Biometric Sensor Array Correlation for Reliable Health Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Biometric sensors often face issues such as pain during application, time-consuming setup, internal offsets, and inaccurate measurements due to improper placement, leading to unreliable data and calibration challenges.

Innovation Solution

A system employing multiple sensors positioned at various body locations, including transdermal and implanted sensors, with a controller that correlates data using weighted averages and discounts unreliable data points to provide accurate and reliable physiological parameter measurements, and can trigger alerts or medication delivery based on health state determination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple sensors are deployed at various body locations, then measurement reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebiometric sensor data reliabilityVSAvoidsensor system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the monitoring function across multiple independent sensors placed at different body locations (e.g., forearm, bicep, tricep, shoulder, chest, abdomen, buttocks, leg, back). Each sensor independently measures physiological parameters, and the controller correlates data from multiple sources to improve reliability through redundancy and cross-validation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The controller integrates and correlates data from multiple sensors using weighted averages to produce a single reliable measurement. Sensors that report unreliable or outlier data are discounted, allowing the system to merge information from multiple sources while filtering out noise and errors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Duration of action of moving object

If transdermal sensors are used for continuous monitoring, then measurement continuity is improved, but application pain and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontinuous monitoring capabilityVSAvoidsensor application ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies more sensors than strictly necessary for continuous monitoring. By deploying multiple transdermal sensors across different body locations, the system ensures that even if some sensors are painful or difficult to apply, others will provide reliable continuous data, effectively compensating for application difficulties through redundancy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Measurement precision

If sensors are placed at proper locations for accurate measurement, then measurement accuracy is improved, but application time increases due to location searching

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephysiological parameter measurement accuracyVSAvoidsensor application time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-positions multiple sensors at various standard body locations before actual measurement begins. This preliminary distribution of sensors across predetermined locations (forearm, bicep, tricep, shoulder, chest, abdomen, buttocks, leg, back) eliminates the need for time-consuming location searching during operation, as suitable measurement sites are already established.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

By placing more sensors than needed at various locations, the system ensures that accurate measurements are immediately available from multiple pre-positioned sources, eliminating time spent searching for proper measurement locations while maintaining high measurement precision through correlated data from appropriately placed sensors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

4Measurement precision

If individual sensor calibration is performed to account for internal offsets, then measurement accuracy is improved, but calibration time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesensor measurement accuracyVSAvoidcalibration time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The controller combines measurements from multiple sensors to compensate for individual sensor offsets and errors. By correlating data from multiple sensors and using weighted averages, the system achieves accurate measurements without requiring time-consuming individual calibration of each sensor, as the multi-sensor approach inherently compensates for individual sensor inaccuracies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3317790B1Multiple sensors for biometric analysis
Publication Date: 2024.02.07 VERILY LIFE SCIENCES LLC
  • EP3317790B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3317790B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3317790B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

Systems and methods are described that relate to a plurality of sensors configured to measure a physiological parameter. Each sensor of the plurality of sensors may be removably attached to an exterior surface of a living body. A controller may be configured to receive sensor data from the plurality of sensors. The sensor data may be indicative of the physiological parameter. The controller may correlate the sensor data to provide correlated data that is indicative of the physiological parameter. Based at least on the correlated data, the controller may determine a health state. The controller may further provide an indication based on the determined health state.