System and method for active monitoring and diagnostics of life signs using heartbeat waveform and body temperature remotely giving the user freedom to move within its vicinity without wires attachment, gel, or adhesives

• US 7,760,082 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: An-Kwok Ian Wong, Belinda T. Wong, Chon Meng Wong
• Original Assignee: An-Kwok Ian Wong, Belinda T. Wong, Chon Meng Wong
• Inventors: Wong, Belinda T., Wong, Chon Meng, Wong, An-Kwok Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHANNON, MICHAEL T
• Application Number:
  US11/523,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20070152812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.12, 600508-528, 600481-507, 600/586, 600300-301, 600/552, 600529-543, 600/549
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0204 Acoustic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7225 Details of analog processing, e.g. isolation amplifier, gain or sensitivity adjustment, filtering, baseline or drift compensation A61B5/30, A61B5/316 take precedence; transformers for specific applications H01F38/00; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/00 Instruments for auscultation

Abstract

A system and method that uses non-invasive method, such as a wearable module equipped with sensors placed on a subject connected to a computer-linked module, to monitor life signs like heartbeat waveforms, body temperatures, indicating the health of a living being or a dynamic system. The health of the system is defined by a set of known good spectra with deviations triggering alerts. A garment embedded with a piezoelectric material and a temperature sensor, when placed in contact with the body, captures acoustic waves from the heart and body temperature. Both sensors are connected to a garment-mounted module with a flexible printed antenna. Another module with reconfigured daughterboard software forms a bidirectional wireless data connection to a computer. A software program compares the received spectrum to its database spectrum based on a set of rules and alerts the user when it deviates.

Claims

1. A wearable electronic apparatus comprising:

a wearable garment;

an acoustic sensor attached to the garment and positioned to sense an acoustic signal of a garment wearer, the acoustic sensor including;

an elongated rectangular piezoelectric film for sensing the acoustic signal;

electrodes attached to both planar surfaces of the piezoelectric film;

an elastomeric material which covers the piezoelectric film and the electrodes; and

a non-stretchable fabric attached to the elastomeric material for maintaining structural integrity of the acoustic sensor; and

a wireless communication device transmitting acoustic data of the acoustic sensor of a wearer,

wherein the elastomeric material has a shore-hardness in a range of about 30 to 40 on the Shore 00 hardness scale.

2. The device of claim 1 further including a one-wire device having a unique identification code.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the wireless communication device transmits the unique identification code of the one-wire device.

4. The device of claim 1 further including a temperature sensor attached to the garment and sensing a temperature signal of a garment wearer.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the wireless communication element further transmits temperature data.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the temperature sensor is a one-wire device having a unique identification code.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the wireless communication element further transmits the unique identification code of the temperature sensor.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the garment is a wrist band.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication device transmits data in response to a received command.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the acoustic signal is a vagal tone.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-stretchable fabric includes a plurality of holes.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the garment is attached to limb muscles of the garment wearer.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acoustic signal sensed through the acoustic sensor is analyzed with respect to a normalized signal representative of a normative state of the garment wearer.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the wireless communication device alerts a monitoring facility when the acoustic signal deviates from the normalized signal.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acoustic signal is a measurement of a life sign critical to health of the garment wearer.

11. A life sign monitoring method comprising:

placing on a body a garment having an acoustic sensor and a wireless communication device, the acoustic sensor comprising;

an elongated rectangular piezoelectric film for sensing the acoustic signal;

electrodes attached to both planar surfaces of the piezoelectric film;

an elastomeric material which covers the piezoelectric film and the electrodes; and

a non-stretchable fabric attached to the elastomeric material for maintaining structural integrity of the acoustic sensor;

sensing a heartbeat acoustic signal of the body;

generating acoustic data based on the sensing;

transmitting acoustic data of the body,

wherein the elastomeric material has a shore-hardness in a range of about 30 to 40 on the Shore 00 hardness scale.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the garment includes a one-wire device having a unique identification code.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the wireless communication device transmits the unique identification code of the one-wire device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the garment further includes a temperature sensor attached to the garment and sensing a temperature signal of a garment wearer.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the wireless communication element further transmits temperature data.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the temperature sensor is a one-wire device having a unique identification code.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the wireless communication element further transmits the unique identification code of the temperature sensor.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the garment is a wrist band.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the wireless communication device transmits data in response to a received command.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the acoustic signal is a vagal tone.

27. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-stretchable fabric includes a plurality of holes.

29. The method of claim 11, wherein the garment is attached to limb muscles of a garment wearer.

30. The method of claim 11, further comprising analyzing the sensed acoustic signal with respect to a normalized signal representative of a normative state of a garment wearer.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the acoustic data is transmitted to a monitoring facility when the acoustic signal deviates from the normalized signal.

32. The method of claim 11, wherein the acoustic signal is a measurement of a life sign critical to health of the garment wearer.

22. A wearable electronic apparatus comprising:

a wearable garment;

an acoustic sensor attached to the garment and positioned to sense an acoustic signal of a garment wearer, the acoustic sensor including;

an elongated rectangular piezoelectric film for sensing the acoustic signal;

electrodes attached to both planar surfaces of the piezoelectric film;

an elastomeric material which covers the piezoelectric film and the electrodes; and

a non-stretchable fabric attached to the elastomeric material for maintaining structural integrity of the acoustic sensor; and

a wireless communication device transmitting acoustic data of the acoustic sensor of a wearer,

wherein the elastomeric material has a shore-hardness in a range of about 30 to 40 on the Shore 00 hardness scale; and

wherein a long side of the piezoelectric film is aligned to an axis of a heart of the garment wearer for sensing longitudinal wave modes of the heart.

28. A life sign monitoring method comprising:

placing on a body a garment having an acoustic sensor and a wireless communication device, the acoustic sensor comprising;

an elongated rectangular piezoelectric film for sensing the acoustic signal;

electrodes attached to both planar surfaces of the piezoelectric film;

an elastomeric material which covers the piezoelectric film and the electrodes; and

a non-stretchable fabric attached to the elastomeric material for maintaining structural integrity of the acoustic sensor;

sensing a heartbeat acoustic signal of the body;

generating acoustic data based on the sensing;

transmitting acoustic data of the body,

wherein the elastomeric material has a shore-hardness in a range of about 30 to 40 on the Shore 00 hardness scale; and

wherein a long side of the piezoelectric film is aligned to an axis of a heart of the garment wearer for sensing longitudinal wave modes of the heart.