System and method for automatic sensor position recognition

• US 9,386,923 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Winter, Stefan, Te Vrugt, Juergen, Willmann, Richard Daniel, Lanfermann, Gerd, Bongers, Edwin Gerardus Johannus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): LITTLEJOHN JR, MANCIL H
• Application Number:
  US12/669,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20100188231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,912 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/686.1, 340/686.6, 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 340/10.42, 340/10.5, 340/10.52, 340/12.52, 3405721-5729
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/395 with marking agent for marking skin or other tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• 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 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/96 using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders

Abstract

An automatic sensor position recognition system including a position recognition unit located at pre-determined positions on a person'"'"'s body and bearing a unique identification; a sensor bearing a unique identification; a communication unit assigned to the sensor and being in communication with the position recognition unit and the sensor; a data processing unit in communication with the communication unit; and a database being in communication with the data processing system and comprising the correlation of the unique identification of the position recognition unit and the pre-determined position of the position recognition unit. The system provides an automatic association between sensors and body segments as well as means to obtain these associations.

Claims

1. An automatic sensor position recognition system for recognizing pre-determined anatomical parts of a person'"'"'s body, the system comprising:

a position recognition unit bearing a first identification including a first unique identifier for placement at pre-determined anatomical parts of the person'"'"'s body, the first unique identifier uniquely identifying the pre-determined part;

a sensor uniquely identified by a second unique identifier and having a communication unit, the sensor is configured to

detect a physiological condition of a person at a location of the sensor and the first unique identifier of the position recognition unit, and

transmit the first and second unique identifiers and the detected physiological condition of the person; and

a data processing unit configured to

receive the first and second unique identifiers and the detected physiological condition of the person, and

correlate the pre-determined position of the position recognition unit bearing the received first unique identifier with the location of the sensor bearing the received second unique identifier and the detected physiological condition of the person.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first unique identifier is optically readable.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first unique identifier is electrically readable.

4. The system according to claim 1, comprising a garment, wherein the position recognition unit is contained within a part of the garment and the garment is configured to position the position recognition unit at the corresponding intended pre-determined anatomical part when the garment is worn by the person.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the position recognition unit is located directly on and/or in the person'"'"'s body.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to read the position recognition unit in only one pre-defined spatial orientation of the sensor.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is selected from the group comprising motion sensors, inertial sensors, acceleration sensors, gravity sensors, magnetic field sensors, body temperature sensors, pulse sensors, blood oxygen sensors, electromyographical sensors, electrocardiographical sensors and/or optical markings for visual tracking.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system automatically recognizes the position of the position recognizing units on a person'"'"'s body.

9. A method for automatically recognizing pre-determined positions on a person'"'"'s body, the method comprising acts of:

providing a position recognition unit at a pre-determined anatomical parts of a person'"'"'s body, the position recognition unit bearing a first unique identifier uniquely identifying the pre-determined part;

a sensor bearing a second unique identifier and detecting a physiological condition of a person at a location of a sensor;

transmitting the first and second unique identifiers and the detected physiological condition of the person; and

a data processing unit

receiving the transmitted first and second unique identifiers and the detected physiological condition of the person, and

correlating the predetermined position of the position recognizing unit bearing the received first unique identifier with the location of the sensor bearing the received second unique identifier and the detected physiological condition of the person.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the sensor is selected from the group comprising motion sensors, inertial sensors, acceleration sensors, gravity sensors, magnetic field sensors, body temperature sensors, pulse sensors, blood oxygen sensors, electromyographical sensors, electrocardiographical sensors and/or optical markings for visual tracking.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the act of reading the first unique identifier comprises an act of enabling the sensor to read the first unique identifier borne by the position recognition units in only one pre-defined spatial orientation of the sensor.

12. The method according to claim 9, comprising an act of configuring a garment to position the position recognition unit at the corresponding intended pre-determined position when the garment is worn by the person.