Breathing detection using radar
The use of radar sensors and monitoring circuitry in a system allows for continuous and accurate monitoring of breathing parameters, addressing the inefficiencies of manual methods in clinical settings.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202110184404.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2020-02-19
- Filing Date
- 2021-02-10
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-02-10
AI Technical Summary
Current methods for monitoring patients' breathing in clinical settings are time-consuming, prone to errors, and cannot be performed continuously, as they rely on manual counting and observation of chest and abdominal movements.
A system utilizing one or more radar sensors configured to send and receive radar signals, with a control unit and monitoring circuitry to determine various breathing parameters such as rate, pattern, and chest expansion, enabling continuous and accurate monitoring.
Enables continuous, accurate, and automated monitoring of breathing patterns, reducing human error and improving the efficiency of patient care by providing real-time data on breathing parameters.
Smart Images

Figure CN113273974B_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 978,481, filed on February 19, 2020, and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art
[0002] It is desirable to monitor a patient's respiratory rate and heart rate in a clinical setting. Changes in respiratory rate may indicate a change in the patient's condition, and certain factors such as asymmetry in breathing may indicate the patient's condition. Monitoring a patient's breathing may include manually counting breaths, measuring chest and abdominal wall mobility, determining any asymmetry in chest expansion, etc. Manual monitoring is time consuming, prone to error, and cannot be performed continuously for long periods of time in practice. Summary of the invention
[0003] An apparatus, system or method may include the features recited in one or more of the appended claims and / or the following features, which alone or in any combination may comprise patentable subject matter:
[0004] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a system for monitoring respiration includes one or more radar sensors and a circuit, wherein the one or more radar sensors are configured to send radar signals to a patient and receive reflections of the radar signals from the patient, and the circuit includes a radar controller and a breathing pattern monitor, wherein the radar controller is used to receive data indicating reflections of the radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors, and the breathing pattern monitor is used to determine one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0005] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient has an asymmetrical breathing pattern.
[0006] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining whether the patient is performing chest breathing.
[0007] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining a chest expansion distance of the patient.
[0008] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining a tidal volume of the patient's respiration.
[0009] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining the patient's respiration rate.
[0010] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining whether the patient has a Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern.
[0011] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient has a Kussmaul breathing pattern.
[0012] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient has apnea.
[0013] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are connected to a bed in which a patient is located.
[0014] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0015] In some embodiments, transmitting the radar signal includes transmitting the radar signal at 30 GHz to 300 GHz.
[0016] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a system for monitoring respiration includes one or more radar sensors and a circuit, wherein the one or more radar sensors are configured to send a radar signal to a patient and receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors. The circuit includes a radar controller and an electronic stethoscope monitor, wherein the radar controller is used to receive data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors, and the electronic stethoscope monitor is used to determine one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0017] In some embodiments, the system may also include a sound classifier that classifies the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0018] In some embodiments, based on data from the one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's respiration based on one or more respiratory sounds of the patient includes: detecting wheezing sounds based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as wheezing based on the wheezing sounds.
[0019] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's respiration based on one or more respiratory sounds of the patient includes: detecting wheezing based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as wheezing based on the wheezing sound.
[0020] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's respiration based on one or more respiratory sounds of the patient includes: detecting coarse and wet rales sounds based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as coarse and wet rales based on the coarse and wet rales sounds.
[0021] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting fine moist rales sounds based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as fine moist rales based on the fine moist rales sounds.
[0022] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting pleural friction sounds based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as pleural friction sounds based on the pleural friction sounds.
[0023] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting normal breathing sounds based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as normal based on the normal breathing sounds.
[0024] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are beneath a mattress in a hospital bed.
[0025] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0026] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a system for monitoring the movement of a patient includes one or more radar sensors and a circuit, wherein the one or more radar sensors are configured to send radar signals to a patient on a bed and receive reflections of the radar signals from the patient, and the circuit includes a patient position monitor, which is used to: receive data indicating reflections of the radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine a position parameter of the patient, wherein the position parameter indicates a position or orientation of the patient on the bed.
[0027] In some embodiments, the circuit further includes a rotation bladder controller to determine whether the patient should be rotated based on the position parameters of the patient.
[0028] In some embodiments, determining whether the patient should be turned includes determining that the patient has not been turned for at least a threshold amount of time.
[0029] In some embodiments, the circuit further comprises a rotation bladder controller for: determining a subset of the plurality of rotation bladders of the bed to be inflated to rotate the patient based on the position parameter; and sending a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotation bladders.
[0030] In some embodiments, the circuit further comprises a rotating bladder controller for: determining a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders of the bed to inflate to move the patient toward the center of the bed based on the position parameter; and sending a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotating bladders.
[0031] In some embodiments, the circuit also includes a percussion and vibration (P&V) bladder controller, which is used to: determine a subset of multiple P&V bladders of a bed to be inflated to perform P&V treatment on a patient based on a position parameter, wherein the selected subset of the multiple P&V bladders are the P&V bladders in the patient's current position; and send a signal to inflate the subset of the multiple P&V bladders.
[0032] In some embodiments, the one or more radar sensors are further configured to: send additional radar signals to the patient during P&V treatment; and receive reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient, wherein the P&V bladder controller further: receives additional data from the one or more radar sensors indicating reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient; determines an amplitude of vibration of the patient caused by the P&V treatment based on the additional data from the one or more radar sensors; and adjusts the signal sent to inflate a subset of the plurality of P&V bladders based on the amplitude of vibration of the patient.
[0033] In some embodiments, the P&V bladder controller also: determines, based on the position parameter, a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders of the bed to inflate to move the patient toward the center of the bed; and sends a signal to inflate a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders to move the patient toward the center of the bed before sending the signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of P&V bladders.
[0034] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a system for facilitating breathing training includes a circuit and one or more radar sensors, the circuit including a video commander circuit to present breathing instructions to a patient, the one or more radar sensors configured to send a radar signal to the patient and receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient after presenting the breathing instructions, wherein the circuit also includes a breathing training monitor, the breathing training monitor being used to receive data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors and determine parameters of one or more breaths of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors, wherein the video commander circuit also presents second breathing instructions to the patient, wherein the second breathing instructions are based on the parameters of the one or more breaths of the patient.
[0035] In some embodiments, presenting the breathing instructions to the patient includes presenting the breathing instructions on a display, wherein the patient is in a bed, and wherein the display is attached to the bed.
[0036] In some embodiments, presenting the breathing instructions to the patient includes presenting the breathing instructions on a display, and wherein the display is attached to the mobile breathing training device.
[0037] In some embodiments, the breathing training monitor further stores performance data of the patient during the training process associated with the breathing instructions and the second breathing instructions, wherein the performance data indicates a response of the patient to the breathing instructions and a response of the patient to the second breathing instructions.
[0038] In some embodiments, the breathing exercise monitor further determines, based on the performance data, third breathing instructions for a second exercise procedure that is different from the first exercise procedure.
[0039] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a system for monitoring a patient includes one or more radar sensors configured to: send a radar signal to a patient in a waiting room of a hospital and receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient; the system also includes a vital sign analysis server configured to: receive data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors, and determine one or more vital sign parameters of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0040] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are attached to one or more chairs in the waiting room.
[0041] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are attached to a rotatable mount.
[0042] In some embodiments, the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0043] In some embodiments, the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's heartbeat.
[0044] In some embodiments, the vital signs analysis server is further configured to: determine whether an alert should be provided to a caregiver based on one or more vital signs parameters; and provide an alert to the caregiver in response to determining that an alert should be provided to the caregiver based on the one or more vital signs parameters.
[0045] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a respiratory therapy system includes one or more radar sensors and a circuit, wherein the one or more radar sensors are configured to send radar signals to a patient and receive reflections of the radar signals from the patient, the circuit includes a respiratory monitor and a flow controller, the respiratory monitor is used to receive data indicating reflections of the radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors and determine one or more parameters indicating the patient's breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors, and the flow controller is used to control the flow provided to the patient by the respiratory therapy system based on the one or more parameters indicating the patient's breathing.
[0046] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining a current phase of the patient's breathing cycle based on data from the one or more radar sensors, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes controlling the flow provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's breathing cycle.
[0047] In some embodiments, determining a current phase of a patient's breathing cycle based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is breathing, and controlling the flow provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's breathing cycle includes providing a positive pressure flow to the patient based on determining that the patient is breathing.
[0048] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is beginning to cough, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes providing a negative pressure flow to the patient to assist coughing based on determining that the patient is beginning to cough.
[0049] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an infant respiratory monitor includes one or more radar sensors configured to send radar signals to an infant and receive reflections of the radar signals from the infant, and a circuit configured to: receive data indicating reflections of the radar signals from the infant from the one or more radar sensors; determine whether the infant is breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and trigger an alarm based on a flow rate provided to the patient by a respiratory therapy system.
[0050] In some embodiments, the infant respiration monitor is attached to a crib with the infant in the crib.
[0051] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for monitoring respiration includes: sending a radar signal to a patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors through a circuit; and determining one or more parameters indicating the patient's respiration based on the data from the one or more radar sensors through the circuit.
[0052] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient has an asymmetrical breathing pattern.
[0053] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining whether the patient is performing chest breathing.
[0054] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining a chest expansion distance of the patient.
[0055] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining a tidal volume of the patient's respiration.
[0056] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining the patient's respiration rate.
[0057] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining whether the patient has a Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern.
[0058] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient has a Kussmaul breathing pattern.
[0059] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient has apnea.
[0060] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are connected to a bed in which a patient is located.
[0061] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0062] In some embodiments, transmitting the radar signal includes transmitting the radar signal between 30 GHz and 300 GHz.
[0063] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for monitoring respiration includes: sending a radar signal to a patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors through a circuit; and determining one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors through the circuit.
[0064] In some embodiments, the method may further include classifying, by the circuit, the patient's breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors and based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient.
[0065] In some embodiments, classifying, by the circuit, the patient's respiration based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting, by the circuit, wheezing sounds based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as wheezing based on the wheezing sounds.
[0066] In some embodiments, classifying, by the circuit, the patient's respiration based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting, by the circuit, a wheezing sound based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as wheezing based on the wheezing sound.
[0067] In some embodiments, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient, by a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, includes: detecting coarse and wet rales sounds based on data from one or more radar sensors by a circuit; and classifying the patient's breathing as coarse and wet rales based on the coarse and wet rales sounds.
[0068] In some embodiments, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient, by a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, includes: detecting fine moist rales sounds based on data from one or more radar sensors by a circuit; and classifying the patient's breathing as fine moist rales based on the fine moist rales sounds.
[0069] In some embodiments, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient, by a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, includes: detecting pleural friction sound based on data from one or more radar sensors by a circuit; and classifying the patient's breathing as pleural friction sound based on the pleural friction sound.
[0070] In some embodiments, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient, by a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, includes: detecting normal breathing sounds based on data from one or more radar sensors by a circuit; and classifying the patient's breathing as normal based on the normal breathing sounds.
[0071] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are beneath a mattress in a hospital bed.
[0072] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0073] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for monitoring the movement of a patient includes: sending a radar signal to a patient on a hospital bed through one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from one or more radar sensors through a circuit; and determining a position parameter of the patient through the circuit, wherein the position parameter indicates a position or direction of the patient on the hospital bed.
[0074] In some embodiments, the method may further include determining, by the circuitry, whether the patient should be turned based on the position parameters of the patient.
[0075] In some embodiments, the method may further include determining whether the patient should be turned includes determining that the patient has not been turned for at least a threshold amount of time.
[0076] In some embodiments, the method may further include: determining, by the circuit and based on the position parameter, a subset of the plurality of rotation bladders of the bed to be inflated to rotate the patient; and sending a signal by the circuit to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotation bladders.
[0077] In some embodiments, the method may further include: determining, by the circuit and based on the position parameter, a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders of the bed to inflate to move the patient toward the center of the bed; and sending a signal by the circuit to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotating bladders.
[0078] In some embodiments, the method may also include: determining, via a circuit and based on a position parameter, a subset of a plurality of percussion and vibration (P&V) bladders of a bed to be inflated to perform P&V treatment on a patient, wherein the selected subset of the plurality of P&V bladders are the P&V bladders in the patient's current position; and sending a signal via the circuit to inflate the subset of the plurality of P&V bladders.
[0079] In some embodiments, the method may also include: during the P&V treatment, sending additional radar signals to the patient via one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient via one or more radar sensors; receiving, via the circuit, additional data indicating the reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; determining, via the circuit and based on the additional data from the one or more radar sensors, an amplitude of vibration of the patient caused by the P&V treatment; and adjusting, via the circuit, a signal sent to inflate a subset of the plurality of P&V bladders based on the amplitude of the vibration of the patient.
[0080] In some embodiments, the method may also include: determining, via the circuit and based on the position parameter, a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders of the bed to be inflated to move the patient toward the center of the bed; and sending, via the circuit, a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotating bladders to move the patient toward the center of the bed before sending the signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotating bladders.
[0081] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for facilitating breathing training includes: presenting breathing instructions to a patient through a circuit; after presenting the breathing instructions, sending a radar signal to the patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors through the circuit; determining parameters of one or more breaths of the patient through the circuit and based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and presenting a second breathing instruction to the patient through the circuit, wherein the second breathing instruction is based on the parameters of the one or more breaths of the patient.
[0082] In some embodiments, presenting the breathing instructions to the patient includes presenting the breathing instructions on a display, wherein the patient is in a bed, and wherein the display is attached to the bed.
[0083] In some embodiments, presenting the breathing instructions to the patient includes presenting the breathing instructions on a display, and wherein the display is attached to the mobile breathing training device.
[0084] In some embodiments, the method may further include storing, by the circuit, performance data of the patient during the training process associated with the breathing instructions and the second breathing instructions, wherein the performance data indicates a response of the patient to the breathing instructions and a response of the patient to the second breathing instructions.
[0085] In some embodiments, the method may further include determining, by the circuit and based on the performance data, third breathing instructions for a second workout that is different from the first workout.
[0086] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for monitoring a patient includes: sending a radar signal to a patient in a waiting room of a hospital through one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors through a circuit; and determining one or more vital sign parameters of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors through the circuit.
[0087] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are attached to one or more chairs in the waiting room.
[0088] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are attached to a rotatable mount.
[0089] In some embodiments, the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0090] In some embodiments, the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's heartbeat.
[0091] In some embodiments, the method may further include determining, by the circuit, whether an alarm should be provided to a caregiver based on one or more vital sign parameters; and providing, by the circuit, an alarm to the caregiver in response to determining, by the circuit, that an alarm should be provided to the caregiver based on the one or more vital sign parameters.
[0092] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for operating a respiratory therapy system includes: sending a radar signal to a patient through one or more radar sensors of the respiratory therapy system; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors through a circuit of the respiratory therapy system; determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors through the circuit; and controlling a flow rate provided to the patient by the respiratory therapy system through the circuit and based on the one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0093] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining a current phase of the patient's breathing cycle based on data from the one or more radar sensors, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes controlling the flow provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's breathing cycle.
[0094] In some embodiments, determining a current phase of a patient's breathing cycle based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is breathing, and wherein controlling a flow rate provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's breathing cycle includes providing a positive pressure flow rate to the patient based on determining that the patient is breathing.
[0095] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is beginning to cough, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes providing a negative pressure flow to the patient to assist coughing based on determining that the patient is beginning to cough.
[0096] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for monitoring an infant includes sending a radar signal to the infant through one or more radar sensors of a respiratory therapy system; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the infant through the one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the infant from the one or more radar sensors through circuitry of an infant respiratory monitor; determining whether the infant is breathing through the circuitry and based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and triggering an alarm through the circuitry and based on a flow rate provided to the patient by the respiratory therapy system.
[0097] In some embodiments, the infant respiration monitor is attached to a crib with the infant in the crib.
