Multi-modal sleep system

• US 8,870,764 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2011
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ResMed Sensor Technologies Limited (ResMed Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ResMed Sensor Technologies Limited (ResMed Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rubin, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORIANO, BOBBY GILES
• Application Number:
  US13/226,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20130060097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 600300-301
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for a multi-modal sleep system comprising a data processor for operating in a plurality of operating modes. The data processor may detect at least one sensor providing data to the data processor and determine a sensor type associated with each of the at least one sensor. The data processor may select a mode of operation based on the determined sensor type of the detected at least one sensor and of each of the at least one sensor. A first of the plurality of operating modes may be selected in response to determining that the at least one detected sensor includes a first sensor type or combination of sensor types. The data processor may be configured to receive data from the at least one detected sensor and process the received data according to the selected mode of operation to output a characterization of a user'"'"'s sleep.

Claims

1. A multi-modal sleep monitoring system, comprising:

a set of external sensors configured to measure physiological and environmental parameters;

a data processor configured to operate in a plurality of operating modes, the data processor configured to;

detect at least one sensor providing data to the data processor;

determine a sensor type associated with each of the at least one sensor;

determine a signal quality associated with each of the at least one sensor;

select a mode of operation based on the determined sensor type and signal quality of the detected at least one sensor;

receive data from the at least one detected sensor;

process the received data according to the selected mode of operation to output a characterization of a user'"'"'s sleep; and

provide an output to the user which reflects sleep characterization from multiple nights.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a first of the plurality of operating modes is selected in response to determining that the at least one detected sensor includes a first sensor type or combination of sensor types and a second of the plurality of operating modes is selected in response to determining that the at least one detected sensor includes a second sensor type or combination of sensor types, and wherein the data processor is configured to select the first of the plurality of operating modes in response to detecting a single sensor including an accelerometer, and the data processor is configured to select the second of the plurality of operating modes in response to detecting a single sensor including an EEG electrode.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a first of the plurality of operating modes is selected in response to determining that the at least one detected sensor includes a first sensor type or combination of sensor types and a second of the plurality of operating modes is selected in response to determining that the at least one detected sensor includes a second sensor type or combination of sensor types, and wherein the data processor is configured to select the first of the plurality of operating modes in response to the data processor detecting a single sensor including an accelerometer, and the data processor is configured to select the second of the plurality of operating modes in response to the data processor detecting at least two sensors including an accelerometer and at least a sensor of a second sensor type.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second sensor type comprises a wet EEG electrode or a dry EEG electrode.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the second of the plurality of operating modes comprises an operating mode that collectively processes data output by the accelerometer and the at least one sensor of a second sensor type.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the second of the plurality of operating modes processes data output by the accelerometer to weight a sleep condition analysis otherwise executed on data output by the sensor of the second type.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to select the first of the plurality of operating modes in response to the data processor detecting a sensor including a dry EEG electrode, and the data processor is configured to select the second of the plurality of operating modes in response to the data processor detecting a sensor including a wet EEG electrode.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processor includes a built-in accelerometer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the characterization of the user'"'"'s sleep output by the data processor indicates whether the user is awake or asleep based on data output by the accelerometer.

10. The system of claim 1, comprising a removable adapter for coupling the data processor to a sensor of a first type.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data processor is configured to couple directly to a sensor of a second type without the adapter.

12. The system of claim 1, comprising a remote computing device configured for wireless communication with the data processor for receiving data indicative of the output sleep characterization.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device is further configured for presenting sleep characterization data based on the data received from the data processor.

14. A method for operating a multi-modal sleep monitoring system in a plurality of modes, comprising:

a set of external sensors configured to measure physiological and environmental parameters;

detecting by a data processor at least one sensor providing data to the data processor;

determining by the data processor a sensor type associated with each of the at least one sensor;

determining by the data processor a signal quality associated with each of the at least one sensor;

selecting by the data processor a mode of operation based on the determined sensor type and signal quality of the detected at least one sensor and of each of the at least one sensor;

receiving by the data processor data from the at least one detected sensor;

processing by the data processor the received data according to the selected mode of operation to output a characterization of a user'"'"'s sleep; and

providing by the data processor an output to the user which reflects sleep characterization from multiple nights.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a first of the plurality of operating modes is selected in response to determining that the at least one detected sensor includes a first sensor type or combination of sensor types and a second of the plurality of operating modes is selected in response to determining that the at least one detected sensor includes a second sensor type or combination of sensor types;

and further comprising selecting by the data processor the first of the plurality of operating modes in response to detecting a single sensor including an accelerometer, and selecting by the data processor the second of the plurality of operating modes in response to the detecting a single sensor including an EEG electrode.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a first of the plurality of operating modes is selected in response to determining that the at least one detected sensor includes a first sensor type or combination of sensor types and a second of the plurality of operating modes is selected in response to determining that the at least one detected sensor includes a second sensor type or combination of sensor types;

and further comprising selecting, by the data processor, the first of the plurality of operating modes in response to the data processor detecting a single sensor including an accelerometer, and selecting, by the data processor, the second of the plurality of operating modes in response to the data processor detecting at lest two sensors including an accelerometer and at least a sensor of a second sensor type.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second sensor type comprises a wet EEG electrode or a dry EEG electrode.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second of the plurality of operating modes comprises an operating mode that collectively processes data output by the accelerometer and the at least one sensor of a second sensor type.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein operating in the second of the plurality of operating modes comprises processing data output by the accelerometer to weight a sleep condition analysis otherwise executed on data output by the sensor of the second type.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting the first of the plurality of operating modes in response to the data processor detecting a sensor including a dry EEG electrode, and selecting the second of the plurality of operating modes in response to the data processor detecting a sensor including a wet EEG electrode.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the data processor includes a built-in accelerometer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the characterization of the users sleep output by the data processor indicates whether the user is awake or asleep based on data output by the accelerometer.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising coupling, by a removable adapter, the data processor to a sensor of a first type.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising coupling the data processor directly to a sensor of a second type without the adapter.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating with the data processor, via a remote computing device, for receiving data indicative of the output sleep characterization.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising, by the remote computing device, presenting sleep characterization data based on the data received from the data processor.