WO2022164352A1 - System for monitoring the vital signs of a child - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to medical measuring systems for monitoring and diagnostic purposes, and more particularly to remotely monitoring the vital signs of a young child. The present system comprises a measuring unit in the form of a device configured to be wearable on the foot of a child, an in-room station configured for wireless connection to said measuring unit, and one or more external devices. The measuring unit comprises at least a heartrate sensor, a blood oxygen saturation sensor, and a skin temperature sensor. The in-room station comprises an air humidity sensor, and an air temperature sensor. A controller contained in the in-room station is configured to be capable of processing signals from the heartrate sensor, the blood oxygen saturation sensor and the skin temperature sensor, which are received from the measuring unit by means of a wireless transceiver, and signals from the air humidity sensor and the air temperature sensor. The data obtained from the processing of the sensor signals by the controller is transmitted to the one or more external devices for display thereon. The invention is directed toward increasing the accuracy and reliability with which the vital signs of a child are measured.

Description

SYSTEM OF MONITORING OF CHILD'S VITAL ACTIVITIES

The present invention relates to medical measurement systems for monitoring and diagnostics, namely to systems for monitoring vital signs of young children, in particular newborns and infants, which can be used to timely detect and prevent problems associated with breathing, cardiac arrest, low oxygen levels in blood, sleep disorders, and in general for remote monitoring of the child's condition, in particular during sleep.

Monitoring the physiological state of young children, in particular newborns and infants, is a daily concern for the parents of the child and an important task for medical personnel when the child is in a medical institution. It is especially important to monitor the condition of the child during daytime or nighttime sleep, both in terms of simply determining whether the child is sleeping or awake, how comfortable the current sleep conditions are, and in terms of timely detection of changes in the child’s vