Wearable device for adaptively recording signals

• US 8,031,075 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Shir, Uri, Buchnick, Judy, Pomerantz, Itzhak
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees; Edny
• Application Number:
  US12/250,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20100090834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/539.16, 368/204, 701/35
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• 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: A61B 7/00 Instruments for auscultation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1672 using sonic detecting means, e.g. a microphone operating in the audio frequency range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00

Abstract

A condition of a subject is monitored by a wearable recording unit that adaptively records various signals associated with the condition of the subject. The various signals are recorded by the wearable recording unit using a recording plan that is contextually adaptively updated to the monitored subject from one recording session to another based on the result of the analysis of previous recording sessions.

Claims

1. A recording unit comprising:

one or more signal sensors for sensing signals pertaining to a condition of a subject;

a memory unit; and

a recording controller, wherein the recording controller is configured to;

execute a first recording instruction based on a recording plan to record first data received from the one or more signal sensors into the memory unit, wherein the first data includes first information received from a first sensor during a first time period and second information received from a second sensor during a second time period;

transfer the recorded first data from the memory unit to a docking station; and

execute a modified second recording instruction received from the docking station in response to transferring the recorded first data to the docking station, wherein the modified second recording instruction is adapted from a second recording instruction of the recording plan and wherein adapting is effected in response to an irregularity detected in the recorded first data;

wherein the irregularity in the recorded first data is detected at the docking station by;

recognizing a first abnormal pattern in the first information;

recognizing a second abnormal pattern in the second information; and

detecting a correlation between the first abnormal pattern and the second abnormal pattern.

2. The recording unit of claim 1, wherein the modified second recording instruction is operative to set a parameter associated with recording, wherein the parameter is associated with one of recording schedule, recording sensitivity, recording duration, and recording resolution.

3. A system comprising:

one or more signal sensors;

a recording unit operative to record one or more signals of the one or more signal sensors according to a recording plan; and

a docking station including;

an analyzer configured to analyze first data received from the recording unit and to produce an analysis based on the first data, wherein the first data is recorded according to the recording plan; and

a controller configured to;

adapt the recording plan to produce an adapted recording plan in response to an irregularity in the first data detected via the analysis, wherein the irregularity of the first data is detected by comparison of the first data to a predetermined pattern;

wherein the adapted recording plan uses enhanced sampling during a predetermined time frame in which a condition associated with the irregularity is likely to occur.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the adapted recording plan is operative to determine one or more of schedule, sensitivity, duration, and resolution associated with recording of second data.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the recording plan is adapted in response to one of:

the first data matching a predefined pattern;

an average value of the first data over a predetermined duration exceeding a first predetermined threshold value;

a value of the first data exceeding a second predetermined threshold value;

a time characteristic of the first data matching a predefined time characteristic; and

a frequency characteristic of the first data matching a predefined frequency characteristic.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the predefined pattern is associated with an abnormal condition of a subject being monitored.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the enhanced sampling includes sampling at a second sampling rate that is greater than a first sampling rate associated with the first data.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the enhanced sampling includes sampling at a second resolution that is greater than a first resolution associated with the first data.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein the modified recording plan is determined by:

comparing the first data to table entries including one or more predetermined patterns, each table entry associated with a corresponding replacement recording plan;

detecting a match of the first data with one of the predetermined patterns; and

selecting the corresponding replacement recording plan as the modified recording plan.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the predetermined patterns include at least one of a predefined signal pattern, a predetermined criterion, and metadata.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein the first data includes first information received from a first sensor during a first time period and second information received from a second sensor during a second time period, and wherein the analysis includes detecting the irregularity in the first data by:

recognizing a first abnormal pattern in the first information;

recognizing a second abnormal pattern in the second information; and

detecting a correlation between the first abnormal pattern and the second abnormal pattern.

7. A method comprising:

recording first data according to a recording plan, wherein the first data includes first information received from a first sensor during a first time period and second information received from a second sensor during a second time period;

receiving a modified recording plan in response to detection of an irregularity in the first data, wherein the irregularity is detected by detecting a correlation between a first abnormal pattern recognized in the first information and a second abnormal pattern recognized in the second information, and wherein the modified recording plan is modified from the recording plan based on the irregularity; and

recording second data in accordance with the modified recording plan.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the modified recording plan is operative to set a parameter associated with recording, wherein the parameter is associated with a recording schedule.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein the modified recording plan is operative to set a parameter associated with recording, wherein the parameter is associated with a recording sensitivity.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein the modified recording plan is operative to set a parameter associated with recording, wherein the parameter is associated with a recording resolution.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a controller; and

a non-volatile memory configured to;

store first data received from the controller, the first data collected by the controller while executing a recording plan;

provide the stored first data to a docking station; and

store second data received from the controller, the second data resulting from the controller executing a modified recording plan received from the docking station, wherein the modified recording plan is modified from the recording plan based on the first data;

wherein the modified recording plan is adaptively updated from the recording plan in response to detection of an irregularity of the first data with respect to a predetermined pattern; and

wherein the modified recording plan uses enhanced sampling during a predetermined time frame.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the predetermined time frame is selected based on a likelihood of occurrence of a condition associated with the irregularity.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the enhanced sampling is associated with a second sampling rate that is greater than a first sampling rate associated with recording of the first data.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the enhanced sampling uses a second data collection resolution that is greater than a first data collection resolution associated with the first data.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the modified recording plan is operative to set a parameter associated with recording, wherein the parameter is associated with a recording schedule.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the modified recording plan is operative to set a parameter associated with recording, wherein the parameter is associated with a recording sensitivity.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the modified recording plan is operative to set a parameter associated with recording, wherein the parameter is associated with a recording duration.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the modified recording plan is operative to set a parameter associated with recording, wherein the parameter is associated with a recording resolution.