Multi-vital sign detector of SpO2 blood oxygenation and heart rate from a photoplethysmogram sensor and respiration rate, heart rate variability and blood pressure from a micro dynamic light scattering sensor in an electronic medical records system

• US 10,667,688 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2018
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARC Devices, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Arc Devices (Ni) Limited
• Inventors: Khachaturian, Mark, Smith, Michael, Gross, Irwin, Tengler Cherepy, Christine
• Primary Examiner(s): Gedeon, Brian T
• Application Number:
  US16/024,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20180303342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 703 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/07 Home care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0252 using ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0425 Ergonomically shaped housings A61B2560/0418 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0257 Proximity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature 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 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• 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 5/02241 of small dimensions, e.g. adapted to fingers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02433 for infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1032 Determining colour for diagnostic purposes measuring colour in general G01J3/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• 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 5/7278 : Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 : Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• 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 1/1632 : External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 : for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation

Abstract

In some implementations, an apparatus includes a first microprocessor, a digital infrared sensor operably coupled to the first microprocessor, an ambient temperature sensor operably coupled to the first microprocessor, a battery operably coupled to the first microprocessor, a multi-vital-sign finger cuff that is detachable and removable from the apparatus and that includes: a printed circuit board, a SpO2 subsystem that is operably coupled to the printed circuit board and that includes a photoplethysmogram sensor and that is operably coupled to the printed circuit board, the photoplethysmogram sensor includes one infrared detector that detects infrared energy at two different transmitted wavelengths, red and near infrared, and a micro dynamic light scattering sensor, the micro dynamic light scattering sensor includes two photo diode receivers and one laser transmitter.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a microprocessor;

a digital infrared sensor operably coupled to the microprocessor;

an ambient temperature sensor operably coupled to the microprocessor;

a wireless communication subsystem operably coupled to the microprocessor;

a battery operably coupled to the microprocessor;

a pneumatic engine operably coupled to the microprocessor;

a multi-vital-sign finger cuff that is detachable and removable from the apparatus and that includes;

a printed circuit board;

a SpO2 subsystem that is operably coupled to the printed circuit board and that includes a photoplethysmogram sensor and that is operably coupled to the printed circuit board, the photoplethysmogram sensor includes one infrared detector that detects infrared energy at two different transmitted wavelengths, red and near infrared; and

a finger occlusion cuff including a micro dynamic light scattering sensor, the micro dynamic light scattering sensor includes two photo diode receivers and one laser transmitter, the finger occlusion cuff including a cuff bladder that is transparent to wavelengths of the laser transmitter of the micro dynamic light scattering sensor, and the finger occlusion cuff operably coupled to the printed circuit board; and

an air-line operably between the finger occlusion cuff of the multi-vital-sign finger cuff and the pneumatic engine,

the microprocessor is configured to estimate a plurality of vital signs from the micro dynamic light scattering sensor and the photoplethysmogram sensor,

the apparatus operably couples to a smartphone via the wireless communication subsystem, and

the apparatus transmits the plurality of vital signs to the smartphone via the wireless communication subsystem.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the digital infrared sensor further comprises:

having only digital readout ports, the digital infrared sensor including a Faraday cage surrounding a single thermopile sensor, a central processing unit and a control block, and generating digital readout signals that are representative of an infrared signal, the vital signs includes a body core temperature and the microprocessor is configured to estimate the body core temperature from the digital readout signals that are representative of the infrared signal in reference to a plurality of tables that are stored in a memory that correlate the digital readout signals that are representative of the infrared signal to the body core temperature.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

the digital infrared sensor having no analog sensor readout ports and wherein no analog-to-digital converter is operably coupled between the digital infrared sensor and the microprocessor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a camera that is operably coupled to the microprocessor and configured to provide a plurality of images to the microprocessor; and

