Wireless ECG acquisition and monitoring device and system

• US 9,706,922 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zansors LLC
• Original Assignee: Zansors LLC
• Inventors: Cao, Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cardinal, Erin M
• Application Number:
  US14/656,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20150257644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 600372, 600509, 600382-393
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/04 Arrangements of multiple sensors of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/166 the sensor is mounted on a specially adapted printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/296 for electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/725 using specific filters therefor, e.g. Kalman or adaptive filters A61B5/316 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A wearable device that wirelessly automatically acquires and processes signals indicative of a condition of subject'"'"'s health. The device is adapted to wirelessly transmit the processed signals and other information to a suitable analytic and/or storage device where the subject'"'"'s condition can be analyzed and/or stored. The signals could be ECG signals and the condition could be the health of the subject'"'"'s heart.

Claims

1. A device for continuously and wirelessly monitoring a condition of a subject, said device comprising:

a plurality of sensors, said sensors being adapted to contact the subject and sense signals indicative of the condition from the subject, the plurality of sensors comprising a non-invasive microelectrode array including a plurality of electrodes;

processing circuitry coupled to the sensors, said processing circuitry being adapted to receive and process the sensed signals from the sensors; and

a wireless transmission device coupled to receive the processed signals from the processing circuitry, said wireless transmission device being adapted to wirelessly transmit the processed signals to an external device,

wherein the plurality of sensors, processing circuitry, and wireless transmission device are formed in a flexible and stretchable polymer based material comprising a plurality of openings through which the plurality of electrodes protrude from an inside of the polymer based material to an outside of the polymer based material, the polymer based material being embedded in a band configured to be worn by the subject and conform to a surface of the subject without causing signal degradation in the plurality of sensors, processing circuitry, and wireless transmission device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is adapted to amplify the sensed signals.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is adapted to filter the amplified signals.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry comprises:

a first circuit adapted to receive the sensed signals and combine them into one output stream;

an amplifier circuit adapted to amplify the output stream; and

a filter circuit adapted to filter out noise signal components from the amplified output stream.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the filter circuit comprises:

a bandpass filter; and

a notch filter.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors are adapted to sense ECG signals and the condition is a health of the subject'"'"'s heart.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission device is a Bluetooth wireless transmission device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible and stretchable polymer based material comprises parylene C.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry and wireless transmission device are sandwiched between two layers of the flexible and stretchable polymer based material.

10. A wearable system for continuously and wirelessly monitoring a condition of a subject, said system being worn by the subject and comprising:

a band to be worn on a portion of the subject'"'"'s body; and

a device embedded in said band, said device comprising;

a plurality of sensors, said sensors being adapted to contact the subject and sense signals indicative of the condition from the subject, said plurality of sensors comprising a non-invasive microelectrode array including a plurality of electrodes;

processing circuitry coupled to the sensors, said processing circuitry being adapted to receive and process the sensed signals from the sensors; and

a wireless transmission device coupled to receive the processed signals from the processing circuitry, said wireless transmission device being adapted to wirelessly transmit the processed signals to an external device,

wherein the plurality of sensors, processing circuitry, and wireless transmission device are formed in a flexible and stretchable polymer based material comprising a plurality of openings through which the plurality of electrodes protrude from an inside of the polymer based material to an outside of the polymer based material, the polymer based material being configured to conform to a surface of the subject without causing signal degradation in the plurality of sensors, processing circuitry, and wireless transmission device.

11. The wearable system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is adapted to amplify the sensed signals and then filter the amplified signals.

12. The wearable system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry comprises:

a first circuit adapted to receive the sensed signals and combine them into one output stream;

an amplifier circuit adapted to amplify the output stream; and

a filter circuit adapted to filter out noise signal components from the amplified output stream.

13. The wearable system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sensors are adapted to sense ECG signals and the condition is a health of the subject'"'"'s heart.

14. The wearable system of claim 10, wherein the wireless transmission device is a Bluetooth wireless transmission device.

15. The wearable system of claim 10, wherein the flexible and stretchable polymer based material comprises parylene C.

16. The wearable system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry and wireless transmission device are sandwiched between two layers of the flexible and stretchable polymer based material.

17. The wearable system of claim 10, wherein the band is integrated within an article of clothing or an accessory.

18. The wearable system of claim 10, wherein the band is configured to be worn around a torso or a limb of the subject.