ACTIVITY MONITORING VIA ACCELEROMETER THRESHOLD INTERRUPT METHOD

• US 20180192921A1
• Filed: 08/04/2017
• Published: 07/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips Healthcare Informatics Incorporated (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ganton, Robert, Ballam, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 11,406,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• 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 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6832 using adhesives A61B5/259 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7271 Specific aspects of physiological measurement analysis A61B5/316, A61B5/349 and A61B5/374 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for determining a sedentary state of a user are disclosed. The apparatuses can be fastened to the user and include sensors configured to detect movement of the user. The apparatuses can also include a circuit coupled to the sensors. The circuits may be configured to determine, using the sensors, whether the user is sedentary; and in response to determining that the user is sedentary, determine one or more physiological attributes of the user of the device.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a fastener configured to attach the device to a user of the device;

a sensor coupled to the fastener, the sensor configured to detect whether the user has moved; and

a circuit coupled to the sensor, the circuit configured to;

determine, using the sensor, whether the user is sedentary; and

in response to determining that the user is sedentary, determine one or more physiological attributes of the user of the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is sedentary includes determining whether a movement of the user detected by the sensor is within a threshold movement amount determined to indicate that the user is sedentary.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is sedentary includes summing several movements over a time period to determine whether a resulting summation exceeds a corresponding threshold.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes an accelerometer or a gyroscope configured to detect whether the user has moved.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein determining that the user is sedentary includes determining that a magnitude of a translational or rotational force detected by the sensor corresponding to movement of the user has not met a threshold value.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a combination of rotational or translational forces to determine whether a certain movement of the user has not been performed;

and

the circuit is configured to determine, using the sensor, that the certain movement of the user has not been performed.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more physiological attributes includes a heart rate, a breathing rate, or a galvanic skin response of the user.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more physiological attributes includes performing one or more measurements on the user.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein performing the one or more measurements includes inducing one or more sensors to enter a high power state from a low power state.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein device includes the one or more sensors.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to:

in response to determining that the user is sedentary, determine a length of time that the user has been sedentary.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to:

operate selectively in a low power state and a high power state, wherein the circuit is unable to determine whether the user is sedentary while in the low power state; and

periodically enter the high power state from the low power state to sample readings from the sensor to determine whether the user is sedentary.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the sensor is configured to, in response to determining that a sensor reading corresponding to movement of the user meets a threshold value, set an interrupt to a first state;

and

wherein determining that the user is sedentary includes, by the circuit, while in the high power state, determining whether the interrupt is in the first state.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the circuit is configured to, upon determining that the interrupt is in the first state, set the interrupt to a second state and enter the low power state.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein determining that the user is sedentary includes:

determining that a sensor reading indicative of movement of the user has not exceeded a threshold value for a period of time.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the fastener includes an adhesive to enable attachment of the device to the user.

17. The device of claim 1, comprising:

a power source coupled to the sensor and the circuit; and

a housing coupled to the sensor, the circuit, and the power source, wherein the housing is configured to prevent access to the power source without destructive deformation of the housing.

18. The device of claim 1, comprising:

a transmitter coupled to the circuit, wherein the circuit is configured to;

transmit data via the transmitter, the data indicative of the user being sedentary.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the transmitter is a Bluetooth®

or NFC®

compliant transmitter.

20. The device of claim 18, comprising:

a memory configured to store data indicative of several discontinuous periods of time that the user has been sedentary; and

wherein the data transmitted via the transmitter includes the data indicative of several discontinuous periods of time that the user has been sedentary.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the data indicative of several discontinuous periods of time that the user has been sedentary includes a time of day corresponding to each of the several discontinuous periods of time.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a means to attach the apparatus to a user of the apparatus;

a means to detect whether the user has moved; and

a means to determine, using the means to detect whether the user has moved, whether the user is sedentary and, in response to determining that the user is sedentary, determining one or more physiological attributes of the user of the apparatus.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the means to determine is configured to:

operate selectively in a low power state or a high power state, wherein the means to determine is unable to sample readings from the means to detect whether the user has moved while the means to determine is in the low power state; and

periodically enter the high power state from the low power state to sample readings from the means to detect whether the user has moved in order to determine that the user is sedentary.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the means to detect whether the user has moved is configured to, in response to determining that a movement of the user meets a threshold amount, set an interrupt to a first state;

and

wherein the means to determine that the user is sedentary is configured to, while in the high power state, determine whether the interrupt is in the first state.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the means to determine that the user is sedentary, upon determining that the interrupt is in the first state, sets the interrupt to a second state and enters the low power state.

26. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a sensor attached to a user, whether a user has moved; and

determining, by a circuit coupled to the sensor, whether the user is sedentary; and

in response to determining that the user is sedentary, determining one or more physiological attributes of the user.

27. The method of claim 26, comprising:

operating the circuit selectively in a low power state or a high power state, wherein the circuit is unable to sample readings, from the sensor, indicative of movement of the user while in the low power state; and

operating the circuit to periodically enter the high power state from the low power state to sample readings from the sensor to determine that the user is sedentary.

28. The method of claim 27, comprising:

in response to determining that a sensor reading corresponding to movement of the user meets a threshold value, setting an interrupt to a first state; and

wherein determining that the user is sedentary includes, by the circuit, while in the high power state, determining whether the interrupt is in the first state.

29. The method of claim 28, comprising:

upon determining that the interrupt is in the first state, by the circuit, setting the interrupt to a second state and entering the low power state.

30. One or more non-transitory computer readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:

detect, using a sensor attached to a user, whether the user has moved;

determine, using the sensor, whether the user is sedentary; and

in response to determining that the user is sedentary, determine one or more physiological attributes of the user.