Monitoring vital signs based on sensed changes to an electrical field

• US 9,035,778 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Life Detection Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Life Detection Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Howie, Eric, McIlroy, Guy, Haggis, John, Yuan, Nanci
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/841,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 600/345, 600/483, 600/527, 600/587
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/08 Measuring electromagnetic field characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature

Abstract

Methods and systems for monitoring a well-being of a target are disclosed. In a method embodiment, data representing a process electric potential signal is received by a computer system. The process electric potential signal may be generated at least in part by one or more electric potential sensors in response to the detection of a change in an electric field of a target spaced apart from the one or more electric potential sensors. The method may further include identifying, using the computer system and based at least in part on the data electronically received by the computer system, a recurring pattern in the received data. The method may also include determining, using the computer system and based at least in part on the received data, whether a deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses a threshold. The deviation may comprise a subset of the data electronically received by the computer system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

electronically receiving, by a computer system, data representing a signal generated at least in part by one or more sensors detecting a change in an electric field or an electric potential of a target spaced apart from the one or more sensors;

identifying, using the computer system and based at least in part on the data electronically received by the computer system, a recurring pattern in the data; and

determining, using the computer system and based at least in part on the data electronically received by the computer system, whether a deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses a threshold, the deviation comprising a subset of the data electronically received by the computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the electric field or the electric potential is caused by at least one of a physiological movement and a non-physiological movement of the target.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors detecting the change in the electric field or the electric potential of a target spaced apart from the one or more sensors, detect a change in capacitance of the target.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the threshold based at least in part on the recurring pattern, such that the threshold corresponds to a threat to the well-being of the target.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring pattern is based at least in part on an estimated position of the target in three-dimensional space.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an alarm based at least in part on a determination that the deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses the threshold, the alarm indicating a threat to the well-being of the target.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a vital sign of the target.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a movement of the target and wherein the deviation is caused at least in part by a particular movement of the target.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a recurring muscular movement of the target.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the recurring muscular movement comprises eye movement.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal includes a convolution of a plurality of signals received from a plurality of the one or more sensors, the convolution of the plurality of signals describing the recurring pattern of the disturbances in the electric field or the electric potential in a three-dimensional space.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising filtering the signal based at least in part on an application of a convolution operator applied to the convolution of the plurality of signals.

13. A system comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory;

electronically receive data representing a signal generated at least in part by one or more sensors detecting a change in an electric field or an electric potential of a target spaced apart from the one or more sensors,

identify, based at least in part on the data electronically received, a recurring pattern in the data representing a signal, and

determine, based at least in part on the data electronically received, whether a deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses a threshold, the deviation comprising a subset of the data electronically received.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory, determine the change in the electric field or the electric potential caused by at least one of a physiological movement and a non-physiological movement of the target.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors detecting the change in the electric field or the electric potential of the target spaced apart from the one or more sensors, detect a change in capacitance of the target.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory, determine the threshold based at least in part on the recurring pattern, such that the threshold corresponds to a threat to the well-being of the target.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the recurring pattern is based at least in part on an estimated position of the target in three-dimensional space.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors further configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory, generate an alarm based at least in part on a determination that the deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses the threshold, the alarm indicating a threat to the well-being of the target.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a vital sign of the target.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a movement of the target and wherein the deviation is caused at least in part by a particular movement of the target.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a recurring muscular movement of the target.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the recurring muscular movement comprises eye movement.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the signal includes a convolution of a plurality of signals received from a plurality of sensors, the convolution of the plurality of signals describing the recurring pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field or the electric potential in a three-dimensional space.

24. The system of claim 23, the one or more processors further configured to, based on instructions contained in the memory, filter the signal based at least in part on an application of a convolution operator applied to the convolution of the plurality of signals.

25. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

electronically receiving data representing a signal generated at least in part by one or more sensors detecting a change in an electric field or electric potential of a target spaced apart from the one or more sensors;

identifying, based at least in part on the data electronically received, a recurring pattern in the data representing a signal; and

determining, based at least in part on the data electronically received, whether a deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses a threshold, the deviation comprising a subset of the data electronically received.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the change in the electric field or the electric potential is caused by at least one of a physiological movement and a non-physiological movement of the target.

27. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, the operations further comprising the one or more sensors detecting the change in the electric field or the electric potential of the target spaced apart from the one or more sensors, detecting a change in capacitance of the target.

28. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, the operations further comprising determining the threshold based at least in part on the recurring pattern, such that the threshold corresponds to a threat to the well-being of the target.

29. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the recurring pattern is based at least in part on an estimated position of the target in three-dimensional space.

30. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, the operations further comprising generating an alarm based at least in part on a determination that the deviation from the recurring pattern transgresses the threshold, the alarm indicating a threat to the well-being of the target.

31. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a vital sign of the target.

32. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a movement of the target and wherein the deviation is caused at least in part by a particular movement of the target.

33. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the recurring pattern corresponds to a recurring muscular movement of the target.

34. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the recurring muscular movement comprises eye movement.

35. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the signal includes a convolution of a plurality of signals received from a plurality of the one or more sensors, the convolution of the plurality of signals describing the recurring pattern of the disturbances in the electrical field or the electric potential in a three-dimensional space.

36. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, the operations further comprising filtering the signal based at least in part on an application of a convolution operator applied to the convolution of the plurality of signals.