Non-contact and passive measurement of arterial pulse through thermal IR imaging, and analysis of thermal IR imagery
US8360986B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 2, 2007 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 27, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B5/7203
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A non-contact, passive method for measurement of arterial pulse from areas such as the major superficial arteries of the body through analysis of thermal IR images acquired by passive thermal IR imaging sensors, and through the modeling of the pulsatile nature of the blood flow and arterial pulse propagation in the circulatory system. The method is automatic and does not need operator input. The output waveform readily contains the information on heart rate, cardiac interbeat intervals, heart-rate variability and other features inherent in arterial pulse. The potential applications of this method, device and system are in the fields of non-contact and passive measuring cardiovascular and autonomic regulatory functions, mental and emotional loads, assessment of health in general, prediction of ill physiological and mental conditions, smart rooms, human-computer interaction, polygraph testing, intent identification, and any other fields where non-contact, passive monitoring of heart-rate and its variability is needed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.