[0098] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for monitoring respiration, cause the system to: send a radar signal to a patient through one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0099] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient has an asymmetrical breathing pattern.
[0100] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining whether the patient is performing chest breathing.
[0101] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining a chest expansion distance of the patient.
[0102] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining a tidal volume of the patient's respiration.
[0103] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining the patient's respiration rate.
[0104] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining whether the patient has a Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern.
[0105] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient has a Kussmaul breathing pattern.
[0106] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient has apnea.
[0107] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are connected to a bed in which a patient is located.
[0108] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0109] In some embodiments, transmitting the radar signal includes transmitting the radar signal between 30 GHz and 300 GHz.
[0110] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for monitoring respiration, cause the system to: send a radar signal to a patient through one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0111] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: classify the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0112] In some embodiments, based on data from the one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's respiration based on one or more respiratory sounds of the patient includes: detecting wheezing sounds based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as wheezing based on the wheezing sounds.
[0113] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's respiration based on one or more respiratory sounds of the patient includes: detecting wheezing based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as wheezing based on the wheezing sound.
[0114] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's respiration based on one or more respiratory sounds of the patient includes: detecting coarse and wet rales sounds based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as coarse and wet rales based on the coarse and wet rales sounds.
[0115] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting fine moist rales sounds based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as fine moist rales based on the fine moist rales sounds.
[0116] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting pleural friction sounds based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as pleural friction sounds based on the pleural friction sounds.
[0117] In some embodiments, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting normal breathing sounds based on data from the one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as normal based on the normal breathing sounds.
[0118] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are beneath a mattress in a hospital bed.
[0119] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0120] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for monitoring movement of a patient, cause the system to: send a radar signal to a patient on a bed through one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient through one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine a position parameter of the patient, wherein the position parameter indicates a position or orientation of the patient on the bed.
[0121] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to determine whether the patient should be turned based on the patient's position parameters.
[0122] In some embodiments, determining whether the patient should be turned includes determining that the patient has not been turned for at least a threshold amount of time.
[0123] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine, based on the position parameter, a subset of the plurality of rotation bladders of the bed to inflate to rotate the patient; and send a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotation bladders.
[0124] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine, based on the position parameter, a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders of the bed to inflate to move the patient toward the center of the bed; and send a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotating bladders.
[0125] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine, based on the position parameters, a subset of a plurality of percussion and vibration (P&V) bladders of a bed to be inflated to perform P&V treatment on a patient, wherein the selected subset of the plurality of P&V bladders are the P&V bladders in the patient's current position; and send a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of P&V bladders.
[0126] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: during P&V treatment, send additional radar signals to the patient via one or more radar sensors; receive reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient via the one or more radar sensors; receive additional data from the one or more radar sensors indicating reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient; determine, based on the additional data from the one or more radar sensors, an amplitude of vibration of the patient caused by the P&V treatment; and adjust the signal sent to inflate a subset of the plurality of P&V bladders based on the amplitude of vibration of the patient.
[0127] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine, based on the position parameter, a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders of the bed to be inflated to move the patient toward the center of the bed; and send a signal to inflate a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders to move the patient toward the center of the bed before sending a signal to inflate a subset of the plurality of P&V bladders.
[0128] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for facilitating breathing training, cause the system to: present breathing instructions to a patient; after presenting the breathing instructions, send a radar signal to the patient through one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient through one or more radar sensors of the system; receive data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; determine parameters of one or more breaths of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and present a second breathing instruction to the patient, wherein the second breathing instruction is based on the parameters of the one or more breaths of the patient.
[0129] In some embodiments, presenting the breathing instructions to the patient includes presenting the breathing instructions on a display, wherein the patient is in a bed, and wherein the display is attached to the bed.
[0130] In some embodiments, presenting the breathing instructions to the patient includes presenting the breathing instructions on a display, and wherein the display is attached to the mobile breathing training device.
[0131] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to store performance data of the patient during the training process associated with the breathing instructions and the second breathing instructions, wherein the performance data indicates a response of the patient to the breathing instructions and a response to the second breathing instructions.
[0132] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to determine third breathing instructions for a second workout that is different from the first workout based on the performance data.
[0133] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for monitoring a patient, cause the system to: send a radar signal to a patient in a hospital waiting room through one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine one or more vital sign parameters of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0134] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are attached to one or more chairs in the waiting room.
[0135] In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are attached to a rotatable mount.
[0136] In some embodiments, the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0137] In some embodiments, the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's heartbeat.
[0138] In some embodiments, the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine whether an alert should be provided to a caregiver based on the one or more vital sign parameters; and provide an alert to the caregiver in response to determining that an alert should be provided to the caregiver based on the one or more vital sign parameters.
[0139] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a respiratory therapy system, cause the respiratory therapy system to: send a radar signal to a patient through one or more radar sensors of the respiratory therapy system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; determine one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and control a flow rate provided to the patient by the respiratory therapy system based on the one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0140] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining a current phase of the patient's breathing cycle based on data from the one or more radar sensors, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes controlling the flow provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's breathing cycle.
[0141] In some embodiments, determining a current phase of a patient's breathing cycle based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is breathing, and wherein controlling a flow rate provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's breathing cycle includes providing a positive pressure flow rate to the patient based on determining that the patient is breathing.
[0142] In some embodiments, determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is beginning to cough, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes providing a negative pressure flow to the patient to assist coughing based on determining that the patient is beginning to cough.
[0143] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of an infant respiratory monitor, cause the infant respiratory monitor to: send a radar signal to an infant through one or more radar sensors of the infant respiratory monitor; receive reflections of the radar signal from the infant through the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the infant from the one or more radar sensors; determine whether the infant is breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and trigger an alarm based on a flow rate provided to the patient by a respiratory therapy system.
[0144] In some embodiments, the infant respiration monitor is attached to a crib with the infant in the crib. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0145] The detailed description refers in particular to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0146] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a system for monitoring a patient using one or more radio detection and ranging (radar) sensors;
[0147] Figure 2 is shown with Figure 1 A block diagram of one embodiment of circuitry associated with a system;
[0148] Figure 3 It can be Figure 2 A block diagram of the environment in which some or all of the circuitry is established;
[0149] Figure 4A-4C It shows that it can be Figure 1 The chest and abdomen monitoring regions used in one embodiment of the system;
[0150] Figure 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a system for monitoring a patient using one or more radar sensors;
[0151] Figure 6 Yes, it can be used Figure 5 Side view of a patient being monitored by the system;
[0152] Figure 7 is a graph of one embodiment of a change in chest height due to breathing of a patient;
[0153] Figure 8 is a perspective view of an alternative movable embodiment of a system for monitoring a patient using one or more radar sensors;
[0154] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a system for monitoring a patient using one or more radar sensors;
[0155] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B is used Figure 1 , Figure 5 , Figure 8 or Fig. 9 A flowchart of one embodiment of a method for monitoring a breathing pattern in one of the systems;
[0156] Fig.11 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of a system for monitoring a patient using one or more radar sensors;
[0157] Fig.12 It can be done by Fig.11 The environment established by the system's bed circuit;
[0158] Fig.13A and Fig. 13B It can be Fig.11 A flowchart of an embodiment of a method for monitoring breathing performed by a system;
[0159] Fig.14 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a system for monitoring patient position using one or more radar sensors;
[0160] Fig.15 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a system for monitoring patient position using one or more radar sensors;
[0161] Fig.16 is a side view of one embodiment of a system for monitoring patient position using one or more radar sensors;
[0162] Fig.17 It can be done by Fig.14 , Fig.15 or Fig.16 The environment established by the system's bed circuit;
[0163] Fig.18 It can be Fig.14 , Fig.15 or Fig.16 A flowchart of an embodiment of a method for monitoring a patient position performed by a system;
[0164] Fig.19 is a flow chart of one embodiment of a method of performing percussion and vibration (P&V) therapy on a patient;
[0165] Fig. 20A is a side view of a system for performing breathing training by radar monitoring;
[0166] Fig. 20B is a perspective view of an alternative system for performing breathing training by radar monitoring;
[0167] Fig.21 It can be done by Fig. 20A or Fig. 20B The environment established by the system's bed circuit;
[0168] Fig. 22 is a flow chart of one embodiment of a method for guiding a patient in performing breathing training;
[0169] Fig.23 is a top view of a system for monitoring patients in a waiting area, and a simplified block diagram of the circuitry of the system;
[0170] Fig.24 is a top view of an alternative system for monitoring patients in a waiting area and a simplified block diagram of the circuitry of the system;
[0171] Fig.25 is a flow chart of one embodiment of a method for monitoring a patient in a waiting area;
[0172] Fig.26 is one embodiment of an apparatus for providing pressurized air to a patient;
[0173] Fig. 27 It can be Fig.26 A flowchart of one embodiment of a method of providing pressurized air to a patient performed by a device;
[0174] Fig.28 is a perspective view of a system for monitoring the breathing of an infant; and
[0175] Fig.29 It can be Fig.28 Flow chart of one embodiment of a method for monitoring infant respiration performed by a system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0176] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more radio detection and ranging (radar) devices are integrated into systems such as patient support systems and respiratory monitor systems. The radar devices are used to monitor patients, for example by monitoring heart rate, respiration, and position.
[0177] Although all types of systems implementing the disclosed technology are contemplated herein, some examples of patient support systems include stand-alone mattress systems, mattress covers, hospital beds, hospital beds with integrated mattress systems, operating tables, examination tables, imaging tables, stretchers, chairs, wheelchairs, and patient lifts, to name a few. Patient support surfaces contemplated herein include air mattresses, foam mattresses, combinations of air and foam mattresses, mattress covers, operating table pads and mattresses, stretcher pads and mattresses, chair pads, wheelchair pads, and patient lift pads, to name a few.
[0178] Although the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the concepts of the present disclosure are not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications, equivalent forms and alternative forms consistent with the present disclosure and the appended claims.
[0179] References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an illustrative embodiment," and the like indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but each embodiment may or may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is assumed that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described. In addition, it should be understood that an item included in a list in the form of "at least one of A, B, and C" may mean (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (B and C); (A and C); or (A, B, and C). Similarly, an item listed in the form of "at least one of A, B, or C" may mean (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (B and C); (A and C); or (A, B, and C).
[0180] In some cases, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. The disclosed embodiments may also be implemented as instructions carried by or stored on one or more temporary or non-temporary machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) storage media, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readable storage medium may be implemented as any storage device, mechanism, or other physical structure (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory, media disk, or other medium) for storing or transmitting information in a machine-readable form.
[0181] In the accompanying drawings, some structural or method features may be shown in a particular arrangement and / or order. However, it should be understood that such a particular arrangement and / or order may not be required. On the contrary, in some embodiments, these features may be arranged in a manner and / or order different from that shown in the illustrative drawings. In addition, the inclusion of a structural or method feature in a particular drawing does not mean that such a feature is required in all embodiments, and in some embodiments, such a feature may not be included or may be combined with other features.
[0182] Reference now Figure 1, the patient support system 100 includes a bed 102, a radar support frame 104, an abdominal radar sensor 106, a left radar sensor 108, a right radar sensor 110, and a bed circuit 112. The radar sensors 106, 108, 110 monitor a patient 114 on the bed 102. As discussed in more detail below, the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 can monitor the patient's heart rate, breathing pattern, position on the bed, etc.
[0183] Each radar sensor 106, 108, 110 can be any suitable radar sensor. In an illustrative embodiment, each radar sensor 106, 108, 110 is a millimeter wave sensor operating at 30 GHz-300 GHz. Each radar sensor 106, 108, 110 can operate in a frequency range such as 60-64 GHz or 76-81 GHz. Each radar sensor 106, 108, 110 has one or more transmitters and one or more receivers. For example, each of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 can include one or more of Texas Instruments' AWR1843, AWR1642, AWR1443, AWR1243, IWR6843AoP, IWR6843, IWR1843, IWR1642, and / or IWR1443 chips. In some embodiments, radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may include two or more radar chips cascaded together so that they operate synchronously, thereby providing improved target detection and resolution. Additionally or alternatively, radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be cascaded together.
[0184] In use, each radar sensor 106, 108, 110 transmits radio waves, such as millimeter waves. The radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may transmit a single frequency, a series of pulses, shaped pulses, chirped pulses, or any other suitable waves. The waves are transmitted from the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 and reflected from the patient 114 back to the radar sensors 106, 108, 110. As used herein, a reflected radar signal or a reflection of a radar signal refers to a radar signal that is scattered, coherently reflected, incoherently reflected, partially reflected, etc. The reflected signals may be processed to determine the distance from the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 to one or more regions of the patient 114, for example by determining the flight time or phase of the reflected signals. Multiple regions of the patient 114 may be detected as multiple reflected signals. The location of the region of the reflected wave may be determined by the difference in the reflected signals in different receivers. Additionally or alternatively, the velocity of certain regions of the reflected wave of the patient 114 may be determined based on the Doppler shift of the reflected wave. In this manner, the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be used to map the position and contours of the patient 114. In the illustrative embodiment, the abdominal radar sensor 106 maps the contours of the area of the patient 114 located in the center of the bed 102, and the left and right radar sensors 110, 110 map areas of the patient 114 located in the right and left portions of the bed 102, respectively. Additionally or alternatively, any of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be used to map any area of the patient 114 in any portion of the bed 102.
[0185] In some embodiments, multiple transmit antennas from some or all of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be operated with controlled phase differences, allowing beamforming. Beamforming may be used to detect specific areas of the patient 114, bed 102, or room.
[0186] It should be understood that in some embodiments, radio waves may penetrate certain materials, such as clothing, blankets, sheets, thereby allowing contactless monitoring of the patient 114 under a blanket.
[0187] In the illustrated embodiment, the radar support frame 104 extends above the patient bed 102. The radar support frame 104 may be attached to the patient bed 102 or may form part of a stand-alone radar monitoring unit. It should be understood that in some embodiments, the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be connected to the patient bed 102. Figure 1 The configuration shown is positioned differently. For example, some or all of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be positioned to the side of the patient 114, on a wall of a room, embedded in the bed 102, and / or any other suitable location relative to the patient 114.
[0188] The radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be connected to the bed circuit 112 in any suitable manner. In the illustrative embodiment, one or more wires connect the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 to the bed circuit 112. Additionally or alternatively, optical fiber or wireless signals may be used to connect the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 to the bed circuit 112. In some embodiments, the bed circuit 112 may be located near one or more of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 and / or may be integrated into the radar sensors 106, 108, 110. In some embodiments, as Figure 1 As shown, some or all of the bed circuitry 112 may be located in the radar support 104. Additionally or alternatively, some or all of the bed circuitry 112 may be located in any suitable location, such as in the base of the patient bed 102, in a separate component near the patient bed 102, in a remote location, etc.
[0189] The bed circuit 112 may be implemented as any circuit capable of performing the functions described herein. For example, the bed circuit 112 may be implemented as or otherwise included in, but not limited to, an embedded computing system, a system on a chip (SoC), a multiprocessor system, a processor-based system, a consumer electronic device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a desktop computer, a server computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a laptop computer, a network device, a router, a switch, a networked computer, a wearable computer, a cell phone, a messaging device, a camera device, and / or any other computing device. The bed circuit 112 may include one or more processors, a memory, one or more data storage devices, a communication circuit, and / or any other suitable components. In some embodiments, one or more components of the bed circuit 112 may be incorporated into another component or otherwise form a part of another component. For example, in some embodiments, a memory or a portion thereof may be incorporated into a processor.
