Hybrid time domain multiplexing and frequency domain multiplexing configuration for ultrasound fetal heart rate monitoring system

Abstract

The invention relates to a hybrid time domain multiplexing and frequency domain multiplexing configuration for an ultrasound fetal heart rate monitoring system. A hybrid time domain multiplexing (TDM) and frequency domain multiplexing (FDM) configuration protocol for a Doppler-based ultrasound fetal monitoring system (FMS) is provided. In an example, an FMS determines contextual information about an operational context of the FMS, the contextual information including a number of fetal sensor devices (FSDs) activated to monitor a corresponding number of fetuses of a single mother, where the FSDs each include an ultrasound transducer configured to measure a fetal parameter of the single fetus, and the ultrasound transducer is configured to transmit the measured fetal parameter to the FMS. And wherein each of the FSDs may be configured to operate using an FDM mode or a TDM mode. The FMS also configures a respective operating mode (i.e., FDM mode or TDM mode) of the FSD based on the context information and according to a configuration protocol that changes the respective operating mode (i.e., FDM mode or TDM mode) of the FSD under different operating contexts of the FMS.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring system based on Doppler ultrasound, and more particularly to a hybrid time-division multiplexing (TDM) and frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) configuration for improving depth coverage and power reduction while ensuring coexistence in a Doppler-based ultrasonic fetal monitoring system. Background Art

[0002] Fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring is a routine procedure used to ensure the health of the baby during pregnancy examinations and childbirth. It helps detect changes in the FHR, which can indicate distress or other problems and prompt appropriate medical intervention if necessary.

[0003] Doppler-based FHR monitoring systems are non-invasive FHR monitoring systems that utilize the Doppler effect to detect changes in the FHR as well as the absolute value. The Doppler effect is the change in the frequency or wavelength of a wave (in this case, ultrasound) when the wave source and the observer are in relative motion. In the case of FHR monitoring, the Doppler effect is used to detect and measure the heartbeat. A fetal sensor device (FSD) with an ultrasonic transducer is placed on the mother's abdomen. The transducer emits sound waves (ultrasound), which travel through the mother's tissue and into the uterus. When these ultrasound waves encounter the fetal heart, they are reflected back to the transducer. Due to the motion of the fetal heart (which beats rhythmically), the frequency of the reflected wave is slightly shifted (Doppler shift) compared to the transmitted wave. Doppler-based monitoring systems detect these shifts and calculate the fetal heart rate (FHR) based on the repeated frequency changes. The results are displayed on a monitoring device or printed on a chart, allowing healthcare providers to evaluate the fetal heart rate and its variability.

[0004] Conventional Doppler-based FHR monitoring systems utilize wired communication between the FSD and the monitoring device. Compared to conventional wired FHR systems, wireless Doppler-based FHR systems have been developed to provide greater mobility and convenience. What separates the wireless FSD is its ability to wirelessly transmit FHR data to the monitoring device, thus eliminating the physical wires or cables used to connect the FSD to the monitoring device.

[0005] While wireless FSDs offer many benefits, they also introduce new problems and challenges. One problem with wireless FSDs is power consumption. In particular, wireless FSDs rely on battery power, and extended monitoring sessions (especially during extended childbirth) can drain the battery, potentially leading to an interruption in monitoring. (In addition, in scenarios where two or more FSDs are used to simultaneously monitor two or more fetuses of a mother (e.g., when applied to monitor twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.), both wired and wireless FSDs are sensitive to interference and crosstalk. Therefore, techniques for minimizing power consumption and crosstalk while optimizing system performance are desired. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The following presents a summary of the invention to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements, nor to delineate any scope of different embodiments or any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. In one or more embodiments, a system, a computer-implemented method, an apparatus, and / or a computer program product are described that provide a hybrid TDM and FDM configuration for improving deep coverage and power reduction while ensuring coexistence in a Doppler-based ultrasound fetal monitoring system (FMS).

[0007] According to an embodiment, there is provided an FMS that includes a plurality of fetal sensor devices (FSDs), each of the plurality of fetal sensor devices including an ultrasound transducer and configured to measure signals representing one or more fetal parameters of a single fetus using Doppler-based ultrasound technology, the one or more fetal parameters including at least one of FHR, fetal movement, or fetal depth, and wherein each FSD of the FSDs can be configured to operate in an FDM mode or a TDM mode. The FMS further includes at least one memory storing computer-executable components, and at least one processor executing the computer-executable components stored in the at least one memory. The computer-executable components include a context component that determines context information regarding the operating context of the FMS, the context information including the number of FSDs activated for monitoring a corresponding number of fetuses of a single mother in association with positioning the FSDs on the external body of the single mother (e.g., the mother's abdomen). The computer-executable components further include a configuration component that configures the respective operating modes of the FSDs based on the context information and according to a configuration protocol, the configuration protocol changing the respective operating modes in different operating contexts of the FMS, the respective operating modes including the FDM mode and the TDM mode.

[0008] In various specific implementations, the configuration protocol also implements one or more defined optimization criteria in different operating contexts, the one or more defined optimization criteria being selected from the group consisting of minimizing power consumption by the FSDs, minimizing crosstalk between the FSDs (e.g., in a scenario where two or more FSDs are used to simultaneously monitor two or more corresponding fetuses of the same mother), and achieving necessary deep coverage.

[0009] In some specific implementations, the configuration protocol includes a hybrid configuration, where, based on the number of FSDs being greater than one, the configuration component configures at least the first FSD among the FSDs to operate in the FDM mode and configures at least the second FSD among the FSDs to operate in the TDM mode, so that the corresponding ultrasonic transducers of the respective FSDs can be operated at a PPR lower than the pulse repetition rate (PRR) restricted by a configuration in which a corresponding one of the FSDs uses the same operation mode, and the same operation mode is either the FDM mode or the TDM mode. In other specific implementations, the configuration protocol includes another hybrid configuration, where, based on the number of FSDs being greater than two, the configuration component configures at least the first FSD among the FSDs to operate in the FDM mode and configures at least the second FSD among the FSDs to operate in the TDM mode, so that the corresponding ultrasonic transducers of the respective FSDs among the FSDs can be operated at a PPR lower than the pulse repetition rate (PRR) restricted by a configuration in which a corresponding one of the FSDs uses the same operation mode, and the same operation mode is either the FDM mode or the TDM mode.

[0010] In some specific implementations, the configuration protocol includes switching the configuration of the respective FSDs among the FSDs between the FDM mode and the TDM mode based on different operation contexts, where the different operation contexts correspond to the respective FSDs among different numbers of FSDs that are activated to monitor a corresponding number of fetuses of a single mother. In various specific implementations, the context information further includes the respective anatomical positions of the fetuses in the uterus of a single mother relative to the respective FSDs among the FSDs positioned on the external body of the single mother, and where the different operation contexts account for different anatomical positions among the respective anatomical positions. The configuration component can also reconfigure one or more operation parameters of the respective FSDs based on a change in the operation context determined by the context component, and the one or more operation parameters include the operation mode (FDM mode or TDM mode), PRR, and operation frequency.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the configuration components are stored and executed by the monitoring device, where the monitoring device and the FSDs are communicatively coupled via one or more wired or wireless communication technologies. With these embodiments, the monitoring device can configure the operating mode and operating parameters of the corresponding FSDs via corresponding configuration command signals sent to the respective FSDs. Additionally or alternatively, each FSD among the FSDs can intelligently configure its respective operating mode (e.g., FDM or TDM) and operating parameters (e.g., PRR, signal frequency, etc.) based on feedback information regarding the operating context of the FMS (e.g., indicating the number of transducers being used and their relative positions (e.g., depth) of the respective fetuses they are configured to monitor). Some or all of this feedback information can be determined by one or more of the FSDs themselves among the FSDs and communicated between the FSDs themselves (e.g., in a peer-to-peer manner) and / or determined by the monitoring device and communicated to the respective FSDs.

[0012] In some embodiments, the elements described in connection with the disclosed system can be embodied in different forms, such as a computer-implemented method, a computer program product, or another form. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 An example fetal monitoring system (FMS) in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter is presented.

[0014] Figure 2 A graph is presented showing the execution of an example fetal sensor device (FSD) operating in the FDM mode at a PRR of 4.0 kilohertz (kHz) in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

[0015] Figure 3 A graph is presented showing the execution of an example FSD operating in the FDM mode at a PRR of 2.0 kHz in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

[0016] Figure 4 An example operating configuration of the respective FSDs of the FMS in different operating contexts in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter is presented.

[0017] Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting monitoring device of the FMS in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter is shown.

[0018] Figure 6 A block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting FSD of the FMS in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter is shown.

[0019] Figure 7A block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limiting computer-implemented method of an FMS using a configuration protocol that changes respective operating modes of respective FSDs under different operating contexts in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

[0020] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating another exemplary, non-limiting computer-implemented method of an FMS using a configuration protocol that changes respective operating modes of respective FSDs under different operating contexts in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

[0021] Figure 9 A block diagram illustrating another exemplary, non-limiting computer-implemented method of an FMS using a configuration protocol that changes respective operating modes of respective FSDs under different operating contexts in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

[0022] Figure 10 A block diagram illustrating another exemplary, non-limiting computer-implemented method of an FMS using a configuration protocol that changes respective operating modes of respective FSDs under different operating contexts in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

[0023] Figure 11 A block diagram illustrating an example non-limiting operating environment in which one or more embodiments described herein may be facilitated is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following detailed description is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the application or use of the embodiments and / or the embodiments. In addition, it is not intended to be bound by any express or implied information set forth in the aforementioned "Background Technology" section, "Summary of the Invention" section, or "Detailed Description of the Invention" section.

[0025] The present subject matter discloses systems, computer-implemented methods, apparatuses, and / or computer program products that facilitate a hybrid TDM and FDM configuration for a Doppler-based ultrasound fetal monitoring system (FMS). In various embodiments, the Doppler-based FMS system utilizes a plurality of fetal sensor devices (FSDs) each including an ultrasound transducer to simultaneously measure one or more fetal parameters (e.g., FHR, fetal movement, fetal depth, and other potential parameters) of a corresponding number of fetuses of the same mother (e.g., as applied to monitoring twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.), where each FSD is configured to measure one or more fetal parameters for a single fetus using Doppler-based ultrasound technology. With these embodiments, crosstalk and interference between the respective FSDs become an issue in scenarios where two or more FSDs are used simultaneously to measure fetal parameters for two or more fetuses of the same mother. In such cases, crosstalk refers to the interference or overlap of signals between different FSDs, or more specifically, one FSD picking up the signal of another FSD, mainly due to the frequency aliasing effect during the demodulation process. As described in more detail below, the hybrid TDM and FDM configuration facilitates reduced power consumption by the respective FSDs and enables simultaneous monitoring of two or more fetuses of the same mother without signal confusion or crosstalk, while also improving depth coverage and sensitivity.

[0026] Time-division multiplexing (TDM) and frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) are two techniques that can be used in a Doppler-based fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring system to distinguish between signals from different FSDs and reduce interference between signals in scenarios where two or more FSDs are used simultaneously. In the TDM mode, the ultrasound signals transmitted by the respective transducers of the FSDs are multiplexed as a function of time (e.g., transmitted and thus received in different time sequences), and the demodulation process ensures that each FSD decodes only the reflected Doppler shift on the signal received in its time sequence. In the FDM mode, each transducer operates at a different carrier frequency, and the corresponding demodulation process ensures that the FSD decodes only the reflected Doppler shift on its carrier frequency.

[0027] However, both TDM and FDM suffer from different drawbacks that limit the performance of the FHR monitoring system. In particular, when FSDs are time-division multiplexed, as the number of FSDs increases, the amount of time each sensor can operate using distinguishable signals multiplexed in time decreases. This results in a decrease in the sensitivity and depth coverage of the corresponding FSDs. In this context, sensitivity refers to the ability to accurately detect and measure fetal parameters (e.g., FHR, fetal movement, fetal depth, and other potential parameters) of the fetus, and depth coverage refers to the sensing depth or distance range of the FSD, typically measured as a function of the distance from the surface of the mother's abdomen towards the inner body of the uterus. At this point, the depth coverage required for FSDs applied to monitor FHR and other fetal parameters corresponds to the relative distance between the fetal heart and the location of the FSD placed on the outer body of the mother (e.g., typically the abdominal surface), which varies from patient to patient and also varies depending on the number of fetuses. With FDM, signals between different transducers can be more easily distinguished from each other because the individual transducers operate at different carrier frequencies. However, in order to avoid crosstalk and interference in FDM, the carrier frequencies must be reasonably separated, and the difference between any two carrier frequencies is not a multiple of the pulse repetition rate (PRR).

