PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA ACQUISITION UTILIZING VIBRATIONAL IDENTIFICATION

• US 20120146795A1
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kenneth Margon, Tom Mathai
• Original Assignee: Gubbi Umesh Renukanand, Kenneth Margon
• Inventors: Renukanand, Gubbi Umesh, Margon, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 8,947,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• 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 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/05 Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves impedance plethysmography A61B5/0295; measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/082 Evaluation by breath analysis, e.g. determination of the chemical composition of exhaled breath A61B5/083, A61B5/091 take precedence
• 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 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

The present invention utilizes an accelerometer (included within a wireless physiology monitoring device or as part of a separate device such as, but not limited to a smartphone, e.g., iPhone, or other mobile device) to link a patient with a separate medical data acquisition device such as a weight scale or a blood pressure monitor in order to collect and transmit a range of medical data associated with the user. The medical data acquisition device includes a vibration source for emitting a vibration at a predetermined or random frequency. When the acquisition device is activated, a vibration is transmitted from the through the patient and is detected by the accelerometer. The accelerometer then measures the particular frequency of vibration and transmits this information to a centralized monitoring unit (CMU). Based on the measured frequency, the CMU is able to know that the same patient wearing/holding the device is also the same patient using the data acquisition device. The vibration source may revolve through a number of predetermined frequencies (as determined on its own or instructed via the CMU) or simply generate a random frequency.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a device having an accelerometer and a patient identifier associated with a particular patient record;

a data acquisition device configured to measure patient data, the data acquisition device having a vibration source to vibrate the device at a selected frequency, wherein the selected frequency of the data acquisition device matches the selected frequency of the device; and

a server configured to receive the patient identifier, the patient data, and the selected frequency, the server configured to match up the patient identifier with the patient data based on the selected frequency.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected frequency is less than 20 kilohertz.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected frequency is a prime number.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected frequency is a patient identifier.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient data is included into the particular patient record.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected frequency is associated with only one patient.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data acquisition device comprises an antenna configured to receive the selected frequency from the server.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the antenna provides test results to the server.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second patient being vibrated at a second selected frequency and having test results, wherein the server matches the second patient with the test results based on the second selected frequency.

10. A method comprising:

associating a patient identifier with a particular patient record using a device;

measuring patient data using a data acquisition device;

vibrating the device and the data acquisition device both at a selected frequency; and

matching up the patient identifier with the patient data based on the selected frequency.

11. A device comprising:

an accelerometer configured to receive a selected frequency corresponding to measured patient data corresponding to a patient having a patient identifier; and

a transceiver configured to receive the selected frequency and transmit the patient identifier, wherein the patient identifier is matched up with the patient data based on the selected frequency.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the device comprises a smartphone, an iPhone, or a pendant.

13. A device comprising:

an application configured to select a selected frequency;

a vibration source for producing the selected frequency;

medical test circuitry configured to measure patient data corresponding to a patient; and

a transceiver configured to transmit the selected frequency and patient data, wherein the patient data is matched up with the patient based on the selected frequency.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the device comprises a data acquisition device.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the patient frequency is a prime number.

16. A device comprising:

an application configured to select a selected frequency;

a transceiver configured to receive patient data and a patient identifier; and

matching circuitry configured to match the patient data and the patient identifier based on the selected frequency.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device comprises a server.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the patient frequency is a prime number.