U.S. patent application number 15/537377 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-07 for system and method for health monitoring.
This patent application is currently assigned to VITA-COURSE TECHNOLOGIES CO.,LTD. The applicant listed for this patent is VITA-COURSE TECHNOLOGIES CO.,LTD. Invention is credited to Zhiqiang LV, Zhiyong WANG, Chuanmin WEI, Jiao YU, Jiwei ZHAO.
Application Number | 20170347895 15/537377 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60482484 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170347895 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WEI; Chuanmin ; et
al. |
December 7, 2017 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HEALTH MONITORING
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a device, method and system
for estimating or monitoring the health condition of a subject. At
least one processor, when executing instructions, may perform one
or more of the following operations. At least one physiological
signal or information including a physiological signal of a subject
may be received. At least one physiological parameter of interest
may be generated based on the physiological signal. The
physiological parameter of interest may be analyzed according to an
analysis model. A physiological result may be generated. A
recommendation may be provided based on the physiological analysis
result.
Inventors: |
WEI; Chuanmin; (Shenzhen,
CN) ; WANG; Zhiyong; (Shenzhen, CN) ; YU;
Jiao; (Shenzhen, CN) ; ZHAO; Jiwei; (Shenzhen,
CN) ; LV; Zhiqiang; (Shenzhen, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
VITA-COURSE TECHNOLOGIES CO.,LTD |
Shenzhen, Guangdong |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
VITA-COURSE TECHNOLOGIES
CO.,LTD
Shenzhen, Guangdong
CN
|
Family ID: |
60482484 |
Appl. No.: |
15/537377 |
Filed: |
January 4, 2016 |
PCT Filed: |
January 4, 2016 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2016/070017 |
371 Date: |
June 16, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 5/0537 20130101;
A61B 5/01 20130101; A61B 2562/0219 20130101; A61B 5/0402 20130101;
A61B 5/1112 20130101; A61B 5/7203 20130101; A61B 5/0022 20130101;
A61B 5/681 20130101; G16H 40/67 20180101; A61B 5/6893 20130101;
A61B 5/02405 20130101; A61B 5/14542 20130101; A61B 5/7207 20130101;
A61B 5/486 20130101; A61B 2562/0233 20130101; A61B 2562/046
20130101; A61B 5/0205 20130101; A61B 5/7282 20130101; A61B
2562/0247 20130101; A61B 5/165 20130101; A61B 5/6895 20130101; A61B
5/6898 20130101; A61B 5/6803 20130101; A61B 5/021 20130101; A61B
5/0002 20130101; A61B 2560/0209 20130101; A61B 5/6897 20130101;
A61B 5/742 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61B 5/0205 20060101
A61B005/0205; A61B 5/01 20060101 A61B005/01; A61B 5/145 20060101
A61B005/145; A61B 5/00 20060101 A61B005/00; A61B 5/0402 20060101
A61B005/0402 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 4, 2015 |
CN |
201510005387.4 |
Mar 31, 2015 |
CN |
201520186879.3 |
Mar 31, 2015 |
CN |
201520188127.0 |
Mar 31, 2015 |
CN |
201520188128.5 |
Mar 31, 2015 |
CN |
201520188129.X |
Mar 31, 2015 |
CN |
201520188130.2 |
Mar 31, 2015 |
CN |
201520188151.4 |
Mar 31, 2015 |
CN |
201520188152.9 |
Mar 31, 2015 |
CN |
201520188308.3 |
Apr 1, 2015 |
CN |
201520192648.3 |
Apr 21, 2015 |
CN |
201520242994.8 |
Jun 3, 2015 |
CN |
201520377166.5 |
Jul 3, 2015 |
CN |
PCT/CN2015/083334 |
Dec 5, 2015 |
CN |
PCT/CN2015/096498 |
Claims
1. A device comprising: memory storing instructions; and at least
one processor that executes the instructions to perform operations
comprising: receiving at least one physiological signal of a
subject; generating at least one physiological parameter of
interest based on the physiological signal; analyzing the
physiological parameter of interest according to an analysis model;
generating a physiological analysis result; providing a
recommendation based on the physiological analysis result; and
transmitting at least one of the at least one physiological signal,
the physiological parameter of interest, the physiological analysis
result, and the recommendation to a related member with the
subject.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the receiving at least one
physiological signal comprises communicating with at least one
physiological sensor located on at least one location on the body
of the subject.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the physiological sensor
comprises an electric sensor, an optical sensor, a temperature
sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a pressure sensor.
4. The device of claim 3, wherein the electric sensor comprises an
electrode, wherein the electrode comprises a flexible conductive
layer, a gluing layer, and a button configured to connect the
conductive layer and the gluing layer, wherein the flexible
conductive layer comprises a first opening and the gluing layer
comprising a second opening, and wherein the first opening
corresponds to the second opening, and the button is fixed in the
opening and contact with the flexible conductive layer.
5. The device of claim 2, wherein the location comprises at least
one location selected from the head, the neck, the chest, the
abdomen, the upper arm, the wrist, the waist, the upper leg, the
knee, or the ankle of the subject.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the physiological signal
comprises an ECG signal, a pulse related signal, or a temperature
signal.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the physiological parameter of
interest comprises an ECG diagram, a heart rate, a heart rate
variation, a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation, a blood oxygen
level, a body temperature value, or a blood pressure.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the physiological analysis result
comprises a health condition evaluation.
9. The device of claim 9, wherein the health condition evaluation
comprises a change of the physiological parameters of interest with
time, a difference with statistical data, or abnormalities in the
physiological parameter of interest.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein the recommendation comprises a
health tip or a medical guide.
11. (canceled)
12. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor that
executes the instructions to perform operations further comprises:
verifying an identify of the related member; and allowing an access
privilege to the related member.
13. A method implemented on at least one processor, storage, and a
communication platform connected to a network, the method
comprising: receiving at least one physiological signal of a
subject; generating at least one physiological parameter of
interest based on the physiological signal; analyzing the
physiological parameter of interest according to an analysis model;
generating a physiological analysis result; providing a
recommendation based on the physiological analysis result; and
transmitting at least one of the at least one physiological signal,
the physiological parameter of interest, the physiological analysis
result, and the recommendation to a related member with the
subject.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising acquiring the at
least one physiological signal on at least one location on the body
of the subject.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the location is selected from
the head, the neck, the chest, the abdomen, the upper arm, the
wrist, the waist, the upper leg, the knee, or the ankle of the
subject.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least physiological
signal comprises an electric signal, an optical signal or a
temperature signal.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the physiological signal
comprises an ECG signal, a pulse related signal, or a temperature
signal.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein the physiological parameter of
interest comprises an ECG diagram, a heart rate, a heart rate
variation, a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation, a blood oxygen
level, a body temperature value, or a blood pressure.
19. (canceled)
20. The method of claim 13, wherein the health condition evaluation
comprises a change of the physiological parameters of interest with
time, a difference with statistical data, or abnormalities in the
physiological parameter of interest.
21. The method of claim 13, wherein the recommendation comprises a
health tip or a medical guide.
22. (canceled)
23. The method of claim 13, further comprising: verifying an
identify of the related member; and providing an access privilege
to the related member.
24-25. (canceled)
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority of International
Application No. PCT/CN2015/083334 filed Jul. 3, 2015, and
International Application No. PCT/CN2015/096498 filed Dec. 5, 2015,
and Chinese Patent Application No. 201520188152.9 filed Mar. 31,
2015, and Chinese Patent Application No. 201510005387.4 filed Jan.
4, 2015, and Chinese Patent Application No. 201520188151.4 filed
Mar. 31, 2015, and Chinese Patent Application No. 201520188130.2
filed Mar. 31, 2015, and Chinese Patent Application No.
201520188128.5 filed Mar. 31, 2015, and Chinese Patent Application
No. 201520188127.0 filed Mar. 31, 2015, and Chinese Patent
Application No. 201520242994.8 filed Apr. 21, 2015, and Chinese
Patent Application No. 201520188308.3 filed Mar. 31, 2015, and
Chinese Patent Application No. 201520192648.3 filed Apr. 1, 2015,
and Chinese Patent Application No. 201520377166.5 filed Jun. 3,
2015, and Chinese Patent Application No. 201520188129.X filed Mar.
31, 2015, and Chinese Patent Application No. 201520186879.3 filed
Mar. 31, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein
by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to a system and
method applicable in healthcare related areas. More particularly,
the present disclosure relates to a system and method for health
monitoring.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Health problems are important issues. However, it is
difficult to monitor the health condition of a subject continuously
and/or timely, especially for the aged, children, etc. Real-time
monitoring of the health condition of a subject when he is in
motion, driving, or operating a machine may provide valuable
information for various reasons including, for example, safety
concerns. There is a need for a system and method to monitor health
condition of a subject continuously or in real time and/or share
information relating to the health condition of the subject with
another including, for example, a healthcare provide, a family
member, or the like, or a combination thereof.
SUMMARY
[0004] Some embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a
device including memory storing instructions, and at least one
processor. The device may be used to estimate or monitor the health
condition of a subject. When the at least one processor executing
the instructions, the at least one process may perform one or more
of the following operations. At least one physiological signal or
information including a physiological signal of a subject may be
received. At least one physiological parameter of interest may be
generated based on the physiological signal. The physiological
parameter of interest may be analyzed according to an analysis
model. A physiological result may be generated. A recommendation
may be provided based on the physiological analysis result.
[0005] Some embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a
method implemented on at least one processor for estimating or
monitoring the health condition of a subject. The method may
include one or more of the following operations. At least one
physiological signal or information including a physiological
signal of a subject may be received. At least one physiological
parameter of interest may be generated based on the physiological
signal. The physiological parameter of interest may be analyzed
according to an analysis model. A physiological result may be
generated. A recommendation may be provided based on the
physiological analysis result.
[0006] Some embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a
system implemented on memory and at least one processor. The system
may be used to estimate or monitoring the health condition of a
subject. The system may include a measuring module, a generation
unit, and an analysis unit. The measuring module may be configured
to receive at least one physiological signal of a subject. The
generation unit may be configured to generate at least one
physiological parameter of interest based on the physiological
signal. The analysis unit may be configured to analyze the
physiological parameter of interest according to an analysis model;
generate a physiological analysis result; provide a recommendation
based on the physiological analysis result.
[0007] In some embodiments, the receiving at least one
physiological signal comprising communicating with at least one
physiological sensor located on at least one location on the body
of the subject. The physiological sensor may be part of the device.
The physiological sensor may include an electric sensor, an optical
sensor, a temperature sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a pressure
sensor. The location may include at least one location selected
from the head, the neck, the chest, the abdomen, the upper arm, the
wrist, the waist, the upper leg, the knee, or the ankle of the
subject.
[0008] In some embodiments, the electric sensor may include an
electrode. The electrode may include a flexible conductive layer, a
gluing layer, and a button configured to connect the conductive
layer and the gluing layer. The flexible conductive layer may
include a first opening and the gluing layer comprising a second
opening. The first opening may correspond to the second opening,
the button may be fixed in the opening and contact with the
flexible conductive layer.
[0009] In some embodiments, the physiological signal may include an
ECG signal, a pulse related signal, or a temperature signal. In
some embodiments, the physiological parameter of interest may
include an ECG diagram, a heart rate, a heart rate variation, a
pulse rate, a pulse rate variation, a blood oxygen level, a body
temperature value, or a blood pressure. In some embodiments, the
physiological analysis result may include a health condition
evaluation. In some embodiments, the health condition evaluation
may include a change of the physiological parameters of interest
with time, a difference with statistical data, or abnormalities in
the physiological parameter of interest. In some embodiments, the
recommendation may include a health tip, or a medical guide.
[0010] In some embodiments, the at least one of the physiological
signal, physiological parameter of interest, a physiological
analysis result, a recommendation may be transmitted to a related
member with the subject. The transmitting may include verifying an
identify of the related member; and allowing an access privilege to
the related member.
[0011] In some embodiments, the at least one processor may further
receive information relating to the subject or a condition when the
physiological signal are received. Exemplary information may
include, e.g., age, body weight, the time (during the day) or the
date the first signal or the second signal is acquired, the room
temperature, the mood of the subject at the time, whether the
subject has recently exercised, or the like, or a combination
thereof. Such information may be taken into consideration when the
blood pressure of the subject is calculated using the device.
[0012] Additional features will be set forth in part in the
description which follows, and in part will become apparent to
those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the
accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation
of the examples. The features of the present disclosure may be
realized and attained by practice or use of various aspects of the
methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations set forth in the
detailed examples discussed below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The present disclosure is further described in terms of
exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in
detail with reference to the drawings. These embodiments are
non-limiting exemplary embodiments, in which like reference
numerals represent similar structures throughout the several views
of the drawings, and wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1-A and FIG. 1-B illustrate exemplary system
configurations in which a system for health monitoring may be
deployed in accordance with various embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an exemplary process in which a
method for health monitoring is deployed, according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary block diagram of a measuring
device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 4-A and FIG. 4-B are block diagrams illustrating the
architecture of a terminal according to some embodiments of the
present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 4-C is a flowchart of an exemplary process for
processing information according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 5-A and FIG. 5-B are block diagrams illustrating the
architecture of a health information management engine according to
some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 5-C is a flowchart of an exemplary process for
analyzing data according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of
an exemplary system for health monitoring according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary block diagram illustrating the
architecture of a measuring device according to some embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 8-A through FIG. 8-D show an exemplary smart watch
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 9-A and FIG. 9-B illustrate a top view and a bottom
view of a smart watch according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 10-A through FIG. 10-C show an exemplary electrode
which may be used to acquire an ECG signal according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 11 shows an exemplary block diagram illustrating the
architecture of a measuring device according to some embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 12-A and FIG. 12-B show an exemplary measuring device
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 13 shows another exemplary measuring device according
to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0029] FIG. 14-A through FIG. 14-C show an exemplary neckband
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0030] FIG. 15-A and FIG. 15-B show an exemplary wristband
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0031] FIG. 16 shows an exemplary bicycle with an exemplary
measuring device according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 17-A and FIG. 17-B show an exemplary steering wheel
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0033] FIG. 18-A and FIG. 18-B show an exemplary jump rope
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0034] FIG. 19-A and FIG. 19-B shown an exemplary mouse and mouse
pad according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0035] FIG. 20-A through FIG. 20-C show an exemplary tablet
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0036] FIG. 21-A and FIG. 21-B show a flowchart diagram of an
exemplary health monitoring process according to some embodiments
of the present disclosure; and
[0037] FIG. 22 provides an exemplary process for a mobile health
monitoring according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] In the following detailed description, numerous specific
details are set forth by way of examples in order to provide a
thorough understanding of the relevant disclosure. However, it
should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present
disclosure may be practiced without such details. In other
instances, well known methods, procedures, systems, components,
and/or circuitry have been described at a relatively high-level,
without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects
of the present disclosure.
[0039] The present disclosure relates to system, method, and
programming aspects of health monitoring. The health monitoring may
involve acquiring a plurality of physiological signals, information
and parameters. The system and method may involve improved sensor
design and signal processing. The system and method as disclosed
herein may perform health monitoring continuously in a non-invasive
way, with improved accuracy. The system and method may acquire
blood pressure, blood oxygen level, heart rate, heart rate
variation, pulse rate, pulse rate variation, body fat, or the like,
or a combination thereof. The following description is provided for
illustration purposes, and is not intended to limit the scope of
the present disclosure.
[0040] These and other features, and characteristics of the present
disclosure, as well as the methods of operation and functions of
the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and
economies of manufacture, may become more apparent upon
consideration of the following description with reference to the
accompanying drawing(s), all of which form a part of this
specification. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the
drawing(s) are for the purpose of illustration and description only
and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form
of "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context
clearly dictates otherwise.
[0041] The present disclosure generally relates to a system and
method applicable in healthcare related areas. More particularly,
the present disclosure relates to a system and method for health
monitoring. In some embodiments, the system and/or various
measuring devices may be used to perform real-time and/or
continuously monitoring of one or more physiological parameters of
interest of a subject in various situations including, for example,
when the subject is in motion or operating a mobile vehicle or
machine. Such measuring devices may be part of the system, or may
communicate with the system. In some embodiments, the system may
facilitate the sharing of the physiological parameter(s) of
interest and/or relevant information relating to the subject with
someone else including, for example, a healthcare provider, a
family member, a guardian, a hospital, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The information sharing may be performed
real-time, with a delay, periodically, triggered by an event, or
the like, or a combination thereof.
[0042] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system configuration in
which a system 100 may be deployed in accordance with some
embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 100 may be
configured to monitor a physiological parameter of interest. The
system 100 may include a measuring device 110, a health information
management engine 120, a terminal 130, a database 140, and a
network 150. The measuring device 110 may be configured for
acquiring a physiological signal, physiological information, or an
environmental signal. The measuring device 110 may include a
plurality of devices, such as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, . . . , 110-N.
The terminal 130 may include a plurality of terminals, such as,
130-1, 130-2, 130-3, . . . , 130-N. Various components of the
system 100 may be connected to each other directly or indirectly
via the network 150.
[0043] The measuring device 110 may be configured to measure a
signal. The signal may be a physiological signal. The signal may
relate to or be used to calculate or estimate a physiological
parameter of interest. The measuring device 110 may include, for
example, a clinical device, a household device, a portable device,
a wearable device, a life tool, or the like, or a combination
thereof. As used herein, a clinical device may be one that meets
applicable requirements and specifications to be used in a clinical
setting including, e.g., a hospital, a doctor's office, a nursing
home, or the like. A clinical device may be used by or with the
assistance of a healthcare provider. As used herein, a household
device may be one that meets applicable requirements and
specifications to be used at home or a nonclinical setting. A
household device may be used by someone who is or is not a
professional provider. A clinical device or a household device, or
a portion thereof, may be portable or wearable. As used herein, a
life tool may be one that may be used in daily life.
[0044] Exemplary clinical devices include an auscultatory device,
an oscillometric device, an ECG monitor, a PPG monitor, or the
like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary household devices include
an oscillometric device, a household ECG monitor, a sphygmometer,
or the like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary portable devices
include an oscillometric device, a portable ECG monitor, a portable
PPG monitor, or the like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary
wearable devices include a smart watch (see FIG. 8-A through FIG.
8-D, and FIG. 9-A and FIG. 9-B), a pair of glasses (see FIG. 12-A
and FIG. 12-B), a ring (see FIG. 13), a neckband (see FIG. 14-A and
FIG. 14-B), a wristband (see FIG. 15-A and FIG. 15-B), a shoulder
strap, an anklet, a thigh band, a chest belt, an armband, a
necklet, or the like, or a combination thereof. A tool may be a
device used in daily life, such as, a bicycle (see FIG. 16), a
steering wheel (see FIG. 17-A and FIG. 17-B), a jump rope (see FIG.
18-A and FIG. 18-B), a mouse (see FIG. 19-A and FIG. 19-B), a
tablet (see FIG. 20-A and FIG. 20-B), or the like, or a combination
thereof. The above mentioned examples of measuring devices 110 are
provided for illustration purposes, and not intended to limit the
scope of the present disclosure. A measuring device 110 may be in
other forms, such as a brassiere, an underwear, a chest band, some
other life tools (e.g., an umbrella, a treadmill, or the like), or
the like, or a combination thereof.
[0045] The measuring device 110 may be any combination of a
clinical device, a house hold device, a wearable or portable
device, and a tool. The measuring device 110 in combination may be
configured for acquiring signals from multiple locations on the
body of the subject. For example, the measuring device 110 may be a
combination of a wearable device (e.g., a pair of glasses, see FIG.
12-A and FIG. 12-B) and a tool (e.g., a steering wheel, see FIG.
17-A and FIG. 17-B), sensors on the steering wheel and the pair of
glasses may be coordinate to provide signals from multiple body
locations. As another example, the measuring device 110 may be a
combination of a wearable device (e.g., a pair of glasses, see FIG.
12-A and FIG. 12-B) and a tool (e.g., a mouse, see FIG. 19-A and
FIG. 19-B), sensors on the pair of glasses and the mouse may be
coordinate to provide signals from multiple body locations. More
detailed descriptions regarding acquiring signals from multiple
body locations may be found in International Application No.
PCT/CN2015/096498 filed Dec. 5, 2015.
[0046] Merely by way of example, the measuring device 110 may be a
wearable or portable device, or may be integrated in or combined
with a tool, configured to measure one or more physiological
signals. In some embodiments, the wearable or portable device may
process at least some of the measured signals, estimate a
physiological parameter of interest based on the measured signals,
display a result including the physiological parameter of interest
in the form of, e.g., an image, an audio alert, perform wired or
wireless communication with a terminal 130 or the health
information management engine 120, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The terminal 130 or the health information management
engine 120 may process and analyze at least some of the measured
signals, generate a physiological result based on the measured
signals or the estimated physiological parameters of interest,
display or present a result including the physiological result. The
result may be displayed or presented in the form of, e.g., an
image, an audio alert, a video, a graph, text, a haptic alert, or
the like, or a combination thereof.
[0047] In some embodiments, the operations of processing the
measured signals, estimating a physiological parameter, displaying
or presenting a result, or performing wired or wireless
communication may be performed by an integrated device or by
separate devices connected to or communicating with each other.
Such an integrated device may be portable or wearable. In some
embodiments, at least some of the separate devices may be portable
or wearable, or located in the vicinity of a subject whose signal
is measured or a physiological parameter of interest is estimated
or monitored. Merely by way of example, the subject wears the
measuring device 110 that is configured to measure one or more
physiological signals; the measured one or more physiological
signals are transmitted to a terminal 130-1 (e.g., a smart phone)
that is configured to calculate or estimate a physiological
parameter of interest based on the measured signals, and to analyze
or process the signals of parameters. In some embodiments, at least
some of the separate devices are located in a location remote from
the subject. Merely by way of example, the subject wears the
measuring device 110 that is configured to measure one or more
signals; the measured one or more signals are transmitted to the
health information management engine 120 or a processor that is
configured to calculate or estimate multiple physiological
parameters of interest based on the measured signals, and to
analyze or process the measured signals and/or the calculated or
estimated physiological parameters of interest; the acquired
signals, calculated or estimated physiological parameters of
interest, and/or the analysis results may be provided to the
subject, or a user other than the subject (for example, a doctor, a
care provider, a family member relating to the subject, or the
like, or a combination thereof). In some embodiments, the acquired
signals, calculated or estimated physiological parameters of
interest, and/or the analysis results may be transmitted to another
terminal 130-2.