[0028] In Doppler ultrasound fetal monitoring, the pulse repetition rate (PRR) refers to the number of ultrasound pulses emitted per defined time period (e.g., per 1.0 microsecond (μs), per 1.0 second, or another defined time period). The PRR is typically measured in kilohertz (kHz). The PRR is an important parameter because it determines the frequency at which ultrasonic waves are sent into the body and the duration during which any reflected waves can be received by the transducer. For example, the transducer emits multiple ultrasonic waves during a transmit (Tx) period, followed by a receive (Rx) period during which the reflected ultrasonic waves can be received by the transducer. During a monitoring session, the transducer operates continuously by alternating between the transmit period and the receive period. The PRR controls the number of acoustic waves emitted during the transmit period and the duration of the receive period. During the transmit period, the emitted acoustic waves travel into the body towards the target fetal heart. When one or more acoustic waves reach the target fetal heart, they are reflected back to the transducer.

[0029] Although a higher PRR allows for more frequent updates of the fetal parameter signals, as the PRR increases, the reception period decreases. As the duration of the reception period decreases, the ability of the transducer to receive reflected waves from target tissue at greater depths (e.g., fetal heart tissue applied to FHR monitoring) decreases because these reflected waves take longer to reach the tissue at greater depths and bounce back from the tissue at greater depths to the transducer, creating blind spots at certain depths beyond a threshold depth. For this reason, the PRR can control the depth coverage of the FSD. For example, in a case where the fetal heart is positioned at a depth greater than about 15.0 centimeters (cm) from the mother's abdominal surface within the uterus, a low PRR such as about 2.0 kHz is preferably capable of detecting FHR data. In this regard, a lower PRR helps to improve depth coverage because the reception period can be longer, which allows for more travel time of the ultrasound signal by allowing the ultrasound signal to reach a wider depth range and subsequently be received and processed. An additional benefit of operating at a lower PRR is a reduction in power consumption, which is possible because the number of Tx transmission instances is reduced within a given time. In an embodiment where the FSD is wireless, this is more beneficial for extending battery life, where the battery life dictates the duration of possible continuous monitoring between FSD changes or battery charging.

[0030] However, in order to coexist n transducers using only the FDM mode on a single mother, the PRR must be at least nkHz. Thus, for monitoring triplets (n = 3) of a mother, the PRR can be a minimum of 3.0 kHz for FDM. In particular, when each transducer operates under FDM, in order to avoid the occurrence of crosstalk and interference between the signals of two or more transducers, different carrier frequencies must be reasonably separated, and the difference between any two carrier frequencies is not a multiple of the PRR. In an example with three transducers in FDM, assume that the three carrier frequencies are set to be separated by 11 kHz, so the difference between any two transducer carrier frequencies is 11 kHz or 22 kHz. In this example, the PRR can be 3.0 kHz or higher. In a triplet or higher number of fetuses scenario, it is more likely that one or more fetuses are located at a deeper position below the abdominal surface; thus, greater depth coverage would be beneficial, which is more easily obtained if the PRR is 2.0 kHz. Additionally, with TDM, as the PRR decreases, the sensitivity decreases as the number of sensors increases.

[0031] In view of this background, the disclosed subject matter provides a hybrid of TDM and FDM methods for a Doppler-based ultrasound FMS system, which can allow operation at a lower PRR for FSD, giving additional depth coverage and reducing the power consumption of FSD, while also minimizing crosstalk in scenarios where two or more FSDs are used to simultaneously monitor a corresponding number of fetuses of the same mother. In one or more embodiments, an FMS is provided that includes a plurality of FSDs, each of the plurality of fetal sensor devices including an ultrasound transducer and configured to measure signals representing one or more fetal parameters of a single fetus using Doppler-based ultrasound technology, the one or more fetal parameters including at least one of FHR, fetal movement, or fetal depth, and wherein each FSD of the FSDs can be configured to operate using an FDM mode or a TDM mode. In various embodiments, each FSD of the FSDs can be communicatively coupled to a monitoring device via one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies and is configured to provide the monitoring device with raw signal data and / or processed signal data indicative of the corresponding fetal parameters (e.g., FHR, fetal movement, fetal depth, and optionally other relevant information) for presentation during a fetal monitoring session.

[0032] The FMS can also determine and monitor the operating context of the FMS 100 and, based on the operating context and in accordance with a configuration protocol, intelligently configure the operating parameters of the corresponding FSD 104, the configuration protocol changing and customizing the operating parameters of the corresponding FSD based on different operating contexts of the FMS. The operating parameters can include (but are not limited to) the operating mode (FDM or TDM) of the corresponding FSD, the carrier frequency of the corresponding FSD, and the PRR of the corresponding FSD. To this end, different operating contexts can account for different numbers of FSDs activated for monitoring a corresponding number of fetuses of a single mother associated with positioning the corresponding FSDs on the external body (e.g., typically the abdomen) of the single mother. Different operating contexts can also account for the corresponding depths of the fetal hearts monitored by the corresponding FSDs. In some specific implementations, different operating contexts can also account for other context variables, such as the expected duration of the monitoring session, the current power level of the corresponding FSD, and various other variables, as discussed below.

[0033] The configuration protocol may also define and / or control the optimal operating configuration (e.g., corresponding operating parameters) for the respective FSDs in different operating contexts, where the optimal operating configuration is determined or inferred to achieve one or more defined optimization criteria, including minimizing the power consumption by the FSDs, minimizing crosstalk between two or more FSDs, and achieving at least one of the necessary depth coverage. To this end, the specific operating parameters of each active FSD will vary based on the number of FSDs utilized and the corresponding number of fetuses monitored, the depth of the respective fetuses, and optionally other context factors of the FMS. The FMS may also dynamically reconfigure the specific operating parameters of the respective FSDs during the monitoring session based on changes to the operating context during the monitoring session. For example, the FMS may intelligently switch the operating mode of the FSDs between the FDM mode and the TDM mode based on adding or removing one or more FSDs during the course of the monitoring session, based on new information regarding the respective depth of one or more fetuses, based on a change in the position of one or more fetuses, and based on performance measurements of monitoring of sensitivity, crosstalk, signal quality, and other potential context factors.

[0034] According to the disclosed technology, at least some optimal operation configurations may include hybrid configurations, where, based on the number of active FSDs being greater than 1 (e.g., as applied to monitoring twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.), the FMS configures at least one of the FSDs to operate in the FDM mode and configures at least a second one of the FSDs to operate in the TDM mode. For example, in some embodiments, if only two FSDs are used, the FMS may configure the respective FSDs in the FDM mode at different frequencies to minimize crosstalk, while also configuring the PRR to a low value (e.g., about 2.0 kHz or greater) to provide optimal depth coverage. However, in the case of using three FSDs to monitor triplets, a hybrid FDM and TDM approach may be used. For example, two of the FSDs may be configured to operate in the TDM mode at a first frequency (F1) and a low PRR (e.g., about 2.0 kHz or greater), and the third FSD may be configured to operate in the FDM mode at a second frequency (F2) and a low PRR. In this case, the first two FSDs may operate in the TDM mode and quickly pick up the two fetal hearts that are closer to the abdominal surface in the fetal heart, and the third FSD may automatically operate in the FDM mode with greater depth coverage, thus assisting the clinical workflow in placing the third FSD for the third fetus, which is expected to be relatively deeper than the first two fetuses. Thus, the operation mode of each FSD can be dynamically configured and reconfigured by the FMS to adapt to different usage scenarios. In some embodiments, using two carrier frequencies and two FSDs operating in TDM at each frequency, the FMS can be extended to monitor quadruplets at a low PRR (e.g., about 2.0 kHz or greater), thus providing a reduction in power consumption while also minimizing crosstalk.

[0035] Embodiments of the systems and devices described herein may include one or more machine-executable (i.e., computer-executable) components or instructions embodied within one or more machines (e.g., embodied in one or more computer-readable storage media associated with one or more machines). When executed by one or more machines (e.g., processors, computers, computing devices, virtual machines, etc.), such components may cause the one or more machines to perform the operations. These computer / machine-executable components or instructions (and other components or instructions described herein) may be stored in a memory associated with one or more machines. The memory is also operatively coupled to at least one processor such that the components may be executed by the at least one processor to perform the operations described. In some embodiments, the memory may include a non-transitory machine-readable medium that includes executable components or instructions that facilitate the performance of the operations described for the respective executable components when executed by a processor. Examples of the memory and the processor and other suitable computer or computing-based elements may be referred toFigure 11 found (e.g., processing unit 1104 and system memory 1106, respectively), and may be implemented in combination with one or more of the systems or components shown and described in other figures disclosed herein. Figure 1 or used in conjunction with one or more of the systems or components shown and described in other figures disclosed herein.

[0036] One or more embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, where like reference numerals are always used to denote like elements. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth for purposes of explanation in order to provide a more thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. However, it is apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details in various instances.

[0037] Turning now to the drawings, Figure 1 an exemplary FMS 100 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter is presented. The FMS 100 includes a monitoring device 102 and a plurality of FSDs 104. Each FSD 104 may include an ultrasound transducer configured to measure signals representative of one or more fetal parameters of a single fetus using Doppler-based ultrasound techniques in association with placing the respective FSD 104 on the external body of a mother 108. For example, the FSDs 104 are typically placed on the outer surface of the abdomen to allow the mother 108 to lie supine comfortably during a monitoring session. However, in some specific implementations, the FSDs 104 may be positioned on the side body and / or the mother's back. Once the FSDs have been placed in an optimal position on the mother's body (where they accurately pick up the corresponding target fetal heart), the FSDs 104 may be held in place using a strap or another suitable mechanism.

[0038] One or more fetal parameters measured by the respective FSD 104 can include, but are not limited to, FHR, fetal movement, and fetal depth. During a fetal monitoring session, the FSD 104 can be configured to send raw signal data and / or processed signal data representative of one or more fetal parameters to the monitoring device 102 for additional processing and / or presentation via one or more suitable output devices (e.g., a display, a speaker, etc.) of the monitoring device 102. To this end, each FSD in the FSD 104 can include an ultrasound transducer that generates and transmits acoustic pulses directed at the fetus positioned within the uterus 106 in association with the placement of the FSD on the external body of the mother 108. The ultrasound transducer emits ultrasonic waves and receives reflected waves and ultrasonic waves reflected from one or more target tissues within the uterus 106, in this case, the uterus 106 includes the fetal heart. More specifically, the ultrasound transducer includes a transmitter / receiver element that typically includes one or more crystals and / or piezoelectric elements that generate ultrasonic waves when an electric current is applied to the crystals and / or piezoelectric elements. The transmitter / receiver element also receives the reflected ultrasonic waves. The transmitter / receiver element is integrated within the head portion of the FSD housing that is placed in direct contact with the mother's skin. Due to the movement (which beats rhythmically) of the fetal heart, the frequency of the reflected ultrasonic waves is slightly shifted (Doppler shift) compared to the transmitted waves. This shift is proportional to the beating speed of the fetal heart surface / membrane. These shifts can be detected and used to calculate the fetal heart rate (FHR), fetal movement, and fetal depth based on the frequency-varying repetition rate using one or more algorithms performed by a signal processing unit (e.g., a computer-executable signal processing unit).

[0039] In some embodiments, each FSD in the FSD 104 can include signal processing functionality to detect Doppler shift signals from the fetus, demodulate and condition data (e.g., amplify, filter, digitize, etc.), calculate fetal parameters (e.g., FHR, fetal movement, and / or fetal position / depth), and send the fetal parameters to the monitoring device 102 for presentation to one or more clinicians (e.g., via a display, a speaker, and / or another suitable output device) and / or for its additional processing. In other embodiments, some or all of the signal processing can be performed by the monitoring device 102. For example, each FSD in the FSD 104 can be configured to send raw Doppler shift signals to the monitoring device 102 for signal processing, and / or send partially processed signals (e.g., demodulated signals, digitized signals, etc.) to the monitoring device 102, which in turn can process the raw signals or the partially processed signals to calculate FHR, fetal movement, fetal position / depth, etc.

[0040] The monitoring device 102 and the corresponding FSD 104 may be communicatively coupled via any suitable wired or wireless communication technology. For example, the monitoring device 102 and the corresponding FSD 104 may each be configured to transmit information between each other using any suitable wireless communication technology, such as, but not limited to, Bluetooth. TM , Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Near Field Communication (NFC), Zigbee TM , Z wave TM , infrared (IR), ultra-wideband (UWB), body area network (BAN) communication technology, medical body area network (MBAN) communication technology, cellular, and various other existing and foreseen wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, the wireless communication technology may include wireless communication technology customized for underwater performance to enable the use of FSD 104 to monitor FHR data in a water birth scenario. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the FSD 104 and the monitoring device 102 can be communicatively coupled to each other via one or more wired communication technologies.

