Adjustable pneumatic supporting surface
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for characterizing human tissue type based upon a rate of dissipation of kinetic energy applied to the human tissue, the apparatus comprising:
- a surface adapted for applying kinetic energy to an anatomical portion of a human supported thereon;
at least one sensor associated with said surface responsive to the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy applied by the surface to said anatomical portion, said at least one sensor comprising at least one accelerometer, whereby the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy is indicative of a tissue type of said anatomical portion; and
a processor programmed for processing data obtained from said sensor relating to said rate of dissipation of said applied kinetic energy and for characterizing the tissue type of said anatomical portion.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method are adapted for characterizing human tissue type. A plurality of inflatable bladders enable the application of kinetic energy to the human tissue. Collected data responsive to the applied kinetic energy differentiates between different tissue types and patient loading. The data can be routed via a network to a remote location.
77 Citations
34 Claims
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1. An apparatus for characterizing human tissue type based upon a rate of dissipation of kinetic energy applied to the human tissue, the apparatus comprising:
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a surface adapted for applying kinetic energy to an anatomical portion of a human supported thereon; at least one sensor associated with said surface responsive to the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy applied by the surface to said anatomical portion, said at least one sensor comprising at least one accelerometer, whereby the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy is indicative of a tissue type of said anatomical portion; and a processor programmed for processing data obtained from said sensor relating to said rate of dissipation of said applied kinetic energy and for characterizing the tissue type of said anatomical portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An apparatus for characterizing the tissue type of a human based upon a rate of dissipation of kinetic energy applied to human tissue, the apparatus, comprising:
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a surface adapted for supporting an anatomical portion of a human; at least one sensor coupled to said surface, said sensor operable to collect data reflective of kinetic energy exerted on said anatomical portion by said surface, said at least one sensor comprising at least one accelerometer; and data analysis means programmed for analyzing said data collected by said sensor relating to the rate of dissipation of said kinetic energy exerted on said anatomical portion and for characterizing a tissue type of said anatomical portion based upon said rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy exerted on said anatomical portion. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for supporting a human having different tissue types comprising:
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a plurality of inflatable bladders having a surface adapted for applying kinetic energy to an anatomical portion of a human supported on the inflatable bladders; at least one sensor associated with said surface responsive to a rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy applied by the surface to said anatomical portion, said at least one sensor comprising at least one accelerometer, whereby the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy applied to said anatomical portion is indicative of a tissue type of said anatomical portion; and a processor programmed for processing data obtained from said sensor relating to said rate of dissipation of said applied kinetic energy and for determining the tissue type of said anatomical portion. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for characterizing tissue type of a human based upon a rate of dissipation of kinetic energy applied to human tissue, comprising the steps of:
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applying kinetic energy to a surface supporting an anatomical portion of a human; collecting data reflective of kinetic energy exerted on said anatomical portion by said surface with at least one sensor coupled to said surface; analyzing said data collected by said sensor; and characterizing a tissue type of said anatomical portion based upon the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy applied to said anatomical portion, wherein said characterizing step further includes comparing the analyzed data to predetermined data representative of different tissue types. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for characterizing tissue type of a human based upon a rate of dissipation of kinetic energy applied to human tissue, comprising:
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providing a plurality of inflatable bladders having a surface adapted for applying kinetic energy to an anatomical portion of a human supported thereon; applying said kinetic energy to said anatomical portion; collecting data from at least one sensor reflective of the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy applied by said plurality of inflatable bladders; analyzing said data; and characterizing the tissue type of said anatomical portion based upon said rate of dissipation of the applied kinetic energy, wherein said analyzing step comprises converting said data from an analog signal into a digital signal, and said characterizing step comprises comparing said digital signal with signals representative of different tissue types. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for characterizing tissue type of a human based upon a rate of dissipation of kinetic energy applied to human tissue, comprising the steps of:
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applying kinetic energy to a surface supporting an anatomical portion of a human; collecting data reflective of kinetic energy exerted on said anatomical portion by said surface with at least one sensor coupled to said surface; analyzing said data collected by said sensor; and characterizing a tissue type of said anatomical portion based upon the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy applied to said anatomical portion, wherein said analyzing step further includes determining changes in the tissue type of said anatomical portion of said human at identified locations on said surface. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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31. A method for characterizing tissue type of a human based upon a rate of dissipation of kinetic energy applied to human tissue, comprising the steps of:
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applying kinetic energy to a surface supporting an anatomical portion of a human; collecting data reflective of kinetic energy exerted on said anatomical portion by said surface with at least one sensor coupled to said surface; analyzing said data collected by said sensor; and characterizing a tissue type of said anatomical portion based upon the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy applied to said anatomical portion, wherein said analyzing step comprises converting said data from an analog signal into a digital signal, and said characterizing step comprises comparing said digital signal with signals representative of different tissue types. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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33. A method for characterizing tissue type of a human based upon a rate of dissipation of kinetic energy applied to human tissue, comprising:
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providing a plurality of inflatable bladders having a surface adapted for applying kinetic energy to an anatomical portion of a human supported thereon; applying said kinetic energy to said anatomical portion; collecting data reflective of the rate of dissipation of the kinetic energy applied by said plurality of inflatable bladders; analyzing said data; and characterizing the tissue type of said anatomical portion based upon said rate of dissipation of applied kinetic energy, wherein said analyzing step further includes determining changes in the tissue type of said anatomical portion of said human at identified locations on said surface. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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Specification