Abstract:
A sleeping person is monitored by a system having a sensor unit and a base unit. The sensor unit outputs a sensor signal corresponding to each of at least two body function parameters of a sleeping person, such as a heart-rate, a respiratory rate and/or a body temperature of the sleeping person. The base unit determines whether an alarm condition is present based on each sensor signal output from the sensor unit and, in response to a detected alarm condition, generating an actuation signal for actuating an audible signal, such as a recording of a voice of a caregiver, in proximity of the sleeping person. The sensor unit also includes a shock-delivering device, and the base unit generates an actuation signal for actuating the shock-delivering device for stimulating the sleeping person to do one of breathe and enter a less deep sleep pattern.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to an apnea monitoring system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and a method for monitoring conditions of a sleeping person.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Sudden Infant Death Syndrome-type (SIDS-type) monitors are known. For example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0057202 A1 to Luzon discloses an infant monitoring system that functions as a communication link between an infant lying in, for example, a crib and, for example, the infant&#39;s mother at a remote (from the infant) monitoring station. The Luzon monitoring system alerts the mother to any one of three vital conditions, specifically, a breathing condition, a fever condition and a crying condition, that require immediate attention.  
         [0005]     Another example of a SIDS-type monitor is U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0097155 A1 to Cassel et al., which discloses a combination audio baby alarm and breathing monitor. The audio alarm portion monitors sounds within a baby&#39;s environment and transmits the sounds for reproduction at a receiver. The breathing monitor portion identifies alarmable events in the breathing of the infant or heart rate and generates an alarm annunciator signal that is transmitted for reproduction at the same receiver.  
         [0006]     While both of these exemplary SIDS-types monitors and other similar SIDS-types monitors alert someone who is remotely located from an infant detected to be in SIDS-type distress, the time taken for someone to physically respond to such an alarm may be too long for the infant. Consequently, what is needed is a way to attempt to revive an infant in SIDS-type distress while someone is physically responding.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention provides a way to attempt to revive an infant in SIDS-type distress while someone is physically responding.  
         [0008]     The advantages of the present invention are provided by a system including a sensor unit and a base unit. The sensor unit outputs a sensor signal corresponding to each of at least two body function parameters of a sleeping person. For example the sensor unit outputs a sensor signal corresponding to a heart-rate, a respiratory rate and/or a body temperature of the sleeping person. The base unit determines whether an alarm condition is present based on each sensor signal output from the sensor unit and, in response to a detected alarm condition, generating an actuation signal for actuating an audible signal, such as a recording of a voice of a caregiver, in proximity of the sleeping person. The detected alarm condition includes at least one of a heart rate lower than a predetermined heart rate, a respiratory rate that is lower than a predetermined respiratory rate, a body temperature that is less than a first predetermined body temperature and a body temperature that is greater than a second predetermined body temperature. The sensor unit also includes a shock-delivering device, and the base unit generates an actuation signal for actuating the shock-delivering device for stimulating the sleeping person to do one of breathe and enter a less deep sleep pattern. The system also includes a monitoring unit having a display and an audible actuator. The base unit sends a monitoring signal representing each sensor signal output by the sensor unit to the monitoring unit, and the display on the monitoring unit, in response to the monitoring signal, displays a current value of each sensor signal. The base unit can also have a display displaying a current value of each sensor signal.  
         [0009]     The present invention also provides a method of monitoring a sleeping person, in which a sensor signal is generated corresponding to each of at least two body function parameters of a sleeping person. The sensor signal can correspond to, for example, a heart-rate, a respiratory rate and/or a body temperature of the sleeping person. It is then determined whether an alarm condition is present based on each sensor signal output from the sensor unit. The detected alarm condition includes at least one of a heart rate lower than a predetermined heart rate, a respiratory rate that is lower than a predetermined respiratory rate, a body temperature that is less than a first predetermined body temperature and a body temperature that is greater than a second predetermined body temperature. An actuation signal is generated in response to a detected alarm condition for actuating an audible signal, such as a recording of a voice of a caregiver, in proximity of the sleeping person. An actuation signal can also be generated for actuating a shock-delivering device for stimulating the sleeping person to do one of breathe and enter a less deep sleep pattern. The current value of each sensor signal can also be displayed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not by limitation in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  depicts a functional block diagram of a sensor unit according to the present invention that includes sensors for monitoring body functions of a sleeping person;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  depicts a functional block diagram of a base unit according to the present invention that processes sensor signals received from the sensor unit depicted in  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  depicts a functional block diagram of a monitoring unit according to the present invention that can be worn by a caregiver.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     The present invention provides a monitoring system that can be used for monitoring babies, children and adults who exhibit signs of sleeping disorders, such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), apnea and/or narcolepsy.  