[0041] exist Figure 1 In the exemplary embodiment shown, three FSDs 104 are used in the context of monitoring triplets, where each fetus is represented by a heart symbol depicted within the uterus 106 of the mother 108. However, the FMS 100 can be customized for different usage scenarios involving different numbers of fetuses and, therefore, different numbers of FSDs 104 (one FSD or an FSD for each fetus). For example, the FMS 100 can be customized in association with using a single FSD 104 to monitor a single fetus, using two FSDs 104 to monitor two fetuses, using three FSDs 104 to monitor three fetuses, using four FSDs 104 to monitor four fetuses, etc.

[0042] Each FSD 104 may also include suitable hardware and / or software that enables the operations described herein with respect to each FSD 104. For example, in some embodiments, each FSD 104 may include: an onboard power source (e.g., one or more batteries or another suitable power source), memory and a processor to enable onboard signal processing functions and other computer-executable functions described herein, wireless or wired communication hardware and software to enable wired and / or wired communication between the FSD 104 and the monitoring device 102, one or more sensors (e.g., proximity sensors, contact sensors, temperature sensors, motion sensors, etc.) for sensing various parameters associated with the FSD, the mother 108, and / or the fetus, and reference signals. Figure 6 Other suitable hardware and / or software as described.

[0043] In various embodiments, each FSD in FSD 104 is adapted to operate its respective ultrasonic transducer using both TDM mode and FDM mode, and can be dynamically configured and customized for a given usage scenario for each FSD 104 based on the operating context of FMS100 according to a configuration protocol that changes the respective operating mode of the FSD under different operating contexts. The configuration protocol can also control additional operating parameters of FSD 104, including but not limited to PRR, carrier frequency, and TDM ordering between two or more FSDs operating in TDM mode simultaneously, where the configuration protocol changes and customizes these operating parameters for different operations.

[0044] In particular, different operating contexts can interpret different numbers of FSDs 104 being activated and applied to mother 108 to monitor corresponding numbers of fetuses. Different operating contexts can also interpret the respective anatomical positions of the fetuses within mother's uterus 106 relative to the corresponding FSDs in FSD 104 in terms of their positions on the outer body of the mother (i.e., the respective depths of the fetuses within uterus 106 or the distances between the corresponding FSDs 104 and the respective fetal hearts to which they are coupled). In some embodiments, different operating contexts can also interpret other context parameters, such as but not limited to: the expected duration of the fetal monitoring session (e.g., a relatively short duration applied to an examination session, a relatively long duration applied to continuous monitoring during childbirth, etc.), the power / battery level of the respective FSDs, the measured crosstalk, the measured signal quality, the measured sensitivity, etc.).

[0045] To this end, the configuration protocol employed by the FMS100 can define and / or control the optimal operating parameters (e.g., operating mode (with FDM mode or TDM mode), PRR, operating frequency, and optionally other parameters) for different operating contexts of the FMS in a manner that achieves one or more defined optimization criteria in different operating contexts. The one or more defined optimization criteria are selected from the group consisting of: minimizing the power consumption by the respective FSD 104, minimizing crosstalk between the respective FSDs (e.g., in scenarios involving simultaneous use of two or more FSDs), and achieving a necessary depth coverage. To facilitate this purpose, the FMS100 can determine and monitor the operating context of the FMS100 and configure the operating parameters of the respective FSD 104 based on the configuration protocol. The FMS100 can also dynamically reconfigure the operating parameters of the FSD 104 during a monitoring session based on a change in the operating context (e.g., based on the addition and / or removal of FSDs, based on a change in the position of the monitored fetal heart, based on a change in the power / battery level of the FSD 104, based on a change in sensitivity, a change in the measurement of crosstalk / interference, a change in the measurement of signal quality, etc.).

[0046] In various embodiments, to optimize depth coverage, the configuration protocol can control the PRR of the respective FSD 104 to be set to a low value, preferably about 3.0 kHz or less, regardless of whether the FSD 104 is operating in TDM or FDM and regardless of the number of FSDs activated for simultaneously monitoring the corresponding number of fetuses of the same mother. As described above, PRR refers to the number of ultrasound pulses transmitted per defined time period, or more specifically, the repetition rate of the Tx period and the Rx period. An additional benefit of operating at a lower PRR is a reduction in power consumption, which is possible because the number of Tx transmission instances is reduced within a given time period. This is more beneficial for extending the battery life of the FSD 104 in embodiments where the FSD 104 is wirelessly coupled to the monitoring device 102 (and / or powered by an on-board battery rather than receiving power from a wired power source) and in operating contexts involving continuous monitoring over an extended period of time (e.g., during childbirth or another continuous monitoring scenario), where the battery life indicates the total duration of possible continuous monitoring between FSD changes or battery charging.

[0047] At this point, Figure 2 A chart 200 is presented showing the execution of an example FSD 104 operating in FDM mode at a PRR of 4.0 kilohertz kHz every 250 μs in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. Figure 3 A chart 300 is presented showing the execution of an FSD104 operating in FDM mode at a PRR of 2.0 kHz every 500 μs in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

[0048] Reference Figures 1 to 3 , as shown in Graph 200 and Graph 300, in Doppler ultrasound-based fetal monitoring, the ultrasound transducer of the FSD 104 operates in a cyclic manner, with each defined time period having a repeating duty cycle (e.g., every 250 μs at a PRR of 4.0 kHz with respect to Graph 200, and every 500 μs at a PRR of 2.0 kHz with respect to Graph 300). Each duty cycle involves a transmit (Tx) period, followed by a quiescent period, followed by a receive (Rx) period, and a blank period. During the transmit period, the transducer emits ultrasonic waves in a pulsed manner, which travel into the body towards the target fetal heart. When the emitted ultrasonic waves encounter tissue in the body, they are reflected back to the transducer. Each pulse takes x amount of time to reach the target fetal heart, and the speed of the ultrasonic pulse defines the depth at which the target tissue can be detected. Graph 200 and Graph 300 represent the progression (depth vs. time) of the Tx wave. The horizontal line represents the depth at which potential reflections from tissue and heart movement may occur. Then, the endpoints of the parabolic curve represent the time at which the corresponding reflections return to the ultrasound transducer.

[0049] At this point, the ultrasound transducer can only measure the FHR based on those signals that bounce back and are received during the receive period. As shown in Graph 200 and Graph 300, many pulse waves are not received during the immediate receive period following the transmit period because some pulse waves are reflected back by other tissues in the body other than the target fetal heart and are reflected back during the dead period (e.g., the waiting period when the transducer device is not transmitting or receiving). Additionally, as shown in Graph 200, after the receive period has passed (e.g., during the blank period, another waiting period when the transducer is not transmitting or receiving, or during the next transmit period), some ultrasonic waves that have traveled deeper into the body are reflected back towards the transducer and reach the transducer. For example, as shown in Graph 200, those ultrasonic waves that reach depths between approximately 16 cm and 22 cm are reflected back to the transducer after the immediate receive period has ended, creating a blind zone 202 in the coverage between those depths when the PRR is 4.0 kHz.

[0050] At this point, as the distance between the transducer and the target tissue increases, the duration required for the ultrasonic wave to reach the target tissue and be reflected back to the transducer also increases. Therefore, if the reception window is shorter than this duration, some of the ultrasonic waves in the ultrasonic waves reflected from the target tissue may not be detected by the transducer. As shown by the comparison of Graph 200 and Graph 300, as the PRR decreases (for example, from 4.0 kHz in Graph 200 to 2.0 kHz in Graph 300), the allowable time of the reception window increases, enabling the transducer to detect the reflected ultrasonic waves at greater depths. For example, as shown in Graph 300, the longer reception window created based on the lower PRR of 2.0 kHz allows sensing through the entire depth from approximately 3.0 cm to approximately 29 cm, thus eliminating the blind zone 202 established at the higher PRR of 4.0 kHz.

[0051] However, for the coexistence of only n transducers of the FDM on a single mother, the PRR must be at least nkHz. Thus, for monitoring triplets (n = 3) of the mother, the PRR can be a minimum of 3.0 kHz for FDM. In particular, when each FSD in the FSDs operates in the FDM mode, in order to avoid the occurrence of crosstalk and interference between the signals of two or more FSDs 104, different carrier frequencies must be reasonably separated, and the difference between any two carrier frequencies is not a multiple of the PRR. In an example with three FSDs operating in the FDM mode, assume that the three carrier frequencies are set to be separated by 11 kHz, so the difference between any two transducer carrier frequencies is 11 kHz or 22 kHz. In this example, the PRR is restricted to 3.0 kHz or higher to avoid crosstalk. In the case of triplets or a higher number of fetuses, it is more likely that one or more fetuses are located deeper below the abdominal surface; thus, a greater depth coverage would be beneficial and is more easily achievable if the PRR is less than 3.0 kHz. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the carrier frequencies of the corresponding FSDs 104 are restricted to low or narrowband frequencies, preferably less than 5.0 megahertz (MHz), more preferably less than 4.0 MHz, more preferably less than 3.0 MHz, and even more preferably less than 2.0 MHz. For example, in some specific implementations, the configuration protocol can restrict the carrier frequencies that the corresponding FSDs 104 can operate using to a frequency range between approximately 1.0 MHz and approximately 2.0 MHz. Thus, the restricted frequency range limits the ability to reasonably separate the different frequencies of multiple FSDs, which is further constrained by the limitation that the difference between any two different carrier frequencies is not a multiple of the PRR. Due to the specific advantages of narrowband transducers in capturing and analyzing Doppler signals, they are often used in Doppler ultrasound for FHR monitoring. For example, narrowband transducers within a specific frequency range (e.g., approximately 1.0 MHz to approximately 5.0 MHz) allow for a more focused detection of the relevant Doppler signals. This can result in a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), thereby enhancing the accuracy of fetal heart rate measurement.

[0052] In one or more embodiments, in order to utilize a PRR of less than 3.0 kHz for all three FSDs 104 (as applied to monitoring triplets), while also minimizing crosstalk and using narrowband frequencies (e.g., preferably less than 5.0 MHz, more preferably less than 4.0 MHz, more preferably less than 3.0 MHz and even more preferably less than 2.0 MHz), the configuration protocol of the FMS 100 may define a hybrid configuration for this operating context, where two of the FSDs may be configured to operate in TDM mode at a first frequency (F1), and the third FSD may be configured to operate in FDM mode at a second frequency (F2) different from the first frequency, where the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is not a multiple of the PRR. By using this configuration where the first two FSDs 104 operate in TDM mode at a first frequency (F1) and the third FSD 104 operates in FDM mode at a second frequency (F2), signal confusion can be avoided. At the same time, since all three FSDs can be configured to operate with a PRR of less than 3.0 kHz, power consumption is reduced due to the need for fewer transmission instances and thus reduced transmission power, while also increasing the depth of coverage due to the longer receive window provided by the low PRR (less than 3.0 kHz) of the third FSD 104. Thus, the combination of TDM and FDM helps to overcome the limitations described for each method.

[0053] As described above, the specific operating mode (e.g., TDM or FDM), PRR, and carrier frequency of the FSD 104 can be configured to be customized for different operating environments of the FMS100 and configured according to a configuration protocol that changes and customizes these operating parameters for different operating contexts in a manner that results in: minimizing the power consumption by the respective fetal sensor devices in the fetal sensor device, minimizing the crosstalk between the respective fetal sensor devices in the fetal sensor device, and / or achieving the necessary depth coverage at a constrained narrowband frequency range (e.g., preferably less than 5.0 MHz, more preferably less than 4.0 MHz, more preferably less than 3.0 MHz and even more preferably less than 2.0 MHz) defined for the respective FSD and under the constraint that different carrier frequencies must be reasonably separated and the difference between any two carrier frequencies is not a multiple of the PRR. In some embodiments, the configuration protocol can define different optimal operating configurations for the FSD operating parameters (e.g., the respective operating mode (TDM or FDM), the respective carrier frequency, and the respective PRR) under different defined operating contexts (e.g., where different defined operating contexts account for the different number of FSDs used, the respective depths of the corresponding fetuses, and other context factors discussed herein). In some specific implementations of these embodiments, the FMS100 can determine the current operating context of the FMS and configure the respective FSD 104 according to the specific operating parameters defined for the corresponding operating context.