[0190] Still refer to Figure 1, the bed 102 includes a frame 116, which in turn includes a lower frame or base 118, an upper frame assembly 120, and a lifting system 122 that connects the upper frame assembly 120 to the base 118. The lifting system 122 is operable to raise, lower, and tilt the upper frame assembly 120 relative to the base 118. The bed 102 has a head end 124 and a foot end 126. The bed 102 also includes a footboard 128 at the foot end 126 and a headboard 130 at the head end 124. The headboard 130 is connected to a raised portion 132 of the base 118. In the illustrative example, the footboard 128 is connected to the foot end 126 of the upper frame assembly 120. In other embodiments, the footboard 128 is connected to a retractable portion of the foot of a mattress support deck 134 of the upper frame assembly 120. The base 118 includes wheels or casters 136 that roll along the floor when moving the bed 102 from one location to another. A set of foot pedals 138 are connected to the base 118 and are used to brake and release the casters 136 as is known in the art. The base 118 also supports a housing 119 in which portions of the bed circuitry (eg, some or all of the bed circuitry 112 described herein) reside.
[0191] like Figure 1 As shown, the illustrative bed 102 has four side rail assemblies connected to the upper frame assembly 120. The four side rail assemblies include a pair of head side rail assemblies 140 (sometimes referred to as head rails) and a pair of foot side rail assemblies 142 (sometimes referred to as foot rails). Each of the side rail assemblies 140, 142 can be connected to the upper frame assembly 120. Figure 1 The raised position of the two head rails 140 and the right foot rail 142 shown is similar to that shown in FIG. Figure 1 The side rail assemblies 140, 142 are sometimes referred to herein as simply the side rails 140, 142. Each side rail 140, 142 includes a guard plate 144 and a connector 146. Each connector 146 is connected to the upper frame assembly 120 and is configured to guide the guard plate 144 during movement of the side rails 140, 142 between the respective raised and lowered positions.
[0192] The mattress support deck 134 of the upper frame assembly 120 supports the mattress 148, which in turn supports the patient 114. The mattress support deck 134 is located above the upper frame of the upper frame assembly 120. In some embodiments, the mattress support deck 134 includes hinged deck portions, such as a head portion that supports the head and torso areas of the patient 114, a seat portion that supports the hips and sacral areas of the patient 114, a thigh portion that supports the thighs of the patient, and a foot portion that supports the calves and feet of the patient 114. One or more deck portions can be moved relative to the upper frame of the upper frame assembly 120. For example, the head portion can be pivotally raised and lowered relative to the seat portion, and the foot portion can be pivotally raised and lowered relative to the thigh portion. In addition, the thigh portion is hinged relative to the seat portion. Likewise, in some embodiments, the foot portion is retractable to change the overall length of the foot portion, thereby changing the overall length of the mattress support deck 134. Additional details of suitable embodiments of the bed 102 can be found, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0161225A1, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes to the extent it is not inconsistent with the present disclosure, and the present disclosure shall control for any inconsistencies.
[0193] As described above, the bed 102 includes a radar support frame 104, which in turn supports radar sensors 106, 108, 110. In the illustrative example, the radar support frame 104 includes a generally vertically oriented column or mast 104a and a generally horizontally oriented arm 104b, which extends in a cantilevered manner from the upper end of the mast 104a to cover the mattress 148 of the bed 102 and the patient 114 supported thereon. The arm 104b has a distal end region 104c connected to the radar sensor 106. The arm 104b is generally vertically located above the longitudinal centerline of the bed 102. The radar support frame 104 also includes a right arm 104d and a left arm 104e, which extend in a cantilevered manner from the right and left sides of the arm 104b, respectively. When viewed from above, the arm 104b including the distal end region 104c thereof and the arms 104d, 104e resemble a cross.
[0194] In some embodiments, the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be moved along the respective arms 104b, 104d, 104e so that the trajectory of the radar beam from the sensors 106, 108, 110 may be adjusted by a greater or greater amount than would be possible using beamforming techniques. For example, in some contemplated embodiments, a clamp or lock associated with each of the sensors 106, 108, 110 may be manually locked and released to allow the sensors 106, 108, 110 to be manually repositioned along a track, rail, rod, bar, etc. included in the respective arms 104b, 104d, 104e. Alternatively, the sensors 106, 108, 110 may be mounted to a nut that travels along a lead screw that is manually turned by a hand crank or knob and included in the arms 104b, 104d, 104e. With respect to the manner in which the position of the sensors 106, 108, 110 is adjusted relative to the arms 104b, 104d, 104e, the present disclosure also contemplates the use of a motor to automatically or electrically control such a lead screw. The present disclosure also contemplates other automatic adjustment mechanisms for repositioning the sensors 106, 108, 110 on the frame 104, such as linear actuators, motorized sprocket and chain arrangements, motorized belt and pulley arrangements, etc. Embodiments in which the arms 104d, 104e can be repositioned along the longitudinal dimension of the arm 104b to move the arms 104d, 104e closer to the distal region 104c of the arm 104b and further away from the distal region 104c of the arm 104b are also within the scope of the present disclosure. Manual and / or automatic repositioning mechanisms similar to those described above can be used for this purpose.
[0195] In some embodiments, the lower end of the mast 104a of the stand 104 is connected to the head end 124 of the upper frame of the upper frame assembly 120 of the bed 102. Thus, in these embodiments, the radar support stand 104 and the supported radar sensors 106, 108, 110 are raised, lowered, and tilted relative to the base 118 as the upper frame assembly 120 is raised, lowered, and tilted, respectively, by the lifting system 122. In other embodiments, the lower end of the mast 104a is connected to the head end of the base 118 of the bed 102. In these embodiments, the stand 104 and the sensors 106, 108, 110 remain stationary as the upper frame assembly 120 is raised, lowered, and tilted relative to the base 118 by the lifting system 122. As described above, in other embodiments, the stand 104 includes a freestanding frame, such as a frame having casters for movement, such as being moved to a position above the bed 102.
[0196] In some embodiments, the mast 104a of the frame 104 is telescopic so as to be lengthened and shortened in a generally vertical orientation. Thus, telescopically extending the mast 104a raises the arms 104b, 104d, 104e and associated radar sensors 106, 108, 110 relative to the mattress 148 and the patient 114 thereon, while telescopically retracting the mast 104a lowers the arms 104b, 104d, 104e and associated radar sensors 106, 108, 110 relative to the mattress 148 and the patient 114 thereon. In these embodiments, the mast 104a includes at least a first mast section and a second mast section, if not more, which are telescopic relative to each other, such as by using one or more linear actuators, lead screw drives (manual or automatic), etc. Optionally, the arm 104b of the frame 104 is telescopic to move the distal region 104c and the arms 104d, 104e as a whole over the mattress 148 and the patient 114 in a generally horizontal direction defined by the longitudinal dimension of the arm 104b. In these embodiments, the arm 104b includes at least a first arm segment and a second arm segment, if not more, which are telescopic relative to each other, such as by using one or more linear actuators, lead screw drives (manual or automatic), etc. As described above, the adjustability of the position of the sensors 106, 108, 110, whether generally vertical or generally horizontal, allows the disclosed patient monitoring system using the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 to take into account patients of different sizes and to take into account the specific position of the patient 114 on the bed 102 between the head end 124 and the foot end 126.
[0197] The present disclosure contemplates that, in some embodiments, portions of the bed circuitry 112 that control movement of portions of the bed 102 communicate with portions of the circuitry 112 that control operation of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 to alter operation of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 under certain conditions. For example, in some embodiments, if the head of the mattress support deck 134 is pivotally elevated at a head of bed (HOB) angle that exceeds a threshold amount, such as about 15 degrees to about 30 degrees, just to give an arbitrary threshold range, use of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be disabled by the circuitry 112. This is because tilting the patient's torso at such a steep angle may negatively impact the ability of the sensors 106, 108, 110 and the circuitry 112 to accurately sense the patient's heart rate, respiratory rate, and / or position. In this regard, it will be appreciated that the bed 102 includes an angle sensor, such as an accelerometer, inclinometer, rotary potentiometer, string potentiometer, ball switch, mercury switch, etc., which is connected to the circuit 112 and is used to sense the HOB angle of the head of the mattress support deck 134 of the bed 102. As another example, if the circuit 112 analyzes the image intensity (e.g., brightness or darkness) of various areas of the image generated by the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 (e.g., see below Figure 4A-4C ), and compares the light intensity to various intensity thresholds to determine the patient's heart rate, breathing rate, position, health status, etc., and may need to use different light intensity thresholds depending on the patient's distance from the radar sensors 106, 108, 110. Therefore, in some embodiments, the circuit 112 analyzes the height and / or tilt of the upper frame assembly 120 relative to the base 118 and / or the amount of extension or retraction of the mast 104a, and then adjusts the image intensity threshold accordingly.
[0198] Reference now Figure 2 , a system 200 for monitoring a patient using a radar sensor includes radar sensors 106, 108, 110, a bed circuit 112, and a display 202. The bed circuit 112 can be connected to additional components, such as an electronic medical record server 206, a nurse call system 208, a status board 210, a communication system 212, and one or more mobile computing devices 214 via a network 204. In use, the bed circuit 112 can transmit monitoring information of the patient to other components of the system 200. For example, the bed circuit 112 can monitor the heart rate of the patient 114 and send the heart rate of the patient 114 to the electronic medical record server 206 as part of the medical record of the patient 114. The bed circuit 112 can also send the heart rate of the patient 114 to the nurse call system 208, thereby allowing the heart rate to be presented on the status board 210 and / or sent to the mobile computing device 214 carried by the nurse.
[0199] The display 202 may be local to the bed circuit 112, such as a display on one or more side rails 140, 142 of the bed 102. The display 202 may be any suitable display, such as an LCD display, an LED display, a laser display, etc. In some embodiments, the display 202 is operable under the control of the circuit 112 to display information sensed by the radar sensors 106, 108, 110, including image data. Additionally, in some embodiments, the display 202 includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that is also operable to display user inputs for controlling various features and functions of the bed 102, including controlling components associated with the mattress 148 and controlling movable portions of the frame 116.
[0200] The network 204 may be any suitable network. In the illustrative embodiment, the network 204 is an Ethernet network. Additionally or alternatively, the network 204 may be implemented as network, Network, WiMAX network, Near Field Communication (NFC) network, etc.
[0201] Reference now Figure 3 In the illustrative embodiment, the bed circuit 112 establishes an environment 300 during operation. The illustrative environment 300 includes a radar controller 302, a chest mobility monitor 304, a breathing pattern monitor 306, an alarm manager 308, and a communication controller 310. The various modules of the environment 300 can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. For example, the various modules, logic, and other components of the environment 300 can form part of, or be established by, a processor, a memory, or other hardware components of the bed circuit 112. Therefore, in some embodiments, one or more modules of the environment 300 can be implemented as a circuit or collection of electronic devices (e.g., the radar controller circuit 302, the chest mobility monitor circuit 304, the breathing pattern monitor circuit 306, etc.). It should be understood that in these embodiments, one or more circuits (e.g., the radar controller circuit 302, the chest mobility monitor circuit 304, the breathing pattern monitor circuit 306, etc.) can form part of one or more of the processor, memory, data storage, and / or other components of the bed circuit 112. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of the illustrative modules may form part of another module and / or one or more of the illustrative modules may be independent of one another. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more modules of the environment 300 may be implemented as virtualized hardware components or emulated architectures that may be established and maintained by a processor or other components of the bed circuit 112.
[0202] The radar controller 302 is configured to interact with the radar sensors 106, 108, 110, and the radar controller 302 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or a combination thereof as described above. The radar controller 302 can send commands to the radar sensors 106, 108, 110, configure the radar sensors 106, 108, 110, and receive data from the radar sensors 106, 108, 110. In an illustrative embodiment, the radar controller 302 receives an indication of the signals received by the radar sensors 106, 108, 110, such as the intensity, phase, electric field, etc. received at each receiver of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110. In some embodiments, the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 can perform some pre-processing before sending the data to the radar controller 302, such as by processing the received data to determine the position and / or velocity of an object that reflected the waves to the radar sensors 106, 108, 110.
[0203] The chest mobility monitor 304 is configured to analyze data from the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 to monitor the mobility of the chest of the patient 114, and the chest mobility monitor 304 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or a combination thereof as described above. The chest mobility monitor 304 can monitor the position of different parts of the patient, such as the right half of the chest of the patient 114, the left half of the chest of the patient 114, and the abdomen of the patient 114. For example, in one illustrative embodiment, as Figure 4A As shown, the chest mobility monitor 304 can monitor the right chest region 402A, the left chest region 404A, and the abdomen region 406A. Figure 4A In FIG. 4 , when the patient inhales, the right chest region 402A may lag behind the left chest region 404A, indicating unilateral lung or pleural disease on the right lung of the patient. Figure 4B In FIG. 4 , the left chest region 404B may lag behind the right chest region 402B, indicating unilateral lung or pleural disease on the right lung of the patient. Figure 4C , the abdomen region 406C may not move by an expected amount compared to the right chest region 402C and the left chest region 404C, indicating that the patient is breathing from their chest rather than their abdomen.
[0204] The chest mobility monitor 304 can determine various parameters related to chest mobility, such as chest expansion distance, monitor tidal volume, chest asymmetry during breathing, and abdominal expansion. A chest expansion distance of 2-5" (measured by changes in chest circumference) may indicate a normal chest expansion distance. A chest expansion distance of less than 2" (or a reduced chest expansion distance, even if still approximately 2") may indicate a lung or pleural disease or condition. Asymmetry of the chest during breathing (e.g., one side expands less and / or lags behind the other) may indicate unilateral lung or pleural disease. Patients breathing from the chest (rather than the abdomen) (which may occur, for example, after surgery) increase the likelihood of developing pneumonia. If chest breathing is detected, the patient can be instructed to breathe from the abdomen. The chest mobility monitor 304 can store chest mobility data locally and / or remotely to allow current or future analysis of the chest mobility data.
[0205] The breathing pattern monitor 306 is configured to analyze the chest mobility data provided by the chest mobility monitor 304 to determine breathing data, and the breathing pattern monitor 306 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture and / or a combination thereof as described above. The breathing pattern monitor 306 can determine parameters such as breathing rate, breathing depth, inspiration / expiration time ratio, etc. A breathing rate that is too high or too low may indicate certain conditions. Shallow breathing can be detected based on breathing rate and breathing depth. Cheyne-Stokes breathing, in which breathing increases and decreases in depth with recurring periods in which the patient does not breathe at all. Cheyne-Stokes breathing may indicate severe head trauma and / or altitude sickness. Kussmaul breathing, in which the patient breathes deeply and breathes rapidly, may indicate that the person has diabetic ketoacidosis. The breathing pattern monitor 306 can store breathing data locally and / or remotely to allow current or future analysis of the breathing data.
[0206] The alarm manager 308 is configured to determine whether an alarm should be triggered based on the mobility or respiration of the patient's chest, and the alarm manager 308 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or a combination thereof as described above. The alarm can be triggered based on any suitable measurement of the patient's condition. For example, if the chest expansion distance drops below a threshold or changes by a threshold amount, if the tidal volume drops below a threshold or changes by a threshold amount, if uneven chest movement is detected during respiration, if chest breathing is detected, if a respiratory rate is detected above a threshold, if a respiratory rate is detected below a threshold, if shallow breathing is detected, if Cheyne-Stokes breathing is detected, and / or Kussmore breathing is detected, then an alarm can be triggered. In some embodiments, a baseline for various respiratory parameters can be determined based on the patient's previous respiratory data, and an alarm can be triggered if one or more respiratory parameters of the patient deviate from the baseline (e.g., deviate by a specific amount and / or time). The alarm manager 308 can trigger an alarm in any suitable manner, such as by issuing a local visual alarm or an audible alarm, sending a message to be displayed on the status board 210, sending a message to one or more mobile computing devices 214 of a caregiver, and the like. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, some or all of the alarm manager 308 may be located separately from the patient bed 102 and / or separately from other components of the bed circuit 112. For example, in some embodiments, the alarm manager 308 may constitute part of the nurse call system 208 or the status board 210.
[0207] The communication controller 310 is configured to communicate with other devices such as the electronic medical record server 206 or the nurse call system 208. As described above, the communication controller 310 can communicate via, for example, Ethernet, WiMAX, Near Field Communication (NFC), etc. communicate directly or indirectly with other devices.
