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Medical Patent Abstract
An intelligent medical vigilance system that observes and analyzes,
and, only in the event of a clinically significant negative condition,
notifies and reports the event to the care staff utilizing the hospital's
existing nurse call system. The device includes a bedside unit connected
to a pad or coverlet with a sensor array (placed under the patient)
and also to an existing hospital nurse call system via an interface.
Within the physical bedside unit are a signal processor and an alarm
processor that measure data and evaluate whether a clinically significant
event is occurring. The bedside unit is a wall-mounted unit with
a display that becomes active when an alarm condition is enabled.
The sensing pad or coverlet is a thin, piezoelectric film, or other
similar sensing technology, with an array of sensors sheathed in
soft padding and is not directly in contact with the skin of the
patient. The nurse call feature is made up of hardware, software
and cabling to connect to the nurse call system already installed
in the hospital or care facility. The monitoring system can also
be installed in vehicles to monitor operator physiological conditions.
Medical Patent Claims
We claim:
1. A method for monitoring the physiology of a person and providing
an alarm to warn of an undesirable condition, comprising: placing
adjacent the person a plurality of sensors configured to detect
physiological parameters of the person; detecting one or more physiological
parameters of the person with said sensors; converting the detected
parameters into signals; assigning an upper hard range of signal
values for each physiological parameter; assigning a lower hard
range of signal values for each physiological parameter; assigning
an upper soft range of signal values below the upper hard range
for each physiological parameter, wherein the upper soft range is
selected to be a predetermined downward departure from the upper
hard range; assigning a lower soft range of signal values above
the lower hard range for each physiological parameter, wherein the
lower soft range is selected to be a predetermined upward departure
from the lower hard range; analyzing at least two of the signals
over a period of time to determine in which range each signal is
situated; and activating an alarm when at least one signal is in
a hard range, and activating an alarm when at least two signals
are in a soft range.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein activating an alarm includes
activating a hard alarm when at least one signal is in a hard range,
and activating a soft alarm when at least two signals are in a soft
range.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein activating an alarm includes
activating an alarm using fuzzy logic to assess the significance
of the plurality of signals in relation to the hard and soft ranges.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein each said plurality of sensors
is configured to detect the same physiological parameter of the
person.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of sensors
is configured to detect multiple different physiological parameters
of the person.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors are configured to
detect at least two physiological parameters selected from the group
consisting of heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, temperature,
motion, and noise emission.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranges of signal values are
assigned by a health care giver and can be selectively varied.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the upper soft range is automatically
selected to have a lower limit that is a predetermined percentage
of the lower limit of the upper hard range, and the lower soft range
is automatically selected to have an upper limit that is a predetermined
percentage of the upper limit of the lower hard range.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein each parameter is assigned a
different soft range.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnitude of the upper soft
range differs from the magnitude of the lower soft range.
11. A method for monitoring the physiology of a patient and providing
an alarm to warn of an undesirable condition, comprising: placing
adjacent the patient a plurality of sensors configured to detect
physiological parameters of the patient; detecting one or more physiological
parameters of the patient with said sensors; converting the detected
parameters into signals; assigning an upper hard range of signal
values for each physiological parameter; assigning a lower hard
range of signal values for each physiological parameter; assigning
an upper soft range of signal values below the upper hard range
for each physiological parameter; assigning a lower soft range of
signal values above the lower hard range for each physiological
parameter; analyzing at least two of the signals over a period of
time to determine in which range each signal is situated; activating
an alarm when at least one signal is in a hard range; activating
an alarm when at least two signals are in a soft range; and communicating
an activated alarm to a health care provider through a pre-existing
nurse call system within a health care facility.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein activating an alarm includes
activating a hard alarm when at least one signal is in a hard range,
and activating a soft alarm when at least two signals are in a soft
range.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein each of said plurality of sensors
is configured to detect multiple different physiological parameters
of the person.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the ranges of signal values
are assigned by a health care giver and can be selectively varied.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the upper soft range is automatically
selected to have a lower limit that is a predetermined percentage
of the lower limit of the upper hard range, and the lower soft range
is automatically selected to have an upper limit that is a predetermined
percentage of the upper limit of the lower hard range.