[0054] Additionally or alternatively, the configuration protocol can employ one or more defined optimization functions that can be used to determine the optimal operating parameters for the FSD in the current operating context, where the one or more defined optimization functions account for different values of context parameters (e.g., the number of active FSDs, the corresponding fetal depths, and other context factors disclosed herein), the optimization criteria defined above (e.g., minimizing crosstalk, minimizing power consumption, and achieving the necessary depth coverage), and the constraints defined above (e.g., the narrowband frequency range constraint and the constraint that different frequencies must be reasonably separated and the difference between them is not a multiple of the PRR). Still in other embodiments, the optimization protocol can employ a combination of two predefined optimal operating configurations for different operating contexts and allow further customization or adjustment (e.g., reconfiguration) of the operating parameters of the FSD 104 relative to the defined optimal operating configuration based on monitoring feedback regarding the depth of the fetus being monitored, the sensitivity of the respective FSD, the power / battery level of the respective FSD, the signal quality, and other context variables, according to one or more optimization functions.

[0055] To this end, the specific operating parameters of each active FSD 104 will vary based on the number of FSDs utilized and the corresponding number of fetuses being monitored, the depth of the respective fetuses, and optionally other contextual factors of the FMS 100. The FMS 100 can also dynamically reconfigure the specific operating parameters of the respective FSDs during a monitoring session based on changes to the operating context during the monitoring session. For example, the FMS can intelligently switch the operating mode of the FSD 104 between the FDM mode and the TDM mode based on adding or removing one or more FSDs during the course of a monitoring session, based on new information regarding the respective depth of one or more fetuses (e.g., in a particular implementation for determining and tracking depth), based on a change in the position of one or more fetuses, and based on monitoring indications of sensitivity, crosstalk, and other potential contextual factors.

[0056] According to some embodiments of the disclosed technology, at least one of the optimal operating configurations defined and / or controlled by a configuration protocol can include a hybrid configuration, wherein based on the number of active FSDs being greater than one (e.g., as applied to monitoring twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.), the FMS 100 configures at least one of the FSDs 104 to operate using the FDM mode and configures at least a second one of the FSDs 104 to operate using the TDM mode. In other embodiments, at least one of the optimal operating configurations defined and / or controlled by a configuration protocol can include another hybrid configuration, wherein based on the number of active FSDs being greater than two (e.g., as applied to monitoring twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.), the FMS 100 configures at least one of the FSDs 104 to operate using the FDM mode and configures at least a second one of the FSDs to operate using the TDM mode.

[0057] Figure 4 Some example operating parameter configurations defined by an optimization protocol that can be adopted by the FMS 100 for different FMS operating contexts are presented in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. Given Figures 1 to 3 Reference Figure 4 , Figure 4 shows four example operating parameter configurations corresponding to a single configuration 401 (e.g., for monitoring a single fetus within the uterus 106), a twin configuration 402 (e.g., for simultaneously monitoring two fetuses within the uterus 106), a triplet configuration 403 (e.g., for simultaneously monitoring three fetuses within the uterus 106), and a quadruplet configuration 404 (e.g., for simultaneously monitoring four fetuses within the uterus 106). As Figure 4As shown, the FSDs 104 are respectively labeled as T1, T2, T3, and T4 (where the letter "T" is used to refer to the corresponding ultrasonic transducers of the FSD 104). For this purpose, each FSD is used to monitor one or more fetal parameters of a single fetus represented by a heart symbol within the uterus 106 (e.g., one FSD 104 per fetus).

[0058] In one or more embodiments, when applied to a single configuration 401, the configuration protocol may direct the FMS 100 to configure a single FSD (e.g., corresponding to T1) to operate in the FDM mode at a first frequency F1. Using these embodiments, the first frequency F1 may vary under control within the defined narrowband frequency constraints of the configuration protocol (e.g., preferably between about 1.0 MHz and 3.0 MHz). Continuing to use the single configuration 401, in some specific implementations, this single configuration may also set the PRR of the FSD to a low PRR (e.g., about 3.0 kHz or less), thereby minimizing power consumption while also providing high depth coverage. However, in other specific implementations, the configuration protocol may direct the FMS 100 to increase or decrease the PRR based on the relative position or depth of the fetus and optionally other contextual factors, as determined during the monitoring session. For example, in specific implementations where the depth or distance between the fetal heart and the transducer (T1) is less than a threshold distance (e.g., about 16 cm or less), the configuration protocol may direct the FMS to configure the FSD with a higher PRR (e.g., 3 kHz, 4 kHz, etc.), which provides the necessary depth coverage within the threshold distance. Using these specific implementations, the FSD 104 and / or the monitoring device 102 may use various techniques to determine and track the depth of the fetal heart. In another example, in a scenario where the increased power consumption attributed to the higher PRR is not a problem, the configuration protocol may also direct the FMS to configure a single FSD with a higher PRR (e.g., greater than a threshold PRR value, such as 2.0 kHz). For example, in a scenario where the capacity of the battery of the FSD is sufficient for the transducer device to operate throughout the duration of the monitoring session, which may vary according to the context of the monitoring session (e.g., a shorter duration for examination versus a longer duration for delivery), the FMS 100 may configure a single FSD with a higher PRR. This is also possible for a wired FSD, in which the power comes from a wired power source, so the power consumption issue is invalid.

[0059] In one or more embodiments, when applied to the twin configuration 402, each of the two FSDs (e.g., corresponding to T1 and T2) can be configured to operate in the FDM mode, where the first FSD (e.g., T1) is at a first frequency (F1) and the second FSD (e.g., T2) is at a second frequency (F2) different from the first frequency. With these embodiments, in order to minimize or prevent crosstalk between the corresponding FSDs, the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency must be reasonably separated, and the difference between them is not a multiple of the PRR (as defined by the constraints of the configuration protocol). In various embodiments, the first carrier frequency (F1) and the second carrier frequency (F2) can be set to different frequencies within the defined narrowband frequency constraints of the configuration protocol (e.g., preferably between about 1.0 MHz and 3.0 MHz), and such that the frequency difference between them is not a multiple of the PRR. In some specific implementations of the twin configuration 402, both the first FSD and the second FSD (e.g., T1 and T2) can be configured to operate at a low PRR (e.g., less than about 3.0 kHz), thereby minimizing power consumption while also providing high depth coverage (e.g., up to about 29 cm). However, in other specific implementations, the PRR of each FSD can be increased (or decreased) based on the relative position of the corresponding fetus to which they are coupled and other potential context parameters of the monitoring session, as described above for the single configuration.

[0060] In one or more embodiments, when applied to a triplet configuration 403 in which three FSDs 104 are used, the configuration protocol may direct the FMS 100 to configure two of the FSDs in the FSDs (e.g., T1 and T2) to operate in TDM mode at a first frequency (F1), and configure the third FSD (e.g., T3) to operate in FDM mode at a second frequency (F2) (i.e., an exemplary hybrid configuration). For the first and second FSDs operating in TDM mode, the time series of the respective FSDs may be synchronized with each other such that their respective signals are distinguishable from each other in the time domain. For example, the start times of the Tx periods of the first and second transducers operating in TDM may be offset in time relative to each other. With these embodiments, although three different FSDs are used simultaneously, only two different carrier frequencies are used, and thus, subject to the constraint that the difference between the two different frequencies (F1) and (F2) must not be a multiple of the PRR, the PRR of all three FSDs may be set to a value less than 3.0 kHz, thus achieving better depth coverage while also enabling the different frequencies to be narrowband frequencies within a defined low-frequency range (e.g., between 1.0 MHz and about 3.0 MHz). For example, in some specific implementations of the triplet configuration 403, all three FSDs may be configured to operate with a PRR of 2.0 kHz, thereby minimizing power consumption while also providing high depth coverage (e.g., up to about 29 cm). With these embodiments, one FSD operating in FDM mode will have a higher depth coverage relative to the two FSDs operating in TDM mode and will not have any blind spots. Thus, in some specific implementations, in FDM mode, the FMS 100 may dynamically configure the FSD focused on the deepest fetal heart among the three fetal hearts.

[0061] However, in other specific implementations, the PRR of each of the three FSDs can be increased (or decreased) based on the relative position of the corresponding fetus and the context of the monitoring session, as described above for a single configuration. In some embodiments of the hybrid configuration, a particular one of the three FSDs configured in FDM mode can correspond to the FSD applied to monitor one of the three fetuses positioned at the greatest depth from the abdominal surface. For example, in some embodiments, after initiating a monitoring session for a triplet scenario, the FMS100 can initially configure any two of the FSDs in the FSD 104 to operate in TDM mode at a first frequency (F1), and configure the third FSD to operate in FDM mode at a second frequency (F2). Based on the feedback received and / or determined during the monitoring session indicating the relative distance of each fetus to each FSD, the FMS100 can thereafter reconfigure the operating mode of the corresponding FSD as needed, such that the FSD that picks up the fetal heart rate at the greatest distance is configured in FDM mode at the second frequency F2.

[0062] In this regard, in some embodiments of tracking the depth of the fetal heart, the FMS100 can dynamically reconfigure the FSD 104 to operate in TDM mode or FDM mode, dynamically reconfigure the PRR of the FSD, and / or dynamically reconfigure the operating frequency of the FSD. For example, in some specific implementations, when applied to a triplet scenario, based on the depth of the corresponding fetal heart being less than a threshold depth, the operating protocol can direct the FMS100 to switch to a pure FDM configuration, where all three FSDs use FDM operation at a PRR of 3.0 kHz or higher. For example, in a triplet scenario, if all three fetal hearts are at a medium depth (e.g., less than about 16 cm), each of the transducers in the transducer can move to a PRR of 3.0 kHz and a pure FDM configuration, where three different carrier frequencies are separated from each other respectively, and the difference between any two carrier frequencies is not a multiple of the PRR. On the other hand, if two of the fetal hearts are closer to the surface and one fetal heart is deep, the three FSDs can move to the hybrid TDM / FDM configuration shown in the exemplary triplet configuration 403.

[0063] In one or more embodiments, when applied to a quadruplet configuration 404, the configuration protocol may direct the FMS to configure all four FSDs (e.g., T1, T2, T3, and T4) to operate in TDM mode, where two of the FSDs (e.g., T1 and T2) operate at a first frequency (F1) and the other two FSDs (e.g., T3 and T4) operate at a second frequency (F2). With these embodiments, the PRR can be set to less than 3.0 kHz (e.g., preferably about 2.0 kHz), allowing for optimal depth coverage while also configuring the first and second frequencies subject to the constraint that the difference between the two frequencies is not a multiple of the PRR and within a defined narrowband frequency range (e.g., between about 1.0 MHz and about 3.0 MHz). Since two different frequencies are used during time domain multiplexing, crosstalk can be avoided. In this case, since each of the four FSDs is in TDM mode, there will be blind spots in the depth coverage. This is because in TDM mode, the Rx period is limited to the immediate Rx. For example, each of the FSDs operating at the same frequency (e.g., T1 and T2, or T3 and T4) will each perform a round of Tx and Rx independently in time (e.g., corresponding to Tx1 to Rx1 and Tx2 to Rx2), where one of the FSDs cannot receive during Rx2, thus reducing the depth. In some embodiments, the configuration protocol may include another full TDM mode configuration applicable to simultaneously monitoring five fetuses or six fetuses. In such a scenario, the fifth FSD and / or the sixth FSD may be configured to operate in TDM mode at a third carrier frequency (F3), where the three different carrier frequencies are reasonably separated and the difference between any two of the three different carrier frequencies is not a multiple of the PRR.

[0064] It should be noted that the configuration protocol employed by the FMS100 is not limited to Figure 4 the different example configurations shown. In this regard, various alternative configurations are envisioned, where the corresponding operating mode (e.g., TDM or FDM), PRR, and frequency of each FSD 104 can vary and include different combinations of these parameters, which are customized to account for the number of fetuses being monitored, the depth of the fetuses, the power requirements of the monitoring session, and other contextual factors that may change during the course of the monitoring session.

[0065] In some embodiments, the monitoring device 102 may determine and configure the operating parameters of the corresponding FSD 104 customized for the current operating context of the FMS system 100 (e.g., operating mode (TDM or FDM), PRR, carrier frequency, TDM sorting, etc.). For example, the monitoring device 102 may determine context information regarding the current operating context of the FMS 100 (e.g., the number of FSDs activated and applied to the mother, the relative position / depth of the corresponding fetuses being tracked, and other context parameters disclosed herein). The monitoring device 102 may also determine the optimal operating parameters for the corresponding FSDs based on the context information and configuration protocol described herein. The monitoring device 102 may also send (e.g., wirelessly and / or via a wired communication line) configuration commands to the corresponding FSD 104 that identify or indicate the corresponding operating parameters of the FSD 104 and direct the corresponding FSD 104 to operate according to their corresponding operating parameters. With these embodiments, based on the receipt of the configuration commands, the FSD 104 may be configured to apply the received operating parameters.

