Abstract:
The present invention discloses an automatic bio-signal supervising system for medical care. The automatic bio-signal supervising system utilizes a head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device, wore upon the user&#39;s head, to acquire the bio-signals, convert them into the digital bio-signals, and transmit the digital bio-signals to a signal analysis processor to perform analysis process. And the automatic bio-signal supervising system delivers a corresponding control signal to the environment control equipment based on the result of analysis, and control the environment condition to achieve the remote supervising and medical care purpose. Furthermore, the signal analysis processor in the present invention further provides a real-time warning signal or a health index, which supervise the personal biological information to avoid the unpredictable situation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a bio-signal supervising system, more particularly to an automatic bio-signal supervising system for medical care. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Along with the vigorous development of electrical devices and the considerable progress of bio-technology, various health supervising systems have been developed by the researchers to reduce the cost of medical care. For example, a R.O.C. patent (No. I287976) disclosed a remote bio-signal supervising system for long-term remotely monitoring the bio-signals of the chronic patients. The above-mentioned patent utilized a bio-sensor to detect the patient&#39;s physiological signals, and utilized a distributed data server to calculate, read and store the data. Moreover, this prior are further included an incident warning transmitter to control the sending message. Here, since the bio-sensor, the distributed data server, and the incident biofeedback warning system transmitted the warning signals by the GSM module, the remote bio-signal supervising system in this prior art could provide real-time information of patients to the hospital or local on-line doctors. That is, the patients no longer need to stay in the hospital for a long time examining or supervising. However, the prior art only provided the function of supervising and warning. It did not reduce the requirement of medical care. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    One of the many objectives of the claimed invention is to provide an automatic bio-signal supervising system for medical care, which is consisted of the integration of a bio-signal acquisition system, a signal processing unit, and an environment controller, so as to reduce the system loading of the medical personnel devices and increase the efficiency of medical care devices. 
         [0006]    Another objective of the claimed invention is to provide an automatic bio-signal supervising system for medical care for providing an active warning and health index function, so as to establish the emergence channel and assure the patient&#39;s safety. 
         [0007]    According to the claimed invention, an automatic bio-signal supervising system for medical care is disclosed. The automatic bio-signal supervising system in the present invention collects the users&#39; bio-signals by the head-mounted design such as a sport headband. The automatic bio-signal supervising system transmits the bio-signals by the wireless transmission protocols such as WiFi, WiMax, Zigbee, RF, optical coupler, Bluetooth, or GPRS to the backend real-time signal processing unit, and delivers a control signal based on the analysis results to control the environment equipments. The environment equipments include the warning devices, the air-conditioner, or the electrical device. The present invention connects the hospital or medical care into the dwelling house environment to achieve the remote care purpose. 
         [0008]    According to the claimed invention, the automatic bio-signal supervising system for medical care performs same simple medical test, such as Electro-encephalogram (EEG), Electro-oculography (EOG), or Electro-myogram (EMG) test, by the elders to real-time supervise the their health condition. 
         [0009]    Below, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail in cooperation with the attached drawings to make easily understood the objectives, technical contents, characteristics and accomplishments of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an automatic bio-signal supervising system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2A to 2C  are diagrams schematically showing the usage of an embodiment of the automatic bio-signal supervising system 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart showing an embodiment of operations of the automatic bio-signal supervising system. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an automatic bio-signal supervising system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automatic bio-signal supervising system in the present invention is basically composed of a head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100  and a signal analysis processor  200 . 
         [0014]    Here, the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100  further includes a bio-signal acquisition module  110 , a signal encoding transfer module  120 , a wireless communication module  130 , and a power management module  140 . Please note that, the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100  in this embodiment of the present invention is designed for head-wearing purpose and thereby utilizes a long stripe to tie up the patient&#39;s head, as shown in  FIG. 2A˜FIG .  2 C. However, as will be apparent to a personal of ordinary skill after reading this description, other embodiments of the present disclosure are also possible. For example, the bio-signal acquisition device could be an arm wrapping or leg wrapping device based on the design requirement. Considering the comfort zone of the user  500  and the weight deployment, the present embodiment utilizes the distributed circuit structure. Here, each acquisition circuit and the biomedical probe sensor  111  may also be incorporated into the bio-signal acquisition module  110  in light of changing devices easily. Each bio-signal acquisition module  110  represents a channel, and is distributed in the front of the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100 . When the user  500  wears the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100 , the biomedical probe sensor  111  in the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100  will surround and attach the head of the user  100  to acquire the bio-signal directly. 
         [0015]    The bio-signal acquisition module  110  further includes a filter  112 , a bio-signal amplifier  113 , and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)  114 . Because each bio-signal acquired from the forehead area has different gain and bandwidth, the embodiment of the present invention designs the required parameters based on different range for different bio-signal, as shown in the following Chart 1. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 CHART 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Bio-signal 
                 Bandwidth 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Electro-encephalogram (EEG) 
                 0.1~100 
                 Hz 
               
               
                   
                 Electro-oculography (EOG) 
                 0~100 
                 Hz 
               
               
                   
