REAL-TIME MONITORING AND CONTROL OF PHYSICAL AND AROUSAL STATUS OF INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMS

• US 20090312998A1
• Filed: 07/06/2007
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BioRICS NV
• Original Assignee: BioRICS NV
• Inventors: Quanten, Stijn, Aerts, Jean-Marie, Berckmans, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,076,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/11
• 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 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods and systems for monitoring and controlling the status of humans or animals, in particular relating to both the physical and the arousal status of an individual human or animal. These methods and systems rely on a dynamic and adaptive data-based on-line modelling technique wherein information on bioprocess inputs and outputs is measured in real-time and the model predicts an output based on the bioprocess input. The provided methods are particularly useful to monitor and/or control processes in which performance is important.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. A method of monitoring an estimation of an arousal component of an arousal variable of an individual human or animal on the basis of a model capable of integrating measured, real-time information on one or more bioprocess inputs and one or more bioprocess outputs and linking this to the estimation of the arousal component of the arousal variable of the individual human or animal, the arousal variable having a physical and the arousal component, the method comprising generating the model on-line, inputting the real-time information on bioprocesses of the animal, generating model outputs using a dynamic and adaptive data-based on-line modelling technique, wherein at least one of the bioprocess inputs or outputs used as model input is a variable relating to the metabolic energy and or mobilised energy of the human or animal and at least one of the model outputs is the estimation of the arousal component of the arousal variable based on at least the one variable relating to the metabolic energy and or mobilised energy, and measuring the arousal variable of the individual human or animal, the measured arousal variable being a bioprocess input or output.

34. The method according to claim 33, further comprising the step of determining a value for an unknown variable from a set of equations wherein at least the measured arousal variable and the estimated arousal component are known variables, and using the value of the unknown variable to monitor and/or control the arousal component of the arousal variable.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein a component of the arousal variable relating to basal metabolism and a component of the arousal variable relating to heat balance are additional known variables in the set of equations.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the arousal component is estimated by subtracting the component of the arousal variable relating to basal metabolism and the component of the arousal variable relating to heat balance from the measured arousal variable and the resulting difference is the arousal component.

37. The method according to claim 34, further comprising the step of using the value of the unknown variable as a model input in an additional model or algorithm for monitoring or controlling purposes, and/or

further comprising the step of generating a second unknown variable using a method according to claim 34, and using the second unknown variable as additional model input in the additional model or algorithm for monitoring or controlling purposes.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein a model output of the additional model or algorithm is used for the continuous detection of normal to excessive sleepiness in an active subject (NESAS).

39. The method according to claim 34, wherein the value of the unknown variable is determined over time, resulting in dynamics of the unknown variable, and the value of the unknown variable is classified as containing arousal events or not, depending on the dynamics of the unknown variable.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein the arousal events are further classified as contributing to positive, neutral or negative arousal depending on the dynamics of the unknown variable.

41. The method according to claim 33, further comprising the step of using the estimated arousal component to monitor and/or control the physical component of the arousal variable.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein in addition to the estimated arousal component, a component of the arousal variable relating to basal metabolism and a component of the arousal variable relating to heat balance are taken into account to monitor and/or control the physical component of the arousal variable.

43. The method according to claim 41, wherein the dynamics of the model parameters modelling the physical status of the individual are used to detect whether the individual has taken or been administered doping.

45. The method according to claim 33, wherein the animal is mammalian or avian or a horse, cow, chicken or a human.

46. The method according to claim 33, wherein the metabolism related variable is selected from training activity, body movement or body part movement, and power production.

47. The method according to claim 33, wherein the model takes into account effects of external disturbances or variables considered as external disturbances to redefine the relation between bioprocess inputs and bioprocess outputs.

48. A system for monitoring an estimation of an arousal component of an arousal variable of an individual human or animal, the arousal variable having a physical and the arousal component, comprising

(a) means for collecting and storing real-time information on bioprocess inputs and outputs, wherein at least one of the bioprocess inputs or outputs is a variable relating to the metabolic energy and or mobilised energy of the human or animal,;

(b) means for on-line modelling and generating an estimation of the arousal component of the arousal variable of the human or animal, based on at least the one variable relating to the metabolic energy and or mobilised energy.

49. The system of claim 48, further comprising:

(c) means for on-line modelling and generating the value of an unknown variable from a set of equations wherein the measured arousal variable and the estimated arousal component are known variables.

50. The system of claim 49 for controlling the arousal variable, further comprising:

(d) means for comparing and determining the variance between the estimated arousal component and a preset reference physical component of the arousal variable;

(e) means for comparing and determining the variance between the generated value of the unknown variable and a preset reference index of arousal;

(f) means for determining how one or more bioprocess inputs should be adjusted in relationship to the variance determined with (d) and/or (e).

51. The system of claim 48, wherein the variable relating to the metabolic energy and or mobilised energy is selected from the group consisting of training activity, body movement or body part movement, and power production;

and the arousal variable is heart rate or muscle activity.

52. The system of claim 49, further comprising means for on-line modelling and predicting a bioresponse based on the input of at least the value of the unknown variable.

53. The system of claim 48, further comprising means for outputting information on the bioprocess or alarm or signalling means or controlling means.

54. A computer program product for use in a system for monitoring an estimation of an arousal component of an arousal variable of an individual human or animal, the arousal variable having a physical and the arousal component,, comprising software code which when executed on a processing engine having a processor and memory provides:

(a) means for collecting and storing real-time information on bioprocess inputs and outputs, wherein at least one of the bioprocess inputs or outputs is a variable relating to the metabolic energy and or mobilised energy of the human or animal,; and

(b) means for on-line modelling and generating an estimation of the arousal component of the arousal variable of the human or animal, based on at least the one variable relating to the metabolic energy and or mobilised energy.