WO2007071180A1

WO2007071180A1 - Wearable, wireless and distributed physiological signal monitoring system

Info

Publication number: WO2007071180A1
Application number: PCT/CN2006/003489
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chang-An Chou
Original assignee: Chang-An Chou
Priority date: 2005-12-19
Filing date: 2006-12-19
Publication date: 2007-06-28
Also published as: CN1985752A

Abstract

A wearable, wireless and distributed physiological signal monitoring system includes at least two circuit assemblies which are connected together and communicated through an electrical connection and disposed on one carrier (1). In the system, at least one circuit assembly (10) may include an analog circuit for processing physiological signals from at least an electrode and/or sensor, at least one circuit assembly (12) may include an A/D converter for converting the physiological signals into digital form, at least one circuit assembly (12) may include a processor for receiving and processing the digitized physiological signals, at least one circuit assembly (12,14) may include a RF module for providing a wireless communication capability, and at least one circuit assembly (14) may include a battery for supplying power to the circuit assemblies. Further, the system is driven by the processor to perform the information exchanging with an external device.

Description

WEARABLE, WIRELESS AND DISTRIBUTED PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNAL

MONITORING SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a wearable physiological signal monitoring system, and more particularly to a wearable physiological signal monitoring system which utilizes a distributed architecture to ease the loading on the user and employs a wireless technology to provide the user an unlimited mobility.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Physiological signal monitoring has become more and more important in the modern life since people have paid great attention to their health and physical condition owing to the improved quality of life. Therefore, the development of the devices used for physiological monitoring, especially multi-channel physiological signal monitoring, such as polysomnography, is rapidly growing. However, the conventional devices have some deficiencies.

No matter for monitoring single type, such as 12-lead Electrocardiogram (EKG), or multiple types, such as polysomnography (PSG), of physiological signals, multichannel physiological signal monitoring device has to employ numerous electrodes and/or sensors which always accompany with many wires, so that the user's mobility is limited owing to the wires connected thereto from the device. Therefore, if the user needs to move during monitoring, the wires have to be rearranged and reconnected, which is inconvenient and time wasting, no matter for the testee or the medical personnel.

Then, due to the advancement of technology, the machine volume of monitoring device is further reduced for being carried by or disposed aside the user. However, even so, the device is still a burden for the user and the mobility limitation from the wires yet remains unsolved.

Therefore, since the demands on multi-channel physiological signal monitoring are significantly increased, how to simplify and lighten the device for monitoring is indeed a priority.

Consequently, the object of the present invention is to provide a wearable physiological signal monitoring system which employs a distributed architecture to disperse the total weight so as to ease the loading on the user and which also owns a wireless communication capability to communicate with external device so as to provide a great mobility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For achieving the object described above, the present invention a wearable, wireless and distributed physiological signal monitoring system including at least two circuit assemblies which are connected together and communicated through an electrical connection and disposed on one carrier, wherein at least one circuit assembly may includes an analog circuit for processing physiological signals from at least an electrode and/or sensor, at least one circuit assembly may include an A/D (analog-to-digital) converter for converting the physiological signals into digital form, at least one circuit assembly may includes a processor for receiving and processing the digitized physiological signals, at least one circuit assembly may include a RF module for providing a wireless communication capability, and at least one circuit assembly may include a battery for supplying power to the circuit assemblies, and further, the system is driven by the processor to perform an information exchanging with an external device.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the circuit assemblies may further include a memory for data storage, and the memory can be implemented to be removable, so as to contact with the external device to exchange information, including system parameters and physiological data, therebetween. Moreover, the removable memory can be integrated with the processor, so as to contact with the external device to perform the information exchanging. Alternatively, the circuit assembly including the memory can be implemented as a removable circuit assembly so as to contact with the external device to exchange information. Besides, the removable circuit assembly including the memory may further include the processor and/or the battery, so as to contact with the external device to perform the information exchanging.

Preferably, the circuit assembly including the battery is separable from the carrier for battery charging or exchanging, and at least one of the circuit assemblies can further include a displaying device and an operation interface for controlling the system.

In another preferred embodiment, the system may further include an external circuit assembly disposed on a further carrier, wherein the external circuit assembly is connected to at least an electrode and/or sensor and has a RF module for wirelessly communicating with the RF module on the carrier.