[0066] Additionally or alternatively, each FSD in the FSD 104 may intelligently configure their corresponding operating parameters (e.g., operating mode (FDM or TDM), PRR, signal frequency, etc.) according to the configuration protocol described herein based on the context information regarding the current operating context of the FMS100. For example, in some specific implementations, the FSD 104 itself may determine the context information itself and is respectively configured to apply the configuration protocol described herein in association with determining the optimal operating parameters for the current operating context and configuring themselves accordingly (e.g., the configuration protocol may be defined in the memory of the corresponding FSD 104). Additionally or alternatively, the monitoring device 102 may determine some or all of the context information, transmit the context information to the corresponding FSD 104, and the FSD 104 is configured to respectively apply the configuration protocol described herein in association with determining the optimal operating parameters for the current operating context and configuring themselves accordingly (e.g., the configuration protocol may be defined in the memory of the corresponding FSD 104). Still in other embodiments, some or all of the context information and / or optimal determined operating parameters for the current operating context may be determined by the monitoring device 102 and / or the FSD 104 itself and communicated between the FSD 104s in a peer-to-peer manner.

[0067] Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting monitoring device 500 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter is shown. Referring to Figures 1 to 5, in various embodiments, the monitoring device 500 may include or correspond to the monitoring device 102 of the FMS 100. The monitoring device 500 may include or correspond to any suitable computing device that can perform the operations described with reference to the monitoring device 102 and Figures 1 to 4 the additional figures described herein. For example, the monitoring device 500 may include or correspond to one or more computing devices, machines, virtual machines, computer-executable components, data repositories, etc., that can be communicatively coupled to each other directly or via one or more wired or wireless communication frameworks.

[0068] To this end, the monitoring device 500 may include at least one memory 516 and at least one processing unit 518. The at least one memory 516 stores machine-executable or computer-executable components or instructions embodied in one or more machines (e.g., embodied in one or more computer-readable storage media associated with one or more machines), and the at least one processing unit 518 executes the computer-executable components stored in the at least one memory 516. These computer-executable components or instructions may include (but are not limited to) a main context component 502, a main configuration component 504, a main configuration protocol 506, a main signal processing component 508, a rendering component 510, and a configuration optimization function 512. Examples of the aforementioned memory, processing unit, and other suitable computer or computing-based elements can be found in Figure 11 (e.g., the processing unit 1104 and the system memory 1106, respectively), and may be used in combination with one or more of the systems or components shown and described in connection with Figure 11 or other figures disclosed herein.

[0069] The monitoring device 500 may also include one or more input / output devices 520 to facilitate receiving user input and presenting data to the user in connection with the use of the FMS 100 (e.g., via the rendering component 510). In various embodiments, the input / output device 520 may include a display monitor through which the monitoring device 500 presents (e.g., via the rendering component 510) processed ultrasound signal data measured by the active FSD 104 during a fetal monitoring session, which indicates one or more fetal parameters of the corresponding fetus being monitored (e.g., FHR data, fetal movement data, and / or fetal position / depth data). For example, during a fetal monitoring session, the monitoring device 500 may present visual data (e.g., via the display monitor) that represents in real time the heart rate of the corresponding fetus being monitored (e.g., displayed as beats per minute), visual data that represents one or more measurements of fetal movement in real time, visual data that indicates in real time the corresponding depth / position of the tracked fetal heart, and so on. In another example, the monitoring device 500 may also display visual data that represents the pattern of the fetal heart tracked over time.

[0070] In some embodiments, processed ultrasound signal data may be received from the corresponding FSD 104 (e.g., the FSD may be configured to perform signal processing of Doppler-shifted ultrasound signals to determine / calculate fetal parameters using corresponding algorithms and send the fetal parameters to the monitoring device 500). Additionally or alternatively, the FSD 104 may be configured to send raw ultrasound signal data or partially processed ultrasound signal data (e.g., demodulation, demultiplexing, amplification, digitization, etc.) to the monitoring device 500, and the monitoring device 500 may be configured to perform signal processing of the raw Doppler-shifted ultrasound signals or partially processed Doppler-shifted ultrasound signals (e.g., via the main signal processing component 508) to determine / calculate one or more fetal parameters using corresponding algorithms. For example, the main signal processing component 508 may track the corresponding operating parameters of each FSD in the FSD 104 and calculate the corresponding fetal parameters based on the raw Doppler-shifted signals or partially processed Doppler-shifted signals accordingly. The input / output device may also include a speaker through which the rendering component 510 may render Doppler audio representing one or more fetal parameters during the monitoring session (also affected by crosstalk, depth, etc.). Reference Figure 11 Suitable examples of the input / output device 514 are described (e.g., the input device 1128 and the output device 1136).

[0071] The information presented via the monitoring device 500 (e.g., via the rendering component 510 and one or more suitable output devices) is not limited to data representing the monitored fetal parameters (e.g., FHR, fetal position / depth, and / or fetal movement). In this regard, any information associated with the FSD 104 (e.g., generated, stored, etc. by it) and / or the monitoring device 500 (e.g., generated, stored, etc. by it) may be presented via the monitoring device 500. For example, additional instances of information that may be presented via the monitoring device 500 may include, but are not limited to, any of the context information described herein (e.g., the operating context regarding the FMS), alarms, notifications, and information identifying the configuration settings of the corresponding FSD. For example, in various embodiments, the monitoring device 500 may be configured to detect a problem or potential problem associated with the monitored fetus based on the values of one or more parameters indicating the problem or potential problem. The monitoring device 500 may also generate and present (e.g., via an output device or another connected device) a suitable notification or alarm regarding the detected problem or potential problem.

[0072] The monitoring device 500 may further include a communication component 522, which includes or corresponds to hardware and / or software that implements wired and / or wireless communication between the monitoring device 500 and the FSD 104 using any suitable wired or wireless communication technology. In some specific implementations, the communication component 522 may also use any suitable wired or wireless communication technology to implement wired and / or wireless communication between the monitoring device 500 and other external devices. The monitoring device 500 may further include a system bus 515 that couples the memory 516, the processing unit 518, the input / output device 520, and the communication component 522 to each other.

[0073] In one or more embodiments, the primary context component 502 may determine and / or receive (e.g., from the corresponding FSD 104) context information regarding the operational context of the FMS 100. The primary context component 502 may also regularly or continuously monitor the operational context of the FMS 100 and determine changes or updates to the context information in real time or substantially in real time. As described above, the context information may include (but is not limited to) information identifying the number of FSDs 104 applied to the mother 106 to monitor the activities of the corresponding number of fetuses and information identifying or indicating the respective depths of the corresponding fetuses (i.e., the relative distance between the FSD 104 positioned on the outer body of the mother and the corresponding fetal heart positioned within the uterus 106). The mechanism by which the primary context component 502 determines the number of active FSDs 104 may vary. For example, in some specific implementations, the primary context component 502 may detect when an FSD 104 has been activated for a monitoring session (e.g., turned on and / or entered an active fetal sensing mode) based on receiving an activation signal from the FSD 104 and / or detect when the FSD 104 has been placed on or near the abdomen of the mother 108 based on receiving a corresponding application signal from the FSD 104 (e.g., as determined by the FSD 104 using one or more contact sensors, using one or more proximity sensors, or the like). For example, in some scenarios where the mother has two or more fetuses, the clinical workflow typically involves activating each FSD 104 separately, placing the FSD on the mother's abdomen in association with applying gel, moving the FSD around the mother's abdomen until the FSD 104 picks up the fetal heart of one of the fetuses, and then setting the FSD 104 in that position. Thereafter, another FSD is activated and applied to the mother in the same manner in association with detecting the fetal heart of another fetus, and so on. According to this usage scenario, the primary context component 502 may determine each time an FSD 104 is activated and applied to the same mother based on receiving information from the corresponding FSD 104 indicating its active state.

[0074] Information regarding the corresponding depth of a tracked fetal heart can be determined based on the use of one or more depth detection algorithms that are at least partially based on Doppler shift signals transmitted and received by the ultrasound transducer of the FSD, the operating parameters of the FSD 104, and various other parameters tracked over time (e.g., one or more or multiple measurements of signal quality (e.g., SNR)).

[0075] In some embodiments, the context information may also include other context parameters including, but not limited to, the expected duration of the fetal monitoring session (e.g., a relatively short duration applied to an examination or a relatively long duration applied to continuous monitoring during labor, where information regarding the expected duration may be received via user input by the main monitoring device 500 at the start of the fetal monitoring session) and information identifying the current battery / power level of the corresponding FSD 104 (e.g., in embodiments where they are wireless devices). In some embodiments, the context information may also include one or more performance metrics of the FSD 104 such as, but not limited to, one or more measurements of signal quality, one or more measurements of crosstalk / interface, one or more measurements of sensitivity, and the like. The context information may also include the current operating parameters of the corresponding FSD (e.g., current configuration settings regarding the operating mode (FDM mode or TDM mode), carrier frequency, and PRR).

[0076] In some embodiments, the main configuration component 506 may configure the operating parameters of the corresponding active FSD 104 based on the operating context of the FMS100 (e.g., based on the context information). With these embodiments, the main configuration component 506 may determine the optimal operating parameters (e.g., operating mode (FDM mode or TDM mode), carrier frequency, and PRR) for the corresponding FSD based on the current operating context (e.g., the number of active FSDs 104 and the corresponding number of fetuses, the depth of the fetus, and other context parameters discussed herein) and using the main configuration protocol 506 and / or one or more configuration optimization functions 512. The main configuration component 506 may also send configuration information to the corresponding FSD 104 that identifies the specific operating parameters to be applied by each FSD 104 and instructs them to configure themselves accordingly. To this end, based on receiving the configuration information from the monitoring device 500, the corresponding FSD 104 may be configured to operate according to their assigned operating parameters. In some embodiments, the main configuration component 506 may also reconfigure the operating parameters of one or more of the FSDs 104 during the course of the monitoring session using updated configuration commands based on a change in the operating context (e.g., according to the main configuration protocol 506 and / or using one or more configuration optimization functions 512).

[0077] At this point, as described above, the specific operating mode (e.g., TDM or FDM), PRR, and carrier frequency of the FSD 104 can be configured to be customized for different operating environments of the FMS 100 and configured according to a configuration protocol (e.g., the master configuration protocol 506 and / or the local configuration protocol 606), which changes and customizes these operating parameters for different operating contexts in a manner that results in: minimizing the power consumption by the respective FSDs in the FSD 104, minimizing crosstalk between the respective fetal sensor devices in the fetal sensor device, and / or achieving the necessary depth coverage at a constrained narrowband frequency range (e.g., preferably less than 5.0 MHz, more preferably less than 4.0 MHz, more preferably less than 3.0 MHz and even more preferably less than 2.0 MHz) defined for the respective FSDs and under the constraint that different carrier frequencies (e.g., when two or more carrier frequencies are used) must be reasonably separated and the difference between any two carrier frequencies is not a multiple of the PRR.

[0078] In some embodiments, the master configuration protocol 606 can define different optimal operating configurations for the FSD operating parameters (e.g., the respective operating mode (TDM or FDM), the respective carrier frequency or frequency range, and the respective PRR) in different defined operating contexts (e.g., where different operating contexts account for the different number of FSDs used, the respective depths of the corresponding fetuses, and other contextual factors discussed herein). With these embodiments, the different defined optimal operating configurations can account for different operating contexts, optimization criteria, and the constraints described above. For example, in some specific implementations, the different optimal operating configurations can include and / or correspond to Figure 4 shown and referenced Figure 4 in the example configurations described. The master configuration protocol 606 can also include or define Figure 4Context - dependent variants of the optimal configuration shown. Additionally or alternatively, the primary configuration component 504 may employ one or more configuration optimization functions 512 that can be used to determine optimal operating parameters for FSD in the current operating context, where the one or more defined optimization functions account for different values of context parameters (e.g., the number of active transducers, fetal depth, etc.), the above - defined optimization criteria (e.g., minimizing crosstalk, minimizing power consumption, and achieving necessary depth coverage), and the above - defined constraints (e.g., narrow - band frequency range constraints, and the constraint that different frequencies must be reasonably separated and not multiples of the PRR). Still in other embodiments, the primary configuration component 504 may employ a combination of two predefined optimal operating configurations for different operating contexts and allow further customization or adjustment (e.g., re - configuration) of the operating parameters of the FSD relative to the defined optimal operating configurations based on monitoring feedback regarding the depth of the fetus being monitored, the sensitivity of the corresponding FSD, the power / battery level of the corresponding FSD, signal quality, and other variables, according to one or more optimization functions.