         [0015]      FIGS. 1-3  depict block diagrams of the functional units of the present invention. In particular,  FIG. 1  depicts a functional block diagram of a sensor unit  100  that includes sensors for monitoring body functions of a sleeping person.  FIG. 2  depicts a functional block diagram of a base unit  200  that processes sensor signals received from sensor unit  100  and transmits monitoring information to a remote station  215  and/or a monitoring unit  300 .  FIG. 3  depicts a functional block diagram of a monitoring unit  300  that can be worn by a caregiver.  
         [0016]     In  FIG. 1 , sensor unit  100  includes a heart-rate sensor  101 , a breathing sensor  102 , a body temperature sensor  103 , a transceiver  104  and a shock-delivering device  105 . Heart-rate sensor  101 , breathing sensor  102  and body temperature sensor  103  are each coupled to a transceiver  104  that transmits sensor information relating to a heart rate signal, a breathing signal and a body temperature signal, respectively, to a base unit  200 , which is shown in  FIG. 2 , in a well-known manner, using an antenna (not shown) and a radio-frequency (rf) link (not shown). Each of heart-rate sensor  101 , breathing sensor  102  and body temperature sensor  103  are well-known sensors that each operate in a well-known manner. Transceiver unit  104  receives an actuation signal from base unit  200  and, in response to the actuation signal, causes a shock-delivering device  105 , such as a piezoelectric element, to deliver a mild electric shock to stimulate a sleeping person to breathe or to bring a detected deep-sleep pattern to be less deep sleep.  
         [0017]     Sensor unit  100  is disposed in close proximate relation to a person who is to be monitored, for example, in direct contact with the skin in the chest region of a sleeping person. Alternatively, sensor unit  100  can be attached in a well-known manner to an article of clothing that the person is wearing. Base unit  200  is also placed in a proximate relationship to the person who is to be monitored, such as attached to the head of a crib or bed, placed on a night table next to a bed or on a shelf in the same room as the person who is to be monitored.  
         [0018]     Base unit  200 , depicted in  FIG. 2 , includes a processor  201 , a memory  202 , a transceiver  203  having an antenna  204 , a display  205 , a recorder/player  206 , manual controls  207  for recorder/player  206 , a microphone  208 , a speaker  209 . Additionally, base unit  200  can include a data recorder  210 , a modem  211  and/or a network interface  212 . Processor  201  is coupled to memory  202 , transceiver  203 , display  204 , recorder/player  205 , data recording unit  210 , modem  211  and network interface  212  in a well-known manner. Transceiver  203  receives sensor signals that have been transmitted by sensor unit  100 , and passes the sensor signals to processor  201 . Processor  201  monitors the different sensor signals that have been received from sensor unit  100  and, in a well-known manner, compares the respective values of the sensor signals to corresponding alarm values stored in memory  202 . Processor  201  can store the received sensor information in data recording unit  210  for later retrieval and evaluation. For example, data recording unit  210  can be a mass storage device, such as a disk drive, an optical drive or a random access memory (RAM) card. Alternatively, processor  201  can also store the received sensor information in memory  202  for later retrieval and evaluation.  
         [0019]     Processor  201  outputs the current monitoring conditions to display  204 , which displays the heart rate, the respiration rate and the body temperature of the monitored person. Display  204  can also display information such as monitored maximum and minimum values of the heart rate, respiration rate and body temperature, the current time and other monitored information. While display  204  is preferably as a single Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) that displays all of the monitored parameters, display  204  could alternatively display the monitored information in a cyclic manner, thereby reducing the oversize of the display. It should also be understood that display  204  could alternatively be embodied as several separate displays. Additionally or as yet another alternative, display  204  could include lights or icons having selected shapes, such as a heart, a square and/or a circle, etc., that are actuated by processor  201  when alarm conditions are detected.  