According to another preferred embodiment, the system can further include a wireless control device independent of the carrier for wirelessly controlling the system and for storage and display.

In another aspect of the present, the present invention provides a wearable, wireless and distributed physiological signal monitoring system including at least a first unit and a second unit, and a RF module. The first and the second units are communicated with each other through an electrical connection, wherein the first unit includes an analog circuit for processing physiological signals from at least an electrode and/or sensor, an A/D converter for converting the physiological signals into digital form, and a processor for driving the analog circuit and for receiving and processing the digitized physiological signals from the A/D converter; and the second unit includes a battery, a processor, and a memory, wherein the battery is used for providing power to the system and the memory is implemented to store digitized physiological data from the first unit. The RF module is comprised in at least one of the first and the second units for providing a wireless communication with an external device for information exchanging. Furthermore, the second unit is able to separate from the first unit to connect with an external device so as to perform the system setting and data transmission therebetween, and it is able to re-link with the first unit to feed back information to the first unit.

According to a preferred embodiment, the system may further include an external unit having a RF module for wirelessly communicating with the RF module in the first unit and/or the second unit. Advantageously, the battery in the second unit is charged when the second unit is separated from the first unit, the second unit can be further connected with at least an electrode and/or sensor for collecting physiological signals, and the memory in the second unit is accessed by the external device via the processor of the second unit, or the memory is a removable memory.

In further another aspect of the present, a wearable, wireless and distributed physiological signal monitoring system including at least a first unit and a second unit is disclosed. The first unit includes an analog circuit for processing physiological signals from at least an electrode and/or sensor, an A/D converter for converting the physiological signals into digital form, a processor for receiving and processing the digitized physiological signals from the A/D converter, and a RF module; and the second unit includes an analog circuit for processing physiological signals from at least an electrodes and/or sensors, an A/D converter for converting the physiological signals into digital form, a processor for receiving and processing the digitized physiological signals from the A/D converter, a RF module, and a memory for storing acquired and digitized physiological data. Furthermore, the second unit is implemented to be the master unit and the first unit is implemented to be the slave unit, the memory in the master unit is used to store the physiological data acquired by the master unit and wirelessly received from the slave unit, and the master unit is able to communicate with an external device to perform the system setting and the data transmission therebetween.

Preferably, the second unit may further include a battery being able to integrate with the memory into a removable subunit for performing an external battery charging and/or a data access, and the master unit is able to communicate with the external device in a wireless manner or in a contact manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more detailed understanding of the invention may be had from the following description of a preferred embodiment, given by way of example, and to be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the distribution of circuit layout in a first embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing another distribution of Fig. 1 in an embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing the distribution of circuit layout in a second embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the distribution of circuit layout in a third embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the distributed circuit layout used for a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 shows the practical application of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in a second preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 8shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in a third preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 9 shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in a fourth preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 10 shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in a fifth preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 11 shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in a sixth preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 12 shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in a seventh preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 13 shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in an eighth preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 14 shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in a ninth preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 15 shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in a tenth preferred embodiment according to the present invention; and

Fig. 16 shows a practical application of a distributed, wearable and wireless physiological signal monitoring system in an eleventh preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a wearable physiological signal monitoring system whose circuit layout adopts a distribution concept for dispersing the loading on the user's body surface so that all required circuits can be carried by the user to achieve a higher mobility, and further, a RF module is also included in the system so as to provide a wireless communication capability with an external device.

Accordingly, the physiological signal monitoring system in accordance with the present invention will include at least two circuit assemblies along with plural electrodes and/or sensors, that is, the required circuits in the system are divided into at least two groups. Herein, each circuit assembly can be covered by a housing (which is named "a unit" hereafter), or can remain uncovered, and when the circuit assemblies, covered or uncovered, are disposed on user's body surface during monitoring, they can be or not be supported by a carrier.

If the carrier is employed, then it can be implemented as all kinds of suitable shapes and materials. For example, the carrier can be a band for surrounding a portion of the user's body, such as, torso, limbs or head; or the carrier can be implemented as a wrapping substrate, such as silicone, which may perfectly fit the outer contour of the circuit assemblies or housings and/or the connecting cables between assemblies, and also fit the irregular surface of human body; or the carrier can be implemented as a patch for adhering the circuit assemblies thereon to the user; or more specifically, the carrier even can be implemented as a FPCB (flexible printed circuit board) which may serve as not only the medium for positioning the circuit assemblies on the user, but also the base for mounting the circuit assemblies and/or the electrical connection therebetween. Here, it should be noted that the examples described above are only for illustration and not for limitation.

Except adopting the electrical connection to communicate the circuit assemblies, the physiological signal monitoring system according to the present invention may also employ a wireless communication. Therefore, except the situation that all the circuit assemblies are electrically connected together, part(s) of the circuit assemblies can be apart from the other(s) through the wireless communication; or all the circuit assemblies can wirelessly communicate with each other, that is, the wireless communication capability of the system is executed to not only the external device, but also the internal circuit assembly. The practical situation is depending on different demands.

Then, as to the required circuits and/or electrical elements in the circuit assemblies, for monitoring the physiological signals, they may include, but not limited, the functions of power supplying, signal collecting, analog processing (amplifying, filtering etc.), A/D (analog-to-digital) converting, digital processing, and storing. And further, since the only request of these circuits and/or electrical elements is to conform to the monitoring demands, the number of each kind of circuit and/or electrical element can be more than one, and one kind of circuit and/or electrical element can have more than one in each circuit assembly. Therefore, it is obvious that there are numerous combinations of circuits and/or elements can achieve the distribution concept of the present invention, and thus, the following embodiments are only preferable examples and not specific limitations, and every combination which conforms to this concept becomes a part of the present invention.

Furthermore, since the physiological signal monitoring system according to the present invention is intended to have multiple channels, except the concept of circuit distribution, circuit simplification is also a critical principle for lightening the weight, reducing the volume, and additionally, saving the cost. Accordingly, some circuits and/or elements, for example, amplifier or filter, whose amount might be numerous in multi-channel monitoring, are shared in the present invention.

Consequently, all the circuits and/or elements used for multi-channel monitoring in the present invention are not only simplified but also separated into at least two electrically connected and/or wirelessly communicated circuit assemblies so as to efficiently distribute and reduce the wearing loading on the user.

Now, please refer to Fig. 1, which is a schematic view showing the detailed architecture of circuit assemblies in an embodiment according to the present invention, in which the number of units is implemented as three, and all the units are electrically connected together and disposed on a carrier for wearing on user's body surface.

As shown in Fig. 1, basically, on a carrier 1, unit 10 includes an analog circuit (not shown) used for processing physiological signals from plural electrodes and/or sensors, unit 12 includes an A/D converter for converting the signals into digital form and a processor for receiving and processing the digitized signals, and unit 14 includes a battery for supplying power to the system, wherein a RF module can be further included in the system, as shown, in unit 12 and/or unit 14, for providing a wireless communication capability.

In this embodiment, unit 10 is the medium between the electrodes and/or sensors and other units, that is, unit 10 is used for plugging the wires from the electrodes and/or sensors and for analogically processing the physiological signals. Therefore, according to the drawing, unit 10 physically includes plural slots for plugging the electrodes and/or sensors.

Unit 12 is the core unit of the system. Through the processor contained therein, unit 12 can handle the whole system, for example, the A/D converter is controlled to convert the physiological signals from unit 10 into digital form, the processor receives and processes the digitized physiological signals, and the RF module, if existed, is controlled to wirelessly transmit the processed physiological data to an external device.

Unit 14 is mainly used for providing power to the whole .system. Since the main concept of the physiological signal monitoring system according to the present invention is to wear the system on the user and eliminate the wires connected to the monitoring machines aside the user, for removing the power cord, the preferable power source will be a battery. Beside, through using the battery, not only the power cord can be omitted, but the problem of electrical isolation also can be solved. Here, the battery can be rechargeable, so that it can be replaced, or it can be implemented as the whole unit 14 being substitutable. If the latter is carried out, then unit 14 may have additional functions other than battery charging. For example, unit 14 may further include a memory so that the stored physiological data can be accessed simultaneous with the charging process; or unit 14 may further include the memory and the processor, so that, during charging the battery, unit 14 may proceed an information exchanging (including system parameter setting and data transmission) with an external device.

Of course, in addition to implementing the unit including the battery to be removable from the system, it also can employ a memory-contained unit to be removable. In this case, the memory-contained unit can perform, except data access, the information exchanging (including system-parameter setting and data transmission) with the external device, no matter whether the battery is included or not (not shown). Alternatively, the memory itself can be implemented as removable, so that during data access, the memory also can exchange information, including system parameters and physiological data, with the external device.