[0208] It should be understood that the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may be disposed in locations other than above the patient 114 in the bed 102. For example, Figure 5, the bed 500 includes a right radar sensor 502 located in a right side rail 503 of the bed 500, a head radar sensor 504 located in a headboard 505 at the head end of the bed 500, a left radar sensor 506 disposed in a left side rail 507 of the bed 500, and a foot radar sensor 508 located in a footboard 509 at the foot end of the bed 500. Each radar sensor 502, 504, 506, 508 is connected to a bed circuit 510 in the bed 500 located below a patient 512, such as on a lower frame or base 511 of the bed 500. Each radar sensor 502, 504, 506, 508 (and other radar sensors discussed throughout the present disclosure) can be similar to the radar sensors 106, 108, 110, and the bed circuit 510 (and other circuits discussed throughout the present disclosure) can be similar to the bed circuit 112. For clarity, the description of those components and similar components described throughout the present disclosure will not be repeated. It should be understood that instead of a top view, radar sensors 502, 504, 506, 508 provide Figure 6 A side view of the patient is shown. This view provides different measurement data compared to radar sensors 106, 108, 110. For example, zooming in on chest region 602 of patient 512 can measure the patient's chest based on blocking different portions of the field of view of radar sensors 502, 504, 506, 508. Figure 7 700. It should be understood that any combination of radar sensors 502, 504, 506, 508 and radar sensors 106, 108, and 110 may be used in various embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of radar sensors 502, 504, 506, 508 may be used in conjunction with some or all of radar sensors 106, 108, 110, such as by measuring the same parameter, such as chest movement depth, from two different angles.
[0209] In another configuration, Figure 8 As shown, a patient bed 802 may have one or more radar sensors 804 connected to bed circuitry 806 located over the center of a patient 808, without any radar sensors on the sides. Figure 8 Bed 802 with Figure 1802. In addition, the radar support stand 8104 is used in conjunction with the bed 802 in the same manner as discussed above for the stand 104 used in conjunction with the bed 102. Thus, the above discussion of the stand 104, including all variations thereof, is equally applicable to the stand 8104. Thus, for example, the stand 8104 includes a generally vertically oriented column or mast 8104a and a generally horizontal arm 8104b having a distal region 8104c to which the radar sensor 804 is connected. The above discussion of the mast 104a is equally applicable to the mast 8104a, and the above discussion of the arm 104b is equally applicable to the arm 8104b.
[0210] In another configuration, Fig. 9 As shown, the independent mobile radar unit 902 may have a radar sensor 904 located near the top of the mobile radar unit 902. The radar sensor 904 may be configured to monitor the patient 906 such as Fig. 9 The chest area indicated by the rectangular box shown on the patient 906 in FIG. Figure 8 and Fig. 9 Each component identified can be similar to Figure 1 The corresponding components are identified, and their description will not be repeated for clarity. The mobile radar unit 902 includes a wheeled base 908 having casters 910 connected thereto. The mobile radar unit 902 also includes a generally vertically oriented pole or mast 912 extending upward from the base 908. A pivotable arm 914 extends from an upper region 912a of the pole 912, and the radar sensor 904 is mounted to the distal end of the arm 914 in a spaced relationship with the pole 914. The arm 914 can be pivoted upward and downward relative to the pole 912 to adjust the height at which the radar sensor 904 is supported above the floor.
[0211] In some embodiments, arm 914 can be moved vertically along rod 912 to provide further adjustment of the vertical position of radar sensor 904 relative to the floor. For example, a lockable and releasable raised ring can be connected to rod 912, and arm 914 can extend from the raised ring. When released, the raised ring can move up and down along rod 912 and then can be locked in a desired position. In some embodiments, a clamp, lock, thumb screw or similar releasable locking device is provided for locking the raised ring relative to rod 912. Mobile radar unit 902 with radar sensor 904 is very suitable for obtaining patient monitoring data from a standing patient, for example, such as in the case of a medical examination in a doctor's office.
[0212] Reference now Fig. 10A, in use, a method 1000 for monitoring a patient using radar may be performed. In some embodiments, some or all of the method 1000 may be performed by the bed circuit 112. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the bed circuit 112 may provide data such as breathing rate, and a caregiver may monitor the data from the bed circuit 112 to determine whether the patient has, for example, Cheyne-Stokes respiration. The method 1000 begins at block 1002, where the bed circuit 112 receives signals from one or more radar sensors 106, 108, 110 monitoring the chest and abdomen of the patient. The bed circuit 112 may receive raw signals received by antennas of the radar sensors 106, 108, 110. In some embodiments, the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 may perform some pre-processing before sending the data to the bed circuit 112, such as by processing the received data to determine the position and / or velocity of an object that reflected waves to the radar sensors 106, 108, 110.
[0213] In block 1004, the bed circuit 112 analyzes the radar signal for chest mobility. The bed circuit 112 may divide the patient's chest into a plurality of regions, such as a right chest region, a left chest region, and an abdominal region. The bed circuit 112 may determine the position and / or velocity of each region. Of course, it should be understood that the radar signal may be analyzed in many different ways to determine the mobility of the patient's chest.
[0214] In block 1006, the bed circuit 112 determines the chest expansion distance. In the illustrative embodiment, the bed circuit 112 determines the circumference of the patient's chest, and the chest expansion distance is the change in the circumference of the patient's chest during one or more breaths. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the bed circuit 112 may monitor changes in the height of the patient's chest and use the change in height as an indication of the chest expansion distance. In this regard, see Figure 7 and the discussion above.
[0215] In block 1008, the bed circuit 112 determines the tidal volume during one breath. For example, the volume of the patient's chest that varies between a minimum and a maximum value over a relatively short time frame (e.g., approximately five to ten seconds) may be due to the volume of air that the patient inhales and then exhales. In block 1010, the bed circuit 112 monitors chest asymmetry during a breath. The bed circuit 112 may do this by monitoring the height of the right chest region compared to the left chest region over time. If the height of one chest region peaks at a lower value and / or lags behind the other chest region, the patient may have a condition called asymmetry in breathing. In this regard, see Figure 4A and Figure 4B and the discussion above.
[0216] In block 1012, the bed circuit 112 monitors chest and abdominal respiration. To this end, the bed circuit 112 may determine whether the abdominal region expands by at least a threshold amount when the patient inhales. In this regard, see Figure 4C and the discussion above.
[0217] In box 1014, the bed circuit 112 monitors the patient's breathing pattern. In box 1016, the bed circuit 112 may determine the breathing rate. In box 1018, the bed circuit 112 may analyze the patient's breathing for Cheyne-Stokes breathing, where the depth of breathing increases and decreases with recurring periods where the patient does not breathe at all. Cheyne-Stokes breathing may indicate severe head trauma and / or altitude sickness. In box 1020, the bed circuit 112 may analyze the patient's breathing for Kussmaul breathing, where the patient breathes deeply and rapidly and may indicate that the person is in diabetic ketoacidosis. In box 1022, the bed circuit 112 may analyze the patient's breathing pattern for apnea.
[0218] Method 1000 proceeds to Fig. 10B The bed circuit 112 determines whether the patient's chest mobility and / or breathing pattern indicates that an alarm should be triggered. The bed circuit 112 may be configured to trigger an alarm based on any suitable measurement of the patient's condition. For example, an alarm may be triggered if the chest expansion distance drops below a threshold or changes by a threshold amount, if the tidal volume drops below a threshold or changes by a threshold amount, if asymmetric chest movement is detected during breathing, if chest breathing is detected, if a respiratory rate is detected above a threshold, if a respiratory rate is detected below a threshold, if shallow breathing is detected, if Cheyne-Stokes breathing is detected, and / or Kussmaul breathing is detected.
[0219] In block 1026, if an alarm is not to be triggered, the method 1000 jumps to block 1034, where the chest mobility and respiration data are stored. If an alarm is to be triggered, the method proceeds to block 1028, where the bed circuit 112 triggers an alarm. In block 1030, the bed circuit 112 may trigger a local alarm, such as by sounding a local visual alarm or an audible alarm. Additionally or alternatively, the bed circuit 112 may trigger a remote alarm, such as by sending an alarm to the nurse call system 208 in block 1032. The alarm may result in a message being displayed on the status board 210, a message being sent to one or more mobile computing devices 214 of a caregiver, a message being displayed on a display of the bed 102, etc. It should be understood that in some embodiments, some or all of the analysis regarding whether an alarm should be triggered may be performed separately from the patient bed 102 and / or separately from at least some components of the bed circuit 112. For example, in an embodiment, the nurse call system 208 may determine whether an alarm is to be triggered.
[0220] In block 1034, the bed circuit 112 stores the chest mobility and respiration data. In block 1036, the bed circuit 112 may store the chest and mobility respiration data locally, which may then be used to determine, for example, whether the patient's respiration rate has changed. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, in block 1038, the bed circuit 112 may send the chest mobility and respiration data to an electronic medical record server, and / or in block 1040, the bed circuit 112 may send the chest mobility and respiration data to a nurse call system. The method 1000 then loops back to Fig. 10A 1002 in order to receive other data from the radar sensors 106 , 108 , 110 .
[0221] Reference now Fig.11 , the bed 1102 may include a radar sensor 1104 connected to a bed circuit 1106 that is embedded in or beneath the mattress of the bed so that the radar sensor 1104 is below the patient 1108. Fig.11 The bed 1102 and Figure 1 The bed 102 of the present invention is substantially the same, and therefore, the above discussion of the bed 102 is equally applicable to the bed 1102. In use and as described in more detail below, the radar sensor 1104 can be used to monitor the breathing sounds of the patient 1108 and determine whether the patient is, for example, wheezing. It should be understood that in some embodiments, as described above with respect to the radar sensors 106, 108, 110, the radar 1104 located below the patient 1106 can be used to monitor the mobility and / or breathing pattern of the chest. Additionally or alternatively, it should be understood that in some embodiments, as described above with respect to the radar sensors 106, 108, 110, the radar 1104 located below the patient 1106 can be used to monitor the mobility and / or breathing pattern of the chest. Alternatively or additionally, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the radar sensors 106, 108, 110 can be used in a manner similar to the radar sensor 1104 to detect the sound of the patient 114 breathing. Each of radar sensor 1104 and bed circuit 1106 can be similar to radar sensors 106, 108, 110 and bed circuit 112, respectively, and their descriptions will not be repeated for clarity. Additional details of using one or more radar sensors in or adjacent to a mattress, such as on a mattress support plate located below the mattress, can be found in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2019 / 0015277A1 and 2019 / 0167500A1, which are hereby incorporated by reference to the extent they are not inconsistent with the present disclosure, and the present disclosure shall control for any inconsistency.
[0222] Reference now Fig.12In an illustrative embodiment, the bed circuit 1106 may establish an environment 1202 during operation. The illustrative environment 1202 includes a radar controller 1204, an electronic stethoscope monitor 1206, a communication controller 1208, and a sound classifier 1210. The various modules of the environment 1202 may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. For example, the various modules, logic, and other components of the environment 1202 may form part of, or be established by, a processor, a memory, or other hardware components of the bed circuit 1106. Thus, in some embodiments, one or more modules of the environment 1202 may be implemented as a circuit or collection of electronic devices (e.g., the radar controller circuit 1104, the electronic stethoscope monitor circuit 1206, the communication controller circuit 1208, etc.). It should be understood that in these embodiments, one or more circuits (e.g., the radar controller circuit 1104, the electronic stethoscope monitor circuit 1206, the communication controller circuit 1208, etc.) may form part of one or more of the processor, memory, data storage, and / or other components of the bed circuit 1106. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of the illustrative modules may form part of another module and / or one or more of the illustrative modules may be independent of one another. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more modules of the environment 1202 may be implemented as virtualized hardware components or emulated architectures that may be established and maintained by the processor or other components of the bed circuit 1106.
[0223] The radar controller 1204 is configured to interact with the radar sensor 1104, which can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or a combination as described above. The radar controller 1204 can send commands to the radar sensor 1104, configure the radar sensor 1104, and receive data from the radar sensor 1104. In an illustrative embodiment, the radar controller 1204 receives an indication of the signal received by the radar sensor 1104, such as the intensity, phase, electric field, etc. received at each receiver of the radar sensor 1104. In some embodiments, the radar sensor 1104 can perform some pre-processing before sending the data to the radar controller 1204, for example, by processing the received data to produce a sound waveform corresponding to the sound of the patient 1108 breathing.
[0224] The electronic stethoscope monitor 1206 is configured to analyze the radar signals received from the radar controller 1204 to generate a sound waveform corresponding to the user's breathing, and the electronic stethoscope monitor 1206 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or a combination thereof as described above. In some embodiments, the electronic stethoscope monitor 1206 can apply a spatial filter to the information received from the radar controller 1204 so that a specific spatial location (e.g., the user's back) is used to generate the sound waveform. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic stethoscope monitor 1206 can apply one or more filters or amplifiers to the generated sound waveform.
[0225] The communication controller 1208 is configured to communicate with other devices, such as the electronic medical record server 206 or the nurse call system 208. The communication controller 1208 may be connected via, for example, Ethernet, WiMAX, Near Field Communication (NFC), etc. communicate directly or indirectly with other devices.
[0226] The sound classifier 1210 is configured to classify the sound waveforms generated by the electronic stethoscope monitor 1206, and the sound classifier 1210 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or a combination thereof as described above. The sound classifier 1210 can apply a wheeze classifier 1212. The wheeze classifier 1212 can monitor for wheezing sounds such as variable high-pitched but continuous sounds during exhalation. Wheezing sounds may indicate asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), allergies, or anaphylaxis.
[0227] The sound classifier 1210 may apply a stridor classifier 1214. The stridor classifier 1214 may monitor for continuous single high pitched stridor sounds during inspiration. Stridor may indicate croup, epiglottitis, or a foreign body.
[0228] The sound classifier 1210 can apply a coarse crackle classifier 1216. The coarse crackle classifier 1216 can monitor low-pitched, short, discontinuous crackling / bubbling sounds during inspiration and / or expiration. The patient 1108 can cough to clear the coarse crackles. Coarse crackles may indicate pneumonia, bronchitis, asbestosis, or pulmonary edema.
[0229] The sound classifier 1210 may apply a fine crackle classifier 1218. The fine crackle classifier 1218 may monitor for higher pitched, fine crackles at the end of inspiration. Fine crackles may indicate atelectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, or pulmonary edema.
[0230] The sound classifier 1210 may apply a pleural friction sound classifier 1220. The pleural friction sound classifier 1220 may monitor for squeaking or rasping sounds during inspiration. A pleural friction sound may indicate pleural inflammation due to infection, injury, or tumor.
[0231] The sound classifier 1210 may apply a no-sound classifier 1222. The no-sound may indicate that the patient is not breathing or that the patient 1108 has moved, such as out of the bed 1102. In some embodiments, if the patient 1108 is still in the bed 1102 and has not moved since the last breath, the sound classifier 1210 may classify the no-sound as apnea. The presence of a patient in the bed 1102 may be determined based on a bed scale system and / or a patient position monitoring (PPM) system, such as those that use a load cell to sense the weight of a patient in the bed.
[0232] The sound classifier 1210 may apply a normal sound classifier 1224. The normal sound classifier may be configured to determine when the patient 1108 has normal breathing sounds. It should be understood that in some embodiments, the sound classifier 1210 may be able to classify and / or ignore other sounds, such as the sound of a patient eating, talking, burping, etc.
[0233] Reference now Fig.13A , in use, a method 1300 for monitoring a patient using radar may be performed. In some embodiments, some or all of the method 1300 may be performed by the bed circuit 1106. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, certain portions of the method 1300 may be performed by a person, such as a caregiver of the patient. For example, the bed circuit 1106 may provide data such as a sound waveform, and the caregiver may listen to the waveform data from the bed circuit 1106 to determine, for example, whether the patient is breathing. The method 1300 begins at block 1302, where the bed circuit 1106 receives a noise signal from the radar sensor 1104. In an illustrative embodiment, in block 1304, the bed circuit 1106 generates a sound waveform based on the radar signal. In some embodiments, in block 1306, the bed circuit 1106 may receive the sound waveform from the radar sensor 1104.