         [0020]     Processor  201  sends the processed monitoring information to remote monitoring station  215  through modem  211  and telecommunications network  214  in a well-known manner for recording and evaluation. Remote monitoring station  215  could be, for example, a caregivers&#39; station in a hospital or care facility or a 911 center. Remote monitoring station  215  could be located within the same building as the sleeping person. Alternatively, remote monitoring station  215  could be located at another facility that is different from the location of the sleeping person. Telecommunications network  214  can be, for example, a Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or a wireless telecommunications network, such as a cellular telephone network or a Personal Communication System (PCS) network. Alternatively, processor  201  can send the processing monitoring information to remote monitoring station  215  through network interface  212  and telecommunications network  213 , such as a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN) or the Internet, in a well-known manner. As yet another alternative, processor  201  can send the processed monitoring information to remote monitoring station  215  through transceiver  203  and antenna  204 , over a wireless link to an antenna  216  of remote monitoring station  215 .  
         [0021]     Processor  201  also sends the processed monitoring information to transceiver  203  for transmission to monitoring unit  300 , which is depicted in  FIG. 3  as a wrist band that is worn by a caregiver to the person being monitored. Alternatively, monitoring unit  300  could be configured to be attached to the clothing of a caregiver. Transceiver  203  has a range of several hundred feet to communicate with monitoring unit  300  so that a caregiver has some latitude in movement in and around, for example, a home where the monitored person is sleeping. (When base unit  200  is coupled to remote monitoring station  215  through a wireless link, transceiver  203  has sufficient output power to reliably communicate with remote monitoring station  215 .) Monitoring unit  300  includes a receiver/processor  301 , a display  302 , an audible/vibratory alarm device  303 , and/or a shock-delivering device  304 . The processed monitoring information is received by an antenna (not shown) coupled to receiver/processor  301 , receiver/processor  301  processes the monitoring information in a well-known manner. The received monitoring information is displayed on display  302 , which is, for example, an LCD. Additionally, display  302  can include a light or an icon shaped like a heart that pulses, or flashes, at the heart rate of the sleeping person. Audible/vibratory alarm device  303  outputs an audible and/or a vibratory alarm when an alarm signal is received from base unit  200 . Shock-delivering device  304  delivers a mild electric shock to alert a caregiver who may be sleeping.  
         [0022]     When processor  201  determines that a received sensor signal is in an alarm condition, such as when the received heart-rate sensor signal has a rate that is below than the lower limit heart-rate value stored in memory  202 , processor does at least two operations. For one operation, processor  201  transmits an alarm signal to monitoring unit  300  so that the caregiver can be alerted to the detected alarm condition. Monitoring unit  300  responds to the alarm signal by causing audible/vibratory alarm device  303  to produce an audible and/or a vibratory alarm and/or for shock-delivering device  304  to deliver a mild electric shock. Display  302  can additionally display information relating to the detected alarm condition. Alternatively or additionally, processor  201  causes a telephone call to be placed to a predetermined telephone number, such as the mobile telephone of a caregiver or to an emergency response center or remote station  215 .  
         [0023]     For the second operation, processor  201  transmits an actuation signal to recorder/player  206  that causes recorder/player  206  to output through speaker  209  an audible signal, such as a recording of a caregiver, such as a mother or a father, saying the name of the person being monitored. The audible signal can be manually recorded in a well-known manner by using manual controls  207  and microphone  208  and stored in, for example, memory  202 . Alternatively, the audible signal could be stored on a non-volatile medium, such as a magnetic tape or a compact disc (CD). Alternatively or in addition, processor  201  sends an actuation signal to sensor unit  100  that causes shock-delivering device  105  to deliver a mild electric shock to stimulate a sleeping person to breathe or to bring a detected deep-sleep pattern to be less deep sleep. The actuation signal transmitted to sensor unit  100  can be transmitted repeatedly until the alarm condition is not detected any longer.  
         [0024]     For the third operation, remote monitoring station  215  is alerted of an alarm condition simultaneously when either of the first two operations is performed.  
         [0025]     The various components forming sensor unit  100 , base unit  200  and monitoring unit  300  are well-known components.  
         [0026]     Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced that are within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.