Furthermore, except that one of unit 12 and unit 14 includes the RF module, it is also appropriate that both own the RF module. In this situation, the RF modules respectively in units 12 and 14 will be responsible for different functions, for example, unit 12 can be used to communicate with the external device and unit 14 can be used to wireless communicated with another unit which is not located on the carrier but other position of the user's body, or vice versa.

Other than the circuit layout, in which the units are electrically connected together, shown in Fig. 1, it is obvious that there still have various modifications as long as the functions described above are included. For example, Fig. 2 shows another embodiment of physiological signal monitoring system according to the present invention that is similar to Fig. 1, and the difference is that the plugging slots are separately mounted at two units and the circuits and/or elements are divided in a different ways for cooperation. However, as the statement above, the functions provided by the system shown in Fig. 2 are identical to that in Fig. 1. In addition, it also should be noticed that although Figs. 1 and 2 both depict the situation of three units, any quantity identical to or larger than two can be suitable for the present invention.

Following, Fig. 3 shows the wearable physiological signal monitoring system which is distributed into two units in another embodiment according to the present invention. As shown, unit 30 is used to connect to the electrodes and/or sensors and may include an A/D converter and a processor, and unit 32 includes a battery to provide power, a memory, a processor and a RF module.

Here, unit 30 is used to accomplish signal receiving, A/D converting, and signal processing, similar to the functions of unit 10 combined with unit 12, and since the functions of units 10, 12 have been discussed in the previous description, it will not further focus thereon.

In this embodiment, unit 32 is implemented to be removable from unit 30 (and the carrier 1) independently. After unit 32 is removed, since the battery and the memory are included, it can be connected to an external device for battery charging and memory accessing. Herein, of course, the battery can be replaced independently, and the memory also can be implemented as a removable memory. Furthermore, the contact communication between unit 32 and the external device may further include information exchanging (the system parameter setting and the data transmission), and after unit 32 is re-linked with unit 30, the parameters and data can be provided to the processor in unit 30.

So far, the main idea for arranging the circuits and/or elements in the present invention is that the operations which might interrupt the measurement, such as, charging, data access, and contact pairing, are gathered in one unit, so that no matter the replacement is carried on the unit, the battery, or the memory, the positioned electrodes and/or sensors will not be influenced. Furthermore, because the operations that might interrupt the measurement are performed separately from the carrier, the user's mobility will not be restricted thereby.

Then, Fig. 4 shows further another embodiment of a wireless, wearable and distributed physiological signal monitoring system according to the present invention, in which the units may communicate with each other wirelessly. In Fig. 4, it only shows one unit 40 located on the carrier 1, and other unit which is not shown is located away from the carrier and can wirelessly communicate with unit 40. Unit 40 may connect with at least an electrode and/or sensor and may include, but not limited, an analog circuit, an A/D converter, a processor, a battery, a RF module, and a memory; and other unit may also connect to at least an electrode and/or sensor and include, but not limited, an analog circuit, an A/D converter, a processor, a battery, and a RF module.

In this system, unit 40 is used as the master unit and other unit is implemented as the slave unit, so that the RF module in unit 40 can communicate with the RF module in other unit, and through the wireless communication therebetween, the master unit can wirelessly receives and processes digitized physiological data from the slave unit and those acquired by itself, and then stores thereof in the memory. Besides, except communicating with the slave unit, unit 40, the master unit, also can wirelessly communicate with an external device.

Moreover, in this system, preferably, the batteries in the units are rechargeable and exchangeable, and more advantageously, the battery and the memory in unit 40 can be further integrated into a subunit for independently separating from unit 40 so as to simultaneously accomplish the charging and data accessing processes, and further, the subunit also can perform the information exchanging (the system parameter setting and the data transmission) with the external device, with or without further integrating the processor thereinto. Of course, as described above, the memory also can be implemented as removable to perform the information exchanging with the external device.

In the aforesaid, the physiological signal monitoring system according to the present invention is grouped into at least two circuit assemblies (units) which are electrically connected and/or wirelessly communicated so as to achieve the purpose of distribution, and since the system is implemented as wearable on the user's body surface, the connecting wires with the electrodes and/or sensors no longer limit the user's mobility. The followings are some practicable examples according to the wearable and distributed concept of the present invention. However, it should be noted that the examples are only for illustration and can be modified without escaping from the scope of the present invention.