16. A method for monitoring the physiology of a person and providing
an alarm to warn of an undesirable condition, comprising: placing
adjacent the person a plurality of sensors configured to detect
physiological parameters of the person; detecting one or more physiological
parameters of the person with said sensors; converting the detected
parameters into signals; assigning an upper hard range of signal
values for each physiological parameter; assigning a lower hard
range of signal values for each physiological parameter; assigning
an upper soft range of signal values below the upper hard range
for each physiological parameter; assigning a lower soft range of
signal values above the lower hard range for each physiological
parameter; analyzing at least two of the signals over a period of
time to determine in which range each signal is situated; selecting
signals in the upper ranges which are increasing in value and signals
in the lower ranges which are decreasing in value; activating an
alarm when at least one said selected signals is in a hard range;
and activating an alarm when at least two of said selected signals
are in a soft range.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein activating an alarm includes
activating a hard alarm when at least one signal is in a hard range,
and activating a soft alarm when at least two signals are in a soft
range.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein each of said plurality of sensors
is configured to detect multiple different physiological parameters
of the person.
19. A method for monitoring the physiology of a person and providing
an alarm to warn of an undesirable condition, comprising: placing
adjacent the person a plurality of sensors configured to detect
physiological parameters of the person; detecting one or more physiological
parameters of the person with said sensors; converting the detected
parameters into signals; assigning an upper hard range of signal
values for each physiological parameter; assigning a lower hard
range of signal values for each physiological parameter; assigning
an upper soft range of signal values below the upper hard range
for each physiological parameter, wherein the upper soft range is
selected to be a predetermined downward departure from the upper
hard range; assigning a lower soft range of signal values above
the lower hard range for each physiological parameter, wherein the
lower soft range is selected to be a predetermined upward departure
from the lower hard range; analyzing at least two of the signals
over a period of time to determine in which range each signal is
situated; and applying a fuzzy logic function to each signal within
a range; activating an alarm when the sum of the fuzzy logic functions
exceed a predetermined value.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein a first predetermined value
activates a soft alarm.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein a second predetermined value
activates a hard alarm.
22. The method of claim 19, wherein the ranges of signal values
are assigned by a health care giver and can be selectively varied.
23. The method of claim 19, wherein the upper soft range is automatically
selected to have a lower limit that is a fixed percentage of the
lower limit of the upper hard range, and the lower soft range is
automatically selected to have an upper limit that is a fixed percentage
of the upper limit of the lower hard range.
24. A method for monitoring the physiology of a person and providing
an alarm to warn of an undesirable condition, comprising: placing
adjacent the person a plurality of sensors configured to detect
physiological parameters of the person; detecting one or more physiological
parameters of the person with said sensors; converting the detected
parameters into signals; assigning a pair of upper range signal
values for each physiological parameter, one of the pair being below
the other, such that one range is an outer range and the other range
is an inner range; assigning a pair of lower range signal values
for each physiological parameter, one of the pair being above the
other, such that one range is an outer range and the other range
is an inner range; analyzing at least two of the signals over a
period of time to determine in which range each signal is situated;
activating an alarm when at least one signal is in an outer range,
and activating an alarm when at least two signals are in an inner
range.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein activating an alarm includes
activating a hard alarm when at least one signal is in a hard range,
and activating a soft alarm when at least two signals are in a soft
range.
26. The method of claim 24, wherein each of said plurality of sensors
is configured to detect multiple different physiological parameters
of the person.
27. The method of claim 24, wherein the ranges of signal values
are assigned by a health care giver and can be selectively varied.
28. The method of claim 24, wherein the upper soft range is automatically
selected to have a lower limit that is a predetermined percentage
of the lower limit of the upper hard range, and the lower soft range
is automatically selected to have an upper limit that is a predetermined
percentage of the upper limit of the lower hard range.
