System and method to selectively illuminate an infant during phototherapy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776016-B2
Application number	US-201314425155-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2013
Priority date	Sep 4, 2012
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A system and method to selectively illuminate (part of) an infant during phototherapy uses an array of collimators and a set of light sources to control impingement of electromagnetic radiation on the infant.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A phototherapy system for an infant, the system comprising:
an array of collimators;
a set of light sources, wherein the set of light sources are configured and arranged such that, responsive to the phototherapy system being arranged in suitable proximity to an infant, electromagnetic radiation emitted by a subset of the set of light sources is guided through the array of collimators to impinge on the infant,
wherein individual ones of the collimators include a reflective tube configured to guide the electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the set of light sources and the array of collimators are spatially separated;

one or more sensors that generate one or more output signals conveying information related to a location of the infant; and
one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising:
a location module configured to determine the location of an infant, wherein the determination is based on information from the one or more sensors; and
a light module configured to control impingement of the electromagnetic radiation on the infant by selectively illuminating one or more individual ones of the collimators based on the determined location of the infant.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors include a camera.

3. The system of claim 1 , the infant having a face, wherein the location module is configured to determine a target subset of light sources that would contribute most to impingement of electromagnetic radiation on or near the face of the infant, and wherein the light module is configured to control impingement of the electromagnetic radiation on or near the face of the infant by adjusting one or more settings of the target subset of light sources.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more apertures disposed proximate to the array of collimators, wherein the one or more apertures are configured to control impingement of the electromagnetic radiation on the infant.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more apertures are individually adjustable to block or partially block the electromagnetic radiation based on the determined location of the infant.

6. A phototherapy system for an infant, the system comprising:
an array of collimators;
a set of light sources, wherein the set of light sources are configured and arranged such that, responsive to the phototherapy system being arranged in suitable proximity to an infant, electromagnetic radiation emitted by a subset of the set of light sources is guided through the array of collimators to impinge on the infant,
wherein individual ones of the collimators include a reflective tube configured to guide the electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the set of light sources and the array of collimators are spatially separated;

one or more sensors that generate one or more output signals conveying information related to a location of the infant; and
one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising:
a location module configured to determine the location of an infant, wherein the determination is based on information from the one or more sensors; and
a light module configured to control impingement of the electromagnetic radiation on the infant by selectively illuminating one or more individual ones of the collimators based on the determined location of the infant, wherein the array of collimators is configured such that a cross-section of a cone of electromagnetic radiation guided through an individual collimator is less than 3 cm in diameter at distances less than 1 m from a point of disengagement from the individual collimator.

7. A method of providing phototherapy to an infant with a system, the system including one or more processors, one or more sensors, a set of light sources, and an array of collimators, the method comprising:
generating, by the one or more sensors, one or more output signals conveying information related to a location of an infant;
determining, by the one or more processors the location of the infant based on the one or more output signals;
emitting electromagnetic radiation by a subset of the set of light sources; and
guiding emitted electromagnetic radiation through the array of collimators to impinge on the infant, wherein individual ones of the collimators include a reflective tube configured to guide electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the set of light sources and the array of collimators are spatially separated.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more sensors include a camera.

9. The method of claim 7 , the infant having a face, the method further comprising:
determining a target subset of light sources that would contribute most to impingement of electromagnetic radiation on or near the face of the infant,
wherein controlling the impingement of the electromagnetic radiation on the infant includes controlling impingement on or near the face of the infant by adjusting one or more settings of the target subset of light sources.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising controlling impingement of the electromagnetic radiation on the infant with one or more apertures disposed proximate to the array of collimators.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein controlling impingement of the electromagnetic radiation on the infant includes individually adjusting the one or more apertures to block or partially block the electromagnetic radiation based on the determined location of the infant.

12. A method of providing phototherapy to an infant with a system, the system including one or more processors, one or more sensors, a set of light sources, and an array of collimators, the method comprising:
generating, by the one or more sensors, one or more output signals conveying information related to a location of an infant;
determining, by the one or more processors the location of the infant based on the one or more output signals;
emitting electromagnetic radiation by a subset of the set of light sources; and
guiding emitted electromagnetic radiation through the array of collimators to impinge on the infant, wherein individual ones of the collimators include a reflective tube configured to guide electromagnetic radiation, wherein an individual collimator from the array of collimators is configured such that a cross-section of a cone of electromagnetic radiation guided through the individual collimator is less than 3 cm in diameter at distances less than 1 m from a point of disengagement from the individual collimator, and wherein the set of light sources and the array of collimators are spatially separated.

13. A system configured to provide phototherapy to an infant, the system comprising:
means for generating one or more output signals conveying information related to a location of the infant;
means for determining the location of the infant based on the one or more output signals;
means for emitting electromagnetic radiation; and
an array of guiding means for guiding emitted electromagnetic radiation to impinge on the infant, wherein individual ones of the guiding means include a reflective tube configured to guide the electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the means for emitting electromagnetic radiation and the array of guiding means are spatially separated.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein one or more of the one or more output signals are generated by a camera.

15. The system of claim 13 , the infant having a face, wherein the means for determining the location of the infant is further configured to determine a tar

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Makkapati Vishnu Vardhan
• Raiker Anil Shivram
• Ulman Shrutin

Classifications

• A61G2203/46

  for temperature · CPC title

• A61N2005/0627

  Dose monitoring systems and methods · CPC title

• A61N2005/0637

  in a horizontal position · CPC title

• A61G2203/44

  for weight · CPC title

• A61N5/0621 Primary

  Hyperbilirubinemia, jaundice treatment · CPC title