Infant monitoring system and methods

• US 9,848,786 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Spolin, Mathew, Bruce, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Clow, Lori A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Archer, Marie
• Application Number:
  US14/485,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20150133747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/04 Babies, e.g. for SIDS detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/00 Details of sensors; Constructional details of sensor housings or probes; Accessories for sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• 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 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02444 Details of sensor A61B5/02427 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 5/4809 Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6829 Foot or ankle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• 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: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 : for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 : for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

One variation of a method for changing a state of a wearable device includes: in response to detected motion of the wearable device, transitioning from a low-power mode into a test mode; in the test mode, detecting a proximity of a surface to the wearable device, detecting a temperature of the surface, and based on a temperature of the surface correlated to a human skin temperature, transitioning from the test mode into an active mode; and, in the active mode sampling a heart rate sensor arranged within the wearable device and wirelessly broadcasting a value corresponding to an output of the heart rate sensor.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for changing a state of a wearable device for an infant, comprising:

at the wearable device, detecting motion of the wearable device when a motion sensor included in the wearable device outputs a voltage that exceeds a threshold voltage corresponding to a threshold motion magnitude of the wearable device;

in response to the detecting of the motion, transitioning the wearable device from a low-power mode into a test mode by waking a processor included in the wearable device, arming a proximity sensor included in the wearable device, and arming a temperature sensor included in the wearable device;

in the test mode;

detecting a proximity of the wearable device to a surface with the proximity sensor;

detecting a temperature of the surface with the temperature sensor;

determining, at the processor, that the surface is human skin of an infant based on the temperature of the surface; and

in response to determining that the surface is the human skin of the infant, transitioning from the test mode into an active mode by activating a heart rate sensor included in the wearable device and activating a wireless communication module included in the wearable device; and

in the active mode;

receiving, at the processor, data signals from the heart rate sensor;

determining a heart rate value corresponding to the data signals; and

acquiring raw data from one or more of the motion sensor, the proximity sensor, and the temperature sensor;

wirelessly broadcasting, via the wireless communication module, the heart rate value and the acquired raw data to a base station such that the base station thereby determines a wake time for the infant.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the test mode, acquiring the raw data from the proximity sensor, the motion sensor, and the temperature sensor; and

determining, based on the raw data from the proximity sensor, the motion sensor, and the temperature sensor, that the wearable device is disposed on the infant,

wherein the transitioning from the test mode into the active mode is further based on the determining that the wearable device is disposed on the infant; and

wherein the heart rate value is wirelessly broadcast to the base station at an expiration of a first time period started when the wearable device is determined to be disposed on the infant.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the heart rate value is a first heart rate value and the method further comprises:

during a second time period succeeding the first time period, determining a second heart rate value corresponding to the data signals received from the heart rate sensor after the expiration of the first time period; and

upon receiving a signal indicating a loss of wireless communication with the base station, wirelessly transmitting the second heart rate value to an alternative, local mobile computing device paired to the wearable device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor is a capacitive proximity sensor arranged within the wearable device;

and the temperature sensor is an infrared temperature sensor arranged within the wearable device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the test mode, detecting a series of temperatures that fall outside of a preset range of human skin temperatures for a threshold period of time; and

transitioning from the active mode into the low-power mode in response to the detecting of the series of temperatures.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the heart rate value is a first value and wirelessly broadcasting further comprises:

broadcasting a second value corresponding to data signals output by the temperature sensor; and

broadcasting a third value corresponding to data signals output by an orientation sensor arranged within the wearable device.