Non-Contact Tidal Breathing Monitoring for Infant TAA Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pulmonary disease monitoring tools for young children, particularly those aged 0-5 years, are lacking in both diagnostic accuracy and continuous monitoring capabilities, requiring patient cooperation and specialized medical centers, and are not suitable for home use.
Innovation Solution
A non-contact respiratory monitoring system using computer vision and machine learning to analyze tidal breathing patterns, including Thoraco-Abdominal Asynchrony (TAA), combined with optional motion and audio sensors, to provide objective and measurable pulmonary data, capable of continuous monitoring and early detection of exacerbations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If spirometers are used for lung function tests, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but patient cooperation and forced expiration maneuvers are required which are not possible for the youngest population (0-5 years old)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical spirometer system requiring active patient participation with an optical monitoring system using depth cameras and computer vision algorithms that passively measure thoraco-abdominal wall displacement during natural tidal breathing, eliminating the need for forced expiration maneuvers while maintaining diagnostic capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service monitoring by capturing video imagery during natural tidal breathing without requiring patient cooperation or active participation, allowing even infants to be monitored through their own spontaneous breathing movements
2Measurement precision
If respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) bands or piezoelectric belts are used for tidal breathing measurement, then appropriate measurement for young children is achieved, but the setup is cumbersome and expensive making it not widely used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical sensor systems (RIP bands, piezoelectric belts) with an optical system using standard depth cameras and image processing algorithms to measure thoraco-abdominal movements, eliminating cumbersome physical contact sensors while maintaining measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a visual copy of thoraco-abdominal wall displacement through video imagery and computer vision processing, replacing the need for direct physical contact with mechanical transducers while preserving the ability to measure breathing patterns
3Ease of operation
If structured light plethysmography (SLP) technology is used for thoracic-abdominal wall displacement monitoring, then suitability for young children is improved, but the technology requires the child's cooperation for lengthy recordings and is not adapted for home use
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables continuous passive monitoring during natural tidal breathing without requiring structured light projection or active participation, allowing recordings to continue uninterrupted during normal sleep or rest activities, making it suitable for extended home use
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the structured light projection system with standard depth camera technology that captures passive thoraco-abdominal movements during natural breathing, eliminating the need for complex optical setup and patient cooperation while maintaining measurement capability
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of monitoring tidal breath even in infants, including: passively capturing video imagery of a side-view of a monitored subject during tidal breathing, wherein an imaging device capturing the video is not physical contact with the subject body; analyzing the video imagery to define a region of interest (ROI); analyzing the ROI to determine Thoraco-Abdominal Asynchrony (TAA).