Medical instrument with low power, high contrast display

• US 8,823,729 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Parnagian, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US13/975,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20130338451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418, 345/426, 345/581, 345589-590, 345/594, 345/617, 345/619, 345/204, 345/207, 345/690, 345/699, 345/211, 345/214, 345/48, 345/63, 345 76- 77, 345/84, 345/87, 348/68, 348180-181, 348/254, 348/258, 348/365, 348/366, 348602-603, 348/655, 348/687, 348/686, 358/504, 358509-510, 358/516, 358/518, 382/162, 382/254, 382/270, 382/274, 382/282, 382/285, 382/311, 382/312, 600/309, 600/458, 600/481, 600/178, 600/180, 600/223, 604/300, 604/301, 128903-905, 128/920
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• 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 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0836 Measuring rate of CO2 production
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/339 Displays specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/361 Detecting fibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3968 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings A61N1/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 : Control of matrices with row and column drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 : characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6058 : Reduction of colour to a range of reproducible colours, e.g. to ink- reproducible colour gamut
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 : Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A patient monitoring/defibrillation instrument displays patient vital signs in numeric form or as graphical waveform traces. Under normal room lighting conditions the numeric and waveform information is displayed in color against a black or gray background. When the patient monitor is operated outside or in bright light, the user has the option to select a color map for display of the patient vital signs information in a highly contrasting manner such as black numeric or waveform information against a bright background such as yellow. The high contrast display, while being objectionable in most indoor settings, has been found to comfortably and effectively display the monitored information in sunlight without the need to increase power to the display.

Claims

1. A patient monitoring instrument operable in different ambient lighting conditions comprising:

circuitry which produces a measure of one or more patient bodily functions;

a display, coupled to the circuitry, which displays the bodily function measure in numeric or graphical form;

a user interface for selecting one of a plurality of display maps of different contrast,

a display controller, coupled to the display and coupled to the user interface, for setting the display to display the bodily function measure in accordance with a selected display map, wherein one of the display maps acts to cause the display of a bright bodily function measure against a dark background, and another of the display maps acts to cause the display of a dark bodily function measure against a bright background; and

an ambient light sensor, coupled to the user interface, and configured to sense an ambient light level in which the instrument is operating, wherein the user interface is responsive to a change in the ambient light level above or below a preset or user-adjusted threshold to automatically change the selected display map.

2. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 1 further comprising an ambient light sensor, coupled to the user interface, and configured to sense an ambient light level in which the instrument is operating, wherein (i) the user interface is responsive to a change in the ambient light level above or below a preset or user-adjusted threshold to automatically change the selected display map, or (ii) the user interface is responsive to a user selection to change the selected display map, and wherein the user interface is configured for the user to choose whether the user interface is responsive to the change in the ambient light level to automatically change the selected display map or responsive to the user selection to change the display map.

3. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 1 wherein the user interface is responsive to a user selection to change the selected display map, and wherein the user selection is made by at least one of a menu pick on the display, a dedicated button for display contrast control, or depressing a dedicated key on a keypad for changing the display contrast.

4. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 1, wherein one of the display maps acts to cause the display of at least one of a colored bodily function measure or a brightly displayed bodily function measure against a black or gray background, and another of the display maps acts to cause the display of a black or gray bodily function measure against a white background.

5. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 1, wherein the display maps are stored in the instrument in at least one of tabular form or algorithmic form.

6. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 1 further comprising a defibrillator, wherein the bodily function information includes information of a defibrillation patient.

7. A patient monitoring instrument operable in different ambient lighting conditions comprising:

circuitry which produces a measure of one or more patient bodily functions;

a display which displays the bodily function measure in numeric or graphical form; and

a display controller, coupled to the circuitry and to the display, for setting the display of the bodily function measure and background, wherein the display controller is configured to cause the display of one of two selectable display which are a colored or bright bodily function measure against a dark background, and a dark bodily function measure against a bright background,

wherein the display controller sets the display in accordance with an algorithm or other programmed information which includes pixel selections for displaying the bodily function measure and background colors.

8. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 7, wherein when the display controller causes the display of the colored or bright bodily function measure against the dark background, the display controller causes the display of a white bodily function measure against a black or gray background, and wherein when the display controller causes the display of the dark bodily function measure against the bright background, the display controller causes the display of a black or gray bodily function measure against a white background.

9. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 7 further comprising an ambient light sensor, coupled to the display controller, and configured to sense an ambient light level in which the instrument is operating, wherein the display controller is responsive to a change in the ambient light level above or below one or more preset or user-adjusted thresholds to automatically change the display from the colored or bright bodily function measure against the dark background, or the dark bodily function measure against the bright background, to the other one of the colored or bright bodily function measure against the dark background, or the dark bodily function measure against the bright background.

10. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 7 further comprising a user interface, coupled to the display controller, for changing the display from the colored or bright bodily function measure against the dark background, or the dark bodily function measure against the bright background, to the other one of the colored or bright bodily function measure against the dark background, or the dark bodily function measure against the bright background.

11. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 10 further comprising an ambient light sensor, coupled to the user interface, and configured to sense an ambient light level in which the instrument is operating,

wherein

(i) the user interface is responsive to a change in the ambient light level above or below one or more preset or user-adjusted thresholds to automatically change the display from the colored or bright bodily function measure against the dark background, or the dark bodily function measure against the bright background, to the other one of the colored or bright bodily function measure against the dark background, or the dark bodily function measure against the bright background, or

(ii) the user interface is responsive to a user selection to change the display from the colored or bright bodily function measure against the dark Background, or the dark bodily function measure against the bright background, to the other one of the colored or bright bodily function measure against the dark background, or the dark bodily function measure against the bright background, and

wherein the user interface is configured for the user to choose whether the user interface is responsive to the change in the ambient light level to automatically change the display or responsive to the user selection to change the display.

12. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 11, wherein the user interface is responsive to a user selection made by at least one of a menu pick on the display, a dedicated button for display contrast control, or depressing a dedicated key on a keypad for changing the display contrast.

13. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 7, wherein the display controller causes the display of the colored or bright bodily function measure against a black or gray background, and wherein the colored or comprises at least one of a brightly colored bodily function measure or a white bodily function measure.

14. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 7, wherein the display controller causes the display of a black bodily function measure against a white background.

15. A patient monitoring instrument operable in different ambient lighting conditions comprising:

circuitry which produces a measure of one or more patient bodily functions;

a display which displays the bodily function measure in numeric or graphical form in at least one of a normal contrast viewing mode or a high contrast viewing mode;

a display controller, coupled to the display, which, in the normal viewing mode causes the display of at least one of a color bodily function measure or a bright bodily function measure against a dark background, and, in the high contrast viewing mode, causes the display of a dark bodily function measure against a bright background, wherein the display displays the bodily function measure in the normal viewing mode when the instrument is used in an indoor setting of relatively low ambient light and the display displays the bodily function measure in the high contrast viewing mode when the instrument is used in an outdoor setting of relatively high ambient light; and

an ambient light sensor, coupled to the display controller, and configured to sense an ambient light level in which the instrument is operating, wherein the display controller is responsive to a change in the ambient light level above or below one or more preset or user-adjusted thresholds to automatically change the display from the low contrast viewing mode to the high contrast viewing mode, or from the high contrast viewing mode to the low contrast viewing mode.

16. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 15, wherein the display controller is responsive to a user selection to change the display from the low contrast viewing mode to the high contrast viewing mode, or from the high contrast viewing mode to the low contrast viewing mode.

17. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 15 further comprising:

a user interface, coupled to the display controller; and

an ambient light sensor, coupled to the user interface, and configured to sense an ambient light level in which the instrument is operating, wherein (i) the user interface is responsive to a change in the ambient light level above or below a preset or user-adjusted threshold to automatically cause the display to change the viewing mode, or (ii) the user interface is responsive to a user selection to cause the display to change the viewing mode, and wherein the user interface is configured for the user to choose whether the user interface is responsive to the change in the ambient light level or responsive to the user selection.

18. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 15, wherein, when the display is in the normal viewing mode, the display controller causes the display of at least one of the colored bodily function measure or the bright bodily function measure against a black or gray background, and wherein the bright bodily function measure comprises at least one of a brightly colored bodily function measure or a white bodily function measure.

19. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 15, wherein, when the display is in the high contrast viewing mode, the display controller causes the display of a black or gray bodily function measure against the bright background, and wherein the bright background comprises at least one of a brightly colored background or a white background.

20. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 15 further comprising a defibrillator, wherein the bodily function measure includes information of a defibrillation patient including at least one of heart rate information or ECG information, and wherein at least one of the heart rate information or ECG information is displayed on the display in graphical form.

21. The patient monitoring instrument of claim 15, wherein the display comprises a color LCD display or a monochrome LCD display.

22. A method for operating a patient monitoring instrument comprising:

locating the instrument in a setting with relatively high ambient light;

manipulating a control to selectively change a display contrast from one which displays at least one of numeric or graphical information in a bright color against a dark background to one which displays at least one of the numeric or graphical information in a dark color against a bright background when the instrument is used in the setting with relatively high ambient light,

wherein selectively changing the display contrast is based on ambient lighting conditions, and

wherein the control is automatically manipulated to selectively change the display contrast in response to a change in an ambient light level above at least one of a preset or user-adjusted threshold.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein manipulating further comprises changing the display contrast to one which displays at least one of the numeric or graphical information in black or gray against at least one of a brightly colored or white background.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

locating the instrument in a setting with relatively low ambient light; and

manipulating the control to selectively change the display contrast from one which displays at least one of the numeric or graphical information in the dark color against the bright background to one which displays at least one of the numeric or graphical information in the bright color against the dark background.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the bright color is white and the dark background is black or gray, and wherein the dark color is black or gray and the background is white.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising choosing whether the control is (i) automatically manipulated to selectively change the display contrast in response to a change in the ambient light level above at least one of a preset or user-adjusted threshold, or (ii) manually manipulated by a user.