Wireless Respiratory Sensor Eliminates Battery and Motion Artifacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional respiratory sensors are prone to noise and motion artifacts, making them unreliable for continuous, non-invasive, and long-term breathing monitoring without the need for an internal power source.
Innovation Solution
A respiratory sensor system that uses an electrical characteristic varying with airflow path properties, transmitting an excitation signal wirelessly and receiving a response to determine temperature or flow rate, eliminating the need for a separate battery by leveraging body-coupled communication and RF or acoustic signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional respiratory sensors with sinusoid coils are used to detect respiratory rate, then the sensor can monitor breathing, but the sensor becomes noisy and susceptible to motion artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/physical contact-based sensing (sinusoid coils measuring impedance changes) with wireless electromagnetic field-based sensing. The sensor uses RF signals transmitted through the body to detect respiratory movements, eliminating the need for direct physical contact that causes motion artifacts and noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary wireless communication system between the sensor and the monitoring system. Instead of direct electrical contact, the sensor uses RF signals as an intermediary to transmit respiratory data, reducing the impact of physical motion and contact-related noise.
2Duration of action of moving object
If an internal power source is added to the respiratory sensor for continuous monitoring, then the sensor can operate independently, but the device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the sensor to harvest energy from the RF signals it receives, allowing it to power itself without an internal battery. The sensor uses the transmitted RF energy to operate its circuitry and transmit data back, creating a self-powered system that eliminates the need for separate power sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The RF communication system serves dual purposes: it both transmits data from the sensor and provides power to the sensor simultaneously. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate power and data transmission systems, reducing overall device complexity.
3Volume of moving object
If the respiratory sensor is made extremely small for patient comfort, then wearability is improved, but power delivery and signal reception become challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic pulsed RF signals for both power delivery and data transmission. The periodic nature of the signals allows the small sensor to accumulate energy during transmission cycles and efficiently process data at specific intervals, overcoming the limitations of miniaturization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts RF signal parameters (frequency, power, pulse duration) to optimize both power delivery and data transmission to the miniaturized sensor. By dynamically changing these parameters, the system maintains efficient energy transfer and signal reception despite the reduced sensor size.
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
Enables an extremely small, cable-free respiratory sensor that accurately monitors respiratory rate without power, reducing noise and motion artifacts, and providing reliable, continuous monitoring.
Implementation Method 1
The respiratory sensor having an electrical characteristic that varies based on a property of interest of the airflow path
Implementation Method 2
The transmission circuit is configured to transmit an excitation signal to the respiratory sensor. The respiratory sensor is configured to generate a response based on the excitation signal
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for a respiratory sensor for a medical monitoring system that does not require an internal power source. The systems and methods adjust an electrical characteristic of a respiratory sensor based on a property of interest of an airflow path, receiving an excitation signal, and generating a response based on the excitation signal and the electrical characteristic.