SENSOR, MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT

• US 20140073860A1
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: URTTI, Tommi
• Application Number:
  US13/970,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20140073860A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4821 Determining level or depth of anaesthesia A61B5/1106 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• 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

Abstract

A sensor for physiological measurement comprising at least one detector configured to acquire a signal indicative of a vital sign of a subject. The sensor further comprises at least one state indicator configured to indicate one of at least two different ranges based on the signal acquired by the at least one detector, wherein the ranges are a first range and a second range, wherein the first range is for one of desired vital sign signals and minor alarming vital sign signals, and the second range is for vital sign signals outside the first range.

Claims

1. A sensor for physiological measurement, the sensor comprising:

at least one detector configured to acquire a signal indicative of a vital sign of a subject; and

at least one state indicator configured to indicate one of at least two different ranges based on the signal acquired by the at least one detector, wherein the at least two different ranges are a first range and a second range, wherein the first range is for one of desired vital sign signals and minor alarming vital sign signals, and the second range is for vital sign signals outside the first range.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the at least one state indicator is a visual indicator configured to display at least one of the at least two different ranges.

3. The sensor according to claim 2, wherein the visual indicator is a color indicator.

4. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the at least one state indicator comprises an audio indicator configured to generate an audible signal for at least one of the at least two different ranges.

5. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first range is indicated without alarm and the second range is indicated with alarm.

6. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the second range is for more alarming vital sign signals than the first range.

7. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the second range is for medium priority alarming vital sign signals.

8. The sensor according to claim 7, wherein the at least one state indicator is configured to indicate a third range, indicating vital sign signals which are still more alarming, such as high priority alarm, than the second range.

9. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a first signal connection for transmitting the signal to a processing unit for subsequent calculation of the vital sign.

10. The sensor according to claim 9, further comprising a second signal connection for guiding the at least one state indicator based on calculation made by the processing unit to indicate the range of the vital sign signal.

11. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor controller configured to activate the at least one state indicator.

12. The sensor according to claim 10, wherein the first signal connection and the second signal connections are one of a wireless and a wire line.

13. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the signal frequency acquired by the at least one detector is more than 0.1 Hz.

14. A monitoring system for physiological measurement, the monitoring system comprising:

a sensor comprising at least one detector configured to acquire a signal indicative of a vital sign of a subject;

a monitor unit comprising a processing unit comprising a measurement algorithm to calculate the signal received from the at least one detector, and a user interface configured to control the processing unit;

a first signal connection configured to transmit the signal received by the at least one detector to the processing unit, wherein the sensor further comprises at least one state indicator configured to indicate one of at least two different ranges comprising a first range and a second range, wherein the first range is for one of desired vital sign signals and minor alarming vital sign signals, and the second range is for vital sign signals outside the first range; and

a second signal connection configured to guide the at least one state indicator based on calculation made by the processing unit to indicate the range of the vital sign signal.

15. The monitoring system according to claim 14, further comprising a sensor controller to activate the state indicator.

16. A method for physiological measurement, the method comprising:

acquiring by a sensor, a signal indicative of a vital sign of a subject;

providing the signal to a processing unit comprising a measurement algorithm;

calculating by the measurement algorithm, a vital sign signal value based on the signal;

determining in the processing unit a determined range within which the vital sign signal value belongs to, provided that there are at least two different predetermined ranges, comprising a first range and a second range, wherein the first range is for one of desired vital sign signals and minor alarming vital sign signals, and the second range is for vital sign signals outside the first range;

comparing in the processing unit, the determined range for the vital sign signal value to the at least two different predetermined ranges that have been set for the subject;

providing, based on the comparing, a signal indicating a predetermined range of the at least the different predetermined ranges covering the vital sign signal value to a sensor controller; and

activating by the sensor controller a state indicator of the sensor to indicate an appropriate range for the vital sign signal value.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein providing a signal to the sensor controller is made only when the determined range is different from a previous state indication.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein providing a signal to the sensor controller is made constantly regardless of whether there has been a change from a current state indication.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the appropriate range for the vital sign signal value is indicated by one of a visual signal and an audible signal.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the visual signal is a color signal with different colors for the at least two different ranges.