                 Electro-myogram (EMG) 
                 20~1 
                 kHz 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0016]    The filter  112  is utilized for filtering the noise of bio-signals. In the present embodiment, the bio-signal, which acquired by the biomedical probe sensor  111 , may contain some noise signals, such as 60/120 Hz ground noise. The filter  112  is regulated by the design requirement and different acquired bio-signals to filter out the noise based upon the above-mentioned Chart 1. 
         [0017]    (a) The bio-signal amplifier  113 : Usually the bio-signals acquired from the biomedical probe sensor  111  are pretty slight (couple μV). Thus, the bio-signal amplifier  113  is utilized to amplify the signal properly for the following analog-to-digital transfer process. 
         [0018]    (b) The analog-to-digital converter (ADC)  114 : The bio-signals slight from the biomedical probe sensor  111  are analog signals, which indicate that they are not convenient for storing and analyzing purpose. The analog-to-digital converter (ADC)  114  in the present invention thereby is utilized for converting the analog signals into the digital signals. Moreover, the resolution of the analog-to-digital converter (ADC)  114  is a key issue as well. In this embodiment, the analog-to-digital converter (ADC)  114  is utilized resolution rate from 8 to 22 bits for normal usage. Generally, higher bit resolution indicates better accurate rate. 
         [0019]    Additionally, the signal encoding transfer module  120  is composed of a microcontroller or a microprocessor. The signal encoding transfer module  120  is utilized for receiving the digital bio-signal from the bio-signal acquisition module  110  through a serial device, and encoding the signals before transmitting so as to reduce the baud rate and save the power. The encoding process of the signal encoding transfer module  120  includes baud rate setup (baud rate auto-adjustment), communication module initialization, communication protocol setup, and data encoding. 
         [0020]    Next, after encoding by the signal encoding transfer module  120 , the digital bio-signal is wireless transmitted to the signal analysis processor  200  by the communication protocol, such as WiFi, WiMax, Zigbee, RF, optical coupler, Bluetooth, or GPRS. That is, the present invention is embodied by any well-known communication protocols, and is not meant to be taken as limitations. 
         [0021]    The power management module  140  is utilized for providing the required power of the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100 , and it includes a rechargeable battery set, a power meter, and an auto-recharge device. The power meter is utilized for supervising the current power volume of the rechargeable battery set, and indicates the user how long the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100  is used. Moreover, when the rechargeable battery set is running out of power, the auto-recharge device is utilized for recharging the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100  through USB device or DC adapter. In the present embodiment, the power management module  140  contains a standby mode, which will be activated when the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100  shut down or the biomedical probe sensor  111  did not receive any normal signal, so as to save the power and create more durability. 
         [0022]    Next, the operation of the signal analysis processor  200  is detailed as follows. The signal analysis processor  200  includes a wireless communication module  230  as well, which receives the digital bio-signal from the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100  through the communication protocol, such as WiFi, WiMax, Zigbee, RF, optical coupler, Bluetooth, or GPRS. 
         [0023]    The signal analysis processor  200  further includes a signal process platform  210 . In one embodiment, the signal process platform  210  is a cell phone, a PDA, or a portable device. In this embodiment, the signal process platform  210  is adapted and carried easily in any environment, such as the dwelling house, the hospital, or the car. However, the signal process platform  210  is not limited to the above definition. For example, the signal process platform  210  is a data processing server, such as a computer serve, a workstation, a desktop, or a laptop, setting up in the house or the hospital for analyzing data and supervising the bio-signal condition. That is, in other embodiment, the signal process platform  210  is assigned by different conditions depending on design requirement. 
         [0024]    After receiving the digital bio-signal from the head-mounted bio-signal acquisition device  100 , the signal process platform  210  will analyze the bio-signal and sent the results to the environment control module  220 . The environment control module will output a control signal, based on the analysis result, to the environment control equipment  300  in order to control or adjust the environment condition, such as temperature, humidity, brightness, or sound volume. Here, the environment control equipment  300  includes a warning equipment, a air-condition equipment, and/or an electrical equipment, such as a heater, a cooler, an exsiccator, an audio system or a lighting device. Furthermore, the environment control module  220  delivers the corresponding sound or light warning signal based on the analysis result to warn the user or supervisor. Or the environment control module  220  also sends out a corresponding health index signal, which may include Electro-encephalogram (EEG), Electro-oculography (EOG), or Electro-myogram (EMG) result. 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart showing an embodiment of operations of the automatic bio-signal supervising system. The present embodiment measures the bio-signal of the head according to the determinable signal range shown in Chart 1. As shown in Step  10 , the bio-signals acquired from the user&#39;s forehead area and filtered the noise by the signal filters (Step  20 ) and then amplified by the amplifier (Step  30 ). In Step  40 , the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) will convert the analog bio-signal into the digital bio-signal. And the digital bio-signal is encoded by the encoder. As shown in Step  50 , the encoded signal is sent to the head-mounted signal process platform through the wireless communication module. The head-mounted signal process platform will perform real-time bio-signal analysis, which includes (1) extracting the desired bio-signal, (2) transferring the frequency spectrum signal to analyze and determine the current spectrum, and (3) analyzing the user&#39;s condition based on the algorithms for the drowsiness detection, the distraction evaluation, or carsick degree test (Step  60 ). Finally, as shown in Step  70 , the automatic bio-signal supervising system delivers a control signal, a biofeedback signal, or a health index signal to control environment properly. 
         [0026]    The present invention is applied to various environments, such as in a dwelling house, in a hospital treatment room, or in the car. Taking the drowsiness detection for instance, when the elder is taking a nap in the dwelling house or in a hospital treatment room, the automatic bio-signal supervising system in the present invention detects the drowsiness situation, and then controls the environment equipment to deliver a better and comfortable environment for sleeping. For example, the automatic bio-signal supervising system controls the air-conditioner to adjust the environmental temperature, controls the lamp to adjust the indoor lightness, or controls other electrical devices. Additionally, the automatic bio-signal supervising system in the present invention is utilized in safety auxiliary. For example, the automatic bio-signal supervising system detects the user&#39;s distraction or drowsiness condition, and then provides a warning signal to activate the ring of cell phone or the music in the audio system, so as to regain the concentration of the user. 
         [0027]    Those described above are only the preferred embodiments to exemplify the present invention but not to limit the scope of the present invention. Any equivalent modification or variation according to the shapes, structures, features and spirit disclosed in the specification is to be also included within the scope of the present invention.