Systems for assessing and optimizing muscular performance

• US 9,295,424 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Somaxis Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Somaxis Incorporated
• Inventors: Grey, Alexander B., Todorov, Alex D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cardinal, Erin M
• Application Number:
  US13/239,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20120071743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 600/382, 600391-393, 600/546, 600/509
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0238 Means for recording calibration data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• 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 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/222 combined with detection or measurement of physiological parameters, e.g. heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/224 Measuring muscular strength
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/25 Bioelectric electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/296 for electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7235 : Details of waveform analysis A61B5/349 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 : using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/725 : using specific filters therefor, e.g. Kalman or adaptive filters A61B5/316 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 : Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 : relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• 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 50/20 : for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 : for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

System for monitoring muscle data can include one or more fully flexible sensor patches having sensor modules configured to sense muscle data, data processing modules, transmitter modules configured to transmit the muscle data, and a microcontroller configured to control the modules on one patch side and an adhesive layer on the other patch side; a wearable mobile hub having one or more of a receiver, transmitter, and/or transceiver module configured to be operably coupled with the one or more sensor patches so as to receive muscle data therefrom and a muscle data processing unit configured to process the received muscle data, and one or more user feedback interfaces to provide processed muscle data to the one or more user feedback interfaces; and a base station configured for receiving, storing, and analyzing the muscle data for one subject received from the mobile hub in comparison with one or more other subjects.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring muscle data, the system comprising:

a sensor patch having;

a first active sensor element including a muscle sensor module configured to sense muscle data;

a data processing module configured to process the sensed muscle data;

a transmitter module configured to transmit the processed muscle data;

a microcontroller configured to control the muscle sensor module;

at least two flexible skin-contacting adhesive portions of the sensor patch, each flexible skin-contacting adhesive portion including an adhesive layer for adhering the corresponding flexible skin-contacting adhesive portion to the skin of a user, each skin-contacting adhesive portion being disposed on an outer portion of the sensor patch relative to a non-adhesive portion of the sensor patch, each adhesive portion further having;

two or more peelable adhesive substrates disposed in a stack upon one another, each peelable adhesive substrate includes an adhesive surface, each adhesive surface of the peelable adhesive substrates defining a skin-contacting surface configured to adhere to the skin of the user as successive peelable adhesive substrates are removed from the stack; and

the non-adhesive portion of the sensor patch being disposed at an inner portion of the sensor patch relative to the at least two flexible skin-contacting adhesive portions of the sensor patch, wherein the muscle sensor module is disposed on, or at least partially within, the non-adhesive portion of the sensor patch, and wherein the at least two flexible skin-contacting adhesive portions of the sensor patch are flexible about three perpendicular x, y, and z axes—

with respect to the muscle sensor module;

an impedance measurement module that measures changes in impedance due to removal of the one or more peelable adhesive substrates, wherein the microcontroller compensates for changes in impedance due to the removal of the one or more peelable adhesive substrates by at least adjusting an amplitude of the sensed muscle data based on the changes in impedance;

a wearable mobile hub having;

a receiver configured to be operably coupled with the patch so as to receive the muscle data transmitted by the transmitter module of the sensor patch;

a muscle data processing unit configured to process the received muscle data; and

a user feedback interface configured to provide processed muscle data; and

a base station configured for receiving, storing, and analyzing the processed muscle data received from the mobile hub.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a side of the patch having the adhesive layers is partitioned into one or more conductive regions and one or more non-conductive regions, the one or more conductive regions being operably coupled to the muscle sensor module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the muscle sensor module includes a sEMG module and an ECG module.

4. The system of claim 3, the sensor patch comprising:

the sEMG and ECG modules each individually operably coupled with a high pass filter, low-pass filter, band-pass filter, notch filter, a RMS calculation (Root Mean Square) unit, and a data smoothing unit.

5. The system of claim 4, the patch further comprising an accelerometer module, and/or a GPS module for transmitting acceleration and/or GPS data to the wearable mobile hub or the base station.

6. The system of claim 3, the sensor patch comprising:

the sEMG module operably coupled with a high pass filter, low-pass filter, band-pass filter, notch filter, a RMS calculation (Root Mean Square) unit, and a data smoothing unit; and

the ECG module operably coupled with a high pass filter, low-pass filter, band-pass filter, notch filter, a RMS calculation (Root Mean Square) unit, and a data smoothing unit;

wherein;

an amplifier is operably coupled with the microcontroller;

a wireless transmitter is operably coupled with the microcontroller; and

the microcontroller has an EMG mode and an ECG mode.

7. The system of claim 1, comprising a first fully flexible sensor patch having two active sensing elements and a reference sensor;

and

a second fully flexible sensor patch having two active sensing elements and a reference sensing element.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an audible user feedback device operably coupled with the mobile hub and configured to provide sound and word cues to the user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the audible user feedback device includes an adhesive surface and is adapted to be worn behind an ear of the user.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a heel pressure sensor device having a pressure sensor module and transmitter module for transmitting pressure sensor data to the wearable mobile hub or the base station.

11. The sensor system of claim 1, the sensor patch including a porous absorbing substrate and a porous wicking substrate.