Modular biometric monitoring system

• US 9,542,531 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zin Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Z-Tech Incorporated
• Inventors: Chmiel, Alan J., Humphreys, Bradley T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Archer, Marie
• Application Number:
  US14/319,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20140316713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/01 Emergency care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/07 Home care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0475 Special features of memory means, e.g. removable memory cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/333 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0623 for memory modules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/18 based on priority control G06F13/1605 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/26 with priority control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/38 Information transfer, e.g. on bus G06F13/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4213 with asynchronous protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4226 with asynchronous protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4239 with asynchronous protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/05 Digital input using the sampling of an analogue quantity at regular intervals of time , input from a/d converter or output to d/a converter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 5/12 Means for monitoring the fill level; Means for resolving contention, i.e. conflicts between simultaneous enqueue and dequeue operations
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A modular system for acquiring biometric data includes a plurality of data acquisition modules configured to sample biometric data from at least one respective input channel at a data acquisition rate. A representation of the sampled biometric data is stored in memory of each of the plurality of data acquisition modules. A central control system is in communication with each of the plurality of data acquisition modules through a bus. The central control system is configured to control communication of data, via the bus, with each of the plurality of data acquisition modules.

Claims

1. A biometric monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of modular connections that each provides access for communication over an electrical communications bus;

a plurality of modular components configured as part of a distributed computing arrangement, and removably coupled with the bus via the plurality of modular connections, at least one of the plurality of modular components being a biometric monitoring modular component configured to perform a predetermined biometric monitoring functions by acquiring biometric data corresponding to at least one predetermined biometric parameter of a patient, each of the plurality of modular components being dimensioned and configured to couple to any of the plurality of modular connections to provide for being swappable with another different type of modular component into any of the plurality of connections to enable scaling of the system according to desired requirements for the patient, wherein each of the plurality of modular components further comprises;

modality specific circuitry that defines a predetermined biometric monitoring or delivery function of each respective modular component, the modality specific circuitry including a processor and at least one channel, the processor configured to control data acquisition or data delivery via the at least one channel according to the predetermined biometric monitoring or delivery function of the respective modular component; and

a common data controller coupled with the modality specific circuitry and the bus, the common data controller being configured to control data storage and retrieval for the respective modular component, including communication of data with respect to the modality specific circuitry and communication of data to and from the respective modular component via the bus;

a communications module configured as part of the distributed computing arrangement the communications module being configured to provide for communication between the system and a remote unit; and

a master module coupled with the bus, the master module configured to control access and retrieval of data within the system, the common data controller of each of the plurality of modular components controlling and coordinating its communication with the master module over the bus based on configuration thereof set by the master module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the modality specific circuitry of at least two respective modular components includes a different number of the at least one channel for acquiring and processing input signals, the common data controller of each respective modular component configured to control a data sampling rate for data received via each channel.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the common data controller further in each respective modular component further comprises data control logic programmed to change the data sampling rate for at least one channel thereof the respective modular component in response to a predetermined biometric condition that is detected by the modality specific circuitry of the respective module.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the common data controller further in each respective modular component further comprises data control logic programmed to change the data sampling rate for at least one channel thereof in response to a predetermined biometric condition that is detected by one or more other module.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the common data controller further in each respective modular component further comprises data control logic programmed to change the data sampling rate for at least one channel thereof in response to control instructions received from the master module.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the common data controller in each respective modular component further comprises:

a first memory structure configured to store housekeeping data associated with the configuration and operation for the respective modular component; and

a second memory structure configured to store the biometric data sampled from the modality specific circuitry of the respective modular component, the housekeeping data including information representing an amount of biometric data stored in the respective module.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the master module is further configured to transmit a request to the first memory structure of at least one of the plurality of modular components for the information representing the amount of biometric data stored in the second memory structure of the respective modular component, wherein each of the plurality of modular components further comprises:

an access control function configured to retrieve the requested information from the first memory structure and provide a response that includes the requested information for the respective modular component,

wherein the master module is configured to manage requests for data from the second memory structure of each of the plurality of modular components based on responses received to requests to the first memory structure of each respective modular component.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each channel of the modality specific circuitry of each modular component further comprises:

circuitry to process an analog signal received from or provided to a corresponding port associated with each respective channel of the modality specific circuitry; and

