Seismic Sensor Bed Monitoring Vital Signs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring vital signs and sleep activities are intrusive, uncomfortable, and often forgotten, especially for elderly or special-needs individuals, as they require direct contact and conscious action, which can lead to missed health threats like sleep apnea and falls.
Innovation Solution
A contactless sleep monitoring system using seismic sensors attached to a structure like a bed to detect heart rate, respiratory rate, movement, and posture through vibration signals, employing local maxima statistics and oscillatory analysis to estimate vital signs and detect events like falls, with alerts generated for potential health risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If wearable devices or breathing apparatuses are used to monitor vital signs, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to discomfort and forgetfulness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the bed structure as an intermediary medium to transmit vibration signals from the user's body to the sensor. The sensor detects vibrations through the bed frame, mattress, or bedding materials, eliminating the need for direct body contact while maintaining monitoring accuracy. This intermediary approach resolves the contradiction by making the monitoring system invisible and non-intrusive, thereby improving user compliance without sacrificing measurement precision.
2Ease of operation
If contactless monitoring is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to indirect sensing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages mechanical vibration as the sensing mechanism. The sensor detects vibrations caused by heartbeats, respiration, and body movements through the bed structure. By analyzing the frequency, amplitude, and pattern of these vibrations, the system can accurately determine vital signs and sleep stages despite the indirect sensing path. This approach maintains measurement precision while achieving contactless monitoring.
3Ease of operation
If sensors are attached to the bed structure, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the bed structure serve multiple functions: it remains a sleeping surface while simultaneously acting as a sensor mounting platform and vibration transmission medium. The sensor system can detect various parameters including heart rate, respiration rate, sleep stages, and sleep quality metrics using a single integrated setup. This multi-functionality approach reduces overall system complexity by eliminating the need for separate wearable devices or multiple sensing systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides non-intrusive, continuous monitoring of sleep quality and vital signs, effectively detecting apnea and falls, and sending alerts, thus improving health safety without the need for direct body contact or conscious user interaction.
Implementation Method 1
monitoring characteristics of a subject, such as, for example, vital signs, postures, movements, falls of people/patients, etc. during sleep cycles using vibration signals from a structure supporting the subject (e.g., a bed)
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a contactless sleep monitoring system and method for monitoring a plurality of characteristics of a subject based on vibration signals of a structure supporting the subject. The system can include a sensor that is coupled to the structure, but not in direct contact with the subject. A computing device in data communication with the sensor can obtain real-time sensor data from the sensor. The computing device can further analyze the sensor data to determine continuous and real-time measurements of characteristics of the subject where the characteristics can include a heart rate, a respiratory rate, a movement of the subject, and/or a posture of the subject. A user interface including a display of the determined measurements of the plurality of characteristics can be generated and displayed to a user.