Wearable wireless device for monitoring, analyzing and communicating physiological status

• US 7,904,133 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2005
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Russell, James Knox, Lyster, Thomas Dean, Gehman, Stacy Earl, Fay-Lauria, Cheryl A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen; Lee S
• Application Number:
  US10/598,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20080214901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 600391-393, 600/509, 600/523
• US Class Current: 600/391
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/335 using integrated circuit memory devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches

Abstract

A wearable compact, lightweight, noninvasive, wearable “unified” device or system (10), that does not compromise a user'"'"'s motion and flexibility, detects, processes, analyzes and reports predetermined physical states of a human body. The system includes at least one pair of sense electrodes (14) and one reference electrode (16), each configured to be adhesively attached to a surface of the body (30). An electronics module (12) is in electrical communication with each of the electrodes, includes a power source, and processes and analyzes signals provided by the electrodes. The plurality of electrodes and the electronics module are covered by a single adhesive membrane (20) that enables the wearable device to adhere to the surface of the body.

Claims

1. A wearable device for detecting, processing, analyzing and reporting predetermined physical states of a human body, the device comprising:

a plurality of electrodes, including at least one pair of sense electrodes and a reference electrode, each of said electrodes configured to make electrical connection with a surface of the body; and

an electronics module, said module in electrical communication with each of said plurality of electrodes, said module including a power source, and said module processing and analyzing signals provided by said plurality of electrodes, the reference electrode being mounted on a body facing bottom surface of the electronics module, the electronics module having at least a pair of conductive pads formed on at least one of the bottom surface and a top surface of the electronics module, the pair of sense electrodes being connected directly to the conductive pads;

a single adhesive membrane which covers the plurality of electrodes and the electronics module to enable said wearable device to adhere to the surface of the body with the reference and sense electrodes making electrical connection with the body.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said electronics module includes a wireless transmitter and, upon detection by said electronics module of a predetermined condition, the wireless transmitter transmits an alarm status.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said electronics module further includes a deactivation mechanism by which a user can prevent the wireless transmitter from continuing to transmit the alarm status.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the electronics module includes a local alarm which alerts the user of the alarm status.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said reference electrode is a dry electrode.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of the conductive pads is silver plated on said electronics module.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the reference electrode is positioned between the pair of sense electrodes.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the sense electrodes are at least two inches apart.

9. A wearable device for detecting, processing, analyzing and reporting predetermined physical states of a human body, the device comprising:

a plurality of electrodes, including at least one pair of sense electrodes and a reference electrode, each of said electrodes configured to be adhesively attached to a surface of the body, said reference electrode being a dry electrode;

an electronics module, said module in electrical communication with each of said plurality of electrodes, said module including a power source, and said module processing and analyzing signals provided by said plurality of electrodes;

wherein said plurality of electrodes and said electronics module are covered by a single adhesive membrane to enable said wearable device to adhere to the surface of the body; and

wherein said reference electrode is integrally formed with said electronics module.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said electronics module has a top surface and a bottom surface, and wherein a plurality of conductive pads are formed on at least one of the top and bottom surfaces.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the pair of sense electrodes are integral to a breathable cloth matrix.

12. The device of claim 9, further comprising a local alarm which provides a person wearing said device an indication that an alarm status is being indicated.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising a deactivation mechanism, operated by the wearer to prevent said device from wirelessly transmitting a further indication of the alarm status to a remote station.

14. An apparatus for detecting, processing, analyzing and reporting physiological conditions, comprising:

a pair of sensor electrodes connected at one end with a top surface of a processing module and extending to a second end which contacts a surface of a human body for detecting physiological data;

a reference electrode disposed on a bottom surface of the processing module to contact the surface of the human body under the electronics module;

the processing module analyzing and processing signals provided from electrodes into physiological output data;

wherein said plurality of electrodes and said processing module are mounted within the confines of a single flexible adhesive material adapted to be adhered to the surface of the human body, such that said electrodes and said processing module avoid interfering with the motion and flexibility of said human body.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said processing module analyzes the electrode signals for an alarm condition and the processing module further includes a transmitter which transmits an alarm signal to a remote device when the processing module detects an alarm condition.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing module includes a local alarm which alerts a user to the detected alarm condition.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processing module further includes a deactivating mechanism operated by the wearer to stop transmitting the alarm signal to the remote device.