Pulse oximeter with an accelerometer

• US 10,258,267 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2015
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips Healthcare Informatics Incorporated (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Capsule Technologies Incorporated (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ballam, Robert Scott, Ganton, Robert Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F
• Application Number:
  US14/800,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20160081601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/721 using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7289 Retrospective gating, i.e. associating measured signals or images with a physiological event after the actual measurement or image acquisition, e.g. by simultaneously recording an additional physiological signal during the measurement or image acquisition

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments provide a pulse oximeter capable of taking blood oxygen readings based on readings from an accelerometer. The various embodiments may provide an electronic patch including a pulse oximeter and accelerometer connected to a processor, wherein the processor is configured with processor executable instructions to control the operation of the pulse oximeter based at least in part on data received from the accelerometer. In various embodiments the electronic patch may further include a coin cell battery, or other low power source, that may power the pulse oximeter.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a pulse oximeter, comprising:

receiving accelerometer data from an accelerometer coupled to the pulse oximeter;

determining a patient activity state based at least in part on the received accelerometer data;

determining whether the patient activity state is not a rest state;

setting a sampling rate of the pulse oximeter to a first level based on whether the patient activity state is not a rest state,

determining whether the patient activity state is a rest state;

setting the sampling rate of the pulse oximeter to a second level based on whether the patient activity state is a rest state, wherein the second level is a lower sampling rate than the first level; and

controlling the pulse oximeter to take measurements in response to the determined patient activity state.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating the determined patient activity state with the pulse oximeter measurements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving accelerometer data from an accelerometer coupled to the pulse oximeter comprises:

determining whether a measurement period countdown timer has expired; and

receiving accelerometer data from an accelerometer coupled to the pulse oximeter in response to determining that a measurement period countdown timer has expired.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer data are acceleration measurements or interrupts.

5. A device, comprising:

a pulse oximeter;

an accelerometer coupled to the pulse oximeter; and

a processor coupled to the pulse oximeter and the accelerometer, wherein the processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving accelerometer data from the accelerometer;

determining a patient activity state based at least in part on the received accelerometer data;

determining whether the patient activity state is a not rest state;

setting a sampling rate of the pulse oximeter to a first level based on whether the patient activity state is not a rest state,

determining whether the patient activity state is a rest state; and

setting the sampling rate of the pulse oximeter to a second level based on whether the patient activity state is a rest state, wherein the second level is a lower sampling rate than the first level; and

controlling the pulse oximeter to take measurements in response to the determined patient activity state.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations further comprising indicating the determined patient activity state with the pulse oximeter measurements.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the accelerometer data are acceleration measurements or interrupts.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the device is an electronic patch.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the electronic patch further comprises a low power source coupled to the pulse oximeter, accelerometer, and processor.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the low power source is a coin cell battery.

11. A non-transitory processor readable medium having stored thereon processor executable instruction configured to cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving accelerometer data from an accelerometer coupled to a pulse oximeter;

determining a patient activity state based at least in part on the received accelerometer data;

determining whether the patient activity state is not a rest state;

setting a sampling rate of the pulse oximeter to a first level based on whether the patient activity state is not a rest state,

determining whether the patient activity state is a rest state; and

setting the sampling rate of the pulse oximeter to a second level based on whether the patient activity state is a rest state, wherein the second level is a lower sampling rate than the first level;

and

controlling the pulse oximeter to take measurements in response to the determined patient activity state.