[0079] In this regard, it should be understood that the optimal configuration parameters can be different from the configuration shown in Figure 4 and are dynamically determined and adjusted by the primary configuration component 504 (and / or the corresponding local configuration component (e.g., local configuration component 604) executed by the corresponding FSD 104) according to the number of fetuses being monitored, the relative depth of the fetuses, the power requirements of the monitoring session (e.g., where a longer session is equivalent to a higher power requirement), and other context parameters discussed herein, and subject to at least the following constraints: when using different carrier frequencies, the difference between the corresponding carrier frequencies cannot be a multiple of the PRR, within the defined narrow - band carrier frequency range for the FSD (e.g., preferably less than 5.0 MHz, more preferably less than 4.0 MHz, more preferably less than 3.0 MHz, and even more preferably less than 2.0 MHz), and subject to the constraint that the depth coverage enabled by the selected PRR is sufficient to enable detection of the target heart (e.g., depending on the depth or distance of the heart relative to the corresponding transducer device). In some specific implementations of these embodiments, the primary configuration component 506 may be configured to initially apply based on the number of active transducers Figure 4The corresponding configuration shown (e.g., as a default configuration). Thereafter, the main configuration component 506 can adjust the operating parameters of the corresponding FSD based on the main configuration protocol 506 and / or one or more configuration optimization functions 512 according to the depth of the fetal heart being tracked. To this end, when two or more transducers are used to simultaneously monitor two or more fetuses, the optimal operating parameters (e.g., individual and corresponding combinations of operating mode, PRR, and carrier frequency) can be customized to minimize or prevent crosstalk and interference, provide the necessary depth sensing (preferably when the transducer device is positioned on the surface of the mother's abdomen rather than on the mother's back), and minimize power consumption.

[0080] According to some embodiments of the disclosed technology, at least one of the optimal operating configurations defined and / or controlled by the main configuration protocol 506 and / or one or more configuration optimization functions 512 can include a hybrid configuration, wherein based on the number of active FSDs being greater than one (e.g., when applied to monitoring twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.), the main configuration component 100 configures at least one of the FSDs 104 to operate using the FDM mode and configures at least a second one of the FSDs 104 to operate using the TDM mode. In other embodiments, at least one of the optimal operating configurations defined and / or controlled by the main configuration protocol 506 can include another hybrid configuration, wherein based on the number of active FSDs being greater than two (e.g., as applied to monitoring twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.), the main configuration component 100 configures at least one of the FSDs 104 to operate using the FDM mode and configures at least a second one of the FSDs to operate using the TDM mode.

[0081] Figure 6 A block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting FSD 600 according to one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter is shown. Referring to Figures 1 to 6 , in various embodiments, each of the FSDs 104 can include or correspond to the FSD 600 (or vice versa). For the sake of brevity, repeated descriptions of similar elements employed in the corresponding embodiments are omitted.

[0082] As referenced in Figure 1As mentioned, the FSD 600 may include or correspond to a low-power FSD configured to continuously measure information identifying or indicating one or more fetal parameters (e.g., FHR, fetal movement, fetal depth) and other information (e.g., context information) data using Doppler-based ultrasound technology and provide it to the monitoring device 102. To this end, the FSD 600 may include an ultrasound transducer 618 that generates and transmits acoustic pulses directed at the fetus located within the uterus 106 in association with the placement of the FSD on the external body of the mother 108. The ultrasound transducer 618 also receives any reflected Doppler-shifted signals from the fetus. The operating parameters of the ultrasound transducer 618, including (but not limited to) the operating mode (e.g., TDM or FDM), PRR, and carrier frequency, are further configurable. In some embodiments, the FSD 600 may send the received raw Doppler-shifted signals (e.g., via the communication component 620) to the monitoring device 102 for signal processing (e.g., via the main signal processing component 508) to determine the corresponding fetal parameters (e.g., fetal heart rate, fetal movement, and / or depth). In other embodiments, the FSD 600 may perform signal processing on the Doppler-shifted signals (e.g., via the local signal processing component 608). For example, the local signal processing component 608 may demodulate and condition the data, amplify the data, digitize the data, and / or process the raw signal to determine one or more fetal parameters. With these embodiments, the FSD 600 may send the locally determined fetal parameters to the monitoring device 102.

[0083] In this regard, in one or more embodiments, the FSD 600 may include at least one memory 612 and at least one processing unit 614, where the at least one memory 612 stores machine-executable or computer-executable components or instructions embodied in one or more machines (e.g., embodied in one or more computer-readable storage media associated with one or more machines), and the at least one processing unit 614 executes the computer-executable components stored in the at least one memory 612. These computer-executable components may include (but not limited to) a local context component 602, a local configuration component 604, a local configuration protocol 606, a local signal processing component 608, and one or more configuration optimization functions 616. Examples of the aforementioned memory and processor and other suitable computer or computing-based elements may be referred to Figure 11 and found (e.g., the processing unit 1104 and the system memory 1106, respectively), and may be used in combination with one or more of the systems or components shown and described in conjunction with Figure 11 or other figures disclosed herein.

[0084] In various embodiments, the machine-executable or computer-executable components of the FSD 600 may perform the same or similar operations as described with respect to the corresponding components associated with the monitoring device 500. For example, the local context component 602 may perform the same or similar operations as described with respect to the primary context component 502, the local configuration component 604 may perform the same or similar operations as described with respect to the primary configuration component 504, the local configuration protocol 606 and / or the optimization function 610 may define and / or control the optimal operating parameters for the ultrasound transducer 618 based on the information described with respect to the primary configuration protocol 506 and one or more optimization functions 512, and the local signal processing component 608 may perform the same or similar operations as described with respect to the primary signal processing component 508. For example, in some embodiments, the local context component 602 may determine and monitor the operating context (e.g., operating context information) of the FMS 100, and the local configuration component 604 may configure the operating parameters of the FSD 600 (e.g., and / or more specifically, the operating parameters of the ultrasound transducer 618) accordingly based on the local configuration protocol 606 and / or one or more configuration optimization functions 610. To this end, for the sake of brevity, the repeated description of the same or similar functions of the individual components is omitted.

[0085] In this regard, in some embodiments, the FSD 600 may intelligently configure its operating parameters without instructions from the monitoring device 500. In some specific implementations of these embodiments in which two or more FSDs 104 are actively used to simultaneously monitor a corresponding number of fetuses of the same mother, the corresponding FSDs (e.g., corresponding to the FSD 600) may communicate with each other (e.g., in a peer-to-peer manner) in association with coordinating and configuring their respective operating parameters based on the operating context of the FMS 100. For example, in some specific implementations, the first activated FSD may operate as a primary controller in the manner described with reference to the monitoring device and accordingly determine and / or control the operating parameters of itself and one or more other FSDs among the FSDs. Other variations involving combinations of communications of context information and operating parameter configurations between the corresponding FSDs 104 and / or the monitoring device 102 are also contemplated.

[0086] In some specific implementations, the FSD 600 may include one or more input / output devices 616 to facilitate manual configuration of the device and display data (e.g., configuration settings, battery level, processed FHR data, etc.) to the user in association with the use of the FMS 100. Refer to Figure 11Suitable examples of input / output devices 616 are described (e.g., input device 1128 and output device 1136). FSD 600 may also include a communication component 620, which includes or corresponds to hardware and / or software enabling wired and / or wireless communication between FSD 600 and a monitoring device (e.g., monitoring device 102 or monitoring device 500), and optionally enabling wired and / or wireless communication between FSD 600 and other FSDs activated for a monitoring session. In some embodiments (e.g., where FSD 600 corresponds to a wireless device), FSD 600 may also include a power supply component 620 corresponding to any suitable on-board power supply (e.g., a rechargeable battery or another suitable power supply). FSD 600 may also include a system bus 628 coupling the memory 612, the processing unit 614, the input / output device 616, the ultrasonic transducer 618, the communication component 620, and the power supply component 622 to each other.

[0087] Referring to machine / computer-executable components, in some embodiments, the monitoring component 602 may perform the same or similar operations as the main monitoring component 502, but still at a local level applied to FHR data measured and / or determined for the specific fetus being monitored by the transducer. Similarly, the signal processing component 604 may perform the same or similar operations as the main signal processing component 504, but still at a local level applied to FHR data measured and / or determined for the specific fetus being monitored by the transducer.

[0088] Figure 7 FIG. shows a block diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting computer-implemented method 700 of an FMS (e.g., FMS100) using a configuration protocol according to one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, the configuration protocol changing the respective operation modes of the various FSDs of the FSD in different operation contexts.

[0089] Method 700 includes, at 702, determining (e.g., via main context component 502 and / or local context component 602) by an FMS (e.g., FMS 100) including at least one processor, one or more FSD (e.g., one or more FSDs 104 and / or one or more FSDs 600) context information regarding an operating context of the FMS, the context information including a number of FSDs (e.g., FSD 104 / 600) that are activated to monitor a corresponding number of fetuses of a single mother in association with positioning the FSDs on an external body of the single mother, where the FSDs each include an ultrasonic transducer (e.g., ultrasonic transducer 618) configured to measure signals representing one or more fetal parameters of a single fetus using Doppler-based ultrasonic technology, and where each of the FSDs can be configured to operate using a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode or a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode. At 704, method 700 includes configuring, by the FMS (e.g., using main configuration component 504, communication component 522, communication component 620, and / or local configuration component 604), a corresponding operation mode of the FSDs based on the context information and in accordance with a configuration protocol, the configuration protocol changing the corresponding operation mode under different operating contexts of the FMS, the corresponding operation modes including the FDM mode and the TDM mode.

[0090] Figure 8A block diagram of another exemplary, non - limiting computer - implemented method 800 of an FMS (e.g., FMS 100) using a configuration protocol is shown, which configuration protocol changes the corresponding operation mode of the respective FSDs in different operation contexts. At 802, method 800 includes determining (e.g., via the primary context component 502 and / or the local context component 602) by the FMS including at least one processor, context information regarding the operation context of the FMS, the context information including the number of FSDs that are activated for monitoring a corresponding number of fetuses of a single mother in association with positioning the FSDs on a single external body, where the FSDs respectively include ultrasonic transducers configured to measure signals representing one or more fetal parameters of a single fetus using Doppler - based ultrasonic technology, the one or more fetal parameters including at least one of fetal heart rate (FHR), fetal movement, or fetal depth, and where each FSD among the FSDs can be configured to operate in a frequency - division multiplexing (FDM) mode or a time - division multiplexing (TDM) mode. The context information may also include the relative depth within the uterus of one or more fetal hearts to be monitored by the respective FSDs. At 804, method 800 further includes determining (e.g., via the primary configuration component 504 and / or the local configuration component 604) by the system, based on the context information and according to a configuration protocol that implements one or more defined optimization criteria in different operation contexts of the FMS, operation parameters for the respective FSDs among the multiple FSDs, the operation parameters including the respective operation mode (TDM mode or FDM mode), the respective operation frequency, and the respective PRR. At 806, method 800 includes configuring, by the FMS system, the respective one of the multiple FSDs to operate according to the operation parameters (e.g., using the primary configuration component 504, the communication component 522, the communication component 620, and / or the local configuration component 604).

[0091] Figure 9A block diagram of another exemplary, non - limiting computer - implemented method 900 of an FMS (e.g., FMS100) using a configuration protocol is shown. The configuration protocol changes the respective operation modes of the individual FSDs of the FSD in different operation contexts. At 902, method 900 includes a system (e.g., FMS100) including a processor determining context information for a fetal monitoring session, where the context information includes the number of FSDs respectively activated to use FHR data of a corresponding number of fetuses of a mother using Doppler - based ultrasound technology, and the respective depths of the fetuses, and where each of the FSDs can be configured to operate in a frequency - division multiplexing (FDM) mode or a time - division multiplexing (TDM) mode (e.g., via the main context component 502 and / or the local context component 602). At 904, if the number of FSDs is one, method 900 proceeds to 906, where the system configures the one FSD to operate in the FDM mode and at a first frequency (e.g., corresponding to a single configuration 401). In some embodiments, the system may also configure the one transducer to operate at a low PRR (e.g., about 3.0 kHz or less). In other embodiments, the system may direct the one FSD to dynamically increase or decrease the PRR based on the detected fetal depth such that the resulting depth coverage corresponds to the depth of the fetus.