an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the processed analog signals to corresponding digital signals that are provided to the common data controller of the respective modular component.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications module comprises a wireless communications module that is configured to communicate aggregate data with a remote unit via a wireless communications link, the aggregate data comprising at least one of a set of data received from multiple of the plurality of modular components or values computed by the master module based on the biometric data received from one or more of the plurality of modular components.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the master module further comprises a master processor operatively connected to communicate with each of the plurality of modular components via the bus, the processor of the modality specific circuitry in each biometric monitoring modular component being configured to obtain data from an associated sensor coupled to a given channel thereof at a predetermined programmable rate that is set by the master module according module data stored at each biometric monitoring modular component that represents a timing and a type of biometric data which the modality specific circuitry containing each processor is configured to acquire.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of modular components further comprises a connector dimensioned and configured to connect at least one sensor to a corresponding channel of the respective modular component, the at least one sensor being is configured to perform monitoring of the predetermined biometric parameter.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each biometric monitoring modular component further comprises:

I/O functions configured to control operation of the modality specific circuitry to provide for asynchronous acquisition of the data; and

memory coupled to a bus interface to buffer data being communicated via the common data controller to enable the acquisition of data by the modality specific circuitry to be asynchronous relative to the communication of data via the common data controller.

13. A system for monitoring a patient, comprising:

a plurality of modality specific biometric modules configured as part of a distributed computing arrangement, each of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules being removably coupled with an electrical communications bus via a plurality of bus modular connections, each of the plurality of modality specific modules being insertable and replaceable into any of the plurality of bus modular connections to scale the system according to desired requirements for the patient, wherein each of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules further comprises;

modality specific circuitry configured to perform at least one predetermined function, the at least one predetermined function comprising at least one of (i) collecting biometric data from a sensor received via at least one input port associated with a particular biometric parameter of the patient asynchronously, and (ii) control delivery of a therapy via at least one output port; and

a common data controller that is configured to couple the respective modality specific biometric module with the bus via a respective one of the plurality of bus modular connections, the common data controller comprising a clock that provides the modality specific circuitry with a programmable data acquisition rate that is different from a data acquisition rate of the modality specific circuitry of another of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules, the common data controller controlling and coordinating transmission and receipt of data via the bus; and

a processor to control the collection of the biometric data by the modality specific circuitry at a sample rate based on timing from the clock, the timing from the clock enables each of the respective modality specific biometric modules to acquire the data asynchronously relative to each other depending on the predetermined function of the respective modality specific circuitry yet the data being synchronized in time relative to each other based on the timing from the clock;

a master controller coupled with the bus, the master controller configured to set configuration of the common data controller of each of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules controlling to coordinate and control communication between each of the modality specific biometric modules and the master controller over the bus.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the master controller further comprises a master processor in communication with each processors of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules via the bus, each processor collects respective biometric data from at least one associated sensor at a predetermined programmable rate according to the timing from the clock and a type of the biometric data which each respective one of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules containing the respective processor is configured to acquire.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the modality specific circuitry of each of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules further comprises at least one amplifier configured to amplify signals received via an input channel from at least one respective sensor via an interconnect associated with the input channel.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a data storage module configured to store data communicated over the bus from each of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the master controller is further configured to:

control communications over the bus, control data transmission between the system for monitoring the patient and the remote unit, control user interfaces, monitor system status, and control data storage and retrieval from local memory of the master controller and the data storage module.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the common data controller of each of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules further comprises a bus interface that coordinates transmittal of data to the master controller and receipt of control data from the master controller.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the common data controller in each of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules further comprises:

a first memory structure configured to store housekeeping data associated with the configuration and operation for the respective biometric module; and

a second memory structure configured to store the biometric data sampled from the modality specific circuitry of the respective biometric module, the housekeeping data including information representing an amount of biometric data stored in the respective biometric module.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the master controller is further configured to transmit a request to the first memory structure of at least one of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules further comprises for the information representing the amount of biometric data stored in the second memory structure of the respective biometric modules,

wherein each of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules further comprises an access control function configured to retrieve the requested information from the first memory structure and provide a response that includes the requested information for the respective biometric module,

wherein the master controller is configured to manage requests for data from the second memory structure of each of the plurality of modality specific biometric modules based on responses received to requests to the first memory structure of the at least one modular component.