[0234] In block 1308, the bed circuit 1106 classifies the sound waveform as a type of breathing noise. In block 1310, the bed circuit system 1106 may classify the sound waveform as wheezing. The bed circuit system 1106 may monitor for wheezing sounds, such as a variable high-pitched but continuous sound during exhalation. Wheezing sounds may indicate asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), allergies, or anaphylaxis.
[0235] In box 1312, the bed circuit system 1106 can classify the sound waveform as stridor. The bed circuit system 1106 can monitor for continuous single high-pitched stridor sounds during inspiration. Stridor may indicate croup, epiglottitis, or foreign body.
[0236] In box 1314, the bed circuit system 1106 can classify the sound waveform as coarse crackles. The bed circuit system 1106 can monitor low-pitched, short, discontinuous popping / bubbling sounds during inspiration and / or expiration. The patient 1108 can cough to clear the coarse crackles. Coarse crackles may indicate pneumonia, bronchitis, asbestosis, or pulmonary edema.
[0237] In block 1316, the couch circuit 1106 may classify the sound waveform as fine crackles. The couch circuit 1106 may monitor for higher pitched, fine crackles at the end of inspiration. Fine crackles may indicate atelectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, or pulmonary edema.
[0238] In block 1318, the couch circuit 1106 may classify the sound waveform as a pleural friction rub. The couch circuit 1106 may monitor for squeaking or rasping sounds during inspiration. A pleural friction rub may indicate pleural inflammation due to infection, injury, or tumor.
[0239] In block 1320, the bed circuit 1106 may classify the sound waveform as normal. The bed circuit 1106 may be configured to determine when the patient 1108 has normal breathing sounds.
[0240] In block 1322, the bed circuit 1106 may classify the sound waveform as apnea. If no breathing sounds are detected and the patient 1108 is still in the bed 1102, the bed circuit 1106 may classify the sound waveform as apnea.
[0241] Method 1300 proceeds to Fig. 13B The bed circuit 1106 may be configured to trigger an alarm based on any suitable measurement of the patient's condition. For example, an alarm may be triggered if wheezing is detected, stridor is detected, coarse crackles are detected, fine crackles are detected, pleural friction rub is detected, or apnea is detected.
[0242] In box 1326, if the alarm is not to be triggered, the method 1300 jumps to box 1334, where the breathing sound data is stored. If the alarm is to be triggered, the method proceeds to box 1328, where the bed circuit 1106 triggers the alarm. In box 1330, the bed circuit 1106 can trigger a local alarm, such as by issuing a local visual alarm or an audible alarm. Additionally or alternatively, the bed circuit 1106 can trigger a remote alarm, such as by sending an alarm to the nurse call system 208 in box 1332. The alarm can cause a message to be displayed on the status board 210, a message to be sent to one or more mobile computing devices 214 of the caregiver, etc. It should be understood that in some embodiments, some or all of the analysis regarding whether the alarm should be triggered can be performed separately from the patient bed 102 and / or separately from at least some components of the bed circuit 1106. For example, in some embodiments, the nurse call system 208 can determine whether the alarm is to be triggered.
[0243] In block 1334, the bed circuit 1106 stores the breathing sound data. In block 1336, the bed circuit 1106 may store the chest and mobility breathing data locally, which may then be used to determine, for example, whether the patient's breathing sounds have changed. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, in block 1338, the bed circuit 1106 may send the breathing sound data to an electronic medical record server, and / or in block 1340, the bed circuit 1106 may send the breathing sound data to a nurse call system. The method 1300 then loops back to Fig.13A Block 1302 in the example embodiment may be used to receive additional data from radar sensor 1104 .
[0244] Reference now Fig.14 and Fig.15 In one embodiment, the bed 1402 includes one or more radar sensors 1404 connected to the bed circuit 1406. In the illustrative example, the radar support frame 8104 is used to support the one or more radar sensors 1404 and the circuit 1406. Figure 8 8104 is discussed, and the discussion also applies to Fig.14 and Fig.15 The bed 1402 is used together with the frame 8104. The bed 1402 also includes one or more inflatable rotating bags 1408 to cause the patient to rotate. For example, the rotating bags 1408 can be inflated to move the patient from such as Fig.14 The supine position shown is rotated to Fig.15 Patient shown lying on left side.
[0245] In use, the bed circuit 1406 can be configured to use the radar sensor 1404 to monitor the patient's position and rotate the patient as needed. The radar sensor 1404 can be used to determine when the patient has moved and to determine where the patient is. For example, if the patient has not rotated within a certain period of time, such as the past two hours, the bed circuit 1406 can inflate the rotation bladder 1408 to rotate the patient to the patient's side (or deflate the rotation bladder 1408 to rotate the patient back to the supine position). In some embodiments, as Fig.15 As shown, the bed circuit 1406 can be configured to use the radar sensor 1406 to determine the position of the patient on the bed, and then inflate the rotation bladder 1408 that will cause the most rotation, for example, when the patient is to be turned to lie on the left side, the rotation bladder 1408 located under the right side of the patient is inflated. Additionally or alternatively, the rotation bladder 1408 can be used to reposition the patient to a desired position.
[0246] Reference now Fig.16 In one embodiment, the bed 1602 includes one or more radar sensors 1604 connected to the bed circuit 1606. In addition, the radar support frame 1605 can be combined with the above Figure 1 The frame 104 used by the bed 102 and the combination Figure 8 Frame 8104 is used in conjunction with bed 1602 in the same manner as frame 8104 used with bed 802. Thus, the above discussion of frames 104, 8104, including all variations thereof, applies equally to frame 1605. Thus, for example, frame 1605 includes a generally vertically oriented column or mast 1605a and a generally horizontal arm 1605b having a distal region 1605c to which radar sensor 1604 is connected. The above discussion of mast 104a and mast 8104a applies equally to mast 1605a, and the above discussion of arm 104b and arm 8104b applies equally to arm 1605b. Fig.16 In the illustrative example of , the radar support stand 1605 has a floor-supporting base 1605g without casters. Thus, it is contemplated that the stand 1605 can remain stationary in a room, or even anchored to the floor in a room, and the bed 1602 with the patient is maneuvered into position relative to the stand 1605 with the radar sensor 1604 positioned above the patient's torso.
[0247] Still reference Fig.16, the bed 1602 also includes one or more percussion and vibration (P&V) bladders 1608 that can be quickly inflated and deflated, thereby causing P&V on the patient area above the P&V bladders 1608. P&V therapy can be used to loosen and drain secretions accumulated in the lungs of the patient. The radar sensor 1604 can be used to monitor the position of the patient, and the P&V bladder 1608 under the patient's chest can be selected to perform P&V therapy. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the radar sensor 1604 can monitor the amplitude of the vibration of the patient's chest caused by the P&V bladder 1608. The amplitude of the vibration of the P&V bladder 1608 can be adjusted to optimize the vibration level of the patient's chest. In some embodiments, the bed 1602 may include the P&V bladder 1608 and the rotating bladder 1408. The rotating bladder 1408 can be used to properly position the patient on the P&V bladder 1608 for P&V therapy.
[0248] Reference now Fig.17 In an illustrative embodiment, the bed circuit 1700 (which may be an embodiment of the bed circuit 1406 and / or the bed circuit 1606) establishes an environment 1702 during operation. The illustrative environment 1702 includes a patient orientation monitor 1704, a patient position monitor 1706, a rotational bladder controller 1708, and a P&V bladder controller 1710. The various modules of the environment 1702 may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. For example, the various modules, logic, and other components of the environment 1702 may form part of, or be established by, a processor, a memory, or other hardware components of the bed circuit 1700. Thus, in some embodiments, one or more modules of the environment 1702 may be implemented as a circuit or collection of electronic devices (e.g., the patient orientation monitor 1704, the patient position monitor 1706, the rotational bladder controller 1708, etc.). It should be understood that in these embodiments, one or more circuits (e.g., patient orientation monitor 1704, patient position monitor 1706, rotation bladder controller 1708, etc.) may form part of one or more of the processor, memory, data storage, and / or other components of the bed circuit 1700. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of the illustrative modules may form part of another module and / or one or more of the illustrative modules may be independent of one another. Furthermore, in some embodiments, one or more modules of the environment 1702 may be implemented as virtualized hardware components or emulation architectures that may be established and maintained by the processor or other components of the bed circuit 1700.
[0249] Patient position monitor 1704 is configured to monitor the position of the patient on the bed using one or more radar sensors, and the patient position monitor 1704 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture and / or a combination thereof as described above. Patient position monitor 1704 can monitor whether the patient is supine, prone, side-lying, etc. Patient position monitor 1704 saves patient position data over time, thereby allowing determination of how long the patient has been lying in the same position. The position determined by patient position monitor 1704 can be used as feedback for controlling rotation capsule 1408 and / or P&V capsule 1608.
[0250] The patient position monitor 1706 is configured to monitor the position of the patient on the bed using one or more radar sensors, and the patient position monitor 1706 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or a combination thereof as described above. The patient position monitor 1706 can monitor the position of the patient, such as the position of the patient on the bed and the position of the patient relative to the rotation capsule 1408 and / or the P&V capsule 1608. The position determined by the patient position monitor 1706 can be used as feedback for controlling the rotation capsule 1408 and / or the P&V capsule 1608.
[0251] The rotating capsule controller 1708 is configured to control the rotating capsule 1408, and the rotating capsule controller 1708 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture and / or a combination thereof as described above. The rotating capsule controller 1708 can determine when rotation is required, for example, by determining that the amount of time the patient lies on the same side exceeds a threshold amount of time. The threshold can be any suitable value, for example, such as any time between 30 minutes and 5 hours. In an illustrative embodiment, the threshold is 2 hours. In some embodiments, the rotating capsule controller 1708 can determine the position of the patient on the bed and control the rotating capsule 1408 that will cause the patient to rotate from its current position. For example, the rotating capsule controller 1708 can inflate the rotating capsule under the right side of the patient. In some embodiments, the rotating capsule controller 1708 can control the rotating capsule 1408 to move the patient's position, which can position the patient on the desired portion of the rotating capsule 1408 and / or the P&V capsule 1608.
[0252] The P&V capsule controller 1710 is configured to control the P&V capsule 1608, and the P&V capsule controller 1710 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or combinations thereof as described above. The P&V capsule controller 1710 can determine when P&V treatment is needed, for example, by determining that the patient has not performed P&V treatment for an amount of time exceeding a threshold amount of time. The threshold value can be any suitable value, such as any time between 30 minutes and 24 hours. In an illustrative embodiment, the threshold value is 2 hours. In some embodiments, the time threshold value can be determined based on the patient's symptoms. In some embodiments, the need to perform P&V treatment can be determined based on the patient's symptoms. P&V treatment can be initiated based on the patient's symptoms, and / or a threshold time for performing P&V treatment can be set based on the patient's symptoms.
[0253] To perform P&V therapy, the P&V bladder controller 1710 monitors the patient's position. If necessary, the P&V bladder controller 1710 can move the patient to be positioned above the P&V bladder 1608. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the P&V bladder controller 1710 can select a P&V bladder 1608 that is below the patient's current position. The P&V bladder controller 1710 can then perform P&V therapy by inflating and deflating the selected P&V bladder 1608. In some embodiments, the P&V bladder controller 1710 can monitor the amplitude of the patient's vibration, for example, by using a radar sensor. The amplitude of the inflation and deflation of the P&V bladder 1608 can be controlled based on the measured amplitude of the patient's vibration, thereby forming a "closed loop" for P&V therapy.
[0254] Reference now Fig.18 , in use, a method 1800 for turning a patient may be performed. In some embodiments, some or all of the method 1800 may be performed by the bed circuit 1700. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, certain portions of the method 1800 may be performed by a person, such as a caregiver of the patient. For example, the bed circuit 1700 may indicate that the patient has changed orientation for a certain period of time, and the caregiver may turn the patient in response to the indication. In another example, the caregiver may determine that the patient needs to be turned, and the turning may be initiated by the bed circuit 1700. The method 1800 begins at block 1802, where the bed circuit 1700 determines whether the patient should be turned. In an illustrative embodiment, the bed circuit 1700 determines whether the patient should be turned based on whether the patient has changed orientation within a predetermined period of time (e.g., the last two hours). The bed circuit 1700 may determine whether the patient has changed orientation based on data from one or more radar sensors.
[0255] In block 1804, if the patient is not to be rotated, the method 1800 loops back to block 1802 to determine whether the patient should be rotated. If the patient is to be rotated, the method proceeds to block 1806, where a rotation bladder 1408 under one side of the patient is inflated. The rotation bladder 1408 to be inflated may be selected based on the position of the patient, which may be determined based on one or more radar sensors. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the patient may be rotated by deflating the rotation bladder 1408, such as when the patient has already been rotated by inflation of the rotation bladder 1408.
[0256] In block 1808, the patient's rotation is monitored. In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors are used to monitor the patient's rotation. In block 1810, if the rotation is not complete, the method 1800 proceeds to block 1812 to continue the rotation by controlling the rotation capsule 1408. If the rotation is complete, the method 1800 proceeds to block 1814, where the patient orientation data is stored. The method 1800 then loops back to block 1802 to determine whether the patient should be rotated.
[0257] Reference now Fig.19 , in use, a method 1900 for performing P&V therapy on a patient may be performed. In some embodiments, some or all of the method 1900 may be performed by the bed circuit 1700. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, certain portions of the method 1900 may be performed by a person, such as a caregiver of the patient. For example, the caregiver may determine that P&V therapy should be performed, and the bed circuit 1700 performs the P&V therapy. The method 1900 begins at block 1902, in which the bed circuit 1700 determines whether to perform P&V therapy. The bed circuit 1700 may determine whether to perform P&V therapy by determining that the patient has not performed P&V therapy for an amount of time exceeding a threshold amount of time. The threshold may be any suitable value, such as any time between 30 minutes and 24 hours. In an illustrative embodiment, the threshold is 2 hours. In some embodiments, the threshold may be determined based on the patient's symptoms. In some embodiments, it may be determined that P&V therapy needs to be performed based on the patient's symptoms. P&V therapy may be initiated based on the patient's symptoms, and / or a threshold time for performing P&V therapy may be set based on the patient's symptoms.
[0258] In block 1904, if P&V therapy is not to be performed, the method 1900 loops back to block 1902 to determine if P&V therapy should be performed. If P&V therapy is to be performed, the method 1900 continues to block 1906, where the bed circuit 1700 receives a signal from a radar sensor monitoring the patient's position. In block 1908, the bed circuit 1700 determines if the patient should be repositioned to perform P&V therapy. For example, the bed circuit 1700 may determine that the patient should be placed on the P&V bladder 1608 before starting P&V therapy.
[0259] In block 1910, if the patient is to be repositioned, the method proceeds to block 1912 to reposition the patient on the P&V bladder 1608. In an illustrative embodiment, other bladders, such as the rotation bladder 1408, may be used to reposition the patient.
[0260] After repositioning the patient, or if repositioning is not required, the method 1900 proceeds to block 1914 where the bed circuit 1700 performs P&V therapy. The bed circuit 1700 performs P&V therapy by rapidly inflating and deflating the P&V bladder 1608. In some embodiments, the bed circuit 1700 may monitor the amplitude of the patient's vibration, for example, by using a radar sensor. The amplitude of inflation and deflation of the P&V bladder 1608 may be controlled based on the measured amplitude of the patient's vibration, thereby forming a "closed loop" for P&V therapy. After performing P&V therapy, the method loops back to block 1902 to determine if P&V therapy is still required.