the microprocessor including a cropper module that is configured to receive the plurality of images and configured to crop the plurality of images to exclude a border area of the plurality of images, generating a plurality of cropped images, the microprocessor also including a temporal-variation-amplifier of the plurality of cropped images that is configured to generate a temporal variation, the microprocessor also including a biological vital sign generator that is operably coupled to the temporal-variation-amplifier that is configured to generate a biological vital sign from the temporal variation and the microprocessor also operably coupled to the biological vital sign generator.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the temporal-variation-amplifier further comprises a forehead skin-pixel-identification module.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the temporal-variation-amplifier further comprises a regional facial clusterial module.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the temporal-variation-amplifier further comprises a first frequency filter module.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the plurality of vital signs includes a blood pressure systolic is estimated from data from the micro dynamic light scattering sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the plurality of vital signs includes a SpO2 and a heart rate at rest that is estimated from data from the photoplethysmogram sensor, and the plurality of vital signs further includes a respiration rate, a heart rate variability and a blood pressure diastolic that is estimated from data from the micro dynamic light scattering sensor.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a storage device that is operably coupled to the biological vital sign generator and that is configured to store the plurality of vital signs.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication subsystem transmits via a short distance wireless communication path and wherein the wireless communication subsystem transmits through an Internet Protocol tunnel.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of vital signs includes total hemoglobin (SpHb), PVi, methemoglobin (SpMet), acoustic respiration rate (RRa), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO), oxygen reserve index (ORi), oxygen content (SpOC) and EEG.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a connection is established and the plurality of vital signs are pushed from the apparatus through the wireless communication subsystem, thereafter an external device controls flow of the plurality of vital signs between the apparatus and the external device, wherein the connection further comprises an authenticated communication channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the digital infrared sensor further comprises an analog-to-digital converter.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus receives control signals from the smartphone via the wireless communication subsystem.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a first microprocessor;

a digital infrared sensor operably coupled to the first microprocessor;

an ambient temperature sensor operably coupled to the first microprocessor;

a battery operably coupled to the first microprocessor;

a multi-vital-sign finger cuff that is detachable and removable from the apparatus and that includes;

a printed circuit board;

a SpO2 subsystem that is operably coupled to the printed circuit board and that includes a photoplethysmogram sensor and that is operably coupled to the printed circuit board, the photoplethysmogram sensor includes one infrared detector that detects infrared energy at two different transmitted wavelengths, red and near infrared; and

a micro dynamic light scattering sensor, the micro dynamic light scattering sensor includes two photo diode receivers and one laser transmitter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising

a second microprocessor that is operably coupled to the first microprocessor;

and

a wireless communication subsystem that is operably coupled to the second microprocessor,

the apparatus is operable to couple to an other apparatus via the wireless communication subsystem, and

the apparatus is operable to transmit a plurality of vital signs to the other apparatus via the wireless communication subsystem.

18. The apparatus of claim 17,

wherein the second microprocessor is configured to estimate the plurality of vital signs from the micro dynamic light scattering sensor and the photoplethysmogram sensor,

wherein the plurality of vital signs includes a SpO2 and a heart rate at rest that is estimated from data from the photoplethysmogram sensor, and

wherein the plurality of vital signs further includes a respiration rate, a heart rate variability and a blood pressure diastolic that is estimated from data from the micro dynamic light scattering sensor.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:

a camera that is operably coupled to the second microprocessor and configured to provide a plurality of images to the second microprocessor; and

the second microprocessor including a cropper module that is configured to receive the plurality of images and configured to crop the plurality of images to exclude a border area of the plurality of images, generating a plurality of cropped images, the second microprocessor also including a temporal-variation-amplifier of the plurality of cropped images that is configured to generate a temporal variation, the second microprocessor also including a biological vital sign generator that is operably coupled to the temporal-variation-amplifier that is configured to generate a biological vital sign from the temporal variation and the second microprocessor also operably coupled to the biological vital sign generator.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the digital infrared sensor further comprises:

having only digital readout ports, the digital infrared sensor including a Faraday cage surrounding a single thermopile sensor, a central processing unit and a control block, and generating digital readout signals that are representative of an infrared signal, the vital signs includes a body core temperature and the second microprocessor is configured to estimate the body core temperature from the digital readout signals that are representative of the infrared signal in reference to a plurality of tables that are stored in a memory that correlate the digital readout signals that are representative of the infrared signal to the body core temperature.