Patent · US Expired

Apparatus having redundant sensors for continuous monitoring of vital signs and related methods

US6503206B1 · kind B1 · utility

83Cited by
8References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 27, 2001
Grant dateJan 7, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 27, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B5/1455
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Apparatus for monitoring one or more vital signs of a subject has a number of sensors. There is at least one redundant sensor. Each sensor originates a signal. A selection system determines performance criteria for a number of groups of signals. Each group includes one or more signals. The apparatus computes a predicted value for a vital sign by either computing a value from each group of signals and taking a weighted average with weights based upon the performance criterion or by selecting one of the groups of signals for which the performance criterion is best and computing the output value from that group of signals. The output values are relatively insensitive to artifacts and to errors caused by the disconnection or malfunctioning of one sensor.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.