Example I

The physiological signal monitoring system according to the present invention is implemented as a PSG (polysomnography) system. In this embodiment, the detailed signal monitoring items would include: ECG (electrocardiography) signal, EEG (electroencephalography) signal, EMG (electromyography) signal, EOG (electrooculography) signal, airflow signal, snoring signal, respiratory effort signal, SP02 signal, and movement signal (including head, torso, and limbs), and further, the architecture of this embodiment can be implemented as Fig. 5 and the practical application of Fig. 5 on human body is shown in Fig. 6.

As shown, the number of units is implemented as four. Units 54 and 56 are used for connecting with the electrodes and/or sensors, and units 50 and 52 are used as the control center of the system. Unit 54 includes plugging slots of EEG 60, EOG, 61, EMG 62, ECG 63 and limb movement 64 (which is usually positioned on feet and can be detected by position sensor or EMG electrode), and unit 56 includes plugging slots of airflow 65, snoring 66, respiratory effort 67, 68, and SP02 69, so that there are analog circuits (not shown) respectively included in units 54 and 56, as described above, for processing the physiological signals from these electrodes and/or sensors. Unit 50 includes a battery, a memory, and a processor, and unit 52 includes a processor, an A/D converter, and particularly, a position sensor 521 (torso movement sensor).

After the physiological signals from the electrodes and/or sensors are transmitted to the analog circuits in units 54 and 56, they will be further transmitted to the A/D converter and then to the processor in unit 52, and the physiological data is stored in the memory.

Further, the RF module is included in unit 50 and/or unit 52 for wirelessly communicating with an external device (not shown), and thus, from the external device, the medical personnel can wirelessly monitor and even control the PSG system. Also, through the RF module, alternatively, the physiological data also can be wirelessly transmitted to the external device in real time, or stored in the memory first and wirelessly transmitted out later for saving the power consumption in real time transmission.

Here, unit 50 is implemented to be removable from other units (and the carrier 1), so that the battery inside can be charged separately and/or the memory can be accessed. Besides, if the pairing process with the external device for wireless communication is implemented in a contact manner, unit 50 will also be the unit to contact with the external device so as to perform the system parameter setting and the data transmission therebetween.

Although Fig. 5 clearly indicates the functions and details of each unit, it is appreciate that this is not the only way to carry out the PSG system, and other types of architectures are also workable for this situation.

Particularly, as shown in Fig. 6, even though all the electrodes and/or sensors are wire connected to unit 54 or 56, the physiological signal monitoring system according to the present invention still can include what a completed PSG system should have and simultaneously provide an unlimited mobility to the user as a result that all the wires are along the body surface and the units are designed to be compact and weight light. Therefore, through the present invention, the user may only feel the belts on the chest and abdomen.

Consequently, there is no doubt that the drawbacks of bulky machine volume, numerous connecting wires and limited user mobility in the prior art are overcome in the present invention.

Example II

When parts of the sensors in Example I are implemented to connect to wireless units, the physiological signal monitoring system can be further simplified. As shown in Fig. 7, the SP02 sensor and the distant limb movement sensors are respectively connected to the wireless units 70 and 72 of the system, and with the unit 52 having the RF module, the physiological signals acquired by units 70 and 72 can be wirelessly transmitted to unit 52 so as to proceed further processing and storage.

In this embodiment, the RF module in unit 52 is used to communicate with the distant wireless units in the system and the RF module in unit 50 is used to communicate with the external device. Of course, this is only an illustration and not for restriction.

In addition, through employing the wireless units, except a higher mobility caused from eliminating some long connecting wires, the user also can experience a lighter loading and smaller unit volume (on the chest, in this embodiment) since the volume of units 54 and 56 are further reduced.

Example III

Further refer to Fig. 8, the practicing manner of Example II can be further simplified. The carrier 1 and the thoracic belt 67 in Fig. 7 are implemented as one single belt 80, so that not only the connecting wires can be reduced, the number of belts surrounding the torso is also lowered to two. Consequently, the installation before monitoring is simplified.