[0092] If at 908 the system determines that the number of FSDs is two, process 900 proceeds to 910, where the system configures the first FSD to operate in the FDM mode and at a first frequency, and configures the second FSD to operate in the FDM mode at a second frequency, where the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is not a multiple of the PRR (e.g., corresponding to a twin configuration 402). With these embodiments, the PRR can be set to 2.0 kHz or higher.

[0093] If at 912 the system determines that the number of FSDs is three, process 900 proceeds to 914, where the system configures the first FSD to operate in the TDM mode and at a first frequency, configures the second FSD to operate in the TDM mode and at a first operating frequency, and configures the third FSD to operate in the FDM mode and at a second operating frequency, where the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is not a multiple of the PRR (e.g., corresponding to a triplet configuration 403). With these embodiments, the PRR can be set to 2.0 kHz or higher.

[0094] If at 912 the system determines that the number of FSDs is greater than three (e.g., four or more), then process 900 proceeds to 916, where the system configures at least two FSDs to operate at a first operating frequency in TDM mode and configures at least two additional FSDs to operate at a second operating frequency in TDM mode, where the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is not a multiple of the PRR (e.g., corresponding to the quadruplet configuration 404).

[0095] In various embodiments, during clinical practice where the number of fetuses to be monitored simultaneously is greater than one (e.g., two, three, four, etc.), each FSD can be activated and applied to the mother individually and sequentially. For example, when applied to a triplet monitoring scenario, the FMS100 can first activate and configure a single FSD (e.g., according to the single configuration 401) associated with placing the FSD on the mother's abdomen to detect the first corresponding fetal heart. Once detected, the system can then activate and configure a second FSD (e.g., according to the twin configuration 402) associated with placing the second FSD on the mother's abdomen to detect the second corresponding fetal heart. In association with configuring the second FSD, the system can reconfigure the operating parameters of the first FSD such that the combined operating parameters provide optimal depth coverage while minimizing or preventing crosstalk. Once the second fetal heart has been detected, the FMS can then activate and configure a third FSD (e.g., according to the triplet configuration 403) associated with placing the third FSD on the mother's abdomen to detect the third corresponding fetal heart. In association with configuring the third FSD, the FMS100 can reconfigure the operating parameters of the first FSD and the second FSD such that the combined operating parameters of all three transducers provide optimal depth coverage while minimizing or preventing crosstalk. For example, according to the triplet configuration 403, the FMS can dynamically reconfigure the first FSD and the second FSD to operate in TDM mode at a first frequency while configuring the third transducer to operate in FDM mode at a second frequency. Using this embodiment, the PRR can be set to 2.0 kHz or higher. In another example where all three fetal hearts are located within the depth range achieved by a PRR of 3.0 kHz or higher, the FMS can configure / reconfigure all three FSDs to operate in FDM mode at three different frequencies and at a PRR of 3.0 kHz or higher. The same principle can be extended to adding more FSDs (e.g., four, five, etc.), where when each additional FSD is activated, the FMS can correspondingly configure / reconfigure the operating parameters of all transducer devices, which can involve changing the operating mode, PRR, and / or frequency settings of one or more previously configured FSDs.

[0096] Figure 10Another exemplary, non - limiting computer - implemented method 1000 of an FMS (e.g., FMS100) using a configuration protocol, which changes the respective operating modes of the various FSDs of the FSD in different operating contexts, according to one or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. Method 1000 provides an example method executed from the perspective of FSD 104 of FMS100. Method 1000 includes: at 1002, using Doppler - based ultrasound technology by a fetal sensor device (FSD) including a processor (e.g., FSD 104, FSD600, or the like) to measure (e.g., via ultrasound transducer 618) first fetal heart rate (FHR) data of a fetus according to a first operation configuration. At 1004, method 1000 includes the FSD sending the first FHR data (e.g., via communication component 620) to a monitoring device (e.g., monitoring device 102, monitoring device 500, or the like).

[0097] At 1006, method 1000 includes the FSD obtaining (e.g., via local context component 602, from monitoring device 102 / 500, and / or from another FSD) information identifying or indicating a second operation configuration for the FSD, where the first operation configuration and the second operation configuration include different modes selected from a frequency - division multiplexing (FDM) mode or a time - division multiplexing (TDM) mode. For example, the information identifying or indicating the second operation configuration may include or correspond to configuration information received from the monitoring device, which identifies the second operation configuration and instructs the FSD to switch from the first operation configuration to the second operation configuration. In another example, the information identifying or indicating the second operation configuration may include or correspond to context information determined by the FSD (e.g., via local context component 602) and / or received from the monitoring device or another activated FSD, which indicates the number of currently activated FSDs and / or the corresponding depth of the fetus (where the number and / or depth are different from a previous number or value) and / or the corresponding current operation configuration of one or more activated FSD configurations. With these embodiments, the FSD can determine any change to its current operation configuration (e.g., changing from the first operation configuration to the second operation configuration) based on the context information and using the local configuration protocol 606 and / or one or more configuration optimization functions 610.

[0098] At 1008, based on the obtaining, method 1000 includes the FSD using Doppler - based ultrasound technology and according to the second operation configuration (e.g., associated with re - configuring the FSD via local configuration component 604) to measure second FHR data of the fetus to operate in a second operation configuration opposite to the first operation configuration. At 1010, method 1000 further includes the FSD sending the second FHR data to the monitoring device.

[0099] Example operating environment

[0100] One or more embodiments may be a system, method, and / or computer program product at any possible technical detail level of integration. The computer program product may include a computer-readable storage medium (or media) having computer-readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to execute aspects of the present invention.

[0101] The computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanical encoding device (such as a punched card or raised structures in grooves recorded with instructions), and any appropriate combination of the foregoing items. As used herein, a computer-readable storage medium should not be construed to be a transient signal per se, such as a radio wave or other freely propagating electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic wave propagating through a waveguide or other transmission medium (e.g., an optical pulse passing through an optical fiber cable), or an electrical signal transmitted through a wire. To this end, a computer-readable storage medium, a machine-readable storage medium, etc. as used herein may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, etc.

[0102] The computer-readable program instructions described herein may be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to a corresponding computing / processing device, or downloaded to an external computer or external storage device via a network (e.g., the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network). The network may include copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer-readable program instructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium within the corresponding computing / processing device.

[0103] The computer-readable program instructions for implementing the operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuits, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk, C++, etc., and procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, executed as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may establish a connection with an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, an electronic circuit, including, for example, a programmable logic circuit, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logic array (PLA), may execute the computer-readable program instructions by utilizing the state information of the computer-readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuit in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

[0104] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0105] These computer-readable program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions executed via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create a means for implementing the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram. These computer-readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein includes an article of manufacture that includes instructions for implementing aspects of the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0106] The computer-readable program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions executed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0107] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, depending on the functionality involved, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by a system based on dedicated hardware that performs the specified functions or acts or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0108] In combination Figure 11 with, the systems and processes described below can be embodied in hardware, such as a single integrated circuit (IC) chip, multiple ICs, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. In addition, the order in which some or all of the program blocks appear in each program should not be considered restrictive. On the contrary, it should be understood that some program blocks can be executed in various orders, not all of which may be explicitly shown herein.

[0109] Referring Figure 11 to, an exemplary environment 1100 for implementing various aspects of the claimed subject matter includes a computer 1102. The computer 1102 includes a processing unit 1104, a system memory 1106, a codec 1135, and a system bus 1108. The system bus 1108 couples system components, including but not limited to the system memory 1106, to the processing unit 1104. The processing unit 1104 can be any of a variety of available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures can also be used as the processing unit 1104.

[0110] The system bus 1108 can be any of a variety of types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus or external bus, or a native bus using any of a variety of available bus architectures, including but not limited to Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA (EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Card Bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory Card International Association Bus (PCMCIA), FireWire (IEEE 1394), and Small Computer System Interface (SCSI).

[0111] In various embodiments, system memory 1106 includes volatile memory 1110 and non-volatile memory 1112, which may employ one or more of the disclosed memory architectures. The basic input / output system (BIOS), which contains basic routines such as transferring information between elements within computer 1102 during startup, is stored in non-volatile memory 1112. Additionally, in accordance with the innovations of the present invention, codec 1135 may include at least one of an encoder or a decoder, where at least one of the encoder or decoder may be composed of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Although codec 1135 is depicted as a separate component, codec 1135 may be included within non-volatile memory 1112. By way of illustration and not limitation, non-volatile memory 1112 may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, 3D flash memory, or resistive memory such as resistive random access memory (RRAM). In at least some embodiments, non-volatile memory 1112 may employ one or more of the disclosed memory devices. Additionally, non-volatile memory 1112 may be computer memory (e.g., physically integrated with computer 1102 or its motherboard) or removable memory. Examples of suitable removable memory that may be used to implement the disclosed embodiments may include secure digital (SD) cards, compact flash (CF) cards, universal serial bus (USB) memory sticks, and the like. Volatile memory 1110 includes random access memory (RAM) that serves as an external cache memory, and in various embodiments may also employ one or more of the disclosed memory devices. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM can be provided in a variety of forms such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), and enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), among others.

[0112] Computer 1102 may also include removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer storage media. Figure 11Illustrated is, for example, a disk storage device 1114. The disk storage device 1114 includes, but is not limited to, devices such as disk drives, solid state drives (SSDs), flash memory cards, or memory sticks. Additionally, the disk storage device 1114 may include a separate storage medium or a storage medium in combination with other storage mediums, including but not limited to optical disk drives, such as optical disk ROM devices (CD-ROMs), CD recordable drives (CD-R drives), CD rewritable drives (CD-RW drives), or digital versatile magneto-optical ROM drives (DVD-ROMs). To facilitate connection of the disk storage device 1114 to the system bus 1108, a removable or non-removable interface, such as interface 1116, is typically used. It should be understood that the disk storage device 1114 may store user-related information. Such information may be stored at a server or provided to an application running on a server or a user device. In one embodiment, the user may be notified (e.g., via the output device 1136) of the type of information stored to the disk storage device 1114 or transmitted to the server or application. The user may be provided with the opportunity to opt in or opt out of the collection or sharing of such information by the server or application (e.g., via input from the input device 1128).

[0113] It should be understood that Figure 11 Software acting as a mediator between the user and the basic computer resources described in the appropriate operating environment 1100 is described. Such software includes the operating system 1110. The operating system 1110, which may be stored on the disk storage device 1114, is used to control and allocate the resources of the computer 1102. The application 1120 utilizes the management of resources by the operating system 1110 through the program modules 1124, and the program data 1126 stored in the system memory 1106 or on the disk storage device 1114, such as a power on / off transaction table, etc. It should be understood that the claimed subject matter may be implemented with various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0114] A user inputs commands or information into computer 1102 via input device 1128. Input device 1128 includes, but is not limited to, pointing devices such as a mouse, trackball, stylus, touchpad, keyboard, microphone, joystick, gamepad, satellite antenna, scanner, TV tuner card, digital camera, digital video camera, webcam, etc. These and other input devices are connected to processing unit 1104 via interface port 1130 through system bus 1108. Interface port 1130 includes, for example, serial ports, parallel ports, game ports, and Universal Serial Bus (USB). Output device 1136 uses some of the same type of ports as input device 1128. Thus, for example, a USB port can be used to provide input to computer 1102 and output information from computer 1102 to output device 1136. Output adapter 1134 is provided to illustrate the presence of some output devices 1136 such as monitors, speakers, and printers, as well as other output devices 1136 that require special adapters. By way of illustration and not limitation, output adapter 1134 includes video cards and sound cards that provide connection means between output device 1136 and system bus 1108. It should be noted that other devices or systems of devices provide input and output capabilities, such as remote computer 1138.

[0115] Computer 1102 may operate in a networked environment using a logical connection to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer 1138. Remote computer 1138 can be a personal computer, server, router, network PC, workstation, microprocessor-based device, peer device, smartphone, tablet, or other network node, and generally includes many of the elements described with respect to computer 1102. For purposes of brevity, only memory storage device 1140 is shown for remote computer 1138. Remote computer 1138 is logically connected to computer 1102 via network interface 1142 and then connected via communication link 1144. Network interface 1142 encompasses wired communication networks or wireless communication networks, such as local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), as well as cellular networks. LAN technologies include Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Copper Distributed Data Interface (CDDI), Ethernet, Token Ring, etc. WAN technologies include, but are not limited to, point-to-point links, circuit-switched networks such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and its variants thereon, packet-switched networks, and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL).