[0048] The system 100 may include or communicate with a server,
e.g., the health information management engine 120. The health
information management engine 120 may be a local server, a remote
server, or a cloud server. The health information management engine
120 may be configured for processing or analyzing the acquired
signals, received information and/or retrieved data from the
database 140. In some embodiments, the health information
management engine 120 may be implemented in a cloud server that may
provide storage capacity, computation capacity, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The health information management engine 120
may be configured to collect or store data. The data may include
personal data, non-personal data, or both. The data may include
static data, dynamic data, or both. Exemplary static personal data
may include various information regarding a subject including
identity, contact information, birthday, a health history (for
example, whether a subject has a history of smoking, information
regarding a prior surgery, a food allergy, a drug allergy, a
medical treatment history, a history of genetic disease, a family
health history, or the like, or a combination thereof), the gender,
the nationality, the height, the weight, the occupation, a habit
(for example, a health-related habit such as an exercise habit),
the education background, a hobby, the marital status, religious
belief, or the like, or a combination thereof. Static data may
change over time. For instance, a subject may move and his contact
information may change. As another example, a subject may drop a
habit or develop a new habit, or change his occupation. Exemplary
personal dynamic data may include a current health condition of a
subject, medications the subject is taking, a medical treatment the
subject is undertaking, diet, physiological signals or parameters
(for example, pulse transit time (PTT), systolic blood pressure
(SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), ECG, PPG, blood oxygen
level, or the like) relating to the subject for multiple time
points or over a period of time, or the like, or a combination
thereof. In some embodiments, the data may be stored locally on the
measuring device 110 or the terminal 130. Exemplary static
non-personal data may include a history of a disease or health
condition in an area, among a general population, among a
sub-population sharing a characteristic, etc. Exemplary dynamic
non-personal data may include the spreading of an epidemic disease
in an area, among a general population, among a sub-population
sharing a characteristic, etc.
[0049] The system 100 may include or communicate with one or more
terminals 130. The terminal 130 may be configured for processing at
least some of the measured signals, estimating a physiological
parameter of interest based on the measured signals, displaying or
presenting a result including the physiological parameter of
interest, storing data, controlling access to the system 100 or a
portion thereof (for example, access to the personal data stored in
the system 100 or accessible from the system 100), managing
input-output from or relating to a subject, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The measured signals may include one or more
physiological signals, one or more signals relating to
environmental information, or the like, or a combination thereof.
The result may be displayed or presented in the form of, for
example, an image, an audio alert, a video, a graph, text, a haptic
alert, or the like, or a combination thereof. The terminal 130 may
include, for example, a mobile device (for example, a smart phone,
a tablet, a laptop computer, or the like), a personal computer, or
the like, or a combination thereof. The terminal 130 also may be a
device that may work independently, or a processing unit or
processing module assembled in another device (for example, an
intelligent home terminal). Merely by way of example, the terminal
130 includes a CPU or a processor in the measuring device 110. In
some embodiments, the terminal 130 and the measuring device 110 may
be integrated in an independent device (e.g., see FIG. 20). The
system 100 may include a plurality of terminals, e.g., 130-1,
130-2, . . . , 130-N. The plurality of terminals may be connected
with or communicate with each other through the network 150.
[0050] The database 140 may be a database provided by a variety of
organizations, systems, and devices, or the like, or a combination
thereof. Exemplary organizations may include a medical institution,
a research facility, or the like, or a combination thereof.
Exemplary system or device may include a conventional device, a
peripheral device, or the like, or a combination thereof. The
medical institution or the research facility may provide, for
example, personal medical records, clinical test results,
experimental research results, theoretical or mathematical research
results, algorithms suitable for processing data, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The conventional device may include a
cardiovascular signal measuring device, such as a mercury
sphygmomanometer. A peripheral device may be configured to monitor
and/or detect one or more types of variables including, for
example, temperature, humidity, user or subject input, or the like,
or a combination thereof. The above mentioned examples of the
database 140 and data types are provided for illustration purposes,
and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For
instance, the database 140 may include other sources and other
types of data, such as genetic information relating to a subject or
his family. Access to the database 140 may be controlled or gated.
A subject or a user other than the subject may need an access
privilege to visit the database 140. Different subjects or users
other than the subjects may have different access privileges to
different parts of the database 140.
[0051] The network 150 may be a single network or a combination of
different networks. For example, the network 150 may be a local
area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a public network, a
private network, a proprietary network, a Public Telephone Switched
Network (PSTN), the Internet, a wireless network, a virtual
network, or any combination thereof. The network 150 may also
include various network access points, for example, wired or
wireless access points such as base stations or Internet exchange
points (not shown in FIG. 1), through which a data source or any
component of the system 100 described above may connect to the
network 150 in order to transmit information via the network
150.
[0052] Various components of or accessible from the system 100 may
include a memory or electronic storage media. Such components may
include, for example, the measuring device 110, the health
information management engine 120, the terminal 130, the database
140, or the like, or a combination thereof. The memory or
electronic storage media of any component of the system 100 may
include one or both of a system storage (for example, a disk) that
is provided integrally (i.e. substantially non-removable) with the
component, and a removable storage that may be removably connected
to the component via, for example, a port (for example, a USB port,
a firewire port, etc.) or a drive (for example, a disk drive,
etc.). The memory or electronic storage media of any component of
the system 100 may include or be operationally connected with one
or more virtual storage resources (for example, a cloud storage, a
virtual private network, and/or other virtual storage
resources).
[0053] The memory or electronic storage media of the system 100 may
include a dynamic storage device configured to store information
and instructions to be executed by the processor of a
system-on-chip (SoC, for example, a chipset including a processor),
other processors (or computing units), or the like, or a
combination thereof. The memory or electronic storage media may
also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate
information during execution of instructions by the processor(s).
Part of or the entire memory or electronic storage media may be
implemented as Dual In-line Memory Modules (DIMMs), and may be one
or more of the following types of memory: static random access
memory (SRAM), Burst SRAM or Synch Burst SRAM (BSRAM), dynamic
random access memory (DRAM), Fast Page Mode DRAM (FPM DRAM),
Enhanced DRAM (EDRAM), Extended Data Output RAM (EDO RAM), Extended
Data Output DRAM (EDO DRAM), Burst Extended Data Output DRAM (BEDO
DRAM), Enhanced DRAM (EDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), JEDECSRAM,
PCIOO SDRAM, Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced SDRAM
(ESDRAM), Sync Link DRAM (SLDRAM), Direct Rambus DRAM (DRDRAM),
Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), or any other type of memory device. The
memory or electronic storage media may also include read-only
memory (ROM) and/or another static storage device configured to
store static information and instructions for the processor of the
SoC and/or other processors (or computing units). Further, the
memory or electronic storage media may include a magnetic disk,
optical disc or flash memory devices to store information and
instructions.
[0054] In some embodiments, the SoC may be part of a core
processing or computing unit of a component of or accessible from
the system 100. The SoC may be configured to receive and process
input data and instructions, provide output and/or control other
components of the system. In some embodiments, the SoC may include
a microprocessor, a memory controller, a memory, and a peripheral
component. The microprocessor may further include a cache memory
(for example, SRAM), which along with the memory of the SoC may be
part of a memory hierarchy to store instructions and data. The
microprocessor may also include one or more logic modules such as a
field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other logic array.
Communication between the microprocessor in the SoC and memory may
be facilitated by the memory controller (or chipset), which may
also facilitate in communicating with the peripheral component,
such as a counter-timer, a real-time timer, a power-on reset
generator, or the like, or a combination thereof. The SoC may also
include other components including, for example, a timing source
(for example, an oscillator, a phase-locked loop, or the like), a
voltage regulator, a power management circuit, or the like, or a
combination thereof.
[0055] Merely by way of example, the system 100 may include a
wearable or portable device. The wearable or portable device may
include a SoC. The wearable or portable device may include, connect
to, or communicate with a plurality of sensors. Exemplary sensors
may include a photoelectric sensor, a conductance sensor, or the
like, or a combination thereof. The SoC may process signals
acquired through at least some of the plurality of sensors. The
acquired signals may be various physiological signals including,
for example, photoplethysmograph (PPG), electrocardiograph (ECG),
or the like, or a combination thereof. The SoC may calculate a
physiological parameter of interest based on the acquired signals.
Exemplary physiological parameters of interest may be blood
pressure, blood oxygen level, ECG information, heart rate, or the
like, or a combination thereof.
[0056] In some embodiments, the database 140 may receive data from
the measuring device 110, the health information management engine
120, the terminal 130, or the like, or any combination by the
network 150. Merely by way of example, the database 140 (for
example, a medical institution, or a smart home system, or the
like) may receive information relating to a subject (for example,
location information, data from the cloud sever or a terminal, or
the like, or a combination thereof) based on the data received from
the measuring devices 110 or the terminal 130. In some embodiments,
the measuring device 110 may receive data from the health
information management engine 120, the database 130, or the like,
or any combination via the network 150. Merely by way of example,
the measuring device 110 may receive information relating to a
subject (for example, a current/historical health condition of a
subject, medications the subject is taking, medical treatment the
subject is undertaking, current/historical diets, current emotion
status, historical physiological parameters (for example, PTT, SBP,
DBP) relating to the subject, or the like, or a combination
thereof). Furthermore, the terminal 130 may receive data from the
measuring device 110, the health information management engine 120,
the database 140, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0057] FIG. 1-B illustrates a similar system configuration as what
is shown in FIG. 1-A except that the database 140 may be configured
to connect to the network 150 via the health information management
engine 120. Access to the database 140 may be controlled or gated.
A subject or a user other than the subject may need an access
privilege to visit the database 140. Different subjects or users
other than the subjects may have different access privileges to
different parts of the database 140.
[0058] FIG. 1-A and FIG. 1-B are examples of the system 100 in a
networked environment. The configuration of the system 100 are not
limited to that illustrated in FIG. 1-A or FIG. 1-B. For example, a
health information management engine 120 may be omitted, migrating
all of its functions to a terminal 130. In another example, a
health information management engine 120 and a terminal 130 may
both be omitted, migrating all of their functions to a measuring
device 110. In a further example, a database 140 may be omitted,
migrating all of its functions to the health information management
engine 120.
[0059] In one example, the system may include, connect to or
communicate with a wearable or portable device and a mobile device
(for example, a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, or the
like). The wearable or portable device may be used to acquire
physiological signals, environmental information, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The mobile device may be used to receive the
signals or information acquired by the wearable or portable device.
The mobile device may calculate one or more physiological
parameters of interest based on the acquired signals or
information, as well as relevant data retrieved from another source
(for example, from a server, a memory incorporated in the wearable
or portable device, a memory incorporated in the mobile device,
etc.). The retrieved relevant data may include, for example,
current/historical information stored on the server. The mobile
device may analyze the acquired signals, and/or the calculated
physiological parameters of interest. Exemplary current/historical
information may include a current/historical health condition of a
subject, current/historical medications the subject is/was taking,
current/historical medical treatment the subject is/was
undertaking, current/historical diets, current/historical emotion
status, current/historical physiological parameters (for example,
PTT, SBP, DBP, ECG information, heart rate, blood oxygen level)
relating to the subject, or the like, or a combination thereof.
More detailed descriptions may be found in International
Application Nos. PCT/CN2015/083334 filed Jul. 3, 2015 and
PCT/CN2015/096498 filed Dec. 5, 2015. The wearable or portable
device, or the mobile device may display, present, or report, or
store at least some of the acquired signals, information, the
retrieved relevant data, the calculated one or more physiological
parameters of interest, the analysis results, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The display, presentation, or report may be
provided to a subject, a user other than the subject, a third
party, the server, or other terminals.
[0060] In another example, the system may include, connect to, or
communicate with a wearable or portable device that may be
configured to perform functions including: acquiring physiological
signals or environmental information, retrieving relevant data from
another source (for example, from a server, a memory incorporated
in the wearable or portable device, etc.), calculating one or more
physiological parameters of interest based on the acquired signals,
information, or the retrieved relevant data, analyzing the acquired
signals and/or the calculated physiological parameters of interest,
and displaying, presenting, reporting, or storing at least some of
the acquired signals, information, the retrieved relevant data, the
calculated one or more physiological parameters of interest, the
analysis results, or the like, or a combination thereof. The
display, presentation, or report may be provided to a subject, a
user other than the subject, a third party, the server, or another
device.
[0061] In a further example, the system may include, connect to, or
communicate with a wearable or portable device that may be
configured to perform functions including: acquiring physiological
signals and environmental information, communicating with a server
to transmit at least some of the acquired signals or information to
the server such that the server may calculate one or more
physiological parameters of interest and analyze the acquired
signals and/or the calculated physiological parameters of interest,
receiving the calculated one or more physiological parameters of
interest and the analysis results from the server, displaying,
presenting, reporting, or storing at least some of the acquired
signals, information, the calculated one or more physiological
parameters of interest, or the like, or a combination thereof. The
display, presentation, or report may be provided to a subject, a
user other than the subject, a third party, the server, or another
device. In some embodiments, the communication between the wearable
or portable device and the server may be achieved by way of the
wearable or portable device being connected to a network (for
example, the network 150). In some embodiments, the communication
between the wearable or portable device and the server may be
achieved via a communication device (for example, a mobile device
such as a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, or the like)
that communicates with both the wearable or portable device and the
server. A health information management engine 120 may be
implemented on the server. The health information management engine
120 may perform the calculation of one or more physiological
parameters of interest and/or the analysis of the acquired signals
and/or the calculated physiological parameters of interest.
[0062] In still a further example, the system may include, connect
to, or communicate with a wearable or portable device, a mobile
device (for example, a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, or
the like), and a server. The wearable or portable device may be
used to acquire physiological signals, environmental information,
or the like, or a combination thereof. The mobile device may be
used to receive the signals or information acquired by the wearable
or portable device, may calculate one or more physiological
parameters of interest based on the received signals and/or
information retrieved from the wearable or portable device, as well
as relevant data retrieved from, for example, a server, a memory
incorporated in the wearable or portable device or incorporated in
the mobile device, and analyze the acquired signals and/or the
calculated physiological parameters of interest. The mobile device
may display, present, report, or store at least some of the
acquired signals, information, the retrieved relevant data, the
calculated one or more physiological parameters of interest, or the
like, or a combination thereof. The display, presentation, or
report may be provided to a subject, a user other than the subject,
a third party, the server, or another device. A health information
management engine 120 may be implemented on the server. The health
information management engine 120 may perform the calculation of
one or more physiological parameters of interest and/or the
analysis of the acquired signals and/or the calculated
physiological parameters of interest.
[0063] In a still a further example, the system may include a
wearable or a portable device, a mobile device ((for example, a
smart phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, or the like), and a
server. The wearable or portable device may be used to acquire
physiological signals, environmental information, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The mobile device may be used to receive the
signals or information acquired by the wearable or portable device,
may calculate one or more physiological parameters of interest
based on the received signals and/or information retrieved from the
wearable or portable device, as well as relevant data retrieved
from, for example, a server, a memory incorporated in the wearable
or portable device or incorporated in the mobile device. The server
may receive the signals or information acquired by the wearable or
portable device and the physiological parameters of interest
calculated by the mobile device, analyze the received signals,
information and physiological parameters of interest, and transmit
the analysis results to the mobile device. A health information
management engine 120 may be implemented on the server. The health
information management engine 120 may perform the calculation of
one or more physiological parameters of interest and/or the
analysis of the acquired signals and/or the calculated
physiological parameters of interest. In the exemplary embodiment,
some of the calculation or analysis may be performed by the mobile
device, some of the calculation or analysis may be performed by the
health information management engine 120 implemented on the server.
The mobile device may display, present, report, or store at least
some of the acquired signals, information, the retrieved relevant
data, the calculated one or more physiological parameters of
interest, the analysis results, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The display, presentation, or report may be provided to a
subject, a user other than the subject, a third party, the server,
or another device.
[0064] In another example, the system may include a measuring
device 110 integrated in a tool used in daily life (such as a
bicycle configured to monitor one or more physiological signals or
parameters of the subject during a bike riding), and a mobile
device and/or a server. A measuring device integrated in the tool
may be used to acquire one or more physiological signals,
environmental information, or the like, or a combination thereof.
In some embodiments, the tool may include a processor, for example,
a SoC, configured to calculate one or more physiological parameters
of interest based on the acquired signals or information; analyze
the acquired signals, information and the calculated physiological
parameters of interest; display, present, report, or store at least
some of the acquired signals, information, the retrieved relevant
data, the calculated one or more physiological parameters of
interest, the analysis results, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The display or report may be provided to a subject, a user
other than the subject, a third party, the server, or another
device. A health information management engine 120 may be
implemented on the server. In some embodiments, some of the
operations mentioned above may be performed by the mobile device or
the server. For instance, the mobile device or the server may
perform one or more operations including the calculation, the
analysis, the communication (for receiving or transmitting the
acquired signals or results) between the tool or any components
integrated therein, the server, and the mobile device, another
terminal, the subject, a user other than the subject, etc.
[0065] In some embodiments, the system may be configured to provide
a user interface to allow a subject, a user other than the subject,
or an entity to exchange information (including input into or
output from the system) with the system as disclosed herein. The
user interface may be implemented or presented on a terminal device
including, for example, a mobile device, a computer, or the like,
or a combination thereof. The user interface may be presented on,
e.g., a display device of the system.
[0066] The access to the system, or a portion thereof (for example,
the database 140, the health information management engine 120),
may be allowed to one who has an appropriate access privilege. An
access privilege may include, for example, a privilege to read some
or all information relating to a subject, update some or all
information relating to a subject, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The access privilege may be associated with or linked to a
set of login credentials. Merely by way of example, the system may
provide three tiers of access privileges. A first tier may include
a full access privilege regarding information relating to a
subject, allowing both receiving and updating information relating
to a subject. A second tier may include a partial access privilege
regarding information relating to a subject, allowing receiving and
updating part of information relating to a subject. A third tier
may include a minimal access privilege regarding information
relating to a subject, allowing receiving part of or all
information relating to a subject. Different login credentials may
be associated with different access privileges to the information
relating to a subject in the system. As used herein, updating may
include providing information that does not exist in the system, or
modifying pre-existing information with new information.
[0067] Merely by way of example, the system may receive information
relating to a subject provided via the user interface. The
information relating to a subject may include basic information and
optional information. Exemplary basic information may include the
height, the weight, the age (or the date of birth), the gender, the
arm length, the nationality, the occupation, a habit (for example,
a health-related habit such as an exercise habit), the education
background, a hobby, the marital status, religious belief, a
health-related history (for example, whether a subject has a
history of smoking, a food allergy, a drug allergy, a medical
treatment history, a family health history, a history of genetic
disease, information regarding a prior surgery, or the like, or a
combination thereof), contact information, emergency contact, or
the like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary optional information
may include, current health condition of the subject, medications
the subject is taking, a medical treatment the subject is
undertaking, diet. The system may receive, via the user interface,
information relating to a specific measurement of, for example, a
physiological parameter of interest. Examples of such information
may include the motion state of the subject at or around the
acquisition time (defined elsewhere in the present disclosure), the
emotional state at or around the acquisition time, the stress level
at or around the acquisition time, or the like, or a combination
thereof. As used herein, the acquisition time may refer to a time
point or a time period when information relating to the subject,
e.g., physiological information of the subject, is acquired using,
for example, a measuring device. The system may receive, via the
user interface, one or more options or instructions. In some
embodiments, the options or instructions may be provided by a
subject or a user other than the subject answering questions or
making selections in response to questions or prompts by the
system. In one example, the options or instructions may include a
measurement frequency (for example, once a week, once a month,
twice a week, twice a month, once a day, twice a day, or the like),
a preferred format of the presentation of information to the
subject or a user other than the subject (for example, email, a
voice message, a text message, an audio alert, a video
presentation, haptic feedback, or the like, or a combination
thereof). In another example, the options or instructions may
include information relating to calculating parameters of interest,
for example, rules regarding how to select a model, a function,
calibration data, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0068] In some embodiments, the system may provide, via the user
interface, information to a subject, or a user other than the
subject. Exemplary information may include an alert, a
recommendation, a reminder, or the like, or a combination thereof.
In one example, an alert may be provided or displayed to the
subject or a user other than the subject if a triggering event
occurs. Exemplary triggering events may be that at least some of
the acquired information or a physiological parameter of interest
exceeds a threshold. Merely by way of example, a triggering event
may be that the acquired heart rate exceeds a threshold (for
example, higher than 150 beats per minute, lower than 40 beats per
minute, or the like). As another example, a triggering event may be
that the physiological parameter of interest, for example, an
estimated blood pressure, exceeds a threshold. In another example,
a recommendation may be provided or displayed to the subject or a
user other than the subject. Exemplary recommendations may be a
request to input specific data (for example, basic information,
optional information, updated parameters of interest, updated
models, updated functions, updated options and instructions, or the
like, or a combination thereof). A reminder may be provided or
displayed to the subject or a user other than the subject.
Exemplary reminders may include a reminder to take a prescription
medication, take a rest, take a measurement of a physiological
parameter of interest, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0069] In some embodiments, the system may communicate with the
subject, a user other than the subject, and/or a third party
through the user interface. Exemplary third parties may be a
doctor, a healthcare worker, a medical institution, a research
facility, a peripheral device of the subject or a user
well-connected to the subject, or the like. Exemplary
communications may relate to the health conditions of the subject,
a dietary habit, an exercise habit, a prescription medication,
instructions or steps to conduct a measurement, or the like, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, a user interface
accessible to or by a third party may be the same as, or different
from a user interface accessible to or by a subject. In one
example, an output or data may be transmitted to a third party (for
example, a computer, a terminal at a doctor's office, a hospital
where a health care provider is located and the health condition of
the subject is being monitored, or the like, or a combination
thereof). The third party may provide feedback information or
instructions related to the output information via the user
interface. Merely by way of example, a third party may receive
information regarding one or more physiological parameters of
interest relating to a subject, and accordingly provide a
recommendation of actions to be taken by the subject (for example,
to take a prescription medication, to take a rest, to contact or
visit the third party, or the like, or a combination thereof); the
system may relay the recommendation to the subject.
[0070] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an exemplary process in which a
method for health monitoring is deployed, according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure. Information regarding a
subject may be acquired in step 210. The information acquisition
may be performed by the measuring device 110 or may be inputted by
the subject or a user other than the subject (e.g., a related
family member, a doctor, or the like). The acquisition process may
be performed automatically in real time or at a certain time
interval (e.g., twice a day), based on instructions by the subject
(e.g., a start instruction), or triggered by a triggering event
(e.g., while the measuring device is in contact with the body of
the subject). The acquired information may include physiological
information of the subject, basic information of the subject (e.g.,
age, gender, illness history, or the like), and/or environmental
information relating to the ambient surrounding the subject Merely
by way of example, the acquired information may include a PPG
signal, ECG signal, body temperature signal, the height, weight,
age, gender, arm length, illness history, room temperature,
humidity, air pressure, air flow rate, ambient light intensity, or
the like, or a combination thereof.