Example IV

Of course, other than the chest, the carrier also can be arranged at different position of user's body, for example, the arm, as shown in Fig. 9. In this embodiment, the carrier on the chest is replaced by the band 90 surrounding the arm, so that the position sensor which is originally installed in unit 52 now becomes the position sensor 92 located in the chest belt. This embodiment is suitable for the user who is not used to or not suited to bear the weight on the chest.

For further illustrating the present invention, the following examples are related to multi-channel physiological signal monitoring system other than the completed PSG system.

Example V

Fig. 10 shows a modification of Example II. As shown, at least one of units 54 and 56 in Figs. 5 and 6, which are used to connect with the electrodes and/or sensors, is implemented to have a wireless communication capability, such as unit 56", by equipping with, for example, a processor and a RF module, so that unit 56" can be located at the position other than the carrier, such as the shoulder, through another substrate, as shown, a patch 104. This configuration is advantageous to integration of the measuring items whose positions are close together, e.g., all close to the head, for reducing the wiring complexity, or the measuring items which are mutually related to one monitoring subject, such as, respiration, or sleep apnea, so as to provide a better application flexibility.

For example, as shown, because unit 56" is connected to the sensors, which are related to respiration, such as airflow, snoring, SPO2 102 on the ear, and respiratory effort, and is implemented to be a wireless unit, it can be independently separated from other units to become a simplified monitoring system, such as an apnea screener, unit 56", so as to provide another application choice in one identical PSG system.

Example VI

A further simplification for Fig. 10 is depicted in Fig. 11, and in this embodiment, the measuring items of the system are further reduced. For example, as shown, the measuring items are implemented as two, SPO2 detection 114 and ECG detection 116, wherein the SPO2 sensor 112 is directly connected to a unit 112, which is attached to the user's wrist through a belt 110, and the ECG detector 116 contains a wireless unit for wirelessly communicating with unit 112.

The purpose of combining these two physiological signals is that both are cardiovascular measurements and can be mutually referenced, that is, the ECG detection, which is measured simultaneously with the SPO2 detection, can be used to correct the artifact in SPO2 signal which is caused by finger movement, so that this is a meaningful combination.

Besides, the correction on artifact also can be achieved by cooperating the ECG detection 116 with an EMG detection 118 around the SPO2 sensor. For achieving this configuration, it only needs to increase the plugging slot for the EMG electrodes on unit 112 (as shown) or just be implemented as a wireless EMG detector (not shown). Through these three concurrent sensing signals (SPO2, ECG, EMG), a more accurate result can be obtained.

Here, it is pointed out that unit 112 which is namely the master unit can further be equipped with a display and an operation interface so as to facilitate the operation from the user.

Example VII

Fig. 12 shows another combination of measuring items according to the present invention, wherein airflow sensor 124, snoring sensor 126 and SP02 sensor 128 are combined as a system. In this embodiment, the carrier is implemented as the band 120 surrounding the user's head, and a unit 122 is attached thereon. Since the airflow and the snoring sensors are located on the user's face and the SP02 sensor is distantly located on the finger, the band 120 for carrying the unit 122 is disposed on the head and the SP02 sensor 128 is implemented to connect to a wireless unit. However, it is also appropriate to employ an ear SPO2 sensor or a forehead SPO2 sensor.

This type of combination also represents another kind of meaning in apnea diagnosis since the airflow and the snoring sensors can determine the pauses of respiration during sleep and the SPO2 can be used to judge the apnea degree.

Example VIII

Moreover, Fig. 13 depicts further another combination of physiological signals for diagnosing sleep apnea according to the present invention, which includes, in addition to the airflow sensor, the snoring sensor and the SPO2 sensor shown in Fig 12, a respiratory effort sensor and a position sensor. In this embodiment, three units are included, two are electrically connected and the other one is wirelessly communicated therewith. Further, the respiratory effort sensor is performed by a thoracic belt 130 and an abdominal belt 131 for respectively sensing the volume changes of the thorax and the abdomen during respiration; and further, the thoracic belt 130 is utilized as the carrier for supporting the units 132 and 134. Besides, the body position sensor, as described above, is installed in one of the units (not shown). Through this combination, it can easily differentiate a central sleep apnea from an obstructive sleep apnea. In addition, as shown, since unit 134 does not connect with electrodes and/or sensor, this unit can be implemented as a removable unit for external battery charging and/or information exchanging, as described above.

