Monitoring device and system for providing an alert when an infant is unresponsive to stimulus

• US 9,974,489 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2015
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empowerment Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Circus World Displays Limited
• Inventors: Jain, Rajesh
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDENBURG, MAX F
• Application Number:
  US14/726,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20160345914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/04 Babies, e.g. for SIDS detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0204 Acoustic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• 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 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• 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 5/11 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 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4809 Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6802 Sensor mounted on worn items
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6808 Diapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 : characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• 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: A61B 5/747 : in case of emergency, i.e. alerting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/00 : Instruments for auscultation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 : ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

Described is an infant monitoring and alerting system capable of determining an absence of movement by an infant. When an absence of movement is detected the monitor attempts to stimulate movement using stimuli that may include a vibration, an audible alert, or a visual alert. If no movement is detected in response to the stimuli, the monitor may provide another instance of stimuli which may include stimuli at an elevated intensity or additional and/or different stimuli. The additional instance of stimuli may further attempt to stimulate movement by the infant and may also function as an alert to the caregiver that their attention may be required.

Claims

1. A monitoring device attachable to an infant, comprising:

an accelerometer configured to detect movement information of the infant;

at least one stimulus generating component configured to generate at least one type of stimulus, wherein the at least one type of stimulus comprises at least one of a vibration stimulus, an audible stimulus, or a visual stimulus; and

a controller configured to;

determine a customized period of time for an absence of movement of the infant based on at least one attribute of the infant;

determine, based on the movement information, the absence of movement by the infant for the customized period of time;

initiate, in response to the determined absence of movement, at least one first stimulus by the at least one stimulus generating component to stimulate a responsive movement by the infant;

determine, based on additional detected movement information by the accelerometer following the at least one first stimulus, a continued absence of movement by the infant; and

initiate, in response to the determined continued absence of movement, at least one second stimulus by the at least one stimulus generating component to further stimulate the responsive movement by the infant.

2. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the at least one second stimulus comprises a same type of stimulus as the at least one first stimulus, and the at least one second stimulus has a greater intensity of the same type of stimulus than the at least one first stimulus, wherein the at least one second stimulus includes a type of stimulus not included in the at least one first stimulus.

3. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the at least one second stimulus includes a type of stimulus not included in the at least one first stimulus.

4. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the at least one first stimulus includes the vibration stimulus and the at least one second stimulus includes the vibration stimulus and at least one of the audible stimulus and the visual stimulus.

5. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cease the at least one first stimulus or the at least one second stimulus upon detection of a movement by the infant.

6. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the movement information is associated with abdominal movements of the infant.

7. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is attachable to an article of clothing worn by the infant.

20. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute of the infant comprises a weight of the infant, an age of the infant, or a learned movement pattern of the infant.

8. A monitoring device attachable to an infant, comprising:

an accelerometer configured to detect movement information of the infant;

at least one stimulus generating component configured to generate at least one type of stimulus, wherein the at least one type of stimulus comprises at least one of a vibration stimulus, an audible stimulus, or a visual stimulus; and

a controller configured to;

determine a customized period of time for an absence of movement of the infant based on at least one attribute of the infant;

determine, based on the movement information, an absence of movement by the infant for the customized period of time;

initiate, in response to the determined absence of movement, at least one first stimulus by the at least one stimulus generating component to stimulate a responsive movement by the infant;

determine, based on additional detected movement information by the accelerometer following the at least one first stimulus, a continued absence of movement by the infant; and

initiate, in response to the determined continued absence of movement, at least one second stimulus by the at least one stimulus generating component, wherein the at least one second stimulus includes a same type of stimulus as the first stimulus, and the second stimulus has a greater intensity of the same type of stimulus than stimulus.

9. The monitoring device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to alert a caregiver that the infant is unresponsive.

10. The monitoring device of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to alert the caregiver as part of the at least one second stimulus.

11. The monitoring device of claim 10, wherein the alert as part of the at least one second stimulus includes at least one of the audible stimulus and the visual stimulus.

12. The monitoring device of claim 8, wherein the at least one first stimulus and the at least one second stimulus includes the vibration stimulus and at least one of the audible stimulus or the visual stimulus, and wherein the intensity of the at least one of the audible stimulus or the visual stimulus is greater in the at least one second stimulus than the at least one first stimulus.

13. The monitoring device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to increase an intensity of the at least one second stimulus progressively until a predefined maximum intensity is reached or until movement by the infant is detected.

14. A method of monitoring an infant with a monitoring device attachable to an infant and comprising an accelerometer, at least one stimulus generating component, and a controller, the method comprising:

determining, by the controller, a customized period of time for an absence of movement of the infant based on at least one attribute of the infant;

detecting, by the accelerometer, movement information of the infant;

determining, based on the detected movement information, the absence of movement by the infant for the customized period of time;

generating, by the at least one stimulus generating component and in response to the determined absence of movement, at least one first stimulus by the at least one stimulus generating component to stimulate a responsive movement by the infant;

determining, based on additional detected movement information by the accelerometer following the at least one first stimulus, a continued absence of movement by the infant; and

generating, by the at least one stimulus generating component and in response to the determined continued absence of movement, at least one second stimulus to further stimulate the responsive movement by the infant.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one second stimulus has a same type of stimulus as the at least one first stimulus, and the at least one second stimulus has a greater intensity of the same type of stimulus than the at least one first stimulus.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one second stimulus includes a type of stimulus not included in the at least one first stimulus.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one first stimulus includes the vibration stimulus and the at least one second stimulus includes the vibration stimulus and at least one of the audible stimulus and the visual stimulus.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising ceasing the at least one first stimulus or the at least one second stimulus upon detection of a movement by the infant.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause a monitoring device attachable to an infant to perform operations comprising:

determining a customized period of time for an absence of movement of the infant based on at least one attribute of the infant;

detecting movement information of the infant;

determining, based on the detected movement information, the absence of movement by the infant for the customized period of time;

generating, by at least one stimulus generating component of the monitoring device and in response to the determined absence of movement, at least one first stimulus by the at least one stimulus generating component to stimulate a responsive movement by the infant;

determining, based on additional detected movement information by the accelerometer following the at least one first stimulus, a continued absence of movement by the infant; and

generating, by the at least one stimulus generating component and in response to the determined continued absence of movement, at least one second stimulus to further stimulate the responsive movement by the infant, wherein the at least one second stimulus includes a type of stimulus not included in the at least one first stimulus.