29. Apparatus for monitoring the physiology of a person and providing
an alarm to warn of an undesirable condition, comprising: a plurality
of sensors for detecting one or more physiological parameters of
the person; a processor configured to convert each detected parameter
into an information signal; and an alarm system in communication
with the processor, the alarm system being configured to provide
one or more alarms; wherein the processor is configured to perform
steps including: receiving a designated upper hard range of signal
values for each physiological parameter receiving a designated lower
hard range of signal values for each physiological parameter; receiving
a designated upper soft range of signal values below the upper hard
range for each physiological parameter; receiving a designated lower
soft range of signal values above the lower hard range for each
physiological parameter; analyzing at least two signals over a period
of time to determine in which range of values each signal is situated;
activating the alarm when at least one signal is in a hard range;
and activating the alarm when at least two signals are in a soft
range.
30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising an interface
for connecting the alarm system to an existing nurse call system
in a health care facility.
31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is housed
in a bedside unit, for placing alongside a bed for the person.
32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the bedside unit further
comprises a display connected to the processor for displaying physiological
data, the display being automatically actuated when an alarm condition
occurs.
33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the bedside unit further
comprises a display connected to a processor for displaying physiological
data, the display being selectively activated by an attending health
care provider.
34. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sensors are assembled
in an array enclosed within a coverlet.
35. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sensors are disposed
within bedding for the person.
36. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sensors comprise non-invasive
sensors formed of piezoelectric material.
37. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sensors are installed
in at least one location selected from the group consisting of a
vehicle seat, a vehicle seatback, a vehicle headrest, a vehicle
steering wheel, a driving jacket, a driving cap, a wrist attachment,
and a necklace.
38. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is located
in a vehicle.
39. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sensors transmit the
detected parameters to the processor via wireless technology.
40. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the alarm is configured
to alert a driver of a vehicle of an approaching sleep state.
41. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sensors are configured
to detect at least two physiological parameters selected from the
group consisting of heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure,
temperature, cardiac output and movement of the person.
42. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor is further
configured such that activating the alarm includes activating a
hard alarm when at least one signal is in a hard range, and activating
a soft alarm when at least two signals are in a soft range.
Medical Patent Description
This application incorporates by reference copending U.S. application
Ser. No. 09/662,006 in its entirely.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to monitoring systems,
and more particularly has reference to intelligent medical vigilance
systems used for monitoring patients, automobile drivers, or other
persons whose physiological condition may undergo a change signifying
a deterioration in condition, a tendency toward drowsiness, or other
state that may have important consequences for that person or for
others.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Medical monitors have been in use for many years. Typically, medical
monitors include patient monitors prescribed by a physician in a
non-ICU setting.
While typical devices may be suitable for the particular purpose
to which they address, they are not as suitable for providing an
invisible "safety net" for a patient that will observe
and analyze, and, only in the event of a clinically significant
negative condition, notify and report the event to the care staff
utilizing the hospital's existing nurse call system.
The main problem with conventional medical monitors is they are
designed to respond to rapidly changing situations (found, in ICUs)
and thus have a high false alarm rate. Outside the intensive care
unit, these monitors are not usually connected to a remote alarm,
so local alarms sound, disturbing the patient, their family and
friends and the workflow of the various clinicians providing care
to the patient. Many attempts have been made to make alarms more
meaningful.
Another problem is that standard devices require contact directly
to the patient's skin or body via cables or wires. This means constraining
the patient's movement to prevent disconnecting the sensors and
also creates a danger of entanglement or strangulation from the
cables. Additionally, these devices are relatively expensive to
purchase and somewhat complex to operate, requiring a trained individual
to operate properly.
Thus, a need exists for simpler, less expensive and more accurate
methods for noninvasive vital sign monitoring of significant negative
conditions and reporting these events. This invention addresses
these and other needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, and in general terms, the present invention involves a
new and improved intelligent medical vigilance system for providing
an invisible "safety net" that observes and analyzes a
person's vital signs. Only in the event of a clinically significant
negative condition will the device notify and report the event to
the person or the care staff of a health care facility, utilizing,
for example, a hospital's existing nurse call system. In so doing,
the invention extends the vigilance capability and "reach"
of the hospital clinical staff so that their resources can be more
effectively applied.
The present invention has many of the advantages of the medical
monitors mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result
in a new intelligent medical vigilance system which is not anticipated,
rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior
art medical monitors, either alone or in any combination thereof.
In a presently preferred embodiment, by way of example and not
necessarily by way of limitation, the invention generally comprises
a bedside unit connected to a sensing array (placed under the patient)
and to an existing hospital nurse call system via an interface.