Example IX

Except utilizing a unit having display and operation interface to be the operation center, a wireless control device also can be employed to control the whole system. Fig. 14 illustrates an example thereof. The wireless control device 140 may include, but not limited, a LCD for displaying, an operation interface for controlling, and of course, the RF module for wireless communication. Furthermore, since the wireless control device 140 is only used for monitoring and does not directly involve in measurement, it can be disposed at any position facilitating the user's operation, such as the wrist, or can be positioned aside the user.

In this embodiment, a unit 141 is disposed on the user's body surface through a patch 142 and is electrically connected to an airflow sensor 143, a snoring sensor 144 and an ear SPO2 145 and wirelessly communicated with an ECG detector 146, wherein unit 141 is implemented as the master unit and the detector 146 is implement as the slave unit. As to the wireless control device 140, it is implemented to be a watch worn on the wrist and is wirelessly communicated with the master unit 141 for displaying, controlling and/or storing.

Example X

The present invention can also be applied to the single-type multi-channel physiological signal monitoring, such as 12-lead EKG monitoring and EEG monitoring, and according to the concept of the present invention, the employed circuits and/or elements in monitoring will identically be grouped into at least two circuit assemblies, which are electrically connected and/or wirelessly communicated.

Fig. 15 represents a possible architecture of 12-lead EKG monitoring system according to the present invention, wherein two units 150, 152 on the carrier 154 are employed and there are ten electrodes connected to unit 150. Of course, it also can employ more than two units. In this embodiment, unit 152 is the one including the battery (since there is no electrode and/or sensor connected thereto) so that it can be separated from unit 150 for processing external charging (and contact information exchanging with the external device). Further, owing to the mounting position of the carrier, two of the electrodes 156, 158 are implemented to directly locate on the lower surface of carrier contacting the user's skin.

Example XI

Fig. 16 illustrates a possible architecture of EEG monitoring system, which is also the single-type multi-channel physiological signal monitoring. In this embodiment, the number of units is two, and depending on the practical demand, the amount of electrodes can be varied, such as, 16, 32, 64 or more, wherein unit

161 including the battery is removable from the carrier 160 and the other unit

162 is used for electrode plugging. Furthermore, some of the electrodes also can be arranged on the lower surface of the carrier 160 contacting the user's skin if the positions are appropriate.

All the above-described examples are only illustrated for explanation and not for limitation, and one skilled in the art can modify the examples without escaping the scope of the present invention.

In addition, the wireless communication between the units, between the unit and the external device, and between the unit and the wireless control device, can be achieved by, but not limited, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and 802.1 Ix.

More advantageously, through a network equipped by the external device or the wireless control device, the physiological information acquired from the monitoring system can be further transmitted to a remote server and/or medical personnel so as to complete a medical network.

In the aforesaid, according to the distributed concept of the present invention, the wearing of monitoring system becomes more easier, and in the result of the simplification of circuits and/or elements, the volume and weight of the system are further reduced, thereby achieving a light-weight, low-loading and wearable monitoring system; and owing to the wearable system, the limitation from the connecting wires of electrodes and/or sensors which restricts the user's mobility can be solved; and further by employing the battery as the power source, the power cord is also eliminated, so as to achieve a wireless monitoring system. Consequently, a wireless, wearable and distributed physiological signal monitoring system in accordance with the present invention is completed.

Claims

1. A wearable, wireless and distributed physiological signal monitoring system, comprising: at least two circuit assemblies which are connected together and communicated through an electrical connection and disposed on one carrier, wherein at least one circuit assembly comprising an analog circuit for processing physiological signals from at least an electrode and/or sensor; at least one circuit assembly comprising an A/D (analog-to-digital) converter for converting the physiological signals into digital form; at least one circuit assembly comprising a processor for receiving and processing the digitized physiological signals; at least one circuit assembly comprising a RF module for providing a wireless communication capability; and at least one circuit assembly comprising a battery for supplying power to the circuit assemblies; wherein the system is driven by the processor to perform an information exchanging with an external device.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrode and/or sensor is at least one selected from a group consisting of: an ECG electrode, an EEG electrode, an EOG electrode, an EMG electrode, a snoring sensor, an airflow sensor, a thorax/abdominal breathing effort sensor, a limb movement sensor, a torso movement sensor, a head movement sensor and a blood oxygen level sensing device.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carrier is integrated with one of a thoracic belt and an abdominal belt, which are used for the thorax/abdominal breathing effort sensor, and/or the torso movement sensor is installed in one of the circuit assembly.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier is implemented as a band for surrounding the head, limbs, or torso of the user and for arranging the electric connection between the circuit assemblies thereinside, or the carrier is implemented as a substrate wrapping the circuit assemblies and the electric connection, or the carrier is implemented as at least two patches for attaching the circuit assemblies to the body surface of the user, or the carrier is implemented to be a flexible PCB for directly mounting the circuit assemblies and the electrical connection thereon.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information exchanging comprises system-parameter setting and data transmission.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the circuit assemblies further comprises a memory for data storage.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the memory is implemented to be removable, so as to contact with the external device to exchange information therebetween.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the information comprises system parameters and physiological data.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the removable memory is integrated with the processor, so as to contact with the external device to perform the information exchanging.

10. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the circuit assembly comprising the memory is implemented as a removable circuit assembly, so as to contact with the external device to exchange information.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the removable circuit assembly comprising the memory further comprises the processor and/or the battery, so as to contact with the external device to perform the information exchanging.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit assembly comprising the battery is separable from the carrier for battery charging or exchanging.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the circuit assemblies further comprises a displaying device and an operation interface for controlling the system.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an external circuit assembly disposed on a further carrier, wherein the external circuit assembly is connected to at least an electrode and/or sensor and has a RP module for wirelessly communicating with the RF module on the carrier.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a wireless control device independent of the carrier for wirelessly controlling the system and for storage and display.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the wireless control unit is attached to the user via a further carrier, and the further carrier is implemented as a band surrounding on the hand of the user, or a patch for attaching to the body surface of the user.

17. A wearable, wireless and distributed physiological signal monitoring system, comprising: at least a first unit and a second unit, which are communicated with each other through an electrical connection, wherein the first unit comprises: an analog circuit for processing physiological signals from at least an electrode and/or sensor; an A/D converter for converting the physiological signals into digital form; and a processor for driving the analog circuit and for receiving and processing the digitized physiological signals from the A/D converter; and the second unit comprises a battery, a processor, and a memory, wherein the battery is used for providing power to the system and the memory is implemented to store digitized physiological data from the first unit; and a RF module, comprised in at least one of the first and the second units for providing a wireless communication with an external device for information exchanging; wherein the second unit is able to separate from the first unit to connect with an external device so as to perform the system setting and data transmission therebetween, and it is able to re-link with the first unit to feed back information to the first unit.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising an external unit having a RF module for wirelessly communicating with the RF module in the first unit and/or the second unit.

19. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first and the second units are disposed on a carrier, which is implemented as a band, a patch or a substrate wrapping the units and the electrical connection.

20. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the battery in the second unit is charged when the second unit is separated from the first unit.

21. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second unit is further connected with at least an electrode and/or sensor for collecting physiological signals.

22. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the memory in the second unit is accessed by the external device via the processor of the second unit, or the memory is a removable memory.

23. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first unit further comprises a memory for storage.

24. A wearable, wireless and distributed physiological signal monitoring system, comprising: at least one first unit comprising: an analog circuit for processing physiological signals from at least an electrode and/or sensor; an A/D converter for converting the physiological signals into digital form; a processor for receiving and processing the digitized physiological signals from the A/D converter; and a RF module; and a second unit comprising: an analog circuit for processing physiological signals from at least an electrodes and/or sensors; an A/D converter for converting the physiological signals into digital form; a processor for receiving and processing the digitized physiological signals from the A/D converter; a RF module; and a memory for storing acquired and digitized physiological data, wherein the second unit is implemented to be the master unit and the first unit is implemented to be the slave unit, the memory in the master unit is used to store the physiological data acquired by the master unit and wirelessly received from the slave unit; and the master unit is able to communicate with an external device to perform the system setting and the data transmission therebetween.

25. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the first unit and the second unit are respectively disposed on one carrier for attaching to the body surface of the user.

26. The system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the respective carriers of the first and the second units are implemented as a band, a patch or a substrate wrapping the unit.

27. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the second unit further comprises a battery being able to integrate with the memory into a removable subunit for performing an external battery charging and/or a data access.

28. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the master unit is able to communicate with the external device in a wireless manner or in a contact manner.