DEVICE FOR ACQUIRING AND PROCESSING PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA OF AN ANIMAL OR OF A HUMAN IN THE COURSE OF A PHYSICAL OR MENTAL ACTIVITY

• US 20110105862A1
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Université du Sud Toulon-Var
• Original Assignee: Université du Sud Toulon-Var
• Inventors: Gies, Valentin, Hasni, Fabien
• Application Number:
  US12/990,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20110105862A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/027 Exercising equipment, e.g. tread mills, carousels equipment for racing or riding sports events A63K
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/543 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply

Abstract

The invention relates to a system allowing the acquisition and processing of data representative of the physical or mental activity and/or of the physiological state of human or animal individuals. This system includes, for each individual, a unique individual electronic box encasing several sensors capable of measuring physical and/or biological quantities related to the physical and/or biological activity of the wearer of the box and of returning information. Each electronic box moreover is provided with an interface for radio communication with a device allowing the management of the data gathered from the individual boxes and management.

Claims

1. A system for the acquisition and processing of data representing the physical or mental activity and/or the physiological state of a plurality of human or animal individuals, comprising, for each individual, a single individual electronic box containing several sensors able to measure physical and/or biological values relating to the physical activity of the carrier of the box, each electronic box also being provided with means of radio communication with a remote management device for managing the data collected from the individual boxes.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein each individual electronic box contains movement sensors able to deliver in real time a signal representing the spatial movements of the individual, and at least one physiological sensor able to deliver a signal representing at least one physiological value of the individual, as well as a computer receiving the sensor signals as an input and delivering synchronised and digitised signals as an output, and a memory for storing said synchronised and digitised signals.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communication between the individual electronic boxes and the remote management device is bidirectional and also makes it possible to send information or instructions to each individual electronic box.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the information and/or instructions received are reproduced by the individual electronic box in the form of voice messages or light, audible or electrical signals.

5. A system according to claim 3, wherein the remote management device is provided with means for adjusting in real time the bandwidth of the radio communication with each individual electronic box.

6. A system according to claim 3, wherein the radio communication between the individual electronic boxes and the remote management device takes place by means of a mobile telephony communication network.

7. A system according to claim 3, wherein the radio communication between the individual electronic boxes and the remote management device takes place by means of a dedicated self-contained communication network.

8. A system according to claim 7, further comprising positioning beacons distributed around the area of activity of the individuals, with respect to which each electronic box determines its instantaneous position and transmits it to the remote management device.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the positioning beacons comprise a function of communication relay between the individual electronic boxes and the remote management device, so as to ensure continuity of the radio communication between the individual electronic boxes and the remote management device, when the latter is beyond the direct range of communication of the individual electronic boxes.

10. A system according to claim 7, wherein the individual electronic boxes and the remote management device are configured so as to function as an auto-routing and auto-adaptive radio communication network, able to automatically optimise the communication path between the individual electronic boxes and the remote management device.

11. A system according to claim 2, wherein at least one movement sensor is taken from a set of sensors including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor, a compensated accelerometer, a compensated altimeter and a compensated gyroscope.

12. A system according to claim 2, wherein at least one movement sensor is taken from a set of positioning beacons, including beacons of the GPS type, ultrasonic beacons, beacons based on an ultra wideband network, and beacons based on a communication protocol of the Zigbee type.

13. A system according to claim 2, wherein said at least one physiological sensor is taken from a set of sensors, including ECG-EKG (electrocardiograph) cardiac signal sensors, EMG (electromyography) muscular activity sensors, EEG (electroencephalograph) brain activity sensors, body temperature sensors, blood pressure sensors, and embedded blood analysis sensors.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein it is optimised for monitoring the physical activity of one or more horses on a racetrack or an equestrian competition area, and it comprises, for each horse, a single individual electronic box, fixed away from the limbs and in the vicinity of its centre of gravity and containing several sensors able to measure physical and/or biological values relating to the physical activity of each horse, each electronic box also being provided with means of radio communication with a remote device for the management of data collected from each individual electronic box.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein said individual electronic box is fixed by a strap under the belly of the horse.

16. A system according to claim 14, wherein the sensors include movement sensors that comprise a triaxial accelerometer, a GPS sensor providing the tracked travel of the horse, and physiological sensors that comprise an electrocardiograph supplying the cardiac signal of the horse in real time.

17. A system according to claim 14, wherein the sensors include a blood analysis sensor.

18. A system according to claim 15, wherein all movement sensors are located within a single non-deformable box so that any drift in positioning of said box will cause an equivalent drift for all the movement sensors, corresponding to a change in reference base and able to be corrected by applying a reverse change in base.

19. A system according to claim 1, wherein it is optimised for monitoring the physical activity of one or more players moving on a sports field, and it comprises, for each player, a single individual electronic box containing several sensors able to measure physical and/or biological quantities relating to the physical activity of each player, each electronic box also being provided with means of radio communication with a remote management device for managing the data collected from each individual electronic box and managing the network of sensor boxes.

20. A system according to claim 19, optimised for monitoring sportspersons moving in a delimited place such as a sports field or hall, wherein movement sensors positioned in the individual electronic box comprise at least three ultrasonic beacons coupled to a radio synchronisation device, and each player is provided with an ultrasonic sensor for measuring as required:

the distances between each beacon and the sensor or the differences between these distances, so as to determine the relative position of each player with respect to all the transmitters with a frequency of around 5 to 10 Hz.

21. A system according to claim 19, optimised for monitoring sportspersons moving outdoors, wherein movement sensors positioned in the individual electronic box comprise beacons of the GPS type.

22. A system according to claim 19, wherein the physiological sensors positioned in the individual electronic box comprise a heart frequency meter the signal of which is processed so as to obtain the heart rate of each individual.

23. A system according to claim 1, optimised for providing data to remote applications of the web type, adapted to transmit the data from the sensors to a remote server using a telephone link, said remote web server executing specific web applications.

24. A system according to claim 1, optimised for detecting the stress in an individual in a work situation, wherein movement sensors positioned in the individual electronic box comprise an accelerometer and physiological sensors comprise a heart frequency meter and an electroencephalograph.

25. A system according to claim 1, optimised for advanced physiological tests on individuals, wherein movement sensors positioned in the individual electronic box comprise one or more sensors taken from a triaxial accelerometer, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor, a gyroscope and a position sensor of the GPS type, and an ultrasonic sensor of the Zigbee or ultra wideband type, and physiological sensors comprise one or more sensors taken from an electromyograph, at least one temperature sensor, an electrocardiograph ECG, and an electroencephalograph EEG, each of said sensors having at least one channel.