[0261] Reference now Fig. 20A In one embodiment, the bed 2002 includes one or more radar sensors 2004 connected to the bed circuit 2006. In addition, Fig. 20A An embodiment includes the above combined Fig.16 The radar support frame 1605 discussed above is therefore Fig. 20AThe same reference numerals are used in the figure to represent the parts of the frame 1605. The bed 2002 also has a display 2008, which is located on the footboard 128 at the foot end 126 of the bed 2002 and is visible to the patient. In use, the bed circuit 2006 executes a program for helping the patient to perform breathing training, such as by presenting breathing training on the display 2008 for the patient to perform. The breathing training can be any suitable training, such as training for deep breathing, training for correctly performing abdominal breathing rather than chest breathing, etc. The patient's breathing can be monitored using a radar sensor 2004, allowing feedback that can be provided to the bed circuit 2006. In some embodiments, the breathing training can be "game-like", such as by allowing the user to get points or achievements based on the time spent on the training or the results obtained. The breathing training can be performed when the patient is supine, sitting or in any other suitable position.
[0262] It should be understood that the use of radar sensors as feedback in performing breathing training is not limited to patients in bed. Fig. 20B As shown, in one embodiment, the radar sensor 2010 and the display 2012 are mounted on a mobile breathing training device 2009, thereby allowing the patient to perform breathing training while standing, sitting, etc. in any suitable position. The mobile breathing training device 2009 is similar to the above combined Fig. 9 The radar unit 902 discussed above. Thus, the device 2009 includes a wheeled base 2016 having casters 2018 attached thereto. The mobile radar unit 2009 also includes a generally vertically oriented pole or mast 2014 extending upwardly from the base 2016. A pivotable arm 2020 extends from an upper region 2014a of the pole 2014, and a radar sensor 2010 is mounted to a distal end of the arm 2020 in a spaced relationship from the pole 2014. The arm 2020 is pivotable upwardly and downwardly relative to the pole 2014 to adjust the height at which the radar sensor 2010 is supported above the floor.
[0263] In some embodiments, the arm 2020 can be moved vertically along the rod 2014 to provide further adjustment of the vertical position of the radar sensor 2010 relative to the floor. For example, a lockable and releasable raised ring can be connected to the rod 2014, and the arm 2020 can extend from the raised ring. When released, the raised ring can move up and down along the rod 2014 and can then be locked in a desired position. In some embodiments, a clamp, lock, thumb screw or similar releasable locking device is provided for locking the raised ring relative to the rod 2014. Similar raised rings and locking devices can be provided to connect the display 2012 to the rod 2014, thereby allowing the display 2012 to be adjusted vertically along the rod 2014. The radar unit 2010 on the mobile respiratory training device 2009 is very suitable for obtaining the patient's respiratory data from a standing patient, for example, such as during a medical examination in a doctor's office or during treatment with a respiratory therapist.
[0264] Reference now Fig.21 In the illustrative embodiment, the bed circuit 2006 establishes the environment 2100 during operation. The illustrative environment 2100 includes a video commander module 2102 and a respiratory training monitor 2104. The various modules of the environment 2100 can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. For example, the various modules, logic, and other components of the environment 2100 can form part of, or be established by, a processor, a memory, or other hardware components of the bed circuit 2006. Therefore, in some embodiments, one or more modules of the environment 2100 can be implemented as a circuit or collection of electronic devices (e.g., the video commander circuit 2102, the respiratory training monitor circuit 2104, etc.). It should be understood that in these embodiments, one or more circuits (e.g., the video commander circuit 2102, the respiratory training monitor circuit 2104, etc.) can form part of one or more of the processor, memory, data storage, and / or other components of the bed circuit 2006. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more illustrative modules can form part of another module, and / or one or more illustrative modules can be independent of each other. Furthermore, in some embodiments, one or more modules of the environment 2100 may be implemented as virtualized hardware components or emulated architectures that may be established and maintained by the processor or other components of the bed circuit 2006 .
[0265] The video instructor module 2102 is configured to provide the patient with video instructions for breathing training, and the instructor module 2102 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture and / or a combination thereof as described above. Breathing training can be any suitable training, such as training for deep breathing, training for properly performing abdominal breathing rather than chest breathing, etc. In some embodiments, breathing training can be "gamified", such as by allowing the user to get points or achievements based on the time spent on training or the results obtained. Breathing training can be performed when the patient is supine, sitting, or in any other suitable position.
[0266] The breathing training monitor 2104 is configured to monitor the patient's breathing during breathing training, and the breathing training monitor 2104 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or a combination thereof as described above. The breathing training monitor 2104 can use one or more radar sensors to monitor the patient's chest, abdomen, and / or other parts to determine the patient's breathing parameters, such as the patient's breathing depth, whether the patient is doing abdominal breathing or chest breathing, etc.
[0267] Reference now Fig. 22 , in use, a method 2200 for facilitating patient-monitored breathing exercises may be performed. In some embodiments, some or all of the method 2200 may be performed by the bed circuit 2006. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, certain portions of the method 2200 may be performed by a person, such as a caregiver of the patient. For example, the caregiver may determine what breathing exercises should be performed and configure the bed circuit 2006 to instruct the patient to perform those breathing exercises. The method 2200 begins at box 2202, in which the bed circuit 2006 determines breathing exercises for the patient. The bed circuit 2006 may determine the breathing exercises in any suitable manner, such as based on the patient's symptoms, the caregiver's configuration, etc. In some embodiments, in box 2204, the bed circuit 2006 may determine the exercises based on the patient's past performance. For example, if the patient previously successfully completed 10 minutes of breathing exercises, the bed circuit 2006 may determine that 12 minutes of breathing exercises should be performed.
[0268] In box 2206, the bed circuit 2006 presents one or more instructions of the training to the patient. For example, a video of a person or avatar can be presented on a display such as display 2008 or display 2012, and the user can be instructed to follow to inhale, exhale, take a deep breath, etc. In box 2208, the bed circuit 2006 monitors the patient's breathing training based on data obtained by, for example, radar sensor 2004 or radar sensor 2010. It should be understood that in the illustrative embodiment, the bed circuit 2006 provides the patient's performance as feedback. For example, if the patient is not breathing deeply enough or is breathing from the chest instead of the abdomen, the bed circuit 2006 can notify the patient and instruct the patient how to properly perform the breathing training. In some embodiments, such a notification appears on the display 2008 or display 2012.
[0269] In block 2210, the bed circuit 2006 saves the patient performance data for the breathing exercise. The patient performance data may be used to monitor the patient's progress, develop a treatment plan, determine future breathing exercises, and the like.
[0270] Reference now Fig.23 In one embodiment, one or more radar sensors 2302 may be present in a location such as a hospital waiting room or waiting area. In an illustrative embodiment, as described in more detail below, one or more radar sensors 2302 may be used to monitor vital signs of patients in the waiting room, such as heart rate, respiration, etc. In some embodiments, one or more radar sensors 2302 may be on one or both axis mounts, thereby allowing the orientation of one or more radar sensors 2302 to be changed to point in different directions. The rotation control mechanism 2310 may control the orientation of the one or more radar sensors so that they are pointed at various areas of the room, such as at various chairs 2306, sofas 2308, etc., and more specifically, so that they are pointed at patients sitting on chairs 2306 and sofas 2308. In some embodiments, the rotation control mechanism 2310 includes a motorized gimbal having a movable gimbal frame element on which the one or more radar sensors 2302 are mounted. Other mechanisms 2310 may include movable linkages, arms, shafts, etc., which may be moved by motors to aim radar sensor 2302 at chair 2306, sofa 2308, etc.
[0271] One or more radar sensors 2302 are connected directly or indirectly using one or more wired or wireless communication devices to a vital signs analysis server 2312. The vital signs analysis server 2312 can monitor the vital signs of patients on chairs 2306 and sofas 2308 or otherwise in the waiting area, and can determine whether the vital signs require intervention.
[0272] The vital signs analysis server 2312 may be connected to additional components, such as an electronic medical record server 2316, a nurse call system 2318, a communication server 2320, a status board 2322, an employee station 2324, and one or more mobile computing devices 2326, via a network 2314. In use, the vital signs analysis server 2312 may transmit the patient's monitoring information to the other components via the network 2314. For example, the vital signs analysis server 2312 may monitor the patient's heart rate and send the patient's heart rate to the electronic medical record server 2316 for storage as part of the patient's medical record. The vital signs analysis server 2312 may also send the patient's heart rate to the nurse call system 2318, thereby allowing the heart rate to be presented on the status board 2322, the employee station 2324, and / or to the mobile computing device 2326 carried by the caregiver.
[0273] In many cases, the identity of the patient sitting on the chair 2306 and sofa 2308 in the waiting area is unknown, because the patient can choose to sit on any open seat and / or may not have been admitted to the medical institution. Therefore, in some embodiments, a seat position identification (ID) is assigned to each seat area of the chair 2306 and sofa 2308 and stored in the server 2312. If intervention is required, the seat position ID is presented on an appropriate display of one or more of the servers 2312, 2316, 2318, 2320 or devices 2322, 2324, 2326, and the vital sign data causes an alarm notification to occur. Then, the nursing staff can take care of the patient sitting or otherwise located in the area specified by the seat position ID. Therefore, using the radar sensor 2302 to monitor the patients in the waiting area helps the nursing staff to classify the patients and determine the priority of the patients for medical care.
[0274] Reference now Fig.24 In one embodiment, one or more radar sensors 2402 may be present on one or more chairs 2404 and / or sofas 2406 in a room such as a hospital waiting room. In an illustrative embodiment, as described in more detail below, one or more radar sensors 2402 may be used to monitor vital signs of patients in the waiting room, such as heart rate, respiration, etc. In the illustrative example, the radar sensors 2402 are located within the backrests of the chairs 2404 and sofas 2406 so that the radar sensors are aimed at the torsos of patients sitting on the chairs 2404 and sofas 2406.
[0275] One or more radar sensors 2402 are connected directly or indirectly using one or more wired or wireless communication devices to a waiting area vital signs hub 2408. The waiting area vital signs hub 2408 can transmit data from the one or more radar sensors 2402 indirectly or directly to a vital signs analysis server 2410 using one or more wired or wireless communication devices. The vital signs analysis server 2410 can monitor the patient's vital signs and can determine whether the vital signs warrant intervention.
[0276] Similar to the vital signs analysis server 2312, the vital signs analysis server 2410 can be connected to additional components via the network 2412, such as one or more other waiting area vital signs hubs 2414, an electronic medical record server 2416, a nurse call server 2418, a communication server 2420, a status board 2422, an employee station 2424, and one or more mobile computing devices 2426. In use, the vital signs analysis server 2410 can transmit the patient's monitoring information to the other components via the network 2412. Fig.24 Each component in can be Fig.23 The corresponding components in the embodiment of the present invention operate in a similar manner and will not be repeated for the sake of clarity. Fig.23 In the same manner as discussed in the embodiment of , a seat position ID is assigned to each seat position of chairs 2404 and 2406 and stored in the hub 2408 and / or server 2410.
[0277] Reference now Fig.25 , in use, a method 2500 for monitoring a patient in a waiting area may be performed. In some embodiments, some or all of the method 2500 may be performed by a vital signs analysis server, such as the vital signs analysis server 2312 and / or the vital signs analysis server 2410. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, certain portions of the method 2500 may be performed by a person, such as a caregiver of the patient. For example, the vital signs analysis server may present the patient's vital signs to the caregiver, and the caregiver may determine what action should be taken, such as treating the patient or triggering an alarm. The method 2500 begins at box 2502, in which the vital signs analysis server identifies a patient in a waiting area. The vital signs analysis server may identify the patient in any suitable manner, such as by using one or more radar sensors, image processing from images from a camera, patient identification provided by a caregiver, identifying the patient from other sensors, and the like. In some embodiments, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag may be provided to the patient that may be used to track and / or identify the patient. Alternatively or additionally, monitoring of the patient at box 2504 is accomplished in conjunction with a seat position ID, such that box 2502 is omitted in some embodiments.
[0278] In block 2504, the vital signs analysis server uses data from one or more radar sensors to monitor patients or seating locations in the waiting area. In block 2506, the vital signs analysis server monitors the heart rate of each identified patient or seating location. In block 2508, the vital signs analysis server monitors the breathing pattern of each identified patient or seating location. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the vital signs analysis server may be configured in a manner similar to that described above with respect to, for example, Fig. 10A Data from the radar sensor is analyzed for chest mobility and breathing patterns in a similar manner as described in blocks 1004-1022 of FIG. 1 , which will not be repeated for clarity. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, different vital signs may be monitored.
[0279] In block 2510, the vital signs analysis server stores the patient monitoring data. The vital signs analysis server may store the patient monitoring data for a short period of time, e.g., as long as the patient is in the waiting area or hospital, or the vital signs analysis server may store the patient monitoring data for a longer period of time, e.g., by storing the patient monitoring data in an electronic medical record associated with the patient if the patient's identity is known. Otherwise, the vital signs analysis server associates the vital signs data with the seating location and stores at least the vital signs data while the particular patient is in the seating location.
[0280] In block 2512, the vital signs analysis server determines whether the patient's vital signs indicate that an alarm should be triggered. The vital signs analysis server can be configured to trigger an alarm based on any suitable measurement of the patient's vital signs. For example, an alarm can be triggered if the heart rate is too high or too low or matches a problematic heart rate pattern. An alarm can also be triggered if a problematic breathing pattern or chest expansion is detected.
[0281] In box 2514, if the alarm is not triggered, the method 2500 loops back to box 2504 to continue monitoring the patient in the waiting area. If the alarm is to be triggered, the method 2500 proceeds to box 2516, in which the vital signs analysis server triggers the alarm. In box 2518, the vital signs analysis server can trigger a local alarm, such as by issuing a local visual alarm or an audible alarm. Additionally or alternatively, in box 2520, the vital signs analysis server can trigger a remote alarm, such as by sending an alarm to a nurse call system. The alarm can cause a message to be displayed on a status board, a message to be sent to one or more mobile computing devices of a caregiver, etc. Then, the method 2500 loops back to box 2504 to continue monitoring the patient in the waiting area.
[0282] Reference now Fig.26, the respiratory therapy system 2602 can provide various types of respiratory therapy, such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and / or cough assistance, such as mechanical insufflation / exhalation (MIE) therapy. The respiratory therapy system 2602 includes a conduit 2604 that can be connected to a patient interface 2606 (e.g., a mask, an interface tube, a nasal cannula, etc.). The pressure source 2608 is connected to the external conduit 2604 through an internal conduit 2610. The pressure and / or flow in the conduits 2604, 2610 can be monitored by one or more pressure and / or flow sensors 2612. A valve 2614 can be used to control the flow and / or pressure delivered from the pressure source 2608 to the conduit 2604. The circuit 2616 controls the respiratory therapy system 2602. The circuit 2616 can be connected to the pressure source 2608, the valve 2614, the pressure and / or flow sensor 2612, and one or more radar sensors 2618. In use, one or more radar sensors 2618 may be used to monitor the user's breathing pattern, thereby allowing the respiratory therapy system 2602 to synchronize the flow with the user's breathing (e.g., inhalation and exhalation), as described in more detail below. The circuit 2616 may also be connected to a graphical user interface (GUI), which may include one or more buttons, one or more switches, a display, etc.
[0283] In use, circuit 2616 establishes environment 2622 during operation. Illustrative environment 2622 includes respiration monitor 2624 and flow controller 2626. The various modules of environment 2622 can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. For example, the various modules, logic and other components of environment 2622 can form part of or be established by a processor, memory or other hardware components of circuit 2616. Therefore, in some embodiments, one or more modules in environment 2622 can be implemented as a circuit or collection of electronic devices (e.g., respiration monitor circuit 2624, flow controller circuit 2626, etc.). It should be understood that in these embodiments, one or more circuits (e.g., respiration monitor circuit 2624, flow controller circuit 2626, etc.) can form one or more parts of processors, memories, data storage, other components of circuit 2616. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more illustrative modules can form part of another module, and / or one or more illustrative modules can be independent of each other. Furthermore, in some embodiments, one or more modules of environment 2622 may be implemented as virtualized hardware components or emulated architectures that may be established and maintained by the processor or other components of circuitry 2616 .
