Wearable device for tracking real-time ambient health conditions and method for destination selection based on tracked real-time ambient health conditions

• US 9,945,672 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Balasubramanian, Swaminathan, Lawless, III, Thomas G., Malinowski, Jason Richard, Vasudevan, Cheranellore
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US15/175,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20170350702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• 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 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system for providing destination guidance based on tracked real-time ambient health conditions includes one or more location tracking devices carried by one or more participants. The one or more location tracking devices track the locations of the one or more participants and providing the tracked locations to a central server when it is determined that the one or more participants are infected by a communicable ailment. The central server receives the provided tracked locations and transmits the tracked locations to a navigation guidance device carried by a user, without transmitting identifying details about the one or more participants. The navigation guidance device carried by the user provides guidance to the user on selecting a destination or route that avoids contact with or exposure to the plurality of participants.

Claims

1. A system for providing destination guidance based on tracked real-time ambient health conditions, comprising;

one or more location tracking devices carried by one or more participants, the one or more location tracking devices tracking the locations of the one or more participants and providing the tracked locations to a central server when it is determined that the one or more participants are infected by a communicable ailment;

the central server, receiving the provided tracked locations transmitting the tracked locations to a navigation guidance device carried by a user, without transmitting identifying details about the one or more participants;

a wearable device worn by the user to monitor the user'"'"'s health condition and automatically determine when the user is susceptible to the communicable ailment based on the user'"'"'s monitored health condition; and

the navigation guidance device carried by the user and providing guidance to the user on selecting a destination or route that avoids contact with or exposure to the plurality of participants when it is determined that the user is susceptible to the communicable ailment based on the user'"'"'s monitored health condition.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more location tracking devices comprise a GPS receiver for determining coordinates of the one or more participants and a radio for communicating the determined coordinates to the central server.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the GPS receiver and the radio are part of a smartphone device.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the GPS receiver and the radio are part of a wearable device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation guidance device is a satellite navigation system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation guidance device is a smartphone device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more participants or another entity specifies when the one or more participants are infected by a communicable ailment or otherwise in danger of spreading the communicable ailment.

8. The system of claim 1, additionally comprising a wearable device worn by the one or more participants to automatically determine when the one or more participants are infected by a communicable ailment or otherwise in danger of spreading the communicable ailment.

9. A method for providing destination guidance based on tracked real-time ambient health conditions, comprising;

determining when a user initiates ambient health condition avoidance;

tracing the location of the user when it is determined that the user has initiated ambient health condition avoidance;

monitoring the user'"'"'s health condition;

tracking a health condition of each of a plurality of participants;

determining when at least one of the plurality of participants carries a communicable ailment based on the tracked health conditions;

automatically determining when the user is susceptible to the communicable ailment based on the user'"'"'s monitored, health condition;

tracking the location of the at least one participant when it is determined that the at least one participant carries a communicable ailment; and

providing destination selection assistance or navigation guidance to the user to assist the user in avoiding contact with or proximity to the at least one participant using the tracked location of the user and the at least one participant when it is determined that the user is susceptible to the communicable ailment based on the user'"'"'s monitored health condition.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining when the user initiates ambient health condition avoidance includes receiving an instruction from the user to initiate ambient health condition avoidance.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein tracking the health condition of each of the plurality of participants includes monitoring vital signs of each of the plurality of participants using a wearable device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein tracking the health condition of each of the plurality of participants includes monitoring patient records of the plurality of participants using an electronic medical records system.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein tracking the health condition of each of the plurality of participants includes periodically querying each of the plurality of participants for health status.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein tracking the health condition of each of the plurality of participants includes waiting for a notification of health status from one of the plurality of participants.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein determining when at least one of the plurality of participants carries a communicable ailment based on the tracked health conditions includes cross-referencing the tracked health conditions with communicable ailments using a medical knowledgebase.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein providing destination selection assistance to the user includes:

receiving a destination type from the user;

locating a plurality of candidate destinations of the received type;

determining which of the plurality of candidate destinations are proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant;

removing candidate destinations proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant from the plurality of candidate destinations; and

presenting the remaining candidate destinations to the user for selection.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein providing navigation guidance to the user includes:

receiving a destination from the user;

locating a plurality of candidate routes to the received destination;

determining which of the plurality of candidate routes are proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant;

removing candidate routes proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant from the plurality of candidate routes;

presenting the remaining candidate routes to the user for selection, when there is at least one remaining candidate route; and

notifying the user when there are no candidate routes that are not proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant.

18. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory, tangible, program storage medium, readable by the computer system, embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for providing destination guidance based on tracked real-time ambient health conditions, the method comprising;

determining when a user initiates ambient health condition avoidance;

tracing the location of the user when it is determined that the user has initiated ambient health condition avoidance;

monitoring the user'"'"'s health condition;

tracking a health condition of each of a plurality of participants;

determining when at least one of the plurality of participants carries a communicable ailment based on the tracked health conditions;

automatically determining when the user is susceptible to the communicable ailment based on the user'"'"'s monitored health condition;

tracking the location of the at least one participant when it is determined that the at least one participant carries a communicable ailment; and

providing destination selection assistance or navigation guidance to the user to assist the user in avoiding contact with or proximity to the at least one participant using the tracked location of the user and the at least one participant when it is determined that the user is susceptible to the communicable ailment based on the user'"'"'s monitored health condition.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein:

providing destination selection assistance to the user includes;

receiving a destination type from the user;

locating a plurality of candidate destinations of the received type;

determining which of the plurality of candidate destinations are proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant;

removing candidate destinations proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant from the plurality of candidate destinations; and

presenting the remaining candidate destinations to the user for selection, and providing navigation guidance to the user includes;

receiving a destination from the user;

locating a plurality of candidate routes to the received destination;

determining which of the plurality of candidate routes are proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant;

removing candidate routes proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant from the plurality of candidate routes;

presenting the remaining candidate routes to the user for selection, when there is at least one remaining candidate route; and

notifying the user when there are no candidate routes that are not proximate to the tracked locations of the at least one participant.