[0071] In step 220, data may be generated based on the acquire
information. Merely by way of example, a physiological parameter of
interest may be calculated based on the physiological signals
acquired in step 210. During the generation process, at least some
of the acquired information may be pretreated, recognized,
calculated, and calibrated. The operations may be performed by the
measuring device 110, the health information management engine 120,
or the terminal 130. In this step, various data may be generated,
including, for example, a heart rate value based on ECG signals, a
pulse rate value and a blood oxygen saturation level based on PPG
signals, a body temperature value based on temperature signal, a
blood pressure value based on ECG signals and PPG signals, or the
like, or a combination thereof. The generated data may be analyzed
in step 230. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, after
the generation process or during the generation process, a new
acquisition may be performed in step 210. In some embodiments, the
generated data may be outputted in step 250.
[0072] The generated data may be analyzed in step 230. The analysis
may be performed by the measuring device 110, the health
information management engine 120 or the terminal 130. During the
analysis process, some analysis models (e.g., a predefined analysis
model), or some calculation algorithms (e.g., statistical analysis,
threshold method) may be used. Via the analysis, various analysis
results may be generated including, for example, new constructed
analysis models, statistical analysis results regarding subject's
health condition, abnormalities in the information or the generated
data, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0073] A health condition of the subject may be evaluated in step
240 based on the analysis results. A health condition evaluation
may be generated. The evaluation may be presented in the form of an
image, a text report, an audio information, video, a graph, a
haptic effect, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the evaluation may indicate whether a health issue may
be present or possibly present (see FIG. 22). In some embodiments,
a recommendation may be generated based on the evaluation (e.g.,
health tips, a contraindication regarding a specific medicine or a
treatment, or the like, or a combination thereof). The health
condition evaluation may be carried out by the health information
management engine 120 or the terminal 130. In some embodiments, the
generation process (step 220), the analysis process (step 230) and
the evaluation process (step 240) may be performed sequentially or
simultaneously. In some embodiments, after the evaluation process
or during the evaluation process, a new acquisition process may be
performed in step 210.
[0074] Some information or data may be outputted in step 250. The
outputted information or data may include, for example,
physiological information including hear rate, blood pressure,
blood oxygen saturation information, body temperature, or the like;
analysis results generated in step 230; health condition evaluation
information generated in step 240, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The information or data may be outputted to a terminal
130, a local or a remote server (e.g., the health information
management engine 120), or an external device (e.g., a medical
device). In some embodiments, the analysis process may be carried
out in a terminal 130-1, and a portion of or all of the information
or data may be outputted to a related terminal 130-2 (e.g., a
terminal having an access privilege). In some embodiments, an
identity verification may be carried out before the output
process.
[0075] This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to
limit the scope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art. The features, methods, and other characteristics of the
exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various
ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments.
For example, a pretreatment step may be added before step 220. In
the pretreatment step, the acquired signals may be pre-treated, in
order to reduce or remove noise or interferences in the signals
originally acquired. Another pretreatment step may be added before
step 230, e.g., data integration, data checking or data cleaning.
One or more other optional steps may be added in the exemplary
process illustrated in FIG. 2. Examples of such steps may include
storing or retrieving the acquired information, generated data,
analyzed data, and health condition.
[0076] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an architecture of a
measuring device 110 according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the measuring device 110 may
include a plurality of sensors of various types, for example, an
electric sensor 310, an optical sensor 320, a temperature sensor
330, a humidity sensor 340, an acceleration sensor 350, a pressure
sensor 360, or the like. The measuring device 110 may further
include a control unit 370 and a storage device 380. The signal
acquired by a measuring device 110 may be transmitted to and/or
stored in the storage device 380, the terminal 130, the database
140, or the health information management engine 120.
[0077] The measuring device 110 may be configured to monitor,
detect, and/or acquire one or more physiological signals,
information of the subject, and/or one or more environmental
signals or information. Exemplary physiological signals may include
an ECG signal, a PPG signal, a heart rate, a heart rate variation
(HRV), a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation, a blood pressure, a
blood oxygen level, body fat, respiration, or the like, or a
combination thereof. Exemplary information of the subject may
include personal data of a subject, dynamic information relating to
the subject, environmental information, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The personal data may include static personal
data and dynamic personal data described elsewhere in the present
disclosure. Dynamic information may include information relating to
the subject at or around the acquisition time. Exemplary dynamic
information may include motion speed, motion path, or the like, or
a combination thereof. Exemplary environmental information may
include surrounding temperature, humidity, ultraviolet intensity,
or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0078] Merely by way of example, the electric sensor 310 may be
configured for acquiring an ECG signal of the subject. The electric
sensor 310 may include a plurality of electrodes located on
different locations on the body of the subject. The electrodes may
be made of, e.g., a metal. The electrodes may be arranged in an
electrocardiographic lead placement. For example, the electrodes
may be arranged in a 12-lead form, a 5-lead form, a 3-lead form, or
the like. The electrodes may constitute some leads measuring the
electrical potential differences between pairs of body points, then
an overall magnitude of the heart's electrical potential may be
measured. The acquired ECG signal may be transmitted to and/or
stored in the storage device 380, the terminal 130, the database
140, or the health information management engine 120.
[0079] Merely by way of example, the optical sensor 320 may be
configured for acquiring a PPG signal or a pulse related signal of
the subject. The optical sensor 320 may include an emitting end for
emitting a light and a receiving end used for acquiring a signal
resulting from the emitted light. The acquired signal may be used
to derive or provided a PPG value. For brevity, a PPG signal, as
used herein, may refer to the derived PPG value, or the acquired
signal used to derive the PPG value. The light may be a light of a
suitable wavelength including, for example, red, green, blue,
infrared, purple, yellow, orange, ultraviolet, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The spectrum of the light may include visible
spectrum, infrared spectrum, far-infrared spectrum, ultraviolet
spectrum, or the like, or a combination thereof. The receiving end
may be a detector that may detect the quantity of the received
signals and/or a change thereof, and/or provide a corresponding
output (for example, an electrical signal or an optical signal).
The signal acquired by the optical sensor 320 may be transmitted to
and/or stored in the storage device 380, the terminal 130, the
database 140, or the health information management engine 120.
[0080] Merely by way of example, the temperature sensor 330 may be
configured for sensing the body temperature of the subject or the
surrounding temperature. The temperature sensor 330 may be placed
on a plurality of body locations of the subject. The temperature
sensor 330 may be used for sensing a real time temperature change
of the subject and the surrounding environment. Merely by way of
example, the humidity sensor 340 may be configured for sensing the
humidity of or around the subject or the surrounding environment.
Similarly, the humidity sensor 380 may be placed on a plurality of
body locations of the subject and may detect a real time change of
the humidity of or around the subject and the surrounding
environment. The acquired temperature signals and humidity signals
may be transmitted to and/or stored in the storage device 380, the
terminal 130, the database 140, or the health information
management engine 120.
[0081] Merely by way of example, the acceleration sensor 350 may be
configured for detecting an acceleration or a speed of the subject
while under motion. In some embodiments, the detected acceleration
or speed information may be transmitted to the control unit 370.
The control unit 370 may analyze and process the information to
generate one or more motion related information. The motion related
information may include a real time speed, path, steps, time, or
the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the
acceleration sensor 350 may be used as a pedometer. The pedometer
may be used to monitor the walking steps of the subject in real
time. The signal acquired by the acceleration sensor 350 may be
transmitted to and/or stored in the storage device 380, the
terminal 130, the database 140, or the health information
management engine 120.
[0082] Merely by way of example, the pressure sensor 360 may be
configured for detecting a pressure change while the subject is
contact with an object (e.g., ground, wall, or the like). The
pressure sensor 360 may be located on a plurality of locations on
the body of the subject. Merely by way of example, the pressure
sensor 360 may be placed on the bottom of the foot, while the
subject is in contact with the ground, a pressure signal may be
generated and transmitted to the control unit 370, or the terminal
130, or the health information management engine 120. In some
embodiment, a pressure change via time may be generated during
motion of the subject. The signal acquired by the pressure sensor
360 may be transmitted to and/or stored in the storage device 380,
the terminal 130, the database 140, or the health information
management engine 120.
[0083] The control unit 370 may be configured for controlling one
or more parameters regarding the operations of the sensors. Merely
by way of example, a certain time interval may be set by the
control unit 370 according to which a signal may be detected. In
another example, different sensitivities may be set under different
situations (e.g., motion or not). In a further example, a further
signal may be generated by the control unit 370 based on the
detected signals. In a still further example, the control unit 370
may control the transmitting of the signals from the measuring
device 110 to the terminal 130 or the health information management
engine 120. The storage device 380 may be configured for storing
the detected signals. The storage device 380 may be any storage
disclosed anywhere in the present disclosure. In some embodiments,
the storage device 380 is unnecessary, the measuring device 110 may
share a common storage with the system and other modules or units
in the system.
[0084] The measuring device 110 may further may include a
connection interface or port including a Universal Serial Bus (USB)
port, a Video Graphics Array (VGA) port, a High Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port, a headphone port, or the like, or
a combination thereof. The connection interface may be configured
for connecting the measuring device 110 with any related external
device, e.g., a charging device, a display device, a data exchange
or storage device, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0085] FIG. 4-A shows an exemplary block diagram illustrating a
terminal 130 according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure. As described in FIG. 1-A and FIG. 1-B, the system 100
may include a plurality of terminals (e.g., 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, .
. . , 130-N). The terminal 130 may include an interaction unit 410,
an identity verification unit 402, and a data generation unit 403.
The data generation unit 403 may include a pretreatment unit 4031,
a recognition unit 4032, a calculation unit 4033, and a calibration
unit 4034. It should be noted that the units of the terminal 130
may be partially integrated in one or more independent modules or
units.
[0086] The interaction unit 410 may be configured for receiving
information from the measuring device 110, the health information
management engine 120, the database 140, other terminals, other
devices, or the like, or transmitting data or information to the
measuring device 110, the health information management engine 120,
the database 140, other terminals, other devices, or the like. In
some embodiments, the interaction unit 410 may include a
transceiver (not shown in FIG. 4-A) configured for receiving or
transmitting information. In some embodiments, the interaction unit
410 may be configured to check whether the connections among the
measuring device 110, the health information management engine 120,
the database 140, or other terminals are fine. If the connections
are fine, the receiving or transmitting described above may be
performed; otherwise, the interaction unit 410 may provide an alert
to the receiving device and/or the transmitting device, or set up a
reminder to receive or transmit information later. In some
embodiments, the interaction unit 410 may be configured to display
or present the received information or the data generated by the
terminal. In some embodiments, the interaction unit 410 may provide
an interactive interface to register a user account or to establish
a relationship with other user accounts. For example, the subject
may log into an existing account and add an access privilege to the
account for, e.g., a family member, a healthcare provider, a care
provider, or the like, or a combination thereof. Different account
user and their respective access privileges may be classified by
labeling them as different classes or tiers of account users. For
instance, different account users and their access privileges may
be labeled as a family member, a healthcare provider, a care
provider, etc. In some embodiments, the labeled accounts
information may be stored in the identity verification unit 402, a
storage in the terminal 130, the database 140, the health
information management engine 120, or the like, or a combination
thereof.
[0087] In some embodiments, a specific account user may have a
specific access privilege. An access privilege may include, for
example, a privilege to read some or all information relating to
the subject, to update some or all information relating to a
subject, or the like, or a combination thereof. The access
privilege may be associated with or linked to a set of login
credentials. Merely by way of example, the system may provide three
tiers of access privileges. A first tier may include a full access
privilege regarding information relating to a subject, allowing
both receiving and updating information relating to a subject. A
second tier may include a partial access privilege regarding
information relating to a subject, allowing receiving and updating
part of information relating to a subject. A third tier may include
a minimal access privilege regarding information relating to a
subject, allowing receiving part of or all information relating to
a subject. Different login credentials may be associated with
different access privileges to the information relating to a
subject in the system. As used herein, updating may include
providing information that does not exist in the system, or
modifying pre-existing information with new information.
[0088] The identity verification unit 402 may be configured to
determine whether a user other than the subject is allowed to visit
the system or the terminal 130, or access information thereof
relating to the subject. For example, if the terminal 130 receives
a request to visit the terminal from a user other than the subject,
the identity verification unit 402 may check whether and/or how the
user account is labeled. If the user account is labeled, the
identity verification unit 402 may give a specific permission
according to its label. Otherwise, if the user account is not
labeled, the identity verification unit 402 may deny the access
request, push a notification to the user regarding the denial,
provide a suggestion to the user to seek an access privilege, push
a notification to the subject via the interaction unit 410 to
report the access request by the user, remind the subject to add a
label or to give a specific permission, or the like, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, a user who has an
appropriate access privilege may be allowed to visit the terminal
freely at any time or semi freely with a limited access.
[0089] The data generation unit 403 may be configured to receive
and process the information acquired from the measuring device 110.
In some embodiments, the data generation unit 403 may include a
pretreatment unit 4301, a recognition unit 4302, a calculation unit
4303, and a calibration unit 4304. The pretreatment unit 4031 may
be configured to pretreat the acquired information. The
pretreatment may be performed to reduce and remove noise or
interferences in the original signals entering the terminal. The
recognition unit 4032 may be configured to analyze the acquired
information to recognize or identify a feature. Exemplary features
of the acquired information may include waveform, characteristic
points, peak points, valley points, amplitude, time intervals,
phase, frequencies, cycles, or the like, or any combination
thereof. The calculation unit 4303 may be configured to perform
various calculations to determine, a physiological parameter of
interest, a physiological condition, or the like, or a combination
thereof, based on the features recognized by the recognition unit
4302. The calibration unit 4304 may be configured to perform a
calibration. More detailed descriptions regarding the data
generation process may be found in International Application No.
PCT/CN2015/083334 filed Jul. 3, 2015.
[0090] As illustrated in FIG. 4-B, the terminal 130 may include a
data storage 401, a processor 405, and a communication unit 406.
One or more of the interaction unit 410, the identity verification
unit 402, and the data generation unit 403 may be implemented on
the processor 405 and the data storage 401 of the terminal 130. The
information into and from the terminal (for example, measured
signals, calculated data, analysis results, login information
associated with or identifying an access privilege, etc.) may be
communicated via the communication unit 406. The processor 405 may
be configured to control a parameter regarding operations performed
by the units or modules in the terminal 130. The parameter may
include an ON/OFF condition, a switching frequency of ON or OFF, a
time interval between ON and OFF, a time interval for data
generation, a time interval for receiving data or transmitting
data, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments,
the data storage 401 may be configured for storing the received
information via the interaction unit 410, the data generated by the
data generation unit 403, an intermediate result generated during
any operation of the units. In some embodiments, the processor 405
may be configured for coordinating the communication and/or
operations of the interaction unit 410, the identity verification
unit 402, and the data generation unit 403.
[0091] This description about the terminal is intended to be
illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent
to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and
other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein
may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or
alternative exemplary embodiments. For example, in some
embodiments, the terminal and a measuring device may be integrated
in an independent device. The independent device may be configured
to receive and process the measured signals, estimate a
physiological parameter of interest based on the measured
physiological signals, display or present a result including the
physiological parameter of interest.
[0092] FIG. 4-C shows an exemplary process for processing
information by or on the terminal 130 according to some embodiments
of the present disclosure. Beginning in step 411, information may
be received. The information may be received from the measuring
device 110, the health information management engine 120, or the
database 140. The receiving may be performed by the interaction
unit 410. The received information may include the physiological
information of a subject, environmental information relating to the
ambient surrounding the subject at or around the acquisition time
of at least some of the physiological information of a subject,
information provided by the subject or a user other than the
subject. The information may include a PPG signal, an ECG signal, a
pulse rate, a heart rate, a heart rate variation, blood oxygen
saturation, respiration, muscle state, skeleton state, a brainwave,
a blood lipid level, a blood sugar level, the height, the weight,
the age, gender, the body temperature, the arm length, an illness
history, the room temperature, humidity, air pressure, an air flow
rate, the ambient light intensity, or the like, or a combination
thereof.
[0093] Data may be generated in step 412 based on at least some of
the received information. The data generation process may be
performed by the data generation unit 403. The generated data may
include physiological parameters of interest of the subject,
including, a blood pressure, a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation,
a heart rate, a heart rate variation, blood oxygen saturation, or
the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the data
generation process may include operations, including pretreating
the received information, recognizing features of the acquired
information, calculating a physiological parameter based on the
recognized features, and performing a calibration. In some
embodiments, a parameter of the generation process may be
controlled in step 413. The parameter may include a time interval
for data generation, a pretreatment method, a calculation model, a
set of calibration data, or the like, or a combination thereof. The
control process may be performed by the processor 405.
[0094] The generated data may be stored in step 414. The data may
be stored in the data storage 406 in the terminal 130, the database
140, or any storage device disclosed anywhere in the present
disclosure. The data may be visited or reviewed by other terminals
and/or other modules or units. In some embodiments, if a user (for
example, the subject, or someone other than the subject) requests
to access the terminal 130 or information stored thereon or
accessible therefrom (for example, information relating to the
subject that is store in the database 140 and accessible from the
terminal 130), an identity verification process may be performed in
step 415. The identity verification may be performed by the
identity verification unit 402. It may determine whether the user
has an access privilege (see FIG. 4-A). For example, if a user
other than the subject, e.g., a user having a family relationship,
or a doctor-patient relationship with the subject, may need to
access the information relating to the subject to review the health
condition of the subject, and his/her identify may be verified, and
thus he may access the information via the interaction unit 410.
More detailed descriptions regarding the identity verification may
be found in FIG. 21. In step 416, the data may be transmitted to
the health information management engine 120, or a related terminal
(e.g., the terminal 130-2).
[0095] It should be noted that the above description about the
processing information of a terminal is merely an example, not
intended to be limiting. Obviously, to those skilled in the art,
after understanding the basic principles of processing information,
the process may be modified or varied without departing from the
principles. The modifications and variations are still within the
scope of the current disclosure described above. For example, in
some embodiments, the order of performing the steps may be changed,
in some embodiments, some steps may be omitted. In some
embodiments, the intermediate results and the final results of each
step may be stored. For example, the received information in step
411 may be stored for further use. In some embodiments, the
identity verification may be performed before receiving
information, for example, the subject may first need to log into
the system, and then the terminal 130 may receive information.
[0096] FIG. 5-A is a block diagram illustrating an architecture of
the health information management engine 120 according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure. The health information
management engine 120 may include a data management unit 502, a
data analysis unit 503, and a data mining unit 504. The health
information management engine 120 may be connected with or
otherwise communicate with, e.g., the measuring device 110, the
terminal 130, the database 140 through the network 150. The health
information management engine 120 may be configured to receive,
store, manage, analyze, and/or deliver data.
[0097] The data management unit 502 may be configured for managing
the received data. The data management may include collection,
classification, organization, translation, indexing, encoding,
decoding, encryption, decryption, or the like, or a combination
thereof. Merely by way of example, when the received data is from a
newly registered terminal, the data management unit 502 may create
a new data sheet for the terminal, or integrate the new data into
an existing data sheet. In another example, when a terminal
deregisters from the health information management engine 120, the
data management unit 502 may perform a data change, a data backup
or deletion in respect to the terminal. In some embodiments, the
data management unit 502 may be configured for managing real-time
and concurrent access of data from one or more terminals 130, or
various components, units, or modules of the system 100. For
example, if a plurality of terminals, modules or units (e.g., the
terminal 130, a server (e.g., the health information management
engine 120), the data analysis unit 503, or the like)
simultaneously request to access a same set of data, the data
management unit 502 may function so that the data may be accessed
orderly. In some embodiments, the data management unit 502 may
include a pretreatment unit (not shown). The pretreatment unit may
be configured to pretreat the received data. The pretreatment may
be performed to remove obvious flaws, correct inaccurate records,
delete insignificant outliers, selectively remove identification
information, or the like, or a combination thereof. As used herein,
"selectively remove" may indicate that some identification
information may be removed before the associated data are stored or
analyzed. For instance, some or all identification information of a
subject (for example, name, birthday, social security number,
national identification number, home address, contact information,
etc.) may be removed before a physiological parameter of interest
and/or associated physiological signals or other information
relating to the subject is pooled for analysis for a sub-population
to which the subject is considered belonging; some identification
information may be reserved (for example, age, gender, health
history, etc.) in such an analysis relating to the sub-population;
all identification information may be reversed for the record of
the subject for his personal use or use by a user other than the
subject including, for example, a healthcare provider, a care
provider, a family member.
[0098] The data analysis unit 503 may be configured for analyzing
the received data. The data analysis unit 503 may be connected with
or otherwise communicate with the data management unit 520 and/or
the data mining unit 504. The data analysis unit 503 may include an
internal structure similar to the data generation unit 403 as
illustrated in FIG. 4-A and described elsewhere in the present
disclosure.
[0099] In some embodiments, the analysis performed by the data
analysis unit 503 may include calculating a parameter based on the
received data, extracting a feature of the data, refining useful
information from a batch of data, generating a relationship among
the received data, or the like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary
methods may include statistical analysis methods, (e.g., regression
analysis, factor analysis, clustering, recognition analysis, or the
like, or a combination thereof) and intelligent analysis methods
(e.g., neural network, a genetic algorithm, a rough set, or the
like, or a combination thereof). In an exemplary context of a big
data analytics, exemplary analysis methods may also include a bloom
filter, hashing, indexing, a trie tree, parallel computing, or the
like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the received
data may have been pre-treated before it is analyzed in the data
analysis unit 503. In some embodiments, the pre-treatment may be
performed by the data analysis unit 503. In some embodiments, the
pre-treatment may be performed by the data management unit 502. In
some embodiments, some pre-treatment may be performed by the data
management unit 502, and some pre-treatment may be performed by the
data analysis unit 503.
[0100] The data analysis may be performed based on an analysis
model. As used herein, an analysis model may refer to a function of
a dependent variable (e.g., health condition, a prediction, a
recommendation) and an independent variable (e.g., measured
physiological signals, information of a subject, health related
information, environmental information, history data, statistical
information, or the like) (see, for example, Equation 1). For
example, a probability of hypertension for a subject may be
estimated according to a statistical model based on the subject's
historical blood pressure values. As another example, a risk of
gastric cancer for a subject may be evaluated based on an
association rule that may indicate the relationship between gastric
cancer and a dietary history. In some embodiments, the analysis
model may be a predefined model pre-stored in the health
information management engine 120 or the database 140, or a
predefined model obtained from an external data source (e.g., a
server). In some embodiments, the analysis model may be a newly
generated model according to data obtained by the data mining unit
504. The model may be set, modified, and updated by the health
information management engine 120.
[0101] The data analysis may be performed at an individual level, a
group level, or both. As used herein, the individual level may
refer to that the analysis may be performed focusing on an
individual subject. The group level may refer to that the analysis
may be performed focusing on a plurality of subjects and related
information including group classification, division of susceptible
population, or the like, may be taken into account. In some
embodiments, during an individual level analysis, some information
from a group level analysis may be used.