[0284] The respiratory monitor 2624 is configured to monitor the breathing of the user of the respiratory therapy system 2602 using one or more radar sensors 2618, and the respiratory monitor 2624 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture, and / or combinations thereof as described above. The respiratory monitor 2624 can monitor the breathing rate, breathing phase, point in the user's breathing pattern, etc. The respiratory monitor 2624 can determine when the user begins to inhale, completes inhalation, begins to exhale, and completes exhalation. In some embodiments, the respiratory monitor 2624 can determine when the user takes a deep breath, which can indicate that the user is about to cough.
[0285] The flow controller 2626 is configured to control the flow of the respiratory therapy system 2602 into and out of the conduit 2604, and the flow controller 2626 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, virtualized hardware, simulation architecture and / or a combination thereof as described above. In an illustrative embodiment, when the patient inhales, the flow controller 2626 provides positive pressure to the conduit 2604, thereby providing positive airway pressure to assist inhalation. When the patient exhales, the flow controller 2626 can provide negative pressure or no pressure at all. In some embodiments, the flow controller 2626 can be configured to assist the user to cough. When the start of a cough is detected or when an external indication is provided (e.g., pressing a button on the GUI 2620), the flow controller 2626 can assist the user to cough. The start of a cough can be detected by the start of a large amount of inspiration, upper chest tension, flow pause and / or rapid exhalation. When a cough is detected, the flow controller 2626 can provide a strong, short-term negative flow, thereby assisting the user of the respiratory therapy system 2602 to cough. Thus, by equipping the respiratory therapy system 2602 with one or more radar sensors 2618, the circuit 2622 is able to control the pressure source 2608 and the valve 2614 based on an inhalation trigger and / or an exhalation trigger, thereby synchronizing the operation of the pressure source 2608 (which may be a blower in some embodiments) and the valve 2614 with the patient's breathing pattern based on the patient's breathing pattern, the trigger being determined from data obtained by the radar sensor 2618.
[0286] Reference now Fig. 27, in use, a method 2700 for respiratory therapy of a patient may be performed. In some embodiments, some or all of the method 2700 may be performed by a circuit 2616 of a respiratory therapy system 2602. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, certain portions of the method 2700 may be performed by a person, such as a caregiver of the patient. The method 2700 begins at box 2702, in which the circuit 2616 uses data from one or more radar sensors 2618 to monitor the breathing of a user of the respiratory therapy system 2602. In box 2704, the circuit 2616 may determine a user breathing pattern. In box 2706, the circuit 2616 may determine the current stage of the user's breathing cycle, such as whether the user has begun to inhale, completed an inhale, begun to exhale, or completed an exhale. In some embodiments, the circuit 2616 may determine when the user has taken a deep breath, which may indicate that the user is about to cough.
[0287] In box 2708, circuit 2616 controls the air pressure and / or flow delivered to conduit 2604 based on the monitored breathing. In an illustrative embodiment, when the patient inhales, circuit 2616 provides positive pressure to conduit 2604, thereby providing positive airway pressure to assist inhalation. When the patient exhales, circuit 2616 may provide negative pressure or may not provide any pressure at all. In some embodiments, circuit 2616 may be configured to assist the user in coughing. When the start of a cough is detected or when an external indication (e.g., a button is pressed on GUI 2620) is provided, circuit 2616 may assist the user in coughing. The start of a cough may be detected by the start of a large inhalation, upper chest tension, flow pause, and / or rapid exhalation. When a cough is detected, circuit 2616 may provide a strong, short negative flow, thereby assisting the user of respiratory therapy system 2602 in coughing. Method 2700 then returns to box 2702 to continue monitoring the user's breathing.
[0288] Reference now Fig.28 In one embodiment, a crib 2802 has a radar sensor 2804 mounted thereon to monitor an infant supported by the crib 2802. The radar sensor 2408 is connected to an infant respiration monitor 2806. The infant respiration monitor 2806 includes circuitry to monitor the infant's respiration using the radar sensor 2408. If the infant's respiration stops, indicating a possible onset of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the circuitry may trigger an alarm 2808 of the infant respiration monitor 2806, alerting a parent or other caregiver to check on the infant.
[0289] Reference now Fig.29In use, the infant respiration monitor 2806 may perform a method 2900 for monitoring infant respiration. The method 2900 begins at block 2902 where the infant respiration monitor 2806 monitors respiration of an infant in a crib 2802 using one or more radar sensors 2804 .
[0290] In box 2904, the infant breathing monitor 2806 determines whether an alarm should be triggered. In the illustrative embodiment, if the infant has stopped breathing for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., anywhere from 10-30 seconds to give any range of possible time thresholds), then the alarm should be triggered.
[0291] In box 2906, if the alarm should not be triggered, the method 2900 loops back to box 2902 to continue monitoring the infant's breathing. If the alarm should be triggered, the method 2900 proceeds to box 2908, in which the infant breathing monitor 2806 triggers the alarm. The infant breathing monitor 2806 can trigger the alarm in any suitable manner, such as by sounding an audible alarm or a visual alarm or sending a message to a remote device such as an infant monitor. Then, the method 2900 loops back to box 2902 to continue monitoring the infant's breathing.
[0292] Unless otherwise specified, Figure 1 The discussion of the bed 102 and its various components also applies to Figure 5 , Figure 8 , Fig.11 , Fig.14 and Fig.15 , Fig.16 as well as Fig. 20A Bed 500, bed 802, bed 1102, bed 1402, bed 1602, and bed 2002.
[0293] Embodiments of the invention may be described with reference to the following numbered clauses:
[0294] 1. A system for monitoring respiration, the system comprising one or more radar sensors and circuitry, the one or more radar sensors being configured to send radar signals to a patient and receive reflections of the radar signals from the patient, the circuitry comprising a radar controller and a respiration pattern monitor, the radar controller being configured to receive data indicative of reflections of the radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors, the respiration pattern monitor being configured to determine one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0295] 2. The system of clause 1 , wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining that the patient has an asymmetrical breathing pattern.
[0296] 3. The system of clause 1 , wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining whether the patient is performing chest breathing.
[0297] 4. The system of clause 1 , wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining a distance the patient's chest has expanded.
[0298] 5. The system of clause 1 , wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining a tidal volume of the patient's respiration.
[0299] 6. The system of clause 1 , wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining the patient's respiration rate.
[0300] 7. The system of clause 1 , wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining whether the patient has a Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern.
[0301] 8. The system of clause 1 , wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining that the patient has a Kussmaul breathing pattern.
[0302] 9. The system of clause 1 , wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining that the patient has apnea.
[0303] 10. The system of clause 1, wherein the one or more radar sensors are connected to a bed in which a patient is located.
[0304] 11. The system of clause 1, wherein the one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0305] 12. The system of clause 1, wherein transmitting the radar signal comprises transmitting the radar signal between 30 gigahertz and 300 gigahertz.
[0306] 13. A system for monitoring respiration, the system comprising one or more radar sensors and circuitry, the one or more radar sensors being configured to transmit radar signals to a patient and to receive reflections of the radar signals from the patient via the one or more radar sensors, the circuitry comprising a radar controller and an electronic stethoscope monitor, the radar controller being configured to receive data indicating reflections of the radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors, the electronic stethoscope monitor being configured to determine one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0307] 14. The system of clause 13, further comprising a sound classifier that classifies the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0308] 15. A system according to clause 14, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting wheezing based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as wheezing based on the wheezing.
[0309] 16. A system according to clause 14, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting wheezing based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as wheezing based on the wheezing.
[0310] 17. A system according to clause 14, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting coarse and wet rales based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as coarse and wet rales based on the coarse and wet rales.
[0311] 18. A system according to clause 14, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting fine moist rales based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as fine moist rales based on the fine moist rales.
[0312] 19. A system according to clause 14, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting pleural friction sound based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as pleural friction sound based on the pleural friction sound.
[0313] 20. A system according to clause 14, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting normal breathing sounds based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as normal based on the normal breathing sounds.
[0314] 21. The system of clause 14, wherein the one or more radar sensors are beneath a mattress in the hospital bed.
[0315] 22. The system of clause 14, wherein the one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0316] 23. A system for monitoring the movement of a patient, the system comprising: one or more radar sensors and a circuit, the one or more radar sensors being configured to send radar signals to a patient in a hospital bed and receive reflections of the radar signals from the patient, the circuit comprising a patient position monitor, the patient position monitor being used to: receive data indicating reflections of the radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine a position parameter of the patient, wherein the position parameter indicates a position or orientation of the patient in the hospital bed.
[0317] 24. The system of clause 23, wherein the circuit further comprises a rotation capsule controller for determining whether the patient should be rotated based on the position parameters of the patient.
[0318] 25. The system of clause 24, wherein determining whether the patient should be turned comprises determining that the patient has not been turned for at least a threshold amount of time.
[0319] 26. A system according to clause 23, wherein the circuit system also includes a rotation bladder controller, which is used to: determine a subset of multiple rotation bladders of a bed to be inflated to rotate the patient based on the position parameter; and send a signal to inflate the subset of the multiple rotation bladders.
[0320] 27. A system according to clause 23, wherein the circuit further comprises a rotating bladder controller for: determining a subset of a plurality of rotating bladders of a bed to inflate to move the patient toward a center of the bed based on the position parameter; and sending a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotating bladders.
[0321] 28. A system according to claim 23, wherein the circuit also includes a percussion and vibration (P&V) bladder controller, which is used to: determine a subset of multiple P&V bladders of a bed that are inflated to perform P&V treatment on a patient based on position parameters, wherein the selected subset of the multiple P&V bladders are P&V bladders in the patient's current position; and send a signal to inflate the subset of the multiple P&V bladders.
[0322] 29. A system as described in claim 28, wherein the one or more radar sensors are further configured to: send additional radar signals to the patient during P&V treatment; and receive reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient, wherein the P&V bladder controller also: receives additional data indicating the reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and based on the additional data from the one or more radar sensors, determines the amplitude of vibration of the patient caused by the P&V treatment; and adjusts the signal sent to inflate a subset of the multiple P&V bladders based on the amplitude of the patient's vibration.
[0323] 30. A system as described in claim 28, wherein the P&V bag controller also: determines a subset of the plurality of rotating bags of the bed to be inflated to move the patient toward the center of the bed based on the position parameter; and sends a signal to inflate a subset of the plurality of rotating bags to move the patient toward the center of the bed before sending a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of P&V bags.
[0324] 31. A system for facilitating breathing training, the system comprising circuitry and one or more radar sensors, the circuitry comprising a video commander circuit to present breathing instructions to a patient, the one or more radar sensors being configured to send a radar signal to the patient and receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient after presenting the breathing instructions, wherein the circuitry further comprises a breathing training monitor for receiving data indicative of reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors and determining parameters of one or more breaths of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors, wherein the video commander circuitry also presents second breathing instructions to the patient, wherein the second breathing instructions are based on the parameters of the one or more breaths of the patient.
[0325] 32. A system as described in clause 31, wherein presenting breathing instructions to the patient includes presenting breathing instructions on a display, wherein the patient is in a bed, and wherein the display is attached to the bed.
[0326] 33. The system of clause 31, wherein presenting breathing instructions to the patient comprises presenting the breathing instructions on a display, and wherein the display is attached to the mobile breathing training device.
[0327] 34. A system according to clause 31, wherein the breathing training monitor also stores performance data of the patient during the training process associated with the breathing instructions and the second breathing instructions, wherein the performance data indicates the patient's response to the breathing instructions and the patient's response to the second breathing instructions.
[0328] 35. The system of clause 34, wherein the breathing exercise monitor further determines, based on the performance data, third breathing instructions for a second exercise procedure that is different from the first exercise procedure.
[0329] 36. A system for monitoring a patient, the system comprising one or more radar sensors configured to: send a radar signal to a patient in a waiting room of a hospital and receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient; the system also comprises a vital signs analysis server configured to: receive data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors, and determine one or more vital sign parameters of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0330] 37. A system according to clause 36, wherein one or more radar sensors are attached to one or more chairs in the waiting room.
[0331] 38. The system of clause 36, wherein the one or more radar sensors are attached to a rotatable mount.
[0332] 39. A system according to clause 36, wherein the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0333] 40. The system of clause 36, wherein the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of a heartbeat of the patient.
[0334] 41. A system according to clause 36, wherein the vital signs analysis server is further configured to: determine whether an alarm should be provided to a caregiver based on one or more vital signs parameters; and provide an alarm to the caregiver in response to determining that an alarm should be provided to the caregiver based on one or more vital signs parameters.
[0335] 42. A respiratory therapy system comprising: one or more radar sensors and a circuit, wherein the one or more radar sensors are configured to send radar signals to a patient and receive reflections of the radar signals from the patient, the circuit comprising a respiration monitor and a flow controller, the respiration monitor being used to receive data indicating reflections of the radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors and to determine one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on the data from the one or more radar sensors, the flow controller being used to control the flow provided to the patient by the respiratory therapy system based on the one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration.
[0336] 43. A respiratory therapy system as described in claim 42, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining a current phase of the patient's respiratory cycle based on data from the one or more radar sensors, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes controlling the flow provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's respiratory cycle.
[0337] 44. A respiratory therapy system as described in claim 43, wherein determining the current stage of the patient's respiratory cycle based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is breathing, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient based on the determined current stage of the patient's respiratory cycle includes providing positive pressure flow to the patient based on determining that the patient is breathing.
[0338] 45. A respiratory therapy system as described in claim 42, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is beginning to cough, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes providing a negative pressure flow to the patient to assist coughing based on determining that the patient is beginning to cough.
[0339] 46. An infant respiratory monitor comprising: one or more radar sensors and a circuit, wherein the one or more radar sensors are configured to send radar signals to an infant and receive reflections of the radar signals from the infant, and the circuit is configured to: receive data indicating reflections of the radar signals from the infant from the one or more radar sensors; determine whether the infant is breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and trigger an alarm based on the flow rate provided to the patient by a respiratory therapy system.
[0340] 47. An infant respiratory monitor as recited in clause 46, wherein the infant respiratory monitor is attached to a crib with the infant in the crib.
[0341] 48. A method for monitoring respiration, the method comprising: sending a radar signal to a patient via one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient via one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors via a circuit; and determining, via the circuit, one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0342] 49. The method of clause 48, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining that the patient has an asymmetrical breathing pattern.
[0343] 50. The method of clause 48, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining whether the patient is performing chest breathing.
[0344] 51. The method of clause 48, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining a chest expansion distance of the patient.
[0345] 52. The method of clause 48, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining a tidal volume of the patient's respiration.
[0346] 53. The method of clause 48, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining the patient's respiration rate.
[0347] 54. The method of clause 48, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining whether the patient has a Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern.
[0348] 55. The method of clause 48, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining that the patient has a Kussmaul breathing pattern.
[0349] 56. The method of clause 48, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining that the patient has apnea.
[0350] 57. The method of clause 48, wherein one or more radar sensors are connected to a bed in which a patient is located.
[0351] 58. The method of clause 48, wherein the one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0352] 59. The method of clause 48, wherein transmitting the radar signal comprises transmitting the radar signal between 30 gigahertz and 300 gigahertz.
[0353] 60. A method for monitoring respiration, the method comprising: sending a radar signal to a patient via one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient via one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors via a circuit; and determining, via the circuit, one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0354] 61. The method of clause 60, further comprising: classifying, by the circuit, the patient's breathing based on data from the one or more radar sensors and based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient.
[0355] 62. A method according to clause 61, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient, through a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, includes: detecting wheezing sounds through a circuit based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as wheezing based on the wheezing sounds.
[0356] 63. A method according to clause 61, wherein, by a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting wheezing sounds by a circuit based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as wheezing based on the wheezing sounds.
[0357] 64. A method according to clause 61, wherein, by a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting coarse and wet rales sounds by a circuit based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as coarse and wet rales based on the coarse and wet rales sounds.
[0358] 65. A method according to clause 61, wherein, by a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting fine moist rales sounds by a circuit based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as fine moist rales based on the fine moist rales sounds.
[0359] 66. A method according to clause 61, wherein, by a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting pleural friction sound by a circuit based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as pleural friction sound based on the pleural friction sound.