[0116] The communication connection 1144 refers to the hardware / software used to connect the network interface 1142 to the bus 1108. Although the communication connection 1144 is shown inside the computer 1102 for clarity, the communication connection can also be external to the computer 1102. For illustrative purposes only, the hardware / software required to connect to the network interface 1142 includes internal and external technologies such as modems, including conventional telephone-grade modems, cable modems, and DSL modems, ISDN adapters, and wired and wireless Ethernet cards, hubs, and routers.

[0117] It should be noted that various aspects or features of the present disclosure can be utilized in substantially any wireless telecommunications or radio technology, e.g., Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX); Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (Enhanced GPRS); 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE); 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB); 3GPP Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); High Speed Packet Access (HSPA); High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA); High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA); GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) Radio Access Network (GERAN); UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN); LTE Advanced (LTE-A); and so on. Additionally, some or all of the aspects described herein can be utilized in traditional telecommunications technologies (e.g., GSM). Further, mobile as well as non-mobile networks (e.g., the Internet, data service networks such as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), etc.) can utilize the aspects or features described herein.

[0118] Although the subject matter has been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions of a computer program running on one and / or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present disclosure may also or may be implemented in conjunction with other program modules. In general, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks and / or implement particular abstract data types. Additionally, those skilled in the art should recognize that the methods of the present invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multi-processor computer systems, minicomputing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., PDAs, phones), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial electronic products, etc. The aspects shown may also be practiced in a distributed computing environment where tasks are performed by remote processing devices linked through a communications network. However, some, if not all, aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in local and remote memory storage devices.

[0119] As used in this application, the terms "component", "system", "platform", "interface", etc. may refer to and / or may include computer-related entities or entities related to an operating machine having one or more specific functionalities. The entities disclosed herein may be hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be components. One or more components may reside within a process and / or a thread of execution, and a component may be located on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers.

[0120] As another example, corresponding components may be executed in accordance with various computer-readable media storing various data structures. The components may communicate via local and / or remote processes such as in accordance with signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component that interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or across a network such as the Internet with other systems). As another example, a component may be a device having specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by an electrical or electronic circuit, which is operated by a software or firmware application executed by a processor. In such cases, the processor may be internal or external to the device and may execute at least a portion of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component may be a device that provides specific functionality through electronic components rather than mechanical parts, where the electronic components may include a processor or other means for executing software or firmware that at least partially imparts functionality to the electronic components. In one aspect, a component may be emulated as an electronic component, for example, within a cloud computing system via a virtual machine.

[0121] Furthermore, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive permutation. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing instances. In addition, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context as being for the singular form, the articles "a" used in this specification and the drawings are generally to be construed to mean "one or more".

[0122] As used herein, the terms "example" and / or "exemplary" are used to denote an example, instance, or illustration. To avoid doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. Additionally, any aspect or design described herein as "example" and / or "exemplary" should not necessarily be construed as more preferred or advantageous than other aspects or designs, nor does it mean excluding equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0123] The various aspects or features described herein can be implemented as a method, apparatus, system, or article of manufacture using standard programming or engineering techniques. Additionally, the various aspects or features disclosed in this disclosure can be implemented by program modules that implement at least one or more of the methods disclosed herein, the program modules being stored in a memory and executed at least by a processor. Other combinations of hardware and software, or hardware and firmware, can implement or carry out the aspects described herein, including the disclosed methods. As used herein, the term "article of manufacture" can encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or storage medium. For example, computer-readable storage media can include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic strips...), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs (BDs)...), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, key drives...), etc.

[0124] As employed in this specification, the term "processor" can generally refer to any computing processing unit or device, including but not limited to a single-core processor; a single processor with software multithreading execution capabilities; a multi-core processor; a multi-core processor with software multithreading execution capabilities; a multi-core processor with hardware multithreading technology; a parallel platform; and a parallel platform with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Furthermore, a processor can utilize nanoscale architectures (such as, but not limited to, molecule- and quantum-dot-based transistors, switches, and gates) in order to optimize space usage or enhance the performance of user equipment. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

[0125] In this disclosure, terms such as "repository", "storage device", "data repository", "data storage device", "database", and substantially any other information storage component related to the operation and functionality of a component are used to refer to "memory components", entities embodied in "memory", or components that include memory. It should be understood that the memory and / or memory components described herein can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

[0126] By way of illustration and not limitation, non-volatile memory may include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, or non-volatile random access memory (RAM) (e.g., ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM)). For example, volatile memory may include RAM that can act as an external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM can be provided in a variety of forms, such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM), direct Rambus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and Rambus dynamic RAM (RDRAM). Additionally, the disclosed memory components of the systems or methods herein are intended to include, but are not limited to, including these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0127] It should be recognized and understood that components described with respect to a particular system or method may include the same or similar functionality as corresponding components (e.g., identically named components or similarly named components) described with respect to other systems or methods disclosed herein.

[0128] The foregoing includes examples of systems and methods that provide the advantages of the present disclosure. Of course, it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methods for purposes of describing the present disclosure, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many additional combinations and permutations of the present disclosure are possible. Moreover, to the extent that the terms "comprising," "having," "owning," etc. are used in the detailed description, claims, appendices, and drawings herein, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising" as interpreted when used as a transitional word in a claim.

Claims

1. A fetal monitoring system, the fetal monitoring system comprising: A plurality of fetal sensor devices, each of the plurality of fetal sensor devices including an ultrasonic transducer and configured to measure signals representing one or more fetal parameters of a single fetus using Doppler-based ultrasonic technology, the one or more fetal parameters including at least one of fetal heart rate (FHR), fetal movement, or fetal depth, and wherein each of the fetal sensor devices can be configured to operate in a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode or a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode; and At least one memory storing computer-executable components; and At least one processor that executes the computer-executable components stored in the at least one memory, wherein the computer-executable components include: A context component that determines context information regarding an operating context of the fetal monitoring system, the context information including the number of the fetal sensor devices that are activated to monitor the single mother in association with positioning the fetal sensor devices on the external body of the single mother; and A configuration component that configures corresponding operating modes of the fetal sensor devices based on the context information and according to a configuration protocol, the configuration protocol changing the corresponding operating modes in different operating contexts of the fetal monitoring system.

2. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration protocol also implements one or more defined optimization criteria in the different operating contexts, the one or more defined optimization criteria selected from the group consisting of: minimizing power consumption by a corresponding one of the fetal sensor devices, minimizing crosstalk between the corresponding fetal sensor devices, and achieving necessary depth coverage.

3. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration protocol includes a hybrid configuration, wherein, based on the number of the fetal sensor devices being greater than one, the configuration component configures at least a first one of the fetal sensor devices to operate in the FDM mode and at least a second one of the fetal sensor devices to operate in the TDM mode, such that the corresponding ultrasonic transducers of the fetal sensor devices can be operated at a pulse repetition rate lower than that restricted by a configuration in which each of the fetal sensor devices uses the same operating mode, the same operating mode being the FDM mode or the TDM mode.

4. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein The configuration protocol includes hybrid configuration, wherein, based on the number of the fetal sensor devices being greater than two, the configuration component configures at least a first fetal sensor device among the fetal sensor devices to operate in the FDM mode and configures at least a second fetal sensor device among the fetal sensor devices to operate in the TDM mode, so that the corresponding ultrasonic transducers of the fetal sensor devices can be operated at a pulse repetition rate lower than that restricted by a configuration in which the fetal sensor devices use the same operation mode, and the same operation mode is the FDM mode or the TDM mode.

5. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration protocol includes switching between the FDM mode and the TDM mode to configure the corresponding fetal sensor device among the fetal sensor devices based on the different operation contexts, wherein the different operation contexts correspond to different numbers of fetal sensor devices that are activated to monitor the corresponding number of fetuses of the single mother.

6. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein, The context information further includes the corresponding anatomical positions of the fetuses relative to the corresponding fetal sensor devices among the fetal sensor devices on the external body of the single mother within the uterus of the single mother, wherein the different operation contexts explain different anatomical positions among the corresponding anatomical positions, and wherein the configuration component reconfigures one or more operation parameters of the corresponding fetal sensor device among the fetal sensor devices based on a change in the operation context determined by the context component, and the one or more operation parameters include the corresponding operation mode, pulse repetition rate, and operation frequency.

7. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration component further configures the operation frequency and pulse repetition rate of the corresponding fetal sensor device among the fetal sensor devices based on the context information, wherein the configuration protocol changes the operation frequency and pulse repetition rate of the corresponding fetal sensor device among the fetal sensor devices under different operation contexts, and wherein the context information further includes the corresponding anatomical positions of the fetuses relative to the corresponding fetal sensor devices among the fetal sensor devices on the external body of the single mother within the uterus of the single mother, and wherein the different operation contexts explain different anatomical positions among the corresponding anatomical positions.

8. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein, Based on the number of the fetal sensor devices being one or two fetal sensor devices, the configuration component configures the one or two fetal sensor devices to operate in the FDM mode.

9. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein, Based on the number of the fetal sensor devices being three fetal sensor devices, the configuration component configures two of the fetal sensor devices to operate in the TDM mode and configures the third fetal sensor device to operate in the FDM mode.

10. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 9, wherein, The configuration component configures two of the fetal sensor devices among the fetal sensor devices placed on the external body of the single mother to operate in the TDM mode and configures the third fetal sensor device to operate in the FDM mode based on the corresponding distance between two of the fetal sensor devices being less than the distance between the third fetal sensor device placed on the external body of the single mother and the corresponding heart of the third fetus.

11. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein, Based on the number of the fetal sensor devices being four or more fetal sensor devices, the configuration component configures the four or more fetal sensor devices to operate in the TDM mode and at two or more different operating frequencies.

12. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, the fetal monitoring system further comprising: A monitoring device, wherein the monitoring device and the fetal sensor devices are communicatively coupled via one or more wired or wireless communication technologies, wherein the monitoring device includes the at least one memory and the at least one processor, and wherein the configuration component configures the respective fetal sensor devices among the fetal sensor devices via respective configuration command signals transmitted by the monitoring device to the respective fetal sensor devices.

13. The fetal monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the fetal sensor devices includes a memory storing the configuration component and the context component and a processor executing the configuration component and the context component.

14. A method, the method comprising: Determining context information regarding an operating context of a fetal monitoring system, the context information including the number of fetal sensor devices activated for monitoring a corresponding number of fetuses of a single mother in association with positioning the fetal sensor devices on the external body of the single mother, wherein the fetal sensor devices each include an ultrasonic transducer configured to measure a signal representing one or more fetal parameters of a single fetus using Doppler-based ultrasonic technology, the one or more fetal parameters including at least one of fetal heart rate (FHR), fetal movement, or fetal depth, and wherein each of the fetal sensor devices can be configured to operate using a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) mode or a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode; and Configuring a corresponding operating mode of the fetal sensor devices based on the context information and according to a configuration protocol, the configuration protocol changing the corresponding operating mode under different operating contexts of the fetal monitoring system, the corresponding operating mode including the FDM mode and the TDM mode.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The configuration protocol also implements one or more defined optimization criteria in the different operational contexts, the one or more defined optimization criteria being selected from the group consisting of: minimizing power consumption by the respective fetal sensor devices in the fetal sensor device, minimizing crosstalk between the respective fetal sensor devices in the fetal sensor device, and achieving a necessary depth coverage.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein The configuration protocol includes a hybrid configuration, and wherein, based on the number of fetal sensor devices being greater than two, the configuration includes configuring at least a first fetal sensor device among the fetal sensor devices to operate in the FDM mode and configuring at least a second fetal sensor device among the fetal sensor devices to operate in the TDM mode, such that the corresponding ultrasound transducers of the fetal sensor device can be operated at a pulse repetition rate lower than the pulse repetition rate restricted by a configuration in which the fetal sensor devices use the same operating mode, the same operating mode being the FDM mode or the TDM mode.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The configuration protocol includes switching between the FDM mode and the TDM mode based on the different operational contexts to configure the respective fetal sensor devices in the fetal sensor device, and wherein the different operational contexts correspond to the respective fetal sensor devices in different numbers of fetal sensor devices that are activated to monitor the corresponding number of fetuses of the single mother.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The context information further includes the respective anatomical positions of the fetus within the uterus of the single mother relative to the respective fetal sensor devices among the fetal sensor devices positioned on the external body of the single mother, and wherein the different operational contexts account for the different anatomical positions among the respective anatomical positions.

19. The method according to claim 18, the method further comprising: reconfiguring one or more operating parameters of the respective fetal sensor devices in the fetal sensor device based on a change in the operational context, the one or more operating parameters including the operating mode of the FDM mode or the TDM mode, the pulse repetition rate, and the operating frequency.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a fetal monitoring system, facilitate execution of the method according to any one of claims 14 to 19.

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