The sensing array preferably is a non-invasive piezoelectric sensing
film or other similar sensing technology, with an array of sensors
installed in soft padding under the bottom sheet of the patient's
hospital bed. The sensing array is not directly in contact with
the skin of the patient. Within the physical bedside unit are a
signal processor and an alarm processor that measure the data and
evaluate whether a clinically significant event is occurring.
The bedside unit is a wall-mounted unit with a display that becomes
active (comes on) when an alarm condition is enabled or on command
by the nurse, by touching any key. It has a number of dedicated
and softkey buttons and controls for entering information, setting
up specific items and interacting with the system.
The sensing array is a thin, piezoelectric film or other similar
sensing technology, with an array of sensors sheathed in soft padding
that is easily cleaned. It is placed in the patient's bed, under
the bottom sheet (and other padding if needed), not directly in
contact with the skin of the patient. It can be integrated into
the mattress coverlet, if desired. The monitoring system of the
present invention may also be used in chairs to monitor the state
of relaxation of a subject via heart rate, blood pressure and respiration
rates.
The nurse call feature is made up of hardware, software and cabling
to connect to a nurse call system already installed in the hospital
or care facility. The signal processor is made up of hardware and
software that accepts, buffers and converts the sensor array signal
from analog to digital format for subsequent processing. The alarm
processor uses logic to monitor the parameter trends and determines
when a negative condition is occurring. It then actuates the alarm
circuitry for local and/or remote alarm. Soft alarms may be used
to report adverse trends before an emergency condition arises. All
alarms may interact with the existing nurse call system in the hospital.
In alternative embodiments, the intelligent medical vigilance system
of the present invention can be adapted for use as a monitoring
system for operators of motor vehicles, aircraft or other devices.
The present invention is installed in one or more of the following
regions of a motor vehicle: the seat, seatback, headrest, steering
wheel, driving jacket, or a driving cap. One or more sensors may
be located in each general location to provide for improved feedback.
The vehicle operator may also carry a wrist attachment or a necklace
with built in sensors.
The sensors in the vehicle transmit information about the patient
to a central processor built into the vehicle via hardwiring or
wireless technology. The processor analyzes the incoming information
and outputs data as needed. The vigilance system can be used to
alert drivers to approaching sleep states or other potentially hazardous
physical conditions in order to reduce accidents. The sensors measure
heart rate, respiration rate and movement of the vehicle operator.
Background noise signals are actively cancelled out to provide
an accurate reading of the patient's heart rate, respiration rate
and blood pressure. This cancellation allows the monitoring system
to operate effectively in high background noise environments.
Trend information is also recorded and available for study.
The present invention provides an intelligent medical vigilance
system that overcomes many of the shortcomings of the prior art
devices.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides an intelligent
medical vigilance system for providing an invisible "safety
net" for the patient that will observe and analyze, and, only
in the event of a clinically significant negative condition, notify
and report the event to the care staff utilizing the hospital's
existing nurse call system.
In a further preferred embodiment, the invention provides an intelligent
medical vigilance system that observes (monitors) multiple physiological
signals without direct skin contact.
In yet a further embodiment, the invention provides an intelligent
medical vigilance system that analyzes the information to determine
whether the parameters are within normal limits or are tending to
go in a clinically negative direction.
In a further aspect, the invention provides an intelligent medical
vigilance system that reports the physiological parameters and provides
a trend of them over time.
In yet a further aspect, the invention provides an intelligent
medical vigilance system that notifies the nursing care staff when
a consistently negative situation is detected via the existing nurse
call system used in the facility.
In still a further aspect, the invention provides an intelligent
medical vigilance system that persistently reminds nursing of continued
violations or worsening situation until interventions are successful.
This aspect provides an intelligent medical vigilance system that
extends the vigilance capability and "reach" of the busy
clinical staff so they can spend time where it has the best clinical
effect.
In another aspect, the invention provides a sensor system within
vehicles that alerts operators to dangerous physiological conditions
that would impair the operator's ability to operate equipment safely.
These and other advantages of the invention will become more apparent
from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example,
the features of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram of the vigilance monitoring system of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the system functions.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing progression from normal patient condition
to negative event and nurse response.