[0102] An analysis result may be generated after the analysis
process. The analysis result may include, health related
information including health condition of the subject, prediction
of potential risks of sub-health, disease information, obesity or
not, or the like; a health related recommendation including, e.g.,
health tips about daily life, alerts regarding an acute health
problem, or the like, or a combination thereof. Merely by way of
example, while an abnormal condition occurs, an alert may be
generated and transmitted to a related member (e.g., a member
having a family relationship, a relative relationship or a
doctor-patient relationship with the subject, or a healthcare
provider, a hospital, an a police department, a surveillance
company, or the like, or a combination thereof). As used herein, an
abnormal condition may be that at least some of the received data
or a physiological parameter of interest exceeds a threshold. As
used herein, "exceed" may be larger than or lower than a threshold.
Merely by way of example, if the received blood pressure exceeds a
threshold (e.g., the value of SBP is higher than 140 mmHg, the
value of DBP is lower than 60 mmHg), an alert may be generated and
transmitted to a related member.
[0103] The analysis, or some operations of the analysis, may be
performed in real time, i.e. at or around the acquisition time. The
analysis, or some operations of the analysis, may be performed
after a delay since the data is received. In some embodiments, the
received data is stored for analysis after a delay. In some
embodiments, the received data is pre-treated and stored for
further analysis after a delay. The delay may be in the order of
seconds, or minutes, or hours, or days, or longer. After the delay,
the analysis may be triggered by an instruction from a subject or a
user other than the subject (e.g., a doctor, a health-care
provider, a family member relating to the subject, or the like, or
a combination thereof), an instruction stored in the system 100, or
the like, or a combination thereof. Merely by way of example, the
instruction stored in the system 100 may specify the duration of
the delay, the time the analysis is to be performed, the frequency
the analysis is to be performed, or the like, or a combination
thereof.
[0104] The data mining unit 504 may be configured for extracting
information and knowledge from a data source. The data source may
be the database 140, a remote server, a paid database, or the like,
or a combination thereof. The data mining process may include
acquiring a plurality of data, constructing an analysis model based
on the acquired data, modifying an available analysis model, or the
like, or a combination thereof. Merely by way of example, an
analysis model regarding a relationship between lung cancer and air
quality may be constructed based on a plurality of data including
outdoor time, rest time, respiratory state, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The extracted data, or the constructed
analysis model may be transmitted to the health information
management engine 120, the terminal 130, and/or the database
140.
[0105] As illustrated in FIG. 5-B, the health information
management engine 120 may include a data storage 501, a processor
505, and a communication unit 506. One or more of the data
management unit 502, the data analysis unit 503, and the data
mining unit 504 may be implemented on the processor 505 and the
data storage 501 of the terminal 130. The information into and from
the health information management engine 120 may be communicated
via the communication unit 506.
[0106] The data storage 501 may be configured for storing data,
analysis models, parameters or factors of the analysis models, or
the like. The storing may be performed in real time or after a time
delay. In some embodiments, the data storage 501 may include one or
both of a system storage (for example, a disk) that is provided
integrally (i.e. substantially non-removable) with the server, and
a removable storage that is removably connectable to the server
via, for example, a port (for example, a USB port, a firewire port,
etc.) or a drive (for example, a disk drive, etc.). The data
storage 501 may include or be connectively operational with one or
more virtual storage resources (for example, cloud storage, a
virtual private network, and/or other virtual storage resources).
The data storage 501 may include a hard disk, a floppy disk,
selectron storage, RAM, DRAM, SRAM bubble memory, thin film memory,
magnetic plated wire memory, phase change memory, flash memory,
cloud disk, or the like, or a combination thereof. The data storage
501 may be any storage device disclosed anywhere in the present
disclosure. In some embodiments, the data storage 501 may further
include an access interface through which the data may be searched
and/or analyzed.
[0107] The processor 505 may be configured for executing computer
programs, computations, analyzing data or information, controlling
a parameter regarding any operation performed by the modules or
units of the health information management engine 120. In some
embodiments, the computations may include concurrent computation,
parallel computation, distributed computation, centralized
computation, or the like, or a combination thereof. One or more
modules or units of the health information management engine 120.
In some embodiments, the health information management engine 120
may share a processor with another module or unit of the system
100. See relevant descriptions regarding a processor elsewhere in
the present disclosure.
[0108] The communication unit 506 may be configured for receiving
or transmitting data, information, signals, requests, or
instructions between the health information management engine 120,
the terminal 130, the database 140, or an external data source, or
a combination thereof. The receiving and transmitting procedure may
be performed simultaneously or asynchronously. The communication
unit 506 may include a connection check unit (not shown) used for
detecting whether the connection is working properly, and/or an
identity verification unit (not shown) used to ensure the
legitimacy and security of communication. Merely by way of example,
while the transmitting is prepared, the connection check unit (not
shown) may check whether the connection between the health
information management engine 120 and a receiver (e.g., the
terminal 130) is working properly, or whether the receiver (e.g.,
the terminal 130) is available to receive data or information. In
some embodiments, the identity verification unit may further verify
the identity information; if the identity verification is not
satisfied, or the identity information is outdated or not
recognized, the communication request may be denied. A notification
may be generated based on an authorized or successful
communication, or a denied or unsuccessful communication. See
relevant description elsewhere in the present disclosure.
[0109] This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to
limit the scope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art. The methods, algorithms, features, and other
characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may
be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative
exemplary embodiments. For example, the data mining unit 504 may be
integrated into the data analysis unit 503. Similarly, any unit may
be integrated in any other unit. Operations performed by any unit
may be performed by any other unit. In some embodiments, any unit
may include one or more sub-units in which other methods or
algorithms may be applied. The methods or algorithms applied in
different unit may be different, partially different, or the
same.
[0110] FIG. 5-B is a flowchart of an exemplary process for
analyzing data in the health information management engine 120
configured as shown in FIG. 5-A, according to some embodiments of
the present disclosure. Beginning in step 507, data may be received
from the measuring device 110, the terminal 130, the database 140
(see FIG. 1-A and FIG. 1-B), and an external data source. The data
transmission may be achieved via the communication unit 506. In
some embodiments, an identity verification may be performed before
data transmission. If the identity verification is satisfactory,
the data transmission may be executed. The received data may
include physiological signals (e.g., ECG signals, PPG signals,
temperature signals, or the like), physiological parameters of
interest of the subject (e.g., blood pressure, blood oxygen
saturation, or the like), basic information of the subject (e.g.,
age, gender, height, or the like), environmental signals
(temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, etc.), or the like,
or a combination thereof.
[0111] In step 508, the received data may be stored. The data may
be stored in the storage 501, the database 140, or any storage
device disclosed anywhere in the present disclosure. In step 509,
the received data may be managed. The data management may be
performed by the data management unit 502. The data management may
include collection, classification, organization, translation,
indexing, encoding, decoding, encryption, decryption, or the like,
or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the data management
may be performed according to a criterion. The criterion may
include a rule regarding data combination, data classification, or
the like, and/or a standard regarding data array, data format, data
structure, or the like. The criterion may further include a
standard regarding data storage, data processing, and/or data
analysis. The criterion may be set according to a default setting
of the system (e.g., an industrial standard, etc.), or may be
customized by the subject (e.g., classified by time, combined by
physiological parameter category, screened by data type, or the
like). The criterion may be set by an institution or user that has
the authority to manage the data relating to the subject. Exemplary
institutions or users may include a hospital, a research institute,
a healthcare provider, a care provider, etc.
[0112] After the data management is performed, the process may
proceed to step 510 in which a determination may be made as to
whether a data mining is to be performed. In some embodiments, the
determination may be made by the system default, or based on
instructions by the subject or a user other than subject. Merely by
way of example, the data mining may performed in a predetermined
time interval (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hours, 5 hours, 10 hours, 12
hours, 24 hours, or the like). In another example, the data mining
may be performed at a particular time point of a day (e.g., 6:00,
12:00, 21:00, 0:00, or the like). As a further example, the data
mining may be performed automatically while the system is in an
idle state or during an off-peak time. In a further example, the
determination may be made based on the requests (if any) received
in step 507. In still a further example, if there is no proper
analysis model available (see, for example, relevant description
regarding FIG. 5-A), a data mining process may be needed.
[0113] If a determination is made not to perform a data mining, the
process may proceed to step 511. In step 511, the data may be
analyzed. The data analysis may be performed by the data analysis
unit 503 based on an analysis model. As used herein, an analysis
model may refer to a function of a dependent variable (e.g., health
condition, a prediction, a recommendation) and an independent
variable (e.g., measured physiological signals, information of a
subject, health related information, environmental information,
history data, statistical information, or the like) (see, for
example, Equation 1). The analysis model may be stored in the
health information management engine 120 or acquired from an
external data source. The model used for analysis may be chosen
based on the requests (if any) received in step 507. For example,
when the requests indicate an evaluation of the blood pressure, a
blood pressure evaluation model may be used. During the analysis
process, partial or all of the data analysis operations may be
performed by other devices. Merely by way of example, the data may
be transmitted to another device or system (e.g., a remote server,
a remote database, a terminal, etc.) to perform external
calculation or analysis, and the analysis results or intermediate
results may be sent back to the health information management
engine 120 for further analysis.
[0114] If a determination is made to perform a data mining, the
process may proceed to step 512. In step 512, a data mining process
may be performed. The data mining process may be performed by the
data mining unit 504. The data mining process may include acquiring
a plurality of data, constructing an analysis model based on the
acquired data, modifying an available analysis model, or the like,
or a combination thereof. For example, during a data mining
process, the data may be processed in combination with other data
(e.g., data acquired from an external data source (e.g., a local or
remote server, a local or remote database, or the like)). In some
embodiments, the data may be pretreated before the data mining
process, e.g., data integration, data checking and data
cleaning.
[0115] In step 513, the analysis results may be provided to one or
more terminals 130. This procedure may be performed by the
communication unit 506. The analysis result may include, health
related information including health condition of the subject, a
prediction regarding a potential risk of sub-health, disease
information, obesity or not, a recommendation regarding health
(e.g., health tips about daily life, an alert regarding an acute
health problem, etc.), or the like, or a combination thereof. In
some embodiments, the connection between the health information
management engine 120 and terminal 130 may be checked before
transmitting the analysis results. In some embodiments, the
analysis results may be transmitted simultaneously or sequentially
to a plurality of terminals 130 according to the verified
identities.
[0116] While the foregoing has described what are considered to
constitute the present disclosure and/or other examples, it is
understood that various modifications may be made thereto and that
the subject matter disclosed herein may be implemented in various
forms and examples, and that the disclosure may be applied in
numerous applications, only some of which have been described
herein. Those skilled in the art will recognize that present
disclosure are amenable to a variety of modifications and/or
enhancements. For example, the data mining process may be
unnecessary, or it may be executed in the data analysis step 511.
The data mining process and data analysis process may be performed
simultaneously or concurrently. The data may be partially processed
through the data analysis step 511, and partially processed through
the data mining step 512. Additionally, the analysis results may be
partially provided to terminals 130 in real time, and the rest of
the analysis results may be provided with a time delay, as the data
mining process may be time consuming.
[0117] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an architecture of an exemplary
system 600 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
The system 600 is an illustrative embodiment of the system 100
described in FIG. 1. The system 600 may include a physiological
sensor 610, a terminal 130', and a health information management
engine 120.
[0118] The physiological sensor 610 may be configured for acquiring
a plurality of physiological signals or information of the subject.
The physiological sensor 610 may be an integrated sensor that may
measure multiple signals, or a plurality of separate sensors
including, such as, an electric sensor, an optical sensor, a
temperature sensor, or the like, or a combination thereof. As
illustrated in FIG. 3, a plurality of sensors of various types may
be integrated or include in the physiological sensor 610. In some
embodiments, the physiological sensor 610 may be integrated in the
terminal 130'. In some embodiments, the physiological sensor 610
may be an external monitor, such as a clinical or a household
device.
[0119] The terminal 130' is an illustrative embodiment of the
terminal 130 described in FIG. 1. The terminal 130' may be a smart
phone, a tablet, a personal computer, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The terminal 130' may include a first acquisition module
620, a generation module 630, a detection module 640, a
transmitting module 650, a second acquisition module 660, and a
storage module 670. The modules may be connected or communicate
with each other via a wired connection or wirelessly. Two or more
of the modules may be integrated into an independent component that
may achieve more than one function or operation. In some
embodiments, anyone of the modules may be integrated into a
component other than the terminal 130'.
[0120] The first acquisition module 620 may receive one or more
physiological signals or information from the physiological sensor
610. In some embodiments, the first acquisition module 620 may be a
cache device. The received signals or information may be cached in
the first acquisition module 620 and be retrieved if needed. The
generation module 630 may be configured for generating one or more
physiological parameters of interest of the subject. The generation
module 630 may include a first generation unit 631, a second
generation unit 632, a third generation unit 633, and a fourth
generation unit 634. The four generation units are provided only
for illustration purposes, the number of the generation units may
be fewer or more, such as, one, two, five, six, or the like.
[0121] In some embodiments, the first generation unit 631 may be
used for generating an ECG signal, a heart rate, a heart rate
variation (HRV), or the like, or a combination thereof. The second
generation unit 632 may be used for generating a pulse rate value,
a PPG signal, a pulse rate variation, a blood oxygen level, or the
like, or a combination thereof. The third generation unit 633 may
be used for generating a blood pressure information based on the
results generated by the first generation unit 631 and the second
generation unit 632. More detailed descriptions regarding the
estimation or calculation of blood pressure may be found in
International Application No. PCT/CN2015/083334 filed Jul. 3, 2015.
The fourth generation unit 634 may be used for generating a
temperature value of the subject. In some embodiments, other
physiological parameters of interest may be generated including,
e.g., myoelectricity information, respiratory, body fat, blood
viscosity, arterial stiffness, or the like, or a combination
thereof. In some embodiments, a health related status of the
subject may be generated based on the detected signals or
information, e.g., stress level, emotional state, fatigue level, or
the like, or a combination thereof.
[0122] The detection module 640 may be configured to detect whether
the connection or the network status is fine. The detection
operation may be performed in real time, or may start automatically
based on instructions from the system or provided by the subject.
In some embodiments, if the connection is fine, the generated
physiological parameters of interest or physiological information
may be transmitted, via the transmitting module 650, to the health
information management engine 120 or the second acquisition module
660. In some embodiments, if the connection is bad or limited, the
generated physiological parameters of interest or physiological
information may be stored in the storage module 670, and may be
transmitted after the connection restores or is established.
[0123] The transmitting module 650 may be configured to transmit
the generated physiological parameters of interest or physiological
information to the health information management engine 120 to be
processed or analyzed; to the second acquisition module 660 to be
visited or loaded by other terminals. In some embodiments, the
transmitting module 650 may be a transceiver used to transmit and
receive data. In some embodiments, the transmitting module 650 may
be integrated in any module or unit of the terminal 130'. In some
embodiments, the terminal 130' may share a transmitting device with
the system 600.
[0124] The second acquisition module 660 may be configured for
receiving data or information from the health information
management engine 120 and/or the transmitting module 650. The
second acquisition module 660 may communicate with the health
information management engine 120 in real time. In some
embodiments, other terminals with proper access privileges may
access the terminal 130'. The data or information to be accessed
may be stored in the second acquisition module 660.
[0125] The terminal 130' may be connected to or communicate with
other terminals via a wired connection or a wireless connection. In
some embodiments, the terminal 130' and other terminals may be part
of a network. Members with an access privilege in the network may
access data of other members. The form of the access privilege may
be invitation code, pass word, access privilege, identity
authentication, user validation, or the like, or a combination
thereof. Merely by way of example, a member in the network may have
a user account. A member having a family relationship, a relative
relationship, or a doctor-patient relationship with the subject may
obtain an access privilege to access the information stored in the
user account of the subject. In some embodiments, the member may
access the information of the subject at any time based on his/her
instructions (e.g., the member may log in his/her user account at
any time). In some embodiments, for example, during an urgent
situation, an alert or a reminder may be transmitted to one or more
of a family member, a healthcare provider automatically. Merely by
way of example, if the subject experiences a sudden change of a
physiological parameter of interest, an alert may be generated and
transmitted to a family member or a healthcare provider of the
subject. In some embodiments, if the health condition of the
subject is not good, a reminder or a recommendation (e.g., a
reminder or recommendation regarding taking medicine, rest,
adjusting a working schedule, or the like, or a combination
thereof.) may be generated and transmitted to the members.
[0126] This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to
limit the scope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art. The features, structures, methods, and other
characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may
be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative
exemplary embodiments. For example, the first acquisition module
620 and the second acquisition module 660 may be integrated in an
independent module. The storage module 670 is not necessary while
any storage device in the system or an external storage may be
used. The detection module 640 is not necessary while the detection
may be performed by the subject manually.
[0127] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary block diagram illustrating an
architecture of a measuring device according to some embodiments of
the present disclosure. As illustrated, the measuring device may
include a first electrode 710, a second electrode 720, a third
electrode 730, a processor 740 and an optical sensor 780. The
optical sensor 780 may include an emitting unit 750 and a receiving
unit 760. The three electrodes may be configured for acquiring an
ECG signal of the subject, and the optical sensor 780 may be
configured for acquiring a pulse related signal. The first
electrode 710, the second electrode 720, the third electrode 730,
and the optical sensor 780 may be connected with the processor 740
via a wired connection or a wireless connection.
[0128] The first electrode 710, the second electrode 720, and the
third electrode 730 may be used to acquire physiological signals of
the subject, e.g., an ECG signal, or physiological information
including, for example, an ECG signal. In some embodiments, the
first electrode 710, the second electrode 720, and the third
electrode 730 may include a metal, an alloy, an electro-textile, a
silver chloride, or the like, or a combination thereof. The
electrodes may be placed on a plurality of locations on the body of
the subject. The location may include the head, the neck, the
chest, the abdomen, the upper arm, the wrist, the waist, the upper
leg, the knee, the ankle, or the like, or a combination thereof.
The electrodes may constitute a plurality of leads to detect
potential differences between a pair of points on the body of the
subject. An ECG signal may be acquired based on the potential
differences. In some embodiments, more than three electrodes may be
used, e.g., 10 electrodes may be configured to constitute a 12-lead
measuring form to acquire ECG signals.
[0129] The optical sensor 780 may be used to acquire physiological
signals of the subject, including, a pulse related signal (e.g., a
PPG signal). The optical sensor 780 may include an emitting unit
750 and a receiving unit 760. The emitting unit 750 may emit
radiation of wavelengths of, e.g., the visible spectrum, the
infrared region, an ultraviolet spectrum, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The receiving unit 760 may be used for
receiving radiation reflected by the blood vessel of a subject
based on the emitted radiation. In some embodiments, the emitting
unit 750 is unnecessary, while an external light source may be
used.
[0130] The acquired physiological signals of the subject may be
processed and analyzed by the processor 740 to determine a
physiological parameter of the subject including, for example, a
blood pressure, a heart rate variation (HRV), level of fatigue,
psychological pressure, stress tolerance of the subject, or the
like, or a combination thereof. The determined physiological
parameters of interest may be transmitted to the health information
management engine 120 to be further processed and/or analyzed
(refer back to FIG. 5 to see details). In some embodiments, the
processor 740 may be configured for controlling a parameter of the
acquisition process of the signals, e.g., sampling frequency,
sampling time interval, or the like, or a combination thereof. In
some embodiments, the processor 740 may include a memory used for
storing the acquired signals and the estimated or calculated data.
The processor 740 may be any processor or module that may perform
these functions or operations disclosed elsewhere in the present
disclosure.
[0131] It should be noted that the above description about the
measuring device is merely an example, not intended to be limiting.
Apparently for persons having ordinary skills in the art, numerous
variations and modifications may be conducted under the teaching of
the present disclosure. However, those variations and modifications
may not depart the protecting scope of the present disclosure. For
example, in some embodiments, the measuring device may include
other modules or units, e.g., a positioning unit (for example, a
GPS receiver or location sensor) that may be used to position the
subject who wears the ring 1300, or help the subject navigate. The
location information may be transmitted to, for example, one or
more terminals 130 and/or the health information management engine
120, a user other than the subject (for example, a family member, a
healthcare provider, a care provider, etc.), or the like, or a
combination thereof. The transmission may be performed in real
time, after a delay, periodically, triggered by a triggering event
(for example, the subject leaves a pre-defined area), or the like,
or a combination thereof.
[0132] FIG. 8-A through FIG. 8-D show an exemplary smart watch
which is an exemplary measuring device illustrated in FIG. 7,
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As
illustrated in FIG. 8-A, the smart watch may include a watch header
810, one or more watch straps 820 together with the first electrode
710, the second electrode 720 and the third electrode 730 (not
shown in FIGS. 8-A through 8-D; see FIG. 7). The processor 740 may
be integrated in the watch header 810.
[0133] As shown in FIG. 8-B, the first electrode 710 may be
connected or communicate with the processor 740 via an electric
wire 830. The electric wire 830 may be flexible and deformable, so
that it may bend to accommodate the curvature of the wrist of the
subject. The electric wire 830 may be laid in the watch strap 820.
Similarly the second electrode 720 also may be connected or
communicate with the processor 740 via the electric wire 830. The
electric wire 830 may include a metal wire, e.g., a copper wire, an
aluminum wire, a gold wire, a silver wire, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The first electrode 710 and the second
electrode 720 may be placed on the watch strap 820 as shown in FIG.
8-A. The material of the watch strap 820 may be metallic or
nonmetallic. Exemplary nonmetallic material may include silica gel,
plastic, leather, fabric, or the like, or a combination thereof. In
some embodiments, the first electrode 710 and the second electrode
720 may be placed on the interior surface or the exterior surface
of the watch strap 820. As used herein, the interior surface of the
watch strap 820 may refer to the surface that may contact with the
wrist of a subject, and the exterior surface of the watch strap 820
may refer to the side of the watch strap 820 opposite to the
interior surface of the watch strap 820.
[0134] As shown in FIG. 8-D, there may be a hole 890 in the watch
strap 820. The first electrode 710 may be placed in the hole 890.
The hole 890 may be a through hole or not. Many ways may be used to
fix the first electrode 710 in the watch strap 820. In some
embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 8-D, there may be a groove 891
on the side wall of the hole 890. The groove 891 may be a ring
groove along the perimeter of the hole 890. As shown in FIG. 8-B
and FIG. 8-D, there may be a cantilever 840 around the first
electrode 710, and the side wall of the electrode 710 may be
L-shaped. The cantilever 840 may fit the groove 891 of the hole
890, and therefore, the first electrode 710 may be fixed in the
watch strap 820. In some embodiments, the cantilever 840 may
include several pinholes 850 within it. In some embodiments, the
second electrode 720 may be placed in another hole on the watch
strap 820, and surrounded by another cantilever with the same
structure with the cantilever 840. In some embodiments, the first
electrode 710 and the second electrode 720 may be on the same side
of the surface of the watch strap 820, both on the interior surface
or both on the exterior surface. In some embodiments, the first
electrode 710 and the second electrode 720 may be on the opposite
sides of the surface of the watch strap 820 (e.g., the first
electrode 710 is on the interior surface and the second electrode
720 is on the exterior surface, see FIG. 8-C).
[0135] In some embodiments, the smart watch may include two watch
straps 820. One end of the watch straps 820 may be movably
connected with the watch header 810. The connection may be
rotatable or otherwise moveable with respect to the watch header
810 such that the watch straps 820 may rotate or move to
accommodate the curvature of a wrist of the subject, or to
facilitate the wearing or removing of the smart watch from the
subject. The connection may include a hinged connection, a plug, an
interlock, or the like, or a combination thereof. The other end of
the watch straps 820 may be connected together by using an openable
buckle (not shown in FIG. 8). The locking position may be
adjustable by the subject according to size of the wrist. In some
embodiments, the watch straps 820 may be made of an elastic
material. In some embodiments, the watch straps 820 may be made of
an elastic material and does not include an openable buckle.
[0136] In some embodiments, the watch strap 820 may be formed by
using a mold. While casting, the first electrode 710 may be placed
in the mold. The watch strap 820 may be formed by pouring a
material including, for example, silica gel, plastic, or the like,
or a combination thereof. The hole 890 and the groove 891 may be
formed at the same time with the watch strap 820. Because of the
pinholes 850 in the cantilever 840, there may be the same number of
pillars 880 in the groove 891. The upper surface of the pillars 880
and the lower surface of the pillars 880 may contact the upper
surface and the lower surface of the groove 891, respectively, as
shown in FIG. 8-D. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8-C and
FIG. 8-D, there may be filled with an insulating component 860
between the first electrode 710 and the second electrode 720. The
insulting component 860 may be used to prevent the first electrode
710 from conducting electricity with the second electrode 720.
While casting the watch strap 820, the insulating component 860
also may be placed in the mold. Because of the pillars 880, there
may be several gaps 870 in the insulting component 860. The gaps
870 may be used to hold the pillars 880.
[0137] In some embodiments, the first electrode 710 or the second
electrode 720 may be fixed on the watch strap 820 by, for example,
suturing. A suture line may be used to pass through the pinholes
850 in the cantilever 840 and the watch strap 820 in turn. In some
embodiments, the first electrode 710 and the second electrode 720
may be fixed on the watch strap 820 using a glue. In some
embodiments, the first electrode 710 and the second electrode 720
may be fixed on the watch strap 820 by pouring a material
including, for example, silica gel, plastic, etc., when the watch
strap 820 is formed. The second electrode 720 may be fixed on the
watch strap 820 using, for example, a same method or a different
method. Some other ways to fix also may be used, e.g., by clamping,
by a magnetic method, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0138] In some embodiments, the first electrode 710 and the second
electrode 720 may be two-tier structures. In some embodiments, the
first electrode 710 and the second electrode 720 may be made of one
or more flexible materials to follow the curvature of the wrist of
a subject. The first tier may be a conductive material including,
for example, a metal, an alloy of a metal, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The second tier lying on the first tier may be
a material having a suitable characteristic including, for example,
conductivity, resistance to corrosion, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The second tier may contact the body or skin
of a subject. Merely by way of example, the first tier may be
copper, and the second tier may be gold-plated or silver
chloride-plated.
[0139] In some embodiments, the smart watch may further include an
optical sensor 780 (not shown in 8-A through 8-D; see FIG. 7). The
optical sensor 780 may be configured to detect a pulse related
signal of the subject. The optical sensor 780 may include an
emitting end used for emitting a light exposed and facing the skin
of the subject and a receiving end used for acquiring a signal
resulting from the emitted light. The light may be a light of any
suitable wavelength, e.g., red, green, blue, infrared, purple,
yellow, orange, ultraviolet, or the like, or a combination thereof,
and The optical sensor 780 may be located on the bottom of the
watch header 810 and may be connected with the processor 740. As
used herein, the bottom may refer to the surface that may contact
the body or skin of a subject when the subject wears the smart
watch as instructed.
[0140] In some embodiments, when a subject wears the smart watch on
one hand, the third electrode 730 and the electrode placed on the
interior surface (e.g., the first electrode 710) of the watch strap
820 may contact the body of the subject. When the subject puts the
other hand on the electrode placed on the exterior surface (e.g.,
the second electrode 720) of the watch strap 820, the first
electrode 710, the second electrode 720, the third electrode 730,
and the subject body may form electrocardiographic leads or
electrocardiographic circuits for acquiring an ECG signal. The
optical sensor 740 may emit a light to the body or skin of the
subject, and a pulse related signal may be acquired. The processor
740 may process the ECG signal to provide an ECG diagraph, and
process the pulse related signal to provide a pulse signal
diagraph. In some embodiments, the processor 740 may calculate a
physiological parameter of interest, e.g., a blood pressure, a
heart rate variation (HRV), a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation,
or the like, or a combination thereof, based on the detected ECG
signals and/or the pulse related signals. More detailed
descriptions regarding the calculation of a physiological parameter
of interest may be found in International Application No.
PCT/CN2015/083334 filed Jul. 3, 2015.
[0141] The smart watch may further may include a connection
interface or port including a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a
Video Graphics Array (VGA) port, a High Definition Multimedia
Interface (HDMI) port, a headphone port, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The connection interface may be configured for
connecting the smart watch with any related external device, e.g.,
a charging device, a display device, a data exchange or storage
device, or the like, or a combination thereof. For example, the
data generated by the processor 740 may be transmit to other
devices via the connection interface. The interface may include
several ports, including, for example, 4 ports, 6 ports, or the
like.
[0142] It should be noted that the description about the smart
watch is merely an example, not intended to limit the scope of the
present disclosure. Apparently for persons having ordinary skills
in the art, numerous variations and modifications may be conducted
under the teaching of the present disclosure. However, those
variations and modifications may not depart the protecting scope of
the present disclosure. For example, the smart watch may further
include a positioning unit, an instant messaging unit, or the like,
or a combination thereof. A subject wearing the smart watch may
communicate with other related members at any time via the instant
messaging unit. The subject may be located by others based on
signals from the positioning unit. Similarly, other related members
may visit or review the signals or information with an access
privilege.
[0143] FIG. 9-A and FIG. 9-B illustrate a top view and a bottom
view of a smart watch which is another exemplary measuring device
illustrated in FIG. 7, according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure. The smart watch may be a wrist watch. As illustrated in
FIG. 9-A, the smart watch may include a watch header 910 (may be
same with the header 810 in FIGS. 8-A through 8-D or not), together
with the first electrode 710, the second electrode 720, the third
electrode 730, the processor 740 and one or more watch straps.
[0144] The watch header 910 may include a watch frame 920. The
watch frame 920 may include a side wall and a bottom. In some
embodiments, the side wall of the watch frame 920 may be made of
metal (including but not limited to, golden, silver, copper,
stainless steel, iron, or the like), and the bottom of the watch
frame 920 may be made of metalloids. In some embodiments, the side
wall and the bottom of the watch frame 920 may both be made of
metal including a same kind of metal or a different kinds of
metals. In some embodiments, the side wall and the bottom of the
watch frame 920 may be made of a metalloids including, for example,
ceramic, plastic, or the like, or any combination thereof.
[0145] It may be seen that the first electrode 710 and the second
electrode 720 are placed on the two sides of the smart watch and
the third electrode 730 is placed on the back side of the watch
header 910. In some embodiments, the first electrode 710 and the
second electrode 720 may be placed on any location of the exterior
surface of the watch frame 920. Merely by way of example, for a
smart watch with an essentially square or rectangular watch header,
the first electrode 710 and the second electrode 720 may be placed
on the opposite sides of the watch header where the watch header
910 may connect with the watch strap as shown in FIG. 9-A. In some
embodiments, the first electrode 710 and the second electrode 720
may be placed on the left side and the right side of the watch
header 910. In some embodiments, the first electrode 710 and the
second electrode 720 may be placed on the same side of the watch
header 910. In some embodiments, the first electrode 710 and the
second electrode 720 may be placed on two adjacent sides of the
watch header 910. In some embodiments, the first electrode 710 and
the second electrode 720 may be placed on the interior surface or
exterior surface of the watch strap.
[0146] Similarly, the third electrode 730 may be placed on any side
of the watch header 910 (on the back side only for illustration
purposes in FIG. 9-B). Merely by way of example, the third
electrode 730 may be placed on the exterior surface of the bottom
of the watch frame 920, e.g., in the center of the exterior surface
of the bottom, at an edge position of the exterior surface of the
bottom, or the like. In another example, there may be a groove in
the exterior surface of the bottom of the watch frame 920, and the
third electrode 730 may be placed in the groove. The top surface of
the third electrode 730, facing the wrist, may be on the same (or
almost the same) plane as the opening of the groove. In some
embodiments, the third electrode 730 may be placed on the interior
surface or exterior surface of the watch strap.
[0147] In some embodiments, the first electrode 710, the second
electrode 720, and the third electrode 730 may be made of a
conductive material including, for example, a metal including
stainless steel, iron, silver, copper, gold, or the like, or a
combination thereof, an alloy of a metal, or the like, or a
combination thereof. Besides, the first electrode 710, the second
electrode 720, and the third electrode 730 may be made of a
material that may be harmless to a subject when it is used as
instructed or under normal conditions. In some embodiments, the
first electrode 710, the second electrode 720, and the third
electrode 730 may be made of a flexible material to accommodate the
curvature of the wrist of a subject. Merely by way of example, the
first electrode 710, the second electrode 720, and the third
electrode 730 may be made of gold-plated copper or silver
chloride-plated copper. In some embodiments, the materials of the
first electrode 710, the second electrode 720 and the third
electrode 730 may be the same as or different from each other.
[0148] In some embodiments, the thickness of the first electrode
710, the second electrode 720, and the third electrode 730 may be
the same with or different from each other. In some embodiments,
the thickness of the first electrode 710, the second electrode 720,
and the third electrode 730 may be not smaller than 0.1
millimeter.
[0149] In some embodiments, the watch frame 920 may be made of a
metal, for example, stainless steel, iron, silver, copper, gold, or
the like, or a combination thereof, and there may be filled with an
insulating material between the electrodes and the watch frame 920
when the first electrode 710, the second electrode 720, and the
third electrode 730 may be placed on the watch frame 920. Merely
for example, a first insulating gel may be filled between the first
electrode 710 and the watch frame 920; a second insulating gel may
be filled between the second electrode 720 and the watch frame 920.
The first insulating gel may be the same as or different from the
second insulating gel.
[0150] The first electrode 710, the second electrode 720, and the
third electrode 730 may be connected with the processor 740 via one
or more electric wires. The wires may be configured to connect
electrodes to the processor 740. One end of the first electric wire
may be connected to the first electrode 710, and the other end of
the first electric wire may be connected to the processor 740.
Similarly the second electrode 720 and the third electrode 730 may
be connected with the processor 740 via a second electric wire and
a third electric wire. If there are gaps between the wires and the
watch frame 920, water or sweat may enter the watch header 910
along the electrodes and the watch header 910 may be damaged. In
some embodiments, the gaps between the electric wires and the watch
frame 920 may be filled with a waterproof material to prevent
liquid from entering the watch header 910.
[0151] As shown in FIG. 9-A and FIG. 9-B, when a subject wears the
smart watch on one wrist, the third electrode 730 may contact the
body of the subject. The subject may place one or more fingers on
both of the first electrode 720 and the second electrode 720,
electrocardiographic leads or electrocardiographic circuits may be
formed, and the ECG related signals acquired by the first electrode
710, the second electrode 720, and the third electrode 730 may be
used to obtain an ECG diagraph. Other physiological parameters of
interest, including, for example, a heart rate, a heart variation
may be obtained. The smart watch may be used to generate continuous
physiological data of the subject. The continuous physiological
data may be used to monitor the physical condition of the
subject.
[0152] In some embodiments, the smart watch may further include an
optical sensor 780 (as illustrated in FIG. 7). As shown in FIG.
9-B, the optical sensor 780 may be placed on the exterior surface
of the bottom of the watch frame 920. There may be a hole at the
center of the third electrode 730. The optical sensor 780 may be
placed in the hole. The top surface of the optical sensor 930,
facing the wrist, may be on the same (or almost the same) plane
with the opening of the hole. There may be an insulation space to
prevent the third electrode 730 conducting electricity with the
optical sensor 930. The insulation space may include a lens. The
lens may be made of a light-transparent material including, for
example, glass, silica gel, or the like, or a combination thereof.
The optical sensor 780 may be connected with the processor 740.
When a subject wears the smart watch, the optical sensor 780 may
detect a pulse related signal of the subject (e.g., a PPG signal).
The processor 740 may calculate a physiological parameter of
interest, e.g., a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation, a blood
oxygen level, or the like, or a combination thereof. Further, the
processor 740 may generate an instruction to synchronize the
measurement of the ECG signal and a PPG signal so that a blood
pressure value may be derived from the measured signals (More
detailed descriptions may be found in International Application No.
PCT/CN2015/083334 filed Jul. 3, 2015). The instruction may be
generated when the subject places one or more fingers on the first
electrode 710 and the second electrode 720.
[0153] It should be noted that the arrangement of the optical
sensor 780 is merely an example, not to be limiting. Apparently for
persons having ordinary skills in the art, numerous variations and
modifications may be conducted under the teaching of the present
disclosure. However, those variations and modifications may not
depart the protecting scope of the present disclosure. In some
embodiments, the optical sensor 780 may be on the bottom of the
exterior surface of the watch frame 920, but not the same place
with the third electrode 730. In some embodiments, the optical
sensor 780 may be on the interior surface of the watch strap.
[0154] In some embodiments, the smart watch may further include a
user interface device 940. The user interface device may include a
touch screen, or a screen connected or communicating with an input
device through which a subject or a user other than the subject may
input information. In some embodiments, the user interface device
940 may be placed on the exterior surface of the bottom of the
watch frame 920. The user interface device 940 may include several
ports, e.g., six ports, as shown in FIG. 9-B. The user interface
device 940 may include a charging interface, a communication
interface, or the like, or a combination thereof. An interface may
be shown or presented on the user interface device. In some
embodiments, there may be a waterproof material in the user
interface device 940 to prevent liquid from entering the watch
header 910. In some embodiments, the interface 940 may be used to
display or present the acquired signals or information (including
an ECG waveform, a PPG waveform, a blood pressure value, or blood
oxygen level, or the like, or a combination thereof). The smart
watch may present information in the form of, for example, an
image, text, an audio message, a video, a haptic effect, or the
like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the smart
watch may communicate with other devices or terminals via,
including, Bluetooth, WiFi, infrared communication, or the like, or
a combination thereof.
[0155] FIG. 10-A through FIG. 10-C show an exemplary electrode that
may be used to acquire an ECG signal, according to some embodiments
of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 10-C, the
electrode may include a flexible conductive layer 1010, a gluing
layer 1020, and a button 1030. The electrode may be flexible and
adjustable, and may be placed on a body location of a subject,
e.g., the wrist, the upper arm, the leg, the neck, the ankle or the
like.
[0156] In some embodiments, the flexible conductive layer 1010 may
include a first opening (not shown), and the gluing layer 1020 may
include a second opening (not shown). The first opening may
correspond to the second opening. The button 1030 may be placed in
the opening thus the flexible conductive layer 1010 may be
connected and fixed with the gluing layer 1020. In some
embodiments, the button 1030 may be made of metal or an alloy of a
metal, e.g., stainless steel, iron, silver, copper, gold, or the
like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the gluing
layer 1020 may include one or more first portions 1021 and one or
more second portions 1022. The first portion 1021 and the second
portion 1022 may be stuck together to fix the electrode along a
body location of the subject (e.g., the wrist). In some
embodiments, a second portion 1022 may be placed between any two of
the first portions 1021 (as illustrated in FIG. 10-B). In some
embodiments, a first portion 1021 may be placed between any two of
the second portions 1022. In some embodiments, the first portion
1021 and the second portion 1022 may be arranged in any form. In
some embodiments, the length of the first portion 1021 or the
second portion 1022 may be adjustable according to the body size of
the subject (e.g., the size of the wrist). Merely by way of
example, the length of the second portion 1022 may be set as 60
mm.
[0157] In some embodiments, the electrode may further include a
middle layer (not shown) between the flexible conductive layer 1010
and the gluing layer 1020. The middle layer may be used to support
the integral structure. The middle layer may provide a thickness
for housing the electrode so that the flexible conductive layer
1010 and the gluing layer 1020 may be flat or smooth. In some
embodiments, the middle layer may be made of, e.g.,
polyurethane.
[0158] In some embodiments, the electrode may further include an
edge sealing 1050, a circle 1060, and a silicone tube 1070. The
edge sealing 1050 may be configured for packing the edge of the
electrode. The circle 1060 may be placed on one end of the gluing
layer 1020 and the silicone 1070 may be placed on the other end of
the gluing layer 1020. While the subject wears the electrode, one
end of the gluing layer 1020 may pass through the circle 1060 and
fix with the other end of the gluing layer 1020. The silicone 1070
is placed protruded from the surface of the gluing layer 1020, thus
the silicone 1070 may be configured to secure the electrode not
falling off. In some embodiments, the circle 1060 may be made of a
conductive material including, a metal or an alloy of a metal,
e.g., stainless steel, iron, silver, copper, gold, or the like, or
a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the electrode may be
connected with a plurality of wires used for transmitting electric
signals detected by the electrode. In some embodiments, the
electrode may be connected with a processor (not shown) via, for
example, one or more wires. The processor may be configured for
processing the detected electric signals to generate an ECG signal
of the subject. The processor may be integrated in any layer of the
electrode, or may be an external processor. In some embodiments,
the electrode may be connected with the processor via a wireless
connection, e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, or the like.
[0159] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an architecture of a
measuring device according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the measuring device 110
(see FIG. 1) may include a blood oxygen sensor 1110, a processor
1120, an adapter 1130, a power supply 1140 and a switch 1150. The
blood oxygen sensor (also referred to as a pulse oximeter) 1110 may
be configured for acquiring one or more pulse related signals of
the subject. The processor 1120 may be configured for controlling
or coordinating an acquisition process; estimating or calculating a
blood oxygen level. The adapter 1130 may be configured for enabling
information transmission among the components of the device. The
power supply 1140 may be configured for providing power for the
device. The switch 1150 may be configured for turning the device or
a component of the device on or off.
[0160] The blood oxygen sensor 1110 may be an optical sensor
including one or more emitting ends used for emitting lights of
suitable wavelengths and one or more receiving ends used for
receiving signals resulted from the emitted lights. In some
embodiments, the blood oxygen sensor 1110 may be configured to
acquire one or more PPG signals. Merely by way of example, the
blood oxygen sensor 1110 may acquire two PPG signals resulted from
two different emitted lights (e.g., a PPG signal resulted from a
red light and a PPG signal resulted from an infrared light). The
two PPG signals may be used to estimate or calculate a blood oxygen
level.
[0161] The processor 1120 may be connected directly or indirectly
with the blood oxygen sensor 1110 via a wired or a wireless
connection. In some embodiments, the processor 1120 may be
configured for estimating or calculating a physiological parameter
of interest, e.g., a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation, a blood
oxygen level, or the like, or a combination thereof, based on the
acquired signals by the blood oxygen sensor 1110. The estimation or
calculation may be performed in real time or after a time delay
from the acquisition of the signals. In some embodiments, the
estimation or calculation may be performed by the blood oxygen
sensor 1110. In some embodiments, the processor 1120 may be
configured for controlling a parameter of the acquisition process
of the signals, e.g., sampling frequency, sampling time interval,
or the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the
processor 1120 may include a memory used for storing the acquired
signals and the estimated or calculated physiological parameters of
interest.
[0162] The adapter 1130 may be configured for transmitting the
acquired signals or the physiological parameters of interest among
the components of the device, or to the health information
management engine 120 or one or more terminals 130. In some
embodiments, the adapter 1130 may include a WiFi adapter, a 2G
wireless network adapter, a 3G wireless network adapter, a 4G
wireless network adapter, or the like, or a combination thereof. In
some embodiments, the transmission may be real-time, or may be
performed after a delay, the delay may be in the order of seconds,
or minutes, or hours, or days, or longer.
[0163] The power supply 1140 may be configured to supply power for
one or more components of the device. In some embodiments, the
power supply 1140 may include a battery, e.g., a lithium battery, a
lead acid storage battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, a nickel metal
hydride battery, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the power supply 1140 may include an external power
source, e.g., a household power supply, an industrial power supply,
or the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the
power supply 1140 may include one or more charging apparatuses. The
power supply 1140 may provide direct current (DC) power, or
alternating current (AC) power. The power supply 1140 may further
include one or more other internal components, e.g., a converter, a
charge/discharge interface, or the like, or a combination
thereof.
[0164] The switch 1150 may be integrated into any component of the
device, or the switch 1150 may be connected with any component of
the device. The switch 1150 may be used for turning a connected
component on or off. In some embodiments, the switch 1150 may be a
hand switch. In some embodiments, the switch 1150 may be controlled
by a remote control. In some embodiments, the switch 1150 may be an
automatic switch, it may turns ON and OFF automatically based on
instructions provided by the processor 1120 or inputted by the
subject or a user other than the subject. Exemplary instructions
may include turning the device on periodically, or upon occurrence
of a triggering event, or the like, or a combination thereof. In
some embodiments, the switch may be a sensor control switch that
may be controlled by a signal acquired by the sensor. Merely by way
of example, the sensor control switch may include a sensor, such
as, for example, a thermometer, a light sensor, a motion sensor, or
the like, or a combination thereof. The sensor control switch may
be turned on or off when a signal acquired by the sensor exceeds a
threshold. As described elsewhere in the present disclosure, as
used here, the term "exceed" may indicate that a signal is above a
threshold or below a threshold.
[0165] This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to
limit the scope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art. The features, structures, methods, and other
characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may
be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative
exemplary embodiments. For example, the adapter 1130 may be
integrated in the processor 1120. The device may include a storage
used for storing signals, data, information, or the like. The
processor 1120 may be local or remote. For example, the health
information management engine 120, a terminal 130 (see FIG. 1-A and
FIG. 1-B), or the like, or a portion thereof, may be used for
achieving the functions or operations of the processor 1120.
[0166] FIG. 12-A and FIG. 12-B show an exemplary measuring device
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As
illustrated, the measuring device may be a pair of glasses 1200.
The pair of glasses 1200 may be used to detect a blood oxygen
level. As shown in FIG. 12-A, the pair of glasses 1200 may include
a bracket 1201, two nose pads 1211, a frame 1212, together with the
blood oxygen sensor 1110, the processor 1120, the adapter 1130, the
power supply 1140, and the switch 1150 (see FIG. 11).
[0167] In some embodiments, the blood oxygen sensor 1110 may be
fixed on a nose pad 1211 through a first opening 1202, and
connected with the processor 1120. The processor 1120 may be
mounted onto or fixed inside of the bracket 1201. In some
embodiments, the blood oxygen sensor 1110 may be fixed on the
bracket 1201 together with the processor 1120. The pair of glasses
1200 may be used to detect the subject's physiological signals and
monitor physiological parameters of interest in real time and/or
continuously.
[0168] Merely by way of example, while a subject wears the pair of
glasses 1200, the blood oxygen sensor 1110 may detect the subject's
pulse related signals (e.g., PPG signals) from the nose of the
subject. There are a plurality of blood vessels, including
capillaries, on the nose. The acquired signals may be transmitted
to the processor 1120 and a physiological parameter of interest may
be estimated or calculated, including, for example, a pulse rate, a
pulse rate variation, a blood oxygen level, or the like, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, the physiological
parameters of interest may be generated directly by the blood
oxygen sensor 1110. The shape of the first opening 1202 may be
circular, oval, rectangular, or the like. The nose pads 1211 may be
mounted or fixed on the bracket 1201.
[0169] As shown in FIG. 12-B, the pair of glasses 1200 may further
include a flexible clamp 1214. In some embodiments, the flexible
clamp 1214 may be device structure that may be used to touch the
earlobe of a subject. Exemplary structures of this type may
include, for example, an ear cuff, a headset, or the like. The
flexible clamp 1214 may include a second opening 1216. The shape of
second opening may be circular, oval, rectangular, or the like. In
some embodiments, the blood oxygen sensor 1110 may be located on
the flexible clamp 1214. One or more pulse related signals may be
detected from the earlobe of the subject. There are a plurality of
blood vessels, including capillaries, on an earlobe. In some
embodiments, the flexible clamp 1214 may be connected with the end
of the frame 1212, and thus the flexible clamp 1214 may communicate
with the processor 1120 through the adapter 1130. In some
embodiments, the flexible clamp 1214 may communicate with the
processor 1120 via a wireless connection (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth,
infrared transmission, or the like, or a combination thereof). In
some embodiments, the pair of glasses 1200 may further include a
groove 1215 where the flexible clamp 1214 may be stored while not
in use.
[0170] The pair of glasses 1200 may further may include a
connection interface or port including a Universal Serial Bus (USB)
port, a Video Graphics Array (VGA) port, a High Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port, a headphone port, or the like, or
a combination thereof. The connection interface may be configured
for connecting the pair of glasses 1200 with any related external
device, e.g., a charging device, a display device, a data exchange
or storage device, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0171] The pair of glasses 1200 may be connected with a terminal
130, for example, a mobile phone, or the health information
management engine 120, or a portion thereof, via a wired or a
wireless connection. Merely by way of example, the acquired signals
or calculated physiological parameters of interest may be
transmitted to the mobile phone in real time, after a delay,
periodically, or triggered by a triggering event described
elsewhere in the present disclosure. The pair of glasses 1200 may
further include additional elements or components, e.g., a
positioning unit (for example, a GPS receiver, etc.) used to
position the subject who wears the glasses 1200, or help the
subject navigate. The location information may be transmitted to,
for example, one or more terminals 130 and/or the health
information management engine 120, a user other than the subject
(for example, a family member, a healthcare provider, a care
provider, etc.), or the like, or a combination thereof. The
transmission may be performed in real time, after a delay,
periodically, triggered by a triggering event (for example, the
subject leaves a pre-defined area), or the like, or a combination
thereof.
[0172] FIG. 13 shows another exemplary measuring device according
to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the
measuring device may be a ring 1300. The ring 1300 may include a
ring body 1301, a groove 1310, a hoop 1312, together with the blood
oxygen sensor 1110, the processor 1120, the adapter 1130, the power
supply 1140 and the switch 1150 (see FIG. 11).
[0173] The blood oxygen sensor 1110 may be fixed on the internal
surface of the ring body 1301, and the processor 1120 may be fixed
inside of the ring body 1301. The blood oxygen sensor 1110 may be
connected with the processor 1120 via a first electric wire 1309.
The ring 1300 may be used to detect the subject's physiological
signals and/or monitor physiological parameters of interest in real
time and/or continuously.
[0174] Merely by way of example, while a subject wears the ring
1300, the blood oxygen sensor 1110 may detect the subject's pulse
related signals (e.g., PPG signals) from a finger of the subject.
There are a plurality of blood vessels, including capillaries, on a
finger. The acquired signals may be transmitted to the processor
1120, and a physiological parameter of interest may be estimated or
calculated, including a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation, a blood
oxygen level, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the physiological parameters of interest may be
generated directly by the blood oxygen sensor 1110.
[0175] The ring 1300 may also include a second electric wire 1305
and a third electric wire 1307. The electric wires may be used to
electrically connect various components of the ring 1300. In some
embodiments, the blood oxygen sensor 1110 may be fixed in the
groove 1310 on the ring body 1301, and the topside of the blood
oxygen sensor 1110 may be parallel with the upper opening of the
groove 1310 contacting the finger or skin of the subject wearing
the ring 1300, so that the blood oxygen sensor 1110 does not
extrude from the ring body 1301 and the subject does not feel
uncomfortable while wearing the ring 1300.
[0176] The ring 1300 may further may include a connection interface
or port including a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a Video
Graphics Array (VGA) port, a High Definition Multimedia Interface
(HDMI) port, a headphone port, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The connection interface may be configured for connecting
the ring 1300 with any related external device, e.g., a charging
device, a display device, a data exchange or storage device, or the
like, or a combination thereof.
[0177] The ring 1300 may be connected with or otherwise communicate
with one or more terminals 130 and/or the health information
management engine 120. The acquired signals and the calculated
physiological parameters of interest may be transmitted to one or
more terminals 130 and/or the health information management engine
120. The ring 1300 may further include other components, such as a
positioning unit (for example, a GPS receiver, etc.) that may be
used to position the subject who wears the ring 1300, or help the
subject navigate. The location information may be transmitted to,
for example, one or more terminals 130 and/or the health
information management engine 120, a user other than the subject
(for example, a family member, a healthcare provider, a care
provider, etc.), or the like, or a combination thereof. The
transmission may be performed in real time, after a delay,
periodically, triggered by a triggering event (for example, the
subject leaves a pre-defined area), or the like, or a combination
thereof. Merely by way of example, a related member may monitor the
physiological status and location information of a subject with
senile dementia.
[0178] FIG. 14-A through FIG. 14-C show a neckband that includes or
is an exemplary measuring device according to some embodiments of
the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 14-A, the neckband may
include a first distal part 1410, a second distal part 1420, a
first middle part 1430, a second middle part 1440, and a cavity
1450.
[0179] As illustrated in FIG. 14-A, a first ECG probe 1412 may be
fixed on the first distal part 1410 by a first fixture 1411, a
second ECG probe 1431 may be fixed on the first middle part 1430,
and a third ECG probe 1441 may be fixed on the second middle part
1440. A blood oxygen sensor 1422 may be fixed on the second distal
part 1420 by a second fixture 1421. In some embodiments, as shown
in FIG. 14-C, the first fixture 1411 or the second fixture 1421 may
include an earphone that may be plugged into an ear of the subject.
The surface of the earphone may include a conductive structure 1413
including, for example, a metal, an alloy of a metal, a conductive
polymer, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the first fixture 1411 or the second fixture 1421 may
include a flexible clamp that may be used to clamp to an earlobe of
the subject. In some embodiments, the first middle part 1430 and
the second middle part 1440 may include a first contacting part
(not shown) (e.g., a stickup layer) and a second contacting part
(not shown) respectively. The two middle parts 1430 and 1440 may be
attached onto the chest of the subject by the two contacting parts
(not shown). The three ECG probes may be used to detect an ECG
signal of the subject, and the blood oxygen sensor 1422 may be used
to detect a pulse related signal of the subject.
[0180] Merely by way of example, while a subject wears the
neckband, the first ECG probe 1412 may be put in contact with an
ear, the second ECG probe 1431 and the third ECG probe 1441 may be
fixed on the chest, an ECG lead or an ECG circuit may be formed and
an ECG signal may be acquired. The blood oxygen probe 1422 may be
put in contact with an earlobe or an ear so that one or more pulse
related signals may be acquired. The acquired signals may be
transmitted to a processor (not shown) for estimating or
calculating a physiological parameter of interest including a heart
rate, a heart rate variation, a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation,
a blood oxygen level, a blood pressure, or the like, or a
combination thereof.
[0181] The neckband may further include a power supply (not shown)
and a controller (not shown). In some embodiments, the controller
may be configured to control a parameter of the acquisition process
of the signals, e.g., sampling frequency, sampling time internal,
or the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the
controller may be configured to transmit relevant information (for
example, acquired signals, calculated physiological parameters,
etc.) to other terminals or the health information management
engine 120, or a portion thereof including, e.g., the database 140,
a mobile phone, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0182] In some embodiments, the cavity 1450 as illustrated in FIG.
14-A and FIG. 14-B may be configured for housing the power supply
(not shown), the controller (not shown), the ECG probes, the blood
oxygen probe, and other components. In some embodiments, as
illustrated in FIG. 14-A, the cavity 1450 may be located within the
neckband 1400 and connected with various components via a wired or
a wireless connection. In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG.
4-B, the containing cavity 1450 may be located away from the
neckband 1400 (e.g., may be placed in a pocket of a coat, a
backpack, etc.) and communicate with the neckband via a wire 1451
or via a wireless connection. The cavity 1450 may be in one of
various shapes including, e.g., rectangle, oval, irregular shape,
or the like.
[0183] In some embodiments, the neckband 1400 may include, be
connected to, or communicate with a user interface device (not
shown). The user interface device may include a touch screen, or a
screen connected or communicating with an input device through
which a subject or a user other than the subject may input
information. The user interface device may be implemented on an
external surface of the cavity 1450. An interface may be shown or
presented on the user interface device.
[0184] In some embodiments, the neckband 1400 may be connected with
a mobile phone via, for example, Bluetooth, a near field
communication (NFC) protocol, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The acquired signals or physiological parameters of
interest may be transmitted and displayed or presented on or by the
mobile phone. An interface may be implemented on the mobile phone
so that information exchange with the neckband 1400 may be
achieved.
[0185] Information may be exchanged with the neckband 1400 via an
interface. For instance, via the interface, the subject or a user
other than the subject may set measuring mode or measuring
parameters, setting a control mode, or the like, or a combination
thereof. At least some of the signals or physiological parameters
of interest acquired by the neckband 1400 may be transmitted to a
terminal 130, the database 140, the health information management
engine 120, or a portion thereof, via the mobile phone, a wireless
adapter, or a wired connection.
[0186] FIG. 15-A and FIG. 15-B show a wristband 1500 that includes
or is an exemplary measuring device according to some embodiments
of the present disclosure. As illustrated, a stereogram and a
sectional view are provided in FIG. 15-A and FIG. 15-B,
respectively. It may be seen that the wristband 1500 may include a
wristband body 1502 with a plurality of components including, for
example, a first electrode 1503, a second electrode 1504, a third
electrode 1501, an optical sensor 1506, and a processor 1509.
[0187] The first electrode 1503, the second electrode 1504, and the
third electrode 1501 may be configured for acquiring an ECG signal
of the subject. Description regarding an ECG electrode may be found
elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., the electrode may be a
flexible electrode, see FIG. 10). The first electrode 1503 and the
second electrode 1504 may be fixed (e.g., by suturing) in/on the
interior surface of the wristband body 1502. The third electrode
1501 may be fixed (e.g., by suturing) in/on the exterior surface of
the wristband body 1502. It should be noted that there may be other
ways to fix the first electrode 1503, the second electrode 1504,
and the third electrode 1501 in the wristband body 1502 including,
for example, using a glue, by a threaded connection, or the like,
or a combination thereof.
[0188] In some embodiments, the first electrode 1503 and the second
electrode 1504 may be located apart from each other and may not be
electrically connected. A subject may wear the wristband 1500 on
one hand, when he puts the other hand on the third electrode 1501,
the first electrode 1503, the second electrode 1504, the third
electrode 1501, and the subject may form a plurality of
electrocardiographic leads used to detect potential differences
between a pair of points on the body of the subject. An ECG signal
may be acquired based on the potential differences.
[0189] The optical sensor 1506 may be configured for acquiring a
pulse related signal of the subject. In some embodiments, the
wristband body 1502 may include a first hole 1505. The optical
sensor 1506 may be housed or secured in the first hole 1505, by way
of, e.g., using a glue, using a fixture or a fastening structure,
suturing, or the like, or a combination thereof. Further, the top
surface of the optical sensor 1506, facing or contacting the wrist,
may be on the same (or almost the same) plane with the top of the
hole 1505, so that the optical sensor 1506 does not protrude beyond
the interior surface of the wristband body 1502.
[0190] The processor 1509 may be configured for calculating a
physiological parameter of interest based on the acquired ECG
signal and the pulse related signal including, for example, a heart
rate, a heart rate variation, a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation,
a blood pressure, a blood oxygen level, or the like, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, the processor 1509 may be
configured for controlling a parameter of the acquisition,
including, sampling frequency, sampling time interval, or the like,
or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the processor 1509
may further include a storage device (not shown) used for storing
the acquired signals, and the calculated physiological parameters
of interest.
[0191] In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 15-B, the
wristband 1500 may further include a first electric wire 1513, a
second electric wire 1511, a third electric wire 1512, and a fourth
electric wire 1510. One end of the electric wires 1510-1513 may be
connected with the processor 1509, and the other end of the
electric wires 1510-1513 may be connected with the electrodes or
the optical sensor 1506, respectively. The acquired ECG signals and
pulse related signals may be transmitted to the processor 1509 via
the electric wires 1510-1513. For example, the first electric wire
1513 may be connected with the optical sensor 1506 and the
processor 1509. It should be noted that the electric wires and the
electrodes may be flexible and deformable, so that they may bend to
accommodate the curvature of the wrist of a subject, and therefore
the first electrode 1503, the second electrode 1504, and the third
electrode 1501 may fit the wrist closely.
[0192] In some embodiments, the wristband 1500 may include a
temperature sensor 1508 configured for acquiring a body temperature
signal. The temperature sensor 1508 may be fixed (e.g., by
suturing) in/on any location of the interior surface of the
wristband body 1502. The temperature sensor 1508 may be connected
with the processor 1509 via the fifth electric wire 1514 in the
wristband body 1502. In some embodiments, the wristband body 1502
may include a second hole 1507. The temperature sensor 1508 may be
housed or secured in the second hole 1507, by way of, e.g., using a
glue, using a fixture or a fastening structure, suturing, or the
like, or a combination thereof. Similarly, the top surface of the
temperature sensor 1508 may be on the same (or almost the same)
plane with the top of the second hole 1507, so that the temperature
sensor 1507 does not protrude beyond the interior surface of the
wristband body 1502.
[0193] In some embodiments, the three electrodes, the optical
sensor 1506, and the temperature sensor 1508 may be arranged in any
form and at various locations. For example, the optical sensor 1506
may be placed between the first electrode 1503 and the second
electrode 1504. In some embodiments, the wristband 1500 may further
include an adapter (not shown in FIG. 15-A or FIG. 15-B). The
adapter may be fixed in the wristband body 1502, and be connected
with the processor 1509. The processor 1509 may be transmitted, via
the adapter, the acquired signals and the calculated physiological
parameters of interest to, for example, a terminal 130, the
database 140, the health information management engine 120, or a
portion thereof, or the like, or a combination thereof. The adapter
may be wireless or wired. The wireless adapter may include a WIFI
communication adapter, a 2G wireless network adapter, a 3G wireless
network adapter, a 4G wireless network adapter, or the like, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, the terminal 130 and/or
the health information management engine 120 may further process or
analyze the signals or data to generate a plurality of additional
information including, for example, disease information, the health
condition, information relating a population including the subject,
or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0194] The wristband 1500 may further may include a connection
interface or port including a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a
Video Graphics Array (VGA) port, a High Definition Multimedia
Interface (HDMI) port, a headphone port, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The connection interface may be configured for
connecting the wristband 1500 with any related external device,
e.g., a charging device, a display device, a data exchange or
storage device, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0195] FIG. 16 is a sectional view illustrating a bicycle 1600 that
includes or is an exemplary measuring device according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure. The bicycle 1600 may include
a bicycle body 1601, a handlebar 1611, a frame 1612, a pedal 1613,
with a plurality of components including, for example, a
physiological sensing module (not shown), a processor 1606, a
positioning device 1607, an adapter 1608, a power supply 1609, and
a switch 1610.
[0196] The physiological sensing module may include a body fat
sensor 1602, a blood oxygen sensor 1603, an ECG sensor 1604, a
pressure sensors 1605, or the like, or a combination thereof. In
some embodiments, the bicycle 1600 may be used to monitor a
subject's physiological condition including, for example, a
plurality of physiological signals and/or physiological
information. Merely by way of example, when a subject (e.g., a
rider) is riding on the bicycle 1600, the physiological sensing
module may be configured or used to detect and collect a plurality
of physiological signals of the rider. The processor 1606 may be
configured for analyzing the acquired signals, calculating a
physiological parameter of the subject based on the signals, and/or
analyzing the acquired signals or calculated physiological
parameter.
[0197] As illustrated, the body fat sensor 1602, the blood oxygen
sensor 1602 and the ECG sensor 1604 may be fixed on the handlebar
1611. In some embodiments, the body fat sensor 1602 may be
configured for acquiring body fat information of the subject.
Merely by way of example, when a rider is riding on the bicycle
1600 with his or her hand grasping the body fat sensor 1602 fixed
on the handlebar 11, body fat information of the rider may be
detected and a body fat related physiological parameter may be
obtained by the processor 1606. In some embodiments, the blood
oxygen sensor 1603 may be configured to acquire a plurality of
pulse related signals (e.g., PPG signals), and a blood oxygen level
of the rider may be determined by the blood oxygen sensor 1603 or
by the processor 1606. In some embodiments, the ECG sensor 1604 may
be configured to acquire an ECG signal. Cardiac information
including, for example, heart rate, heart rate variation, or the
like, may be generated based on the acquired ECG signal by the
processor 1606. In some embodiments, the number of the
physiological sensors may be adjustable by the subject, e.g., two,
three, five, ten, or the like. For example, two body fat sensors
1602 may be placed on two sides of the handlebar 1611.
[0198] In some embodiments, the pressure sensor 1605 may be fixed
on the pedal 1613. In some embodiment, the pedal 1613 may include a
left pedal 1614 and a right pedal 1615, and a pressure sensor 1605
may be located on the left pedal 1614, and a pressure sensor 1605
may be located on the right pedal 1615. When the rider is riding on
the bicycle 1600 putting his/her feet on the pressure sensors 1605,
pressure related information may be detected. Then calories
consumed by the rider may be estimated by the processor 1606 based
on the pressure related information. In some embodiments, the
positioning device 1607 is fixed on the bicycle body 1601 and
connected with the processor 1606. The positioning device 1607 may
be configured or used to monitor the position related information
of the bicycle 1600. The position related information may include
location, a real time road condition, traffic control, speed, time,
direction, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the bicycle 1600 may further include an alert unit
including, for example, a display, a speaker, or a haptic generator
(not shown) connected with the processor 1606. An alert may be
generated and provided by the alert unit (not shown) under certain
conditions. Exemplary conditions may include that the speed exceeds
a threshold value, the location is beyond a predefined area, a
physiological signal or parameter exceeds a threshold, or the like,
or a combination thereof. The conditions may be set by the subject
or a user other than the subject, or set by the system default, or
may be loaded from the positioning device 1607 (e.g., the
positioning device 1607 may monitor whether speed-limit information
is present). In some embodiments, the pressure related information
and the position related information may be taken into account and
the physiological parameters of interest may be calculated with an
improved accuracy.
[0199] The bicycle 1600 may further include an adapter 1608
configured for transmitting the acquired signal or information, the
physiological parameter of interest, or the like, or the
combination thereof to one or more terminals 130, the database 140,
and/or the health information management engine 120, or the like,
or a combination thereof. See relevant descriptions regarding the
adapter elsewhere in the present disclosure (see, e.g., FIG. 12 and
the description thereof). In some embodiments, the adapter 1608 may
be fixed to the handlebar 1611 and connected with the processor
1606 to transmit information processed by the processor 1606 to one
or more terminals 130, the database 140, and/or the health
information management engine 120, or the like, or a combination
thereof. In some embodiments, the adapter 1608 may be a wired
adapter, a WiFi adapter, a 2G wireless adapter, a 3G wireless
adapter or a 4G wireless adapter, or the like, or a combination
thereof.
[0200] The bicycle 1600 may further include a power supply 1609
used for providing power for one or more components of the bicycle
and a switch 1610 used for turning a component of the bicycle 1600
on or off. In some embodiments, the bicycle 1600 may further
include a display including, for example, a touchscreen. An
interface (not shown) may be shown on the display. The display may
be fixed on the handlebar 1611 and may be connected with the
processor 1606. The bicycle 1600 may include a connection interface
or port including a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a Video
Graphics Array (VGA) port, a High Definition Multimedia Interface
(HDMI) port, a headphone port, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The connection interface may be configured to connect the
bicycle 1600 with any related external device, e.g., a charging
device, a display device, a data exchange or storage device, or the
like, or a combination thereof.
[0201] FIG. 17-A and FIG. 17-B illustrate a steering wheel 1700
that includes or is an exemplary measuring device according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 17-A and FIG. 17-B
provide a top view and a bottom view of the steering wheel 1700,
respectively. The steering wheel 1700 may include a steering body
1710, a connection rod 1720, a steering skeleton 1730, with a
plurality of components located, including, a blood oxygen sensor
1750, a first electrode 1780, a second electrode 1760, a third
electrode 1770 and a processor (not shown).
[0202] As illustrated in FIG. 17-A, the connection rod 1720 may
include a left connection rod 1721, a right connection rod 1722,
and a lower connection rod 1723. The connection between the
steering body 1710, and the steering skeleton 1730 may be enhanced
by the three connection rods 1721, 1722 and 1723. As shown the
steering skeleton 1730 may be set in the circle center of the
steering body 1710 and fixed thereto through the connection rod
1720. For example, two ends of the left connection rod 1721 may be
fixed to the left side of the steering body 1710 and the left side
of the steering skeleton 1730, respectively. Likewise, two ends of
the right connection rod 1722 may be fixed to the right side of the
steering body 1710 and the right side of the steering skeleton
1730, respectively.
[0203] As illustrated in FIG. 17-B, the blood oxygen sensor 1750,
the first electrode 1780, the second electrode 1760, and the third
electrode 1770 may be fixed on any locations of the steering body
1710. For example, the first electrode 1780 may be placed adjacent
to the second electrode 1760, and the third electrode 1770 may be
placed opposite to the first electrode 1780 and the second
electrode 1760. In some embodiments, a processor may be mounted
onto or inside the steering body 1710, the connection rod 1720, or
the steering skeleton 1730. In some embodiments, the processor may
be located in another location in the vehicle in which the steering
wheel 1700 is installed. The processor may be connected with the
blood oxygen sensor 1750, the first electrode 1780, the second
electrode 1760, and/or the third electrode 1770.
[0204] The blood oxygen sensor 1750 may be configured for acquiring
a blood oxygen related signal (e.g., a PPG signal). In some
embodiments, the blood oxygen sensor 1750 may be an optical sensor.
The first electrode 1780, the second electrode 1760, and the third
electrode 1770 may be configured to acquire an ECG signal. The
processor (not shown) may be configured to analyze or process the
acquired signals, calculate or estimate a physiological parameter
of interest, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0205] Merely by way of example, when a subject (e.g., a driver) is
driving with his hand(s) holding the steering wheel 1700, the blood
oxygen sensor 1750 may be configured or used to detect and collect
a plurality of blood oxygen related signals of the driver, based on
which blood oxygen related information may be generated, including
blood oxygen saturation, blood viscosity, or the like. As another
example, the driver's two fingers of one hand are in contact with
the first electrode 1780 and the second electrode 1760, one or more
fingers of the other hand are in contact with the third electrode
1770. An ECG lead or an ECG circuit is formed by the first
electrode 1780, the second electrode 1760, the third electrode
1770, and the body of the driver. ECG signals of the driver may be
detected. The detected ECG signals may be used to analyze the
driver's heart rate, heart rate variation, or the like, or a
combination thereof. As a further example, the fatigue status
(e.g., a fatigue level) of the driver may be estimated based on the
acquired blood oxygen related signals, the ECG signals, the
generated blood oxygen related information, the heart rate, the
heart rate variation, blood pressure, or the like, or a combination
thereof.
[0206] In some embodiments, the acquired signals may be transmitted
to a terminal 130, the database 140, and/or the health information
management engine 120, or a portion thereof, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The blood oxygen related information or some
other health related information may be generated by the terminal
130 or the health information management engine 120, or a portion
thereof. The generated information may be transmitted to a terminal
130, the subject, a user other than the subject, in real time,
after a delay, periodically, or triggered by a triggering event, or
the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, while an
abnormal change is identified in the generated information, an
alert may be generated and provided to the driver, and/or
transmitted to one or more terminals, or a user other than the
subject (see relevant descriptions regarding the alert elsewhere in
the present disclosure).
[0207] The steering wheel 1700 may further include an alert unit
1740, a fingerprint sensor (not shown), and an adapter (not shown),
one or more of which may be fixed on the steering body 1710, the
connection rod 1720, or the steering skeleton 1730, and connected
with the processor (not shown). The alert unit 1740 may be
configured to generate or providing an alert while an abnormal
condition is identified. Merely by way of example, when the fatigue
level of the driver exceeds a preset threshold value. In some
embodiments, the alert unit 1740 may provide an audio alert, a
video alert, a haptic alert, etc. The alert may be provided in
various ways as disclosed elsewhere in the present disclosure. The
adapter (not shown) may be used to transmit the acquired signals
and/or the calculated physiological parameters of interest to the
health information management engine 120, the database 140, or one
or more terminals 130, which may be configured to monitor the
driver's physiological status real time or not. The fingerprint
sensor (not shown) may be configured to recognize
fingerprint-related signals which may be utilized to unlock the
steering wheel 1700, or be used to keep user's privacy by locking
up the acquired signals and the calculated physiological parameters
of interest.
[0208] The steering wheel 1700 may further may include a connection
interface or port including a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a
Video Graphics Array (VGA) port, a High Definition Multimedia
Interface (HDMI) port, a headphone port, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The connection interface may be configured for
connecting the steering wheel 1700 with any related external
device, e.g., a charging device, a display device, a data exchange
or storage device, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0209] The steering wheel 1700 may further include additional
elements or components. For instance, the steering wheel 1700 may
include a positioning unit (for example, a GPS receiver, a location
sensor, etc.). The positioning unit may allow the driver to find
his own position, or to navigate, or the like, or a combination
thereof. The positioning unit may also allow another user to find
the location of the driver, or the vehicle. The location
information may be transmitted to, for example, one or more
terminals 130 and/or the health information management engine 120,
a user other than the subject (for example, a family member, a
healthcare provider, a care provider, etc.), or the like, or a
combination thereof. The transmission may be performed in real
time, after a delay, periodically, triggered by a triggering event
(for example, the subject leaves a pre-defined area), or the like,
or a combination thereof.
[0210] FIG. 18-A and FIG. 18-B illustrate a jump rope 1800 that
includes or is an exemplary measuring device according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the jump
rope 1800 may include a left handle 1810, a right handle 1820, and
a line 1830 that interlink the two handles, with a plurality of
components located, including, a sensor 1850, a central processor
1880, a battery 1860, an electric generator 1870 and an electrode
1890.
[0211] As illustrated in FIG. 18-B, the sensor 1850 configured for
detecting a physiological signal of the subject may be placed on
the outside surface of the left handle 1810 and the right handle
1820. The sensor 1850 may include an ECG sensor 1851 used to detect
an ECG signal, a blood oxygen sensor 1852 used to acquire a blood
oxygen related signal (e.g., a PPG signal), and a body fat sensor
1853 used to acquire a body fat information. The sensor 1850 may be
connected with the central processor 1880 via a wired or a wireless
connection (e.g., an electric wire integrated in the line 1830).
The number of the sensors 1850 may be, e.g., two, three, five, or
the like. For example, one blood oxygen sensor 1852 may be placed
on either the left handle 1810 or the right handle 1820, and two
ECG sensors 1851 may be placed on the left handle 1810 and the
right handle 1820, respectively. Likewise, two body fat sensors
1853 may be placed on the left handle 1810 and the right handle
1820, respectively.
[0212] The central processor 1880 may be configured or used to
store and analyze the acquired signals (including, for example, ECG
signals, PPG signals, body fat information, or the like, or a
combination thereof), calculating or estimating a physiological
parameter of interest (including, for example, a heart rate, a
heart rate variation, a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation, a blood
pressure, a blood oxygen level, a body fat level, or the like, or a
combination thereof), or the like, or a combination thereof.
Further in some embodiments, the central processor 1880 may be
connected with a terminal 130 (for example, a mobile phone, a
tablet, etc.), a local server (e.g. a computer or a mobile) or a
remote server (e.g., a cloud server) via a wire connection or a
wireless connection, which may be configured to model and analyze
the physiological parameters and/or generate a health condition
related information. The information may be provided to the subject
for his reference. In some embodiments, statistical data or data
acquired by a data mining may be used to analyze the health
condition of the subject. Further, in some embodiments, the central
processor 1880 may be connected with a terminal and may send the
physiological information to the terminal (e.g., a mobile phone
app).
[0213] Merely by way of example, when a subject is skipping rope
with his hands holding the left handle 1810 and the right handle
1820, one hand (e.g., the left hand) may contact with one ECG
sensor 1851 and the body fat sensor 1853, the other hand (e.g., the
right hand) may contact another ECG sensor 1851 and the blood
oxygen sensor 1852. When the power is on, the sensors may detect
and collect the subject's physiological signals including, ECG
signals, PPG signals, body fat signals, bio-impedance signals, or
the like. The detection may be performed real time, periodically,
or triggered by a triggering event. A physiological parameter of
interest may be calculated including, for example, heart rate,
heart rate variation, pulse rate, pulse rate variation, body fat
information, blood pressure, bio-impedance information, or the
like, or a combination thereof. More detailed descriptions
regarding the calculation of a physiological parameter of interest
may be found in International Application No. PCT/CN2015/083334
filed Jul. 3, 2015.
[0214] In some embodiments, both the left handle 1810 and the right
handle 1820 may include a chamber 1840. The chamber 1840 may house
a battery 1860 used for providing power for the sensor 1850 and/or
the central processor 1880. One or both of the left handle 1810 and
the right handle 1820 may include an electric generator 1870 used
for generating electricity based on, for example, the motion of the
jump rope. The electric generator 1870 may be housed in the chamber
1840. In some embodiments, the electric generator 1870 may be
connected with the battery 1860 that may be chargeable. The
electric generator 1870 may include a rotor 1871 that may be driven
by the line 1870 to guarantee a persistent power for the jump rope.
Merely by way of example, when a subject (e.g., an exerciser) is
skipping rope, the rotor 1871 may be driven to rotate and to
generate electricity by the rotation of the line 1830. The
generated electricity may be used to charge the battery 1860, or
directly power the sensor 1850 and/or the central processor
1880.
[0215] In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 18-B, both the
left handle 1810 and the right handle 1820 may include an electrode
1890 thereon to measure the bio-impedance of the subject, based on
which the body composition parameters including, body fat ratio,
body water ratio, body muscle ratio, bone mass, or the like, may be
acquired. For example, while the subject's hands are contact with
the electrode, a safe voltage (for example, a voltage no larger
than 36 V) may be provided by the battery 1860, while the
bio-impedance may be measured by detecting a safe current. In some
embodiments, the jump rope 1800 may further include a counter (not
shown) placed on a connection part of the line 1830 with the left
handle 1810 or the right handle 1820, configured to count or
estimate, for example, the rotation number, the consumed calories,
or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0216] The jump rope 1800 may further may include a connection
interface or port including a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a
Video Graphics Array (VGA) port, a High Definition Multimedia
Interface (HDMI) port, a headphone port, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The connection interface may be configured for
connecting the jump rope 1800 with any related external device,
e.g., a charging device, a display device, a data exchange or
storage device, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0217] FIG. 19-A and FIG. 19-B shown an exemplary device 1900
including a mouse 1901 and a mouse pad 1902 that includes or is an
exemplary measuring device according to some embodiments of the
present disclosure. As illustrated, the device may include a mouse
1901 and a mouse pad 1902. The mouse 1901 may be wired or wireless.
As shown in FIG. 19-B, the mouse 1901 may include a mouse body
1910, a left button 1912, a right button 1908, and a middle button
1906. In some embodiments, the middle button 1906 may be a mouse
wheel. As illustrated in FIG. 19-A, the mouse pad 1902 may include
a detecting area 1903 and a conductive portion 1905.
[0218] The device 1900 may include a first electrode 1913 placed on
the left button 1912, a second electrode 1907 placed on the right
button 1908, a third electrode 1904 placed on any location (e.g.,
the detecting area 1903) on the mouse pad 1902, an optical sensor
1914 placed on any location of the device 1900 (e.g., a left side
of the smart mouse 1901), and a processor 1909 placed inside the
smart mouse 1901. The electrodes and the optical sensor 1914 may be
connected with the processor 1909 via a wired connection or a
wireless connection. The first electrode 1913, the second electrode
1907, and the third electrode 1904 may be configured for acquiring
an ECG signal. The optical sensor 1914 may be configured to acquire
a pulse related signal (e.g., a PPG signal). The processor 1909 may
be configured to analyze the acquired signals (including, for
example, an ECG signal, a PPG signal, body fat information, or the
like, or a combination thereof), calculate or estimate a
physiological parameter of interest (including, for example, a
heart rate, a heart rate variation, a pulse rate, a pulse rate
variation, a blood pressure, a blood oxygen level, a body fat
level, or the like, or a combination thereof), or the like, or a
combination thereof. More detailed descriptions regarding the
calculation of a physiological parameter of interest may be found
in International Application No. PCT/CN2015/083334 filed Jul. 3,
2015.
[0219] As illustrated in FIG. 19-A, the third electrode 1904 may be
placed on the detecting area 1903 on the mouse pad 1902. In some
embodiments, corresponding to the detecting area 1903, the mouse
body 1910 may include a contact portion 1916 (illustrated in FIG.
19-B). The third electrode 1904 may connect or communicate with the
contact portion 1916 via the conductive portion 1905. The
conductive portion 1905 may be placed inside of the mouse pad 1902.
For example, the conductive portion 1905 may include a plurality of
electric wires. The wires may be laid flat within the mouse pad
1902. The wired may be placed in parallel with each other. In some
embodiments, the conductive portion 1905 may include a first
inserting part (not shown) and a second inserting part (not shown)
at two ends of the portion. The third electrode 1904 may include a
first magnetic portion (not shown). The first inserting part (not
shown) may include a second magnetic portion (not shown). The third
electrode 1904 may be connected with the first inserting part (not
shown) via the first magnetic portion (not shown) and the second
magnetic portion (not shown). Similarly, the contact portion 1916
may include a third magnetic portion (not shown) and the second
inserting part (not shown) may include a fourth magnetic portion
(not shown). The contact portion 1916 may be connected with the
second inserting part (not shown) via the third magnetic portion
(not shown) and the fourth magnetic portion (not shown). In some
embodiments, the third electrode 1904 may include a first magnetic
portion (not shown). In some embodiments, the mouse pad 1902 may be
conductive, for example, the mouse pad 1902 may be made of a
conductive fabric. Thus the mouse pad 1902 may be used to
connecting the third electrode 1904 and the contact portion
1916.
[0220] Merely by way of example, when a subject uses the mouse, one
hand of the subject contacts the first electrode 1912 and the
second electrode 1907, the other hand may contact the third
electrode 1904. The three electrodes and the subject's body may
form ECG leads or an ECG circuit used to acquire ECG signals. The
processor 1909 may process the ECG signals to calculate or estimate
a physiological parameter of interest including, for example, a
heart rate, a heart rate variation, or the like, or a combination
thereof. While the thumb of the subject may contact with the
optical sensor 1914 and pulse related signals (e.g., PPG signals)
may be acquired. The processor 1909 may process and analyze the
acquired signals to calculate or estimate a physiological parameter
of interest including, for example, a pulse rate, a pulse rate
variation, a blood oxygen saturation, or a blood pressure, or the
like, or a combination thereof. More detailed descriptions
regarding the calculation of a physiological parameter of interest
may be found in International Application No. PCT/CN2015/083334
filed Jul. 3, 2015. While the subject or the user uses the mouse
continuously, signals may be detected in real time, continuously,
periodically, or triggered by a triggering event. The health
condition of the subject may be monitored in real time and/or
continuously, or periodically.
[0221] It should be noted that when the mouse 1901 moves on the
mouse pad 1902, the mouse 1901 should not enter the detecting area
1903. The size of the mouse pad 1902 and the location of the
detecting area 1903 (or the location of the third electrode 1903)
may be chosen accordingly. In some embodiment, the shape of the
mouse pad 1902 may be rectangle, square, trapezoid, circular,
ellipse, irregular shape, or the like, or a combination thereof.
For example, the shape of the mouse pad 1902 may be rectangle. The
length of a long side of the rectangle may be an arbitrary value,
e.g., any value within an interval expressed as (m, n). The value
of m and n may be adjusted based on factors including, for example,
the size of the hand of the subject, the size of the mouse 1901, or
the like, or a combination thereof. Merely by way of example, the
length of a long side of the rectangular mouth pad 1902 may be
approximately 18 cm. Similarly, the length of a short side of the
mouse pad 1902 may be an arbitrary value, e.g., any value within an
interval expressed as (t, s). The ratio of the length of the long
side and that of the short side may be an arbitrary value, e.g.,
100%, 110%, 120%, 130%, 140%, 150%, 160%, 170%, 180%, 190%, 200%,
210%, 220%, 230%, 240%, 250%, 260%, or the like. In some
embodiments, the ratio may not be less than 200%. In some
embodiments, the location of the third electrode 1904 may be at an
arbitrary position of the mouse pad 1902. For a rectangular mouse
pad 1902, the third electrode 1904 may be along a left short side,
along a right short side, along a top long side, along a lower long
side, in the lower-left corner, in the lower-right corner, in the
top-left corner, in the top-right corner, or any other location of
the mouse pad 1902. Merely by way of example, if a subject prefers
to hold the mouse 1901 by his right hand, the third electrode 1904
may be placed in the lower-left corner of the mouse pad 1902. If a
subject prefers to hold the mouse 1901 by his left hand, the third
electrode 1904 may be placed in the lower-right corner of the mouse
pad 1902.
[0222] In some embodiments, the device may further include a user
interface device (not shown in FIG. 19-A or FIG. 19-B). The user
interface device may include a touch screen, or a screen connected
or communicating with an input device through which a subject or a
user other than the subject may input information. In some
embodiments, the mouse 1901 and/or the mouse pad 1902 may
constituent the input device. An interface may be shown or
presented on the user interface device. The user interface device
may be placed on the right side, the left side, or the upper
surface of the mouse body 1910, or may be located on the mouse pad
1902. The user interface device may be connected or communicate
with the processor 1909. A subject or a user may set some
parameters and/or a measuring way via the user interface device. In
some embodiments, a control method may be set or provided via the
user interface device. In some embodiments, the mouse 1901 may be
controlled to connect with a mobile phone via Bluetooth.
[0223] In some embodiments, the device may connect or communicate
with a terminal (e.g., a mobile phone or a computer). The
connection may be wired or wireless. The wireless connection may
include Bluetooth communication, infrared communication, or the
like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the acquired
signals and the calculated physiological parameters of interest may
be transmitted to a remote server or a cloud server to be managed
conveniently. If some parameters exceed a threshold set by the
subject or a user other than the subject, or some parameters exceed
a normal range, an alert, a recommendation, a reminder, or the
like, or a combination thereof, may be generated. For example, if
the blood pressure generated exceeds a value, the terminal may
provide an alert, or a reminder that the subject may need to take
some blood pressure medication.
[0224] This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to
limit the scope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art. The features, methods, and other characteristics of the
exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various
ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments.
For example, the device 1900 may share a common processor with a
computer connected with the mouse. As another example, the acquired
signals and/or calculated physiological parameters of interest may
be transmitted and stored in the computer.
[0225] FIG. 20-A through FIG. 20-C show a tablet 2000 that includes
or is an exemplary measuring device according to some embodiments
of the present disclosure. FIG. 20-A and FIG. 20-B provide a top
view and a bottom view of the tablet 2000, respectively. As
illustrated in FIG. 20-A, the tablet 2000 may include a display
panel 2001 and a shell 2002. The top surface of the shell 2002 may
include an opening 2003 to hold the display panel 2001. As
illustrated in FIG. 20-B, the tablet 2000 may include a first
electrode 2004, a second electrode 2005, a third electrode 2006,
and an optical sensor 2007. The three electrodes may be configured
to acquire an ECG signal of a subject. The optical sensor 2007 may
be configured to acquire a pulse related signal (e.g., a PPG
signal). The tablet 2000 may also include a processor 2010 placed
inside of the shell 2002.
[0226] The three electrodes may be located on any locations of the
top surface or the bottom surface of the shell 2002. As used
herein, the top surface of the shell 2002 may include a display;
the bottom surface of the shell 2002 may refer to the opposite
surface relative to the top surface of the shell 2002. In some
embodiments, the three electrodes may be located in a line
arrangement as illustrated in FIG. 20-B. The line arrangement may
be in any arbitrary position of the bottom surface of the shell
2002. Merely by way of example, the line arrangement may be
parallel to a long side of the shell 2002, a short side of the
shell 2002, or a diagonal of the shell 2002. In some embodiments,
the three electrodes may be located as a triangle arrangement. For
example, one or two sides of the triangle may be parallel to a side
of the shell 2002. In some embodiments, the three electrodes may be
located in any arrangement of various irregular shapes. For
example, the first electrode 2004 and the second electrode 2005 may
be placed parallel to a long side or a short side of the shell
2002, and the third electrode 2006 may be placed near to the other
short side of the shell 2002. The distance between the electrodes
and the edge of the shell 2002 may be arbitrary, e.g., 1 cm, 2 cm,
5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, or the like. The optical sensor 2007 may be in
an arbitrary location of the shell 2002 including, for example, the
top surface of the shell 2002 or the bottom surface of the shell
2002. Merely by way of example, the optical sensor 2007 may be
located near a corner of the shell 2002.
[0227] In some embodiments, the first electrode 2004, the second
electrode 2005, and the third electrode 2006 may be a two-layer
structure. The first tier may include a conductive material
including, for example, a metal, an alloy of a metal, a conductive
polymer, or the like, or a combination thereof. The second tier
lying on the first tier may include a material having a desirable
characteristic including, for example, conductivity, resistance to
corrosion, or the like, or a combination thereof. The second layer
may be harmless to a subject. Merely by way of example, the first
layer may be copper, and the second layer may be gold plated
beryllium copper or silver chloride-plated.
[0228] In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 20-B, the tablet
2000 may further include a fingerprint sensor 2008 configured to
acquire the fingerprint of a subject. In some embodiments, the
fingerprint acquired may be used to unlock the tablet 2000 or to
encrypt and/or decrypt information of the subject. The information
may be stored in modules or units of the tablet capable of storing,
a cloud account, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the tablet 2000 may acquire different subjects'
fingerprints and each fingerprint may be associated with a specific
subject. The fingerprint sensor 2008 may be in an arbitrary
location of the shell 2002, including the top surface of the shell
2002 or the bottom surface of the shell 2002. For example, the
fingerprint sensor 2008 may be located near a corner of the shell
2002.
[0229] In some embodiments, the tablet 2000 may further include an
adapter 2009 connected with the processor 2010. The adapter 2009
may be configured to transmit the acquired signals and the
calculated physiological parameters of interest to the terminal
130, the health information management engine 120, the database
140, or a portion thereof, or the like, or a combination thereof.
The adapter 2009 may include a WiFi adapter, a 2G electrode
wireless network adapter, a 3G electrode wireless network adapter,
a 4G electrode wireless network adapter, or the like, or a
combination thereof.
[0230] In some embodiments, the electrodes and sensors (including
the first electrode 2004, the second electrode 2005, the third
electrode 2006, the optical sensor 2007, and the fingerprint sensor
2008) may be placed in a groove (not shown) located on the shell
2002, or may be fixed on the surface of the shell 2002 using a glue
or by a fixture or a fastening structure, or the like, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, they may be screwed onto
the shell 2002.
[0231] Referring back to FIG. 20-B, during a duration that a
subject uses the tablet 2000, when a subject holds the tablet 2000
with two hands, fingers of one hand may contact the first electrode
2004, the second electrode 2005 and the optical sensor 2007,
fingers of the other hand may contact the third electrode 2006, an
ECG signal and a consecutive pulse wave signal may be detected. The
detection may be continuous, or periodic, or triggered by a
triggering event. Physiological parameters of interest may be
generated, including, for example, a heart rate, a heart rate
variation, a pulse rate, a pulse rate variation, a blood oxygen
saturation, and a blood pressure, or the like, or a combination
thereof. Further, the health condition of the subject including,
e.g., the level of fatigue, the psychological pressure, the stress
tolerance of the subject, or the like may be analyzed. The acquired
signals, the calculated physiological parameters of interest,
and/or the generated health condition may be transmitted to the
health information management engine 120, a terminal 130, etc., to
be further processed and analyzed, or may be stored or displayed or
presented by the tablet 2000. The subject or a user who has an
access privilege may visit tablet 2000 and review the physiological
information at any time.
[0232] The tablet 2000 may further may include a connection
interface or port including a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a
Video Graphics Array (VGA) port, a High Definition Multimedia
Interface (HDMI) port, a headphone port, or the like, or a
combination thereof. The connection interface may be configured for
connecting the tablet 2000 with any related external device, e.g.,
a charging device, a display device, a data exchange or storage
device, or the like, or a combination thereof.
[0233] FIG. 21-A and FIG. 21-B show flowcharts of an exemplary
process for a health monitoring, according to some embodiments of
the present disclosure. Beginning in step 2101, information
relating to a subject may be acquired. The acquisition may be
performed by the measuring device 110. The acquired information may
be stored in the measuring device 110, or may be transmitted to a
terminal 130-1, the health information management engine 120, or
the database 140. The acquired information may include
physiological signals of the subject, environmental information
relating to the ambient surrounding the subject, and information
provided by the subject or a user other than the subject. For
example, the acquired information may include a PPG signal, an ECG
signal, a body temperature signal, the height, weight, age, gender,
arm length, illness history, room temperature, humidity, air
pressure, air flow rate, ambient light intensity, or the like, or a
combination thereof.
[0234] In step 2103, a data generation may be performed. During the
data generation process, at least one feature of the acquired
information may be identified. For example, the acquired
information may include a plurality of physiological signals (e.g.,
a PPG signal and an ECG signal); the features of these signals
including, for example, waveform, characteristic points, peak
points, valley points, amplitude, time intervals, phase,
frequencies, cycles, or the like, or a combination thereof may be
identified; a plurality of physiological parameters of interest
including a blood pressure, a blood oxygen level, or the like, may
be calculated or estimated based on the identified features. During
the data generation, analysis operations including pretreatment,
recognition, calculation, and calibration may be performed (see
FIG. 4-C and FIG. 5-C. For example, the pretreatment may be
performed in order to reduce or remove noise or interferences in
the signals originally acquired. The data generation may be
performed by the data generation unit 403, the data management unit
502, or the data analysis unit 503. The data generation may be
performed automatically or according to some requests from the
health information management engine 120, or other terminals (e.g.,
130-2, . . . , 130-N). For example, another remote terminal (e.g.,
the terminal 130-2) may request the terminal 130-1 or the health
information management engine 120 for a blood pressure value, the
data generation may be performed to generate a blood pressure value
in response to the request from the remote terminal. In some
embodiments, the data generation process may further include a data
packaging step including, for example, data compression, data
encoding, data encryption, or the like. It should be noted that
after the data generation in step 2103, a new acquisition process
may be performed in step 2101. After the data generation process,
it may follow at least some steps starting from node A 2122 as
illustrated in FIG. 21-B.
[0235] In step 2104, a connection check may be carried out. The
connection check may be performed to check whether the connection
for data transmission is proper. The connection check may be
carried out by the interaction unit 401, or the communication unit
506. If the connection is bad or non-existent, the process may
proceed to step 2105, in which the generated data may be stored for
further use. If the connection is proper or becomes proper, the
data may be retrieved and the process may proceed to 2106. If the
connection is already proper, the process may proceed directly to
step 2106. In step 2106, the generated data may be transmitted to a
server or processor (e.g., the health information management engine
120), the database 140, or a terminal 130. The server or processor
may be a local server or a remote server. The server or processor
may be integrated in the terminal 130-1. The transmission may be
performed by the interaction unit 401, the communication unit 406,
or the communication unit 506. In some embodiments, an identity
verification may be performed before the data transmitting; if the
identity verification is satisfactory, the data transmitting may be
executed. For example, the system, or a portion thereof (for
example, the health information management engine 120, the database
140, etc.), may verify whether the terminal 130-1 has a data
transmission permission before transmitting data to the terminal
130-1. As another example, while a user account is logged in the
terminal 130-1, a data transmission from the system, or a portion
thereof (for example, the health information management engine 120,
the database 140, etc.), is allowed.
[0236] In step 2107, a criterion may be set. The criterion may
include a rule regarding data combination, data classification, or
the like, and/or a standard regarding data array, data format, data
structure, or the like. The criterion may further include a
standard regarding data storage, data processing, data analysis, or
the like, or a combination thereof. The criterion may be set
according to a default setting of the system (e.g., an industrial
standard, etc.), or may be customized by the subject (e.g.,
classified by time, combined by physiological parameter category,
screened by data type, or the like). The criterion may be set by an
institution or user that has the authority to manage the date
relating to the subject. Exemplary institutions or users may
include a hospital, a research institute, a healthcare provider, a
care provider, etc.
[0237] Merely by way of example, the received data may include a
plurality of physiological information of various types, such as
information including age, gender, or the like, initial signals
including an ECG signal, a PPG signal, or the like, calculated or
estimated physiological parameters including a blood pressure, a
blood oxygen level, or the like. The criterion may be set as a rule
regarding data classification expressed as classifying the received
data by data type including basic information, initial signal and
calculated parameter. As another example, the received data may
include data of various formats including numerical value, text
format, image format, or the like. The criterion may be set as a
standard regarding the data format, for example, only the data of a
specific format may be used for further analysis (e.g., in step
2112). In some embodiments, different criterions may be set by
different subjects. For example, data regarding body height of a
subject may be expressed as a value in millimeter, while data
regarding body height of another subject may be expressed as a
value in meter.
[0238] In step 2108, whether the criterion is satisfied may be
checked. If the answer is "No," the data may be processed (such as
data format conversion, data integration, data cleaning, or the
like) in step 2109 to meets the requirements of the criterion. The
processing may be performed by the data management unit 502. If the
answer is "Yes," the process may proceed to step 2110 to store the
data. The data may be stored in any storage device disclosed
anywhere in the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the
storing is not necessary, the data that meets the requirements pf
the criterion may be transmitted directly for further use.
[0239] In step 2111, whether to use analysis model(s) available may
be determined. As used herein, an analysis model may refer to a
function expressed as equation 1.
[ HS PD RD ] = a [ ( pp 1 , pp 2 , pp 3 , , pp n ) ( bi 1 , bi 2 ,
bi 3 , , bi n ) ( hi 1 , hi 2 , hi 3 , hi n ) ] + b * f ( ep 1 , ep
2 , , ep n ) + c * f ( hd 1 , hd 2 , , hd n ) + d * f ( si 1 , si 2
, si 3 , , si n ) . ( 1 ) ##EQU00001##
[0240] The dependent variable expressed as
[ HS PD RD ] ##EQU00002##
of Equation 1 may refer to an analysis result, and the independent
variable may refer to a plurality of data. As used herein, HS may
refer to a health status or condition (e.g., health, sub-health,
therapeutic effect, rehabilitation effect, or the like, or a
combination thereof); PD may refer to a prediction (e.g., risk of
disease); RD may refer to a recommendation (e.g., recommendation
for health maintenance, health tips, disease therapy, disease
precaution, medical guide, or the like). As used herein, pp.sub.x
(x=1, 2, . . . , n) may refer to a physiological parameter (e.g.,
blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, or the like, or a
combination thereof); bi.sub.x (x=1, 2, . . . , n) may refer to
information regarding a subject (e.g., age, body weight, or the
like, or a combination thereof); hi.sub.x (x=1, 2, . . . , n) may
refer to a health related information (e.g., food allergy, drug
allergy, smoking or not, dietary habit, or the like, or a
combination thereof); ep.sub.x (x=1, 2, . . . , n) may refer to an
environmental parameter (e.g., temperature, humidity, or the like);
hd.sub.x (x=1, 2, . . . , n) may refer to a history data regarding
pp.sub.x, bi.sub.x, hi.sub.x, and ep.sub.x; si.sub.x (x=1, 2, . . .
, n) may refer to statistical information (e.g., incidence of a
disease at different ages and regions, or the like, or a
combination thereof). As used herein, a, b, c, d may refer to
coefficients for different parts; f may refer to a function (e.g.,
exponential function, trigonometric function, logarithmic function,
or the like, or a combination thereof).
[0241] In some embodiments, a favorite model may be selected form a
group of available models. As used herein, a favorite model may
refer to a model that may provide a more accurate analysis result
regarding the physiological information of the subject. In some
embodiments, the determination may be made by the system default,
or based on instructions by the subject or a user other than the
subject. In step 2112, the data may be analyzed based on a favorite
model. The data analysis process may be performed by the data
analysis unit 503. Operations of the data analysis may include
calculating a parameter based on the received data, extracting a
feature of the data, refining useful information from a batch of
data, generating a relationship among the received data, or the
like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary analysis methods may
include statistical analysis methods (e.g., regression analysis,
factor analysis, clustering, recognition analysis, or the like) and
intelligent analysis methods (e.g., neural network, genetic
algorithms, rough sets, or the like). The data analysis may be
performed at an individual level, a group level, or both. At
individual level, the pp.sub.x, bi.sub.x, hi.sub.x, hd.sub.x,
ep.sub.x in Equation 1 may refer to parameters regarding a specific
subject, and HS, PD, RD in Equation 1 may refer to analysis results
regarding the specific subject. At group level, the pp.sub.x,
bi.sub.x, hi.sub.x, hd.sub.x, ep.sub.x may refer to parameters
regarding a plurality of subjects, and HS, PD, RD may refer to
analysis results regarding the plurality of subjects. The analysis
results at individual level and/or group level may be used to guide
modification of si.sub.x in equation 1. In some embodiments, during
an individual level analysis, some group level related information
may be used. An analysis result may be generated in step 2112.
[0242] If there is no model(s) available to be used, the process
may proceed to step 2113 to perform a data mining process and to
import data from a data source. The data source may be the database
140, or may be an external data source (e.g., a remote server). The
data mining process may be performed by the data mining unit 504.
The data mining may be performed to construct a new analysis model,
or to determine a factor of a model to be factored. In some
embodiments, the constructed new analysis model may be expressed as
a model of the same type with an available model (as expressed in
Equation 1) or a model of a different type such as a probabilistic
model that may be express as Equation 2 below.
PR = f [ G R H ] + f ( a ) . ( 2 ) ##EQU00003##
[0243] As used herein, coefficient G represents a group, such as a
group with same age, a group with similar height, a group with
similar weight, or the like. Coefficient R represents a region with
a specific climate, e.g., a cold region, a hot region, a temperate
region, or the like. Coefficient H represents a family hereditary
condition. The function f(a) represents a function regarding an
abnormality of a physiological parameter of interest. The
probabilistic model may be applied for predicting a probability of
a specific disease, a trend of a family genetic disease, or the
like.
[0244] In some embodiments, as illustrated in Equation 1, the
factors a, b, c, and d may be determined based on the data acquired
by the data mining process. The factors a, b, c, and d may be
determined through a calibration, e.g., a regression. In some
embodiments, the statistical information may be obtained by the
data mining process. In some embodiments, an existent model may be
retrieved by the data mining process. The new constructed, factored
or retrieved model may be updated in step 2115. The newly updated
models may be further used to analyze the data in step 2112.
[0245] In some embodiments, the data mining may be performed
according to system default. For example, the data mining may be
performed in a predetermined time interval (e.g., 30 minutes, 1
hours, 5 hours, 10 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, or the like). As
another example, the data mining may be performed at a particular
time point of a day (e.g., 6:00, 12:00, 21:00, 0:00, or the like).
As a further example, the data mining may be performed
automatically while the system is in an idle state or during an
off-peak period.
[0246] In step 2116, the analysis results may be delivered back
from the server or processor (see step 2106). The delivery process
may be performed by the interaction unit 410, the communication
unit 406, or the communication unit 506. Merely by way of example,
in step 2106, the generated data may be transmitted from the
terminal 130-1 to the health information management engine 120, and
in step 2116, the analysis results may be delivered from the health
information management engine 120 back to the terminal 130-1. In
some embodiments, a connection check may be performed before the
analysis results delivery. After the data is delivered back, it may
follow at least some steps starting from node A 903 as illustrated
in FIG. 21-B.
[0247] FIG. 21-B illustrates the process starting from node A 2122
regarding a data transmitting process among one or more terminals
130 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In
step 2117, whether the analysis results contain abnormal
information may be checked. As used herein, abnormal information
may refer to that at least some of the received data or the
physiological parameters of interest exceed a threshold. As used
herein, "exceed" may be larger than or lower than a threshold. For
example, the received blood pressure value exceeds a threshold
(e.g., the value of SBP is higher than 140 mmHg, the value of DBP
is lower than 60 mmHg). If abnormal information is identified, a
recommendation including a health tip, a medical guide, or the
like, or a combination thereof, may be generated in 2121, and the
process may proceed to step 2118 to determine whether other
terminals 130 have an access privilege to receive the abnormal
information and/or the recommendation. If no abnormal information
is identified in the analysis results, whether an access request
occurs from other terminals (e.g., the terminal 130-2, . . . ,
130-N) may be checked in step 2119. If the answer is "No," the
whole process may end and a new process may start. If the answer is
"Yes," whether other terminals 130 have an access privilege may be
determined in step 2118.
[0248] In step 2118, an identity verification may be performed.
Merely by way of example, the identity may be a user ID of a
terminal (e.g., 130-2, . . . , 130-N) that may be obtained when a
user account is registered, and may be further recognized when the
user account logs in. The user ID may be in form of text or
two-dimensional code. A relationship between different user IDs may
be constructed by manually inputted or scanning a two-dimensional
code. Merely by way of example, suppose the terminal 130-1 has a
user ID X, and the terminal 130-2 has a user ID Y, the terminal
130-1 may add the user ID Y to be labeled as a family member, a
friend, or a doctor, or may scan the two-dimensional code of the
user ID Y, then a specific relationship may be constructed between
the terminal 130-1 and the terminal 130-2. Thus in this embodiment,
the identity verification may be performed by checking the user IDs
to determine whether there is a specific relationship between the
receiver (e.g., the terminal 130-2) and the transmitter (e.g., the
terminal 130-1). If the receiving terminal satisfies the
verification, the data may be transmitted. Otherwise, the
transmission may be refused, or a request may be provided to the
receiving terminal to obtain a verified identity through
registering or logging in an effective identity.
[0249] As another example, a specific terminal may correspond to a
specific member. In some embodiments, if the specific member has a
relationship (for example, being a family member, a healthcare
provider, a care provider, etc.) with the subject (corresponding to
the terminal 130-1), it means that the specific terminal satisfies
the identity verification. In some embodiments, an identification
information of a specific terminal (e.g., the terminal 130-2,
130-3, . . . , 130-N) may be verified. As used herein, the
identification information may refer to an identification code of
the terminal. If the verification is satisfied, the specific
terminal with a specific identification code may visit the system
or a portion thereof with a specific access privilege. In some
embodiments, the verification process may be performed at any time
point of the whole process.
[0250] In step 2120, the analysis results and/or the recommendation
may be pushed to other terminals corresponding to related members
that have satisfied the identity verification. This procedure may
be carried out by the interaction unit 401, the communication unit
406, or the communication unit 506.
[0251] This description of the exemplary process is intended to be
illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent
to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and
other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein
may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or
alternative exemplary embodiments. For example, while an abnormal
condition is identified, an alert may be generated based on the
analysis result and the alert may be transmitted to a related
member. As another example, the step 2104 and the step 2106 are not
necessary, while the data generation process and the data analysis
process may be performed in an independent module or unit (e.g., a
terminal 130-1, the health information management engine 120, or
the like). Obviously in this embodiment, the step 2116 is not
necessary.
[0252] FIG. 22 provides an exemplary process regarding a mobile
health monitoring according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure. Beginning in step 2201, a terminal (e.g., the terminal
130-1) or a server (e.g., the health information management engine
120) may receive physiological signals of a subject. The
physiological signals may be received from one or more measuring
devices 110 that may include a plurality of physiological sensors
(e.g., ECG electrode, blood pressure sensor, blood oxygen
saturation sensor, temperature sensor, or the like, see FIG. 3).
The receiving may be performed by the interaction unit 401, the
communication unit 406, or the communication unit 506. The
physiological signals received from the measuring devices 110 may
include, without limitations to, ECG signals, PPG signals,
temperature signals, or the like.
[0253] In step 2202, physiological data may be generated based on
the physiological signals. The data generation may be performed by
the data generation unit 403, the data management unit 502, or the
data analysis unit 503. The generated data may include, for
example, a heart rate value calculated from ECG signals, a pulse
rate value and a blood oxygen saturation value calculated from PPG
signals, a body temperature value calculated from temperature
signals, and a blood pressure value calculated from ECG signals and
PPG signals (More detailed descriptions regarding the calculation a
blood pressure) may be found in International Application No.
PCT/CN2015/083334 filed Jul. 3, 2015). If in step 2201 the
physiological signals of the subject are received by a terminal
130-1, the generated physiological data may be transmitted to a
data processing server or processor (e.g., the health information
management engine 120). The data processing server or processor may
be a local server or a remote server. In some embodiments, the data
processing server or processor may be integrated in the terminal
130-1. The data transmission may be performed by the interaction
unit 401 or the communication unit 406. Before transmitting the
physiological data, a check step to determine whether the
connection is proper may be performed by the interaction unit 401
or the communication unit 506. If the connection is proper, the
physiological data may be transmitted to the server (e.g., the
health information management engine 120) successively. Otherwise,
the physiological data may be stored for further use, and while the
connection becomes proper, the physiological data may be extracted
and transmitted to the data processing server.
[0254] In step 2203, physiological status information may be
generated by the data processing server or processor and may be
sent back to the terminal 130-1. The physiological status
information may include, for example, health related information
including health condition of the subject, therapeutic effect,
rehabilitation effect, prediction of potential risks of sub-health,
disease information, obesity or not, or the like; a recommendation
regarding health maintenance, disease therapy, disease precaution,
or the like. The physiological status information may be obtained
by the data processing server (e.g., the health information
management engine 120) through analyzing and processing the
physiological data generated in step 2202 using some predefined
analysis models.
[0255] In step 2204, an identification information of a related
member may be verified. The verification process may be performed
by the identity verification unit 402 or the communication unit
506. The identification information may indicate a specific
relationship between the related member and the subject. In some
embodiments, if the relationship may be a family relationship, a
relative relationship, or a doctor-patient relationship, it means
that the related member passes the verification. In some
embodiments, the verification process may be performed while a
request is received from the related member. In some embodiments,
the verification process may be performed at any time point of the
whole process. In some embodiments, an identification information
of a specific terminal (e.g., the terminal 130-2, 130-3, . . . ,
130-N) may be verified. As used herein, the identification
information may refer to an identification code of the terminal, a
logged in user account in the terminal, or the like. If the
verification is passed, the specific terminal may access
information relating to the subject in the system, or a portion
thereof, according to a specific access privilege.
[0256] In step 2205, the system may proceed to check whether the
physiological status information indicates a health problem. As
used herein, a health problem may refer to an abnormal status
(e.g., a sub-health condition, a potential health risk, a disease
information (e.g., arrhythmia, cardiopathy, hypertension,
hypotension, hyperpyrexia, hypothermia, genetic disease, or the
like), or the like). If the answer is "yes," the process may
proceed to step 2206 to transmit the physiological status
information to the subject or a user other than the subject
including, for example, a family member, a healthcare provider, a
care provider, or the like, or a combination thereof. As used
herein, such a user may also be referred to as a related member.
Merely by way of example, while the related member receives the
physiological status information indicating a health problem, a
rescue or an assistance may be timely implemented. As another
example, if the physiological status information indicates a
genetic disease, a further pre-warning prompt may be sent to the
related member having a family relationship with the subject to
remind that there is a high risk of having the same genetic
disease. In some embodiments, different pre-warning prompts with
different levels may be sent to different members. For example, if
the physiological status information of a father indicates that he
may have a genetic disease, his son may receive a high-level
pre-warning that he may suffer from the same disease, while a
collateral relative may receive a low-level pre-warning.
[0257] If the answer is "No," the process may proceed to step 2207.
No treatment may be performed regarding the physiological status
information and the whole process may end. In some embodiments,
while a request from a related member to visit the physiological
status information of the subject is received, the physiological
status information may be transmitted to the related member that
has an access privilege.
[0258] Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather
apparent to those skilled in the art after reading this detailed
disclosure that the foregoing detailed disclosure is intended to be
presented by way of example only and is not limiting. Various
alterations, improvements, and modifications may occur and are
intended to those skilled in the art, though not expressly stated
herein. These alterations, improvements, and modifications are
intended to be suggested by this disclosure, and are within the
spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this
disclosure.
[0259] Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe
embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the terms "one
embodiment," "an embodiment," and/or "some embodiments" mean that a
particular feature, structure or characteristic described in
connection with the embodiment is included in at least one
embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is emphasized
and should be appreciated that two or more references to "an
embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" in
various portions of this specification are not necessarily all
referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular
features, structures or characteristics may be combined as suitable
in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition,
the term "logic" is representative of hardware, firmware, software
(or any combination thereof) to perform one or more functions. For
instance, examples of "hardware" include, but are not limited to,
an integrated circuit, a finite state machine, or even
combinatorial logic. The integrated circuit may take the form of a
processor such as a microprocessor, an application specific
integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a micro-controller,
or the like.
[0260] Further, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art,
aspects of the present disclosure may be illustrated and described
herein in any of a number of patentable classes or context
including any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or
composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.
Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented
entirely hardware, entirely software (including firmware, resident
software, micro-code, etc.) or combining software and hardware
implementation that may all generally be referred to herein as a
"circuit," "unit," "module," "component," or "system." Furthermore,
aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer
program product embodied in one or more computer readable media
having computer readable program code embodied thereon.
[0261] A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated
data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein,
for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a
propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including,
but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable
combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any
computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage
medium and that may communicate, propagate, or transport a program
for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,
apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer readable
signal medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium,
including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber
cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
[0262] Computer program code for carrying out operations for
aspects of the present disclosure may be written in any combination
of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented
programming language such as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE,
Emerald, C++, C#, VB. NET, Python or the like, conventional
procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming
language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2003, Perl, COBOL 2002, PHP, ABAP,
dynamic programming languages such as Python, Ruby and Groovy, or
other programming languages. The program code may execute entirely
on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a
stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and
partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or
server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be
connected to the user's computer through any type of network,
including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN),
or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example,
through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider) or in a
cloud computing environment or offered as a service such as a
Software as a Service (SaaS).
[0263] Furthermore, the recited order of processing elements or
sequences, or the use of numbers, letters, or other designations
therefore, is not intended to limit the claimed processes and
methods to any order except as may be specified in the claims.
Although the above disclosure discusses through various examples
what is currently considered to be a variety of useful embodiments
of the disclosure, it is to be understood that such detail is
solely for that purpose, and that the appended claims are not
limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, are
intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that
are within the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. For
example, although the implementation of various components
described above may be embodied in a hardware device, it may also
be implemented as a software only solution--e.g., an installation
on an existing server or mobile device. In addition, the financial
management system disclosed herein may be implemented as a
firmware, firmware/software combination, firmware/hardware
combination, or a hardware/firmware/software combination.
[0264] Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing
description of embodiments of the present disclosure, various
features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment,
figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the
disclosure aiding in the understanding of one or more of the
various inventive embodiments. This method of disclosure, however,
is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the
claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly
recited in each claim. Rather, inventive embodiments lie in less
than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.
* * * * *