[0360] 67. A method according to clause 61, wherein, by a circuit, based on data from one or more radar sensors, classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient includes: detecting normal breathing sounds by a circuit based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as normal based on the normal breathing sounds.
[0361] 68. The method of clause 61, wherein the one or more radar sensors are beneath a mattress in a hospital bed.
[0362] 69. The method of clause 61, wherein the one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0363] 70. A method for monitoring the movement of a patient, the method comprising: sending a radar signal to a patient on a hospital bed via one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient via one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from one or more radar sensors via a circuit; and determining a position parameter of the patient via the circuit, wherein the position parameter indicates a position or orientation of the patient on the hospital bed.
[0364] 71. The method of clause 70, further comprising: determining, by the circuit, whether the patient should be rotated based on a position parameter of the patient.
[0365] 72. The method of clause 71, wherein determining whether the patient should be turned comprises determining that the patient has not been turned for at least a threshold amount of time.
[0366] 73. The method according to clause 70 also includes: determining, through the circuit and based on the position parameter, a subset of multiple rotating bladders of the bed to be inflated to rotate the patient; and sending a signal through the circuit to inflate the subset of multiple rotating bladders.
[0367] 74. The method according to clause 70 also includes: determining, through the circuit and based on the position parameter, a subset of multiple rotating bladders of the bed to be inflated to move the patient toward the center of the bed; and sending a signal through the circuit to inflate the subset of multiple rotating bladders.
[0368] 75. The method according to clause 70 also includes: determining, through a circuit and based on a position parameter, a subset of multiple percussion and vibration (P&V) bladders of a bed to be inflated to perform P&V treatment on a patient, wherein the selected subset of the multiple P&V bladders are the P&V bladders in the patient's current position; and sending a signal through the circuit to inflate the subset of the multiple P&V bladders.
[0369] 76. The method according to clause 75 also includes: during P&V treatment, sending additional radar signals to the patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving additional data indicating the reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors through the circuit; determining the amplitude of vibration of the patient caused by the P&V treatment through the circuit and based on the additional data from the one or more radar sensors; and adjusting the signal sent to inflate a subset of multiple P&V bladders based on the amplitude of the patient's vibration through the circuit.
[0370] 77. The method according to clause 75 also includes: determining, through the circuit and based on the position parameter, a subset of multiple rotating bladders of the bed to be inflated to move the patient toward the center of the bed; and sending a signal through the circuit to inflate the subset of the multiple rotating bladders to move the patient toward the center of the bed before sending the signal to inflate the subset of the multiple rotating bladders.
[0371] 78. A method for facilitating breathing training, the method comprising: presenting breathing instructions to a patient through a circuit; after presenting the breathing instructions, sending a radar signal to the patient through one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors through the circuit; determining parameters of one or more breaths of the patient through the circuit and based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and presenting a second breathing instruction to the patient through the circuit, wherein the second breathing instruction is based on the parameters of the one or more breaths of the patient.
[0372] 79. The method of clause 78, wherein presenting breathing instructions to the patient comprises presenting the breathing instructions on a display, wherein the patient is in a bed, and wherein the display is attached to the bed.
[0373] 80. The method of clause 78, wherein presenting breathing instructions to the patient comprises presenting the breathing instructions on a display, and wherein the display is attached to the mobile breathing training device.
[0374] 81. The method of clause 78, further comprising: storing, via the circuit, performance data of the patient during the training process associated with the breathing instructions and the second breathing instructions, wherein the performance data indicates a response of the patient to the breathing instructions and a response of the patient to the second breathing instructions.
[0375] 82. The method of clause 81, further comprising determining, by the circuit and based on the performance data, third breathing instructions for a second training procedure that is different from the first training procedure.
[0376] 83. A method for monitoring a patient, the method comprising: sending a radar signal to a patient in a waiting room of a hospital via one or more radar sensors; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient via one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors via a circuit; and determining, via the circuit, one or more vital sign parameters of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0377] 84. A method according to clause 83, wherein one or more radar sensors are attached to one or more chairs in the waiting room.
[0378] 85. A method according to clause 83, wherein one or more radar sensors are attached to a rotatable base.
[0379] 86. A method according to clause 83, wherein the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0380] 87. The method of clause 83, wherein the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's heartbeat.
[0381] 88. The method according to clause 83 also includes: determining, by the circuit, whether an alarm should be provided to a caregiver based on one or more vital sign parameters; and providing an alarm to the caregiver in response to determining, by the circuit, that an alarm should be provided to the caregiver based on one or more vital sign parameters.
[0382] 89. A method for operating a respiratory therapy system, the method comprising: sending a radar signal to a patient through one or more radar sensors of the respiratory therapy system; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors through circuitry of the respiratory therapy system; determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors through the circuitry; and controlling the flow rate provided to the patient by the respiratory therapy system through the circuitry and based on the one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0383] 90. A method according to clause 89, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining a current phase of the patient's respiratory cycle based on data from the one or more radar sensors, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes controlling the flow provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's respiratory cycle.
[0384] 91. A method according to clause 90, wherein determining the current stage of the patient's breathing cycle based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is breathing, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient based on the determined current stage of the patient's breathing cycle includes providing positive pressure flow to the patient based on determining that the patient is breathing.
[0385] 92. A method according to clause 89, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is beginning to cough, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes providing negative pressure flow to the patient to assist coughing based on determining that the patient is beginning to cough.
[0386] 93. A method for monitoring an infant, the method comprising: sending a radar signal to the infant through one or more radar sensors of a respiratory therapy system; receiving reflections of the radar signal from the infant through the one or more radar sensors; receiving data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the infant from the one or more radar sensors through circuitry of an infant respiratory monitor; determining whether the infant is breathing through the circuitry and based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and triggering an alarm through the circuitry and based on a flow rate provided to the patient by the respiratory therapy system.
[0387] 94. The method of clause 93, wherein the infant respiratory monitor is attached to a crib with the infant in the crib.
[0388] 95. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for monitoring respiration, cause the system to: send a radar signal to a patient via one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient via the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicative of the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0389] 96. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 95, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining that the patient has an asymmetrical breathing pattern.
[0390] 97. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 95, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining whether the patient is performing chest breathing.
[0391] 98. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 95, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining a distance of chest expansion of the patient.
[0392] 99. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 95, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining a tidal volume of the patient's respiration.
[0393] 100. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 95, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining the patient's respiration rate.
[0394] 101. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 95, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from one or more radar sensors comprises determining whether the patient has a Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern.
[0395] 102. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 95, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining that the patient has a Kussmaul breathing pattern.
[0396] 103. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 95, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from the one or more radar sensors comprises determining that the patient has apnea.
[0397] 104. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 95, wherein the one or more radar sensors are connected to a bed in which a patient is located.
[0398] 105. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 95, wherein the one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0399] 106. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 95, wherein transmitting the radar signal comprises transmitting the radar signal between 30 gigahertz and 300 gigahertz.
[0400] 107. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for monitoring respiration, cause the system to: send a radar signal to a patient via one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient via the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0401] 108. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 107, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: classify the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0402] 109. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in claim 108, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting wheezing sounds based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as wheezing based on the wheezing sounds.
[0403] 110. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in claim 108, wherein classifying the patient's respiration based on one or more respiratory sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting wheezing based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as wheezing based on the wheezing.
[0404] 111. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 108, wherein classifying the patient's respiration based on one or more respiratory sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting coarse and wet rales based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as coarse and wet rales based on the coarse and wet rales.
[0405] 112. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 108, wherein classifying the patient's respiration based on one or more respiratory sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting fine moist rales based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's respiration as fine moist rales based on the fine moist rales.
[0406] 113. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 108, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting pleural friction sound based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as pleural friction sound based on the pleural friction sound.
[0407] 114. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 108, wherein classifying the patient's breathing based on one or more breathing sounds of the patient based on data from one or more radar sensors includes: detecting normal breathing sounds based on data from one or more radar sensors; and classifying the patient's breathing as normal based on the normal breathing sounds.
[0408] 115. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 108, wherein the one or more radar sensors are beneath a mattress in a hospital bed.
[0409] 116. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 108, wherein the one or more radar sensors are in a mobile radar unit.
[0410] 117. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for monitoring movement of a patient, cause the system to: send a radar signal to a patient in a bed via one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient via one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine a position parameter of the patient, wherein the position parameter indicates a position or orientation of the patient in the bed.
[0411] 118. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 117, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to determine whether the patient should be turned based on the position parameters of the patient.
[0412] 119. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 118, wherein determining whether the patient should be turned comprises determining that the patient has not been turned for at least a threshold amount of time.
[0413] 120. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 117, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine a subset of a plurality of rotating bladders of a bed to be inflated to rotate a patient based on a position parameter; and send a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotating bladders.
[0414] 121. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 117, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine, based on position parameters, a subset of a plurality of rotating bladders of a bed to be inflated to move the patient toward the center of the bed; and send a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of rotating bladders.
[0415] 122. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in claim 117, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine, based on position parameters, a subset of a plurality of percussion and vibration (P&V) bladders of a bed to be inflated to perform P&V treatment on a patient, wherein the selected subset of the plurality of P&V bladders are the P&V bladders in the patient's current position; and send a signal to inflate the subset of the plurality of P&V bladders.
[0416] 123. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in claim 122, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: during P&V treatment, send additional radar signals to the patient via one or more radar sensors; receive reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient via one or more radar sensors; receive additional data indicating the reflections of the additional radar signals from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; determine an amplitude of vibration of the patient caused by the P&V treatment based on the additional data from the one or more radar sensors; and adjust the signal sent to inflate a subset of the plurality of P&V bladders based on the amplitude of the vibration of the patient.
[0417] 124. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in claim 122, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine, based on the position parameters, a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders of the bed to be inflated to move the patient toward the center of the bed; and send a signal to inflate a subset of the plurality of rotating bladders to move the patient toward the center of the bed before sending a signal to inflate a subset of the plurality of P&V bladders.
[0418] 125. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for facilitating breathing training, cause the system to: present breathing instructions to a patient; after presenting the breathing instructions, send a radar signal to the patient through one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient through one or more radar sensors of the system; receive data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; determine parameters of one or more breaths of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and present a second breathing instruction to the patient, wherein the second breathing instruction is based on the parameters of the one or more breaths of the patient.
[0419] 126. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 125, wherein presenting breathing instructions to the patient includes presenting the breathing instructions on a display, wherein the patient is in a bed, and wherein the display is attached to the bed.
[0420] 127. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 125, wherein presenting the breathing instructions to the patient comprises presenting the breathing instructions on a display, and wherein the display is attached to a mobile respiratory training device.
[0421] 128. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in claim 125, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to store performance data of the patient during the training process associated with the breathing instructions and the second breathing instructions, wherein the performance data indicates the patient's response to the breathing instructions and the response to the second breathing instructions.
[0422] 129. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 128, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to determine, based on the performance data, third breathing instructions for a second workout that is different than the first workout.
[0423] 130. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a system for monitoring a patient, cause the system to: send a radar signal to a patient in a hospital waiting room via one or more radar sensors of the system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient via the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; and determine one or more vital sign parameters of the patient based on the data from the one or more radar sensors.
[0424] 131. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 130, wherein one or more radar sensors are attached to one or more chairs in a waiting room.
[0425] 132. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 130, wherein the one or more radar sensors are attached to a rotatable mount.
[0426] 133. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 130, wherein the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0427] 134. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 130, wherein the one or more vital sign parameters include a parameter indicative of a heartbeat of the patient.
[0428] 135. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 130, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the system to: determine whether an alert should be provided to a caregiver based on one or more vital sign parameters; and provide an alert to the caregiver in response to determining that an alert should be provided to the caregiver based on the one or more vital sign parameters.
[0429] 136. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a respiratory therapy system, cause the respiratory therapy system to: send a radar signal to a patient through one or more radar sensors of the respiratory therapy system; receive reflections of the radar signal from the patient through the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the patient from the one or more radar sensors; determine one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and control a flow provided to the patient by the respiratory therapy system based on the one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing.
[0430] 137. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 136, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's respiration based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining a current phase of the patient's respiratory cycle based on data from the one or more radar sensors, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes controlling the flow provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's respiratory cycle.
[0431] 138. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in claim 137, wherein determining a current phase of a patient's breathing cycle based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is breathing, and wherein controlling flow provided to the patient based on the determined current phase of the patient's breathing cycle includes providing positive pressure flow to the patient based on determining that the patient is breathing.
[0432] 139. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in clause 136, wherein determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on data from one or more radar sensors includes determining that the patient is beginning to cough, and wherein controlling the flow provided to the patient includes providing negative pressure flow to the patient to assist coughing based on determining that the patient is beginning to cough.
[0433] 140. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of an infant respiratory monitor, cause the infant respiratory monitor to: send a radar signal to an infant via one or more radar sensors of the infant respiratory monitor; receive reflections of the radar signal from the infant via the one or more radar sensors; receive data indicating the reflections of the radar signal from the infant from the one or more radar sensors; determine whether the infant is breathing based on the data from the one or more radar sensors; and trigger an alarm based on a flow rate provided to the patient by a respiratory therapy system.
[0434] 141. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of clause 140, wherein the infant respiratory monitor is attached to a crib, wherein the infant is in the crib.
[0435] Although certain illustrative embodiments have been described in detail above, various changes and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the disclosure as described and defined in the following claims.
Claims
1. A system for monitoring the breathing of a patient, the system comprising: a bed configured to support the patient, the bed comprising a mattress having a rotation bladder operable to rotate the patient and having a percussion and vibration (P&V) bladder operable to loosen and drain lung secretions from the patient, wherein the bed comprises a base, an upper frame assembly, and a lift system connecting the upper frame assembly to the base and operable to raise, lower, and tilt the upper frame assembly relative to the base; A plurality of radar sensors connected to the patient bed, the plurality of radar sensors being located above the patient and spaced apart from the patient, each of the plurality of radar sensors being configured as: Sending radar signals to patients; and receiving a reflection of the radar signal from the patient, and The circuit carried by the hospital bed includes: a radar controller for receiving data from the plurality of radar sensors indicative of the reflections of the radar signals from the patient; and a breathing pattern monitor for determining one or more parameters indicative of the patient's breathing based on the data from the plurality of radar sensors; wherein the circuit includes a rotation capsule controller and a tapping and vibration capsule controller, the rotation capsule controller and the tapping and vibration capsule controller respectively controlling the operation of the rotation capsule and the tapping and vibration capsule based on data from the plurality of radar sensors; The hospital bed includes a mast, the multiple radar sensors are connected to the mast, and the lower end of the mast is connected to the upper frame assembly, so that the multiple radar sensors connected to the mast are raised, lowered and tilted relative to the base as the upper frame assembly is raised, lowered and tilted by the lifting system.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The breathing pattern monitor is configured to determine that a patient has an asymmetrical breathing pattern based on the data from the plurality of radar sensors.
3. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The breathing pattern monitor is configured to determine whether the patient is performing chest breathing based on the data from the plurality of radar sensors.
4. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The breathing pattern monitor is configured to determine a chest expansion distance of the patient based on the data from the plurality of radar sensors.
5. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The breathing pattern monitor is configured to determine a tidal volume of a patient's respiration based on the data from the plurality of radar sensors.
6. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The breathing pattern monitor is configured to determine a rate of breathing of a patient based on the data from the plurality of radar sensors.
7. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The breathing pattern monitor is configured to determine whether the patient has a Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern based on the data from the plurality of radar sensors.
8. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The breathing pattern monitor is configured to determine that the patient has a Kussmaul breathing pattern based on the data from the plurality of radar sensors.
9. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The breathing pattern monitor is configured to determine that the patient has apnea based on the data from the plurality of radar sensors.
10. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of radar sensors are connected to an arm of the mast, the arm being arranged to cover the patient.
11. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The plurality of radar sensors are movable relative to the arm.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein: The radar signal has a frequency between 30 GHz and 300 GHz.
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