artifact removal.

17. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the digital processor has an ability to store and process a patient profile in the monitoring device.

18. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the digital processor has an ability to determine battery data.

19. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the digital processor has an ability to monitor a value change in the sensed signal and sent an emergency signal to the transceiver for urgent intervention.

20. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the digital processor has an ability to provide digital modulation and coding of the sensed signal.

21. A health monitoring system comprising a monitoring device and a wireless gateway, the monitoring device comprising a signal receiver, a digital processor a pseudo-ground and a transceiver, the signal receiver having an ability to receive a sensed signal comprising a patient vital sign, the pseudo-ground having electrical circuitry that causes a nanovolt pulse to be generated within the monitoring device or between two or more sensors or between two or more monitoring devices that are not physically attached, the transceiver having an ability to wirelessly transmit a processed signal from the digital processor to a wireless gateway and to receive an incoming signal from the wireless gateway, and the digital processor having an ability to process the sensed signal and the incoming signal locally within the monitoring device, wherein the monitoring device and the wireless gateway are worn directly on or within a patient.

22. A method of monitoring a patient, comprising receiving a sensed signal comprising a patient vital sign by a signal receiver in a monitoring device, generating a baseline signal by a pseudo-ground using nanovolt pulse, comparing the sensed signal to the baseline signal, and transmitting wirelessly a processed signal from a transceiver of the monitoring device to a base station and receiving an incoming signal from the base station to the transceiver.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising processing the sensed signal and the incoming signal by a digital processor within the monitoring device.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising computing a position of the monitoring device by a global positioning system (GPS) receiver within the monitoring device.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining a quality of the sensed signal obtained by the signal receiver and then determining whether to turn on or turn off the transceiver.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising digital modulation and coding of the sensed signal.