Synchronizing Cardiovascular Sensors for Cardiovascular Monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016338599-A1
Application number	US-201514720632-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 22, 2015
Priority date	May 22, 2015
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

This document describes synchronizing cardiovascular sensors for cardiovascular monitoring, such as through sensing relevant hemodynamics understood by pulse transit times, blood pressures, pulse-wave velocities, and, in more breadth, electrical conduction properties, cardiac rhythms, thoracic impedance, ballistocardiograms and pressure-volume loops. The techniques disclosed in this document use various cardiovascular sensors to sense hemodynamics, such as skin color and skin and other organ displacement. These cardiovascular sensors require little if any risk to the patient and are simple and easy for the patient to use.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
one or more computer processors; an electromagnetic-spectrum sensor, the electromagnetic-spectrum sensor configured to capture electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals from cardiovascular sensors oriented to a patient; and one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, enables modules comprising:
a timing module, the timing module configured to precisely assign a reception time to each of the captured electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals from the cardiovascular sensors; and
a reception-synchronization module configured to model, based on the precisely assigned reception times for the captured electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals, cardiovascular timing of the cardiovascular sensors effective to enable cardiovascular measurements from the cardiovascular sensors to determine a hemodynamic characteristic of the patient.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the reception-synchronization module is further configured to:
receive an electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal generation mark and a cardiovascular measurement from each of the cardiovascular sensors; and synchronize the cardiovascular measurements using the precisely assigned reception times and the electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal generation marks.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the captured electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals from the cardiovascular sensors have different wavelengths and the reception-synchronization module is further configured to assign each of the captured electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals to respective of the cardiovascular sensors based on the different wavelengths.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the different wavelengths are previously associated with each of the cardiovascular sensors and the reception-synchronization module is further configured to assign the captured electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals to respective of the cardiovascular sensors based on the different wavelengths and the previous association.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal is in an optical, radio-frequency, or infrared bandwidth.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the captured electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals from the cardiovascular sensors have different pulse characteristics or contain data and the reception-synchronization module is further configured to assign each of the captured electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals to respective of the cardiovascular sensors based on the different pulse characteristics or the contained data.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the different pulse characteristics are previously associated with each of the cardiovascular sensors and the reception-synchronization module is further configured to assign the captured electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals to respective of the cardiovascular sensors based on the different pulse characteristics.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the reception-synchronization module is further configured to identify and store the captured electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signals with the precisely assigned reception times of the respective cardiovascular sensors.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the hemodynamic characteristic includes pressure waves representing blood flow through an artery or vein of the patient.

10 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
transmitting an electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal; receiving responses from respective cardiovascular sensors, the responses having electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal marks; determining time synchronization between the respective cardiovascular sensors based on the electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal marks; and providing the time synchronizations effective to enable determination of a model by which cardiovascular measurements received from each of the respective cardiovascular sensors can be synchronized.

11 . The computer-implemented method as described in claim 10 , wherein the electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal is in an optical, radio-frequency, or infrared bandwidth.

12 . The computer-implemented method as described in claim 10 , further comprising determining the model.

13 . The computer-implemented method as described in claim 10 , further comprising:
determining a circulatory distance between regions of a patient being measured by each of the respective cardiovascular sensors and to which each of the cardiovascular measurements are associated; determining a time correlation between capture of the cardiovascular measurements at the respective regions of the patient; determining, based on the circulatory distance, the time correlation, and the time synchronizations of the model, a hemodynamic characteristic of the patient.

14 . The computer-implemented method as described claim 13 , wherein the hemodynamic characteristic is a pulse-wave velocity.

15 . A system comprising:
one or more computer processors; an electromagnetic-spectrum signal generator, the electromagnetic-spectrum signal generator configured to send an electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal capable of capture by two or more cardiovascular sensors; and one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, enable a transmission-synchronization module configured to:
receive, from each of the cardiovascular sensors, a response having an electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization-signal mark;
determine a time synchronization between the cardiovascular sensors based on the electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization-signal mark received from each respective cardiovascular sensor; and
provide the time synchronization effective to enable cardiovascular measurements by the cardiovascular sensors to be synchronized to determine a hemodynamic characteristic of a patient.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization-signal marks for two of the cardiovascular sensors correct, for a single electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal received by both of the two cardiovascular sensors, time differences in processing reception of the electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal and transmitting the response.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization-signal mark is included within the cardiovascular measurement by the one of the cardiovascular sensors.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, further enables a timing module, the timing module configured to precisely assign a signal generation time to the electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal, and wherein the transmission-synchronization module is further configured to determine time synchronizations between the reception times for each of the cardiovascular sensors based on the signal generation time.

19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein:
the electromagnetic-spectrum signal generator is further configured to:
send a second electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal different from the first-mentioned electromagnetic-spectrum synchronization signal; and
the transmission-synchronization module is further configured to:
receive, from a third of the

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Debusschere Brian Derek
• Rogers Jeffrey L

Classifications

• A61B5/7246

  using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity · CPC title

• A61B5/0261 Primary

  using optical means, e.g. infrared light · CPC title

• A61B5/02108 Primary

  from analysis of pulse wave characteristics · CPC title

• A61B5/0265

  using electromagnetic means, e.g. electromagnetic flowmeter · CPC title

• G16Z99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass · CPC title