Advanced mechano-acoustic sensing and applications of same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024000322-A1
Application number	US-202118034893-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 2, 2021
Priority date	Feb 16, 2018
Publication date	Jan 4, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

This invention discloses an electronic device for measuring physiological parameters of a living subject including at least a first inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a second IMU, the first IMU and the second IMU are time-synchronized to and spatially and mechanically separated from each other; and a microcontroller unit (MCU) electronically coupled to the first IMU and the second IMU for processing of data streams from the first IMU and the second IMU.

First claim

1 . An electronic device for measuring physiological parameters of a living subject, comprising:
at least a first inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a second IMU, the first IMU and the second IMU are time-synchronized to and spatially and mechanically separated from each other; and a microcontroller unit (MCU) electronically coupled to the first IMU and the second IMU for processing of data streams from the first IMU and the second IMU.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first IMU is configured to measure data including a first signal related to a physiological signal of the living subject and a second signal, and the second IMU is configured to measure data including at least the second signal, wherein the first signal measured by the first IMU has a signal strength greater than that the second signal measured by the first IMU.

3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the data measured by the first IMU and the second IMU are processed such that subtraction of the second signal measured by the second sensor from the second signal measured by the first sensor results in a stronger first signal that is a signal of interest.

4 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the second signal is related to at least one of ambient, motion and vibration.

5 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the data measured by the second IMU includes the first signal and the second signal.

6 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a signal measured by the first IMU and the second IMU together is lower than a first SNR of a signal measured by the first IMU individually, or a second SNR of a signal measured by the second IMU individually.

7 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein both of the first IMU and the second IMU are operably in mechanical communication with the skin of the living subject.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein one of the first IMU and the second IMU is operably in directly mechanical communication with the skin of the living subject, while the other of the first IMU and the second IMU is operably in indirectly mechanical communication with the skin of the living subject.

9 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the first IMU and the second IMU are operably in directly mechanical communication with the skin of the living subject.

10 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein one of the first IMU and the second IMU is separated from the rest of rigid components of the electronic device.

11 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising at least a first thermal sensing unit and a second thermal sensing unit, wherein one of the first and second thermal sensing units is thermally isolated from an ambient environment and configured to measure a body temperature of the living subject, and the other of the first and second thermal sensing units is configured to measure the ambient temperature.

12 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second thermal sensing units is embedded in a respective one of the first and second IMUs.

13 . The electronic device of claim 1 , being configured to measure a range of physiological information from activity of a cardiopulmonary system and movements of a core body to a diverse collection of processes across thoracic cavity, esophagus, pharynx, and oral cavity related to respiration, speech, swallowing, wheezing, coughing, and sneezing.

14 . The electronic device of claim 13 , being configured to separate signals associated with the cardiopulmonary system and related processes from those due to body movements.

15 . The electronic device of claim 13 , being configured to spatiotemporally map movements of the skin at this region of the anatomy onto which the electronic device is attached during cardiac and respiratory activities.

16 . The electronic device of claim 13 , being configured to continuously measure temperature, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), activity level, and body orientation, across a range of vigorous activities and conditions.

17 . The electronic device of claim 13 , being configured to monitor key symptoms of a patient with COVID-19 infection to track progress of recovery and response to therapies in hospital and/or home.

18 . The electronic device of claim 13 , being configured to measure any of respiratory or motion related digital biomarkers associated with coughing, swallowing, and/or specific motion related activities.

19 . The electronic device of claim 18 , being configured to assess coughing when the living subject is moving or immobile, and/or to measure muscle motion, when the living subject is moving.

20 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a bidirectional wireless communication system electronically coupled to the electronic device and configured to send an output signal from the electronic device to an external device.

21 . The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the bidirectional wireless communication system is further configured to deliver commands from the external device to the electronic device.

22 . The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the bidirectional wireless communication system comprises a controller that utilizes at least one of near field communication (NFC), Wi-Fi/Internet, Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), and cellular communication protocols for wireless communication.

23 . The electronic device of claim 20 , further comprising a customized app with a user interface deployed in the external device to allow a user to configure and operate the electronic device for data collection, data transfer, data storage and analysis, wireless charging, and monitoring of user's conditions.

24 . The electronic device of claim 23 , wherein the customized app is configured to allow time-synchronized operation of a plurality of the electronic devices simultaneously.

25 . The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the external device is a mobile device, a computer, or a cloud service.

26 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a power module coupled to the first IMU, the second IMU and the MCU for providing power thereto.

27 . The electronic device of claim 26 , wherein the power module further comprises a failure prevention element including a short-circuit protection component or a circuit to avoid battery malfunction.

28 . The electronic device of claim 26 , wherein the power module comprises at least one battery for providing the power.

29 . The electronic device of claim 28 , wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery.

30 . The electronic device of claim 29 , wherein the power module further comprises a wireless charging module for wirelessly charging the rechargeable battery.

31 . The electronic device of claim 28 , wherein the second IMU is placed in a manner that it bends and folds over the battery.

32 . The electronic device of claim 26 , further comprising a flexible printed circuit board (fPCB) having flexible and stretchable interconnects electrically connecting to electronic components including the first IMU, the second IMU and the MCU and the power module.

33 . The electronic device of claim 32 , further comprising an elastomeric encapsulation layer at least partially

Assignees

• Univ Northwestern

Inventors

• Xu Shuai
• Jeong Hyoyoung
• Lee Jong Yoon
• Lee Kun Hyuck
• Rogers John A

Classifications

• A61B5/02055 Primary

  Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature · CPC title

• A61B5/1135

  by monitoring thoracic expansion · CPC title

• A61B5/7214

  using signal cancellation, e.g. based on input of two identical physiological sensors spaced apart, or based on two signals derived from the same sensor, for different optical wavelengths · CPC title

• A61B2562/0219

  Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches · CPC title

• A61B5/6832

  using adhesives (conductive adhesive for bioelectric electrodes A61B5/259) · CPC title