FIG. 4 is a time plot of multiple parameters, showing various parameter
violations and alarm logic.
FIG. 5 is multiple parameter alarm table, showing alarm logic.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing various configurations of sensors in
a vehicle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates an intelligent medical vigilance system 1, which
comprises a bedside unit 3 connected to a sensing array 5 (placed
under the patient) and also to an existing hospital call system
7 via an interface 9. Within the physical bedside unit 3 are a signal
processor and an alarm processor that measure the data and evaluate
whether a clinically significant event is occurring. The present
invention can also be used as a monitoring system in vehicles.
The bedside unit 3 is a wall-mounted unit with a display 9 that
becomes active (comes on) when an alarm condition is enabled or
on command by the nurse, by touching any key. It has a number of
dedicated and softkey buttons and controls for entering information,
setting up specific items and interacting with the system.
While various types of sensors can be used, it is preferred that
the sensing array 5 be in the form of a thin, piezoelectric film
sensing array sheathed in soft padding that is easily cleaned. It
is placed in the patient's bed 11, under the bottom sheet (and other
padding if needed), not directly in contact with the skin of the
patient. The sensing array 5 may be incorporated into soft padding
under the bottom sheet of a patient's bed.
The nurse call feature 7 is made up of hardware, software and cabling
to connect to the nurse call system already installed in the hospital
or care facility.
The signal processor is made up of hardware and software that accepts,
buffers and converts the sensor array signal from analog to digital
format for subsequent processing. Trend information is recorded
and available for study.
The alarm processor uses logic to monitor the parameter trends
and determines when a negative condition is occurring. It then actuates
the alarm circuitry for local and/or remote alarm. Soft alarms may
be utilized to report adverse trends before emergency situation
arises.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the monitoring process of the
present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing progression from
normal patient condition to negative event and nurse response.
In all patient monitoring devices with alarms the user can set
"hard" alarm limits--those high and low single-parameter
limits that, when passed, will cause the alarm indication, signal
and tone to be transmitted to the caregiver by any number of means.
The caregiver responds to correct the situation. One problem caused
by such alarms is that of false positive alarms--those alarms that
sound because the set threshold is passed momentarily, but that
are not associated with a clinically significant event. In order
to monitor the patient closely the alarm limits may be set close
to the patient's present parameter value. The closer these are set,
the more likely it is that a minor actual parameter variation, patient
movement or other signal "noise" will make the measured
parameter surpass the set alarm limit.
Few if any alarms use any delay or additional processing other
that the filtering used to compute the average of and display the
parameter's value. There have been many attempts to measure the
inadequacy of such simple alarms in the intensive care unit. There
are also methodologies used to delay alarming until a certain time
since passage outside the range integrated with the extent of the
deviation beyond the set range is exceeded.
In an intelligent vigilance monitor such as the one used in this
invention, the "hard" alarm limits can be spread more
widely than in conventional intensive care unit monitors. This is
done because the patients being monitored may be relatively healthy
and mobile compared to typical ICU patients. Because of their high
activity level they exhibit a lot of variability in their measured
vital parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure,
temperature, cardiac activity, etc. Thus, the clinician wants to
watch over these patients' condition, but also wants to avoid false
positive alarms that disrupt the patient care workflow and the feelings
and outlook of the patient. However, the clinician is still interested
in detecting negative trends in the patient so they can react quickly
to treat or avoid deeper, more serious problems.
FIGS. 4 and 5 show the use of alarm limit pairs and algorithms.
FIG. 4 is a time plot of multiple parameters, showing various parameter
violations and alarm logic. FIG. 5 is multiple parameter alarm table,
showing alarm logic.
To accomplish a balanced response, the monitor of the present invention
has two or more distinct alarm limit pairs and algorithms. The purpose
of the new alarm scheme is to set new thresholds within the previous
"hard" limits of each parameter that will catch a patient's
worsening condition prior to crossing the old single "hard"
limits. This differs from just moving those limits in because these
new, soft limits require that both the HR and RR values (in this
example) be outside the soft limits to initiate the alarm. If either
the HR or RR falls outside a hard limit, then the alarm sounds.
If both the HR and RR fall outside the soft limit, but still within
the hard limit, then the "soft" alarm sounds. This is
best described in FIG. 4.
The parameters covered by such an alarm scheme are not limited
to Heart Rate and Respiratory Rate, used in this example. In fact
non-parameter-based signals (noise, motion etc.) can also be included
in this logic scheme to make it more clinically valuable. In addition,
the sensitivity and specificity of the "hard" alarm may
be improved by using a more-complex algorithm than just "did
it pass the limit?" used in many systems. This improvement
could take the form of applying a number of approaches including
but not limited to neural net and/or fuzzy logic.
Fuzzy logic could be applied to the limit as follows: Given one
or more measurements of physiological parameters (e.g. heart rate,
respiration rate, blood pressure, temperature, etc.) which require
an alarm when the measurement is outside of a range (or band), a
fuzzy logic type function can be defined as follows:
.times..function. ##EQU00001## an alarm truth function, based on
N different parameters or signals, and a signal truth function F(p)
for each parameter or signal
.function..times..times.<>.times..times..times..times..ltoreq..ltore-
q..times..times..times.<<>.times..times..ltoreq..ltoreq..times..t-
imes.> ##EQU00002## with the additional constraint that F(p)
must be monotonically increasing for t.sub.H1<=p<=t.sub.Hh
and monotonically decreasing for t.sub.L1<=p<=t.sub.Lh.
The sum of N different physiological fuzzy logic functions can
be used to establish an alarm equation (See alarm truth function
above) described further as follows: When A>=Ta, the alarm sounds,
otherwise it does not. Ta is typically set to 0.5 if any weak (or
soft) condition (or combination of weak conditions) is to cause
an alarm. If Ta is set to 1.0 a strong alarm condition from at least
one physiological parameter is required for the alarm to sound.
If it is desired that the alarm only sound when Physiological parameters
are at or above t.sub.Hh(n) (or below t.sub.L1(n)), then Ta can
be set to N. This method can also be used when the same physiological
parameter is measured by multiple means.
In the case of two measurements of the same physiological parameter,
the F(p) functions would most likely be the same for each measurement
and Ta could be set to 1.0 such that if either device exceeded the
t.sub.H limits, the alarm would sound. The alarm violation type
(hard, soft, etc.) may be differentiated from each other or not,
depending on the needs for the specific clinical application (ICU
versus General Care Floor, etc.). The alarms may be set individually
for each parameter as soft high and soft low or may be set by using
a fixed percentage, such as 10% within the range of the hard limits
for each parameter. The logic can also be extended to more than
two alarms if needed.
The sensitivity of both the "hard" and "soft"
limits also may be improved by delaying the alarm until the monitor
determines that a signal has passed a limit for a certain length
of time, such as 10 seconds. In this way, momentary changes in a
signal having no clinical significance can be ignored.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of the present invention installed in a vehicle.
The intelligent medical vigilance system of the present invention
can easily be adapted for use as a monitoring system for operators
of motor vehicles, aircraft or other devices. The sensing array
of the present invention is installed in one or more of the following
regions of a motor vehicle: the seat 13, seatback 15, headrest 17,
steering wheel 19, driving jacket 21, or a driving cap 23. One or
more sensor arrays may be located in each general location to provide
for improved feedback. The vehicle operator may also carry a wrist
attachment 25 or a necklace 27 with built in sensor arrays.
The sensor arrays in the vehicle transmit information about the
patient to a central processor 29 built into the vehicle via hardwiring
31 or wireless 33 technologies. The processor analyzes the incoming
information and outputs data as needed. The vigilance system can
be use to alert drivers to approaching sleep states or other potentially
hazardous physical conditions in order to reduce accidents. The
sensors can be configured to measure a variety of parameters, such
as heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, temperature, cardiac
output and movement of the vehicle operator. The intelligent monitoring
system in vehicles uses similar alarm schemes to those in a hospital
setting.
Background noise signals are actively cancelled out to provide
an accurate reading of the operator's measured physiological parameters.
This cancellation allows the monitoring system to operate effectively
in high background noise environments.
While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and
described, it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art
that various modifications can be made without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended
that the invention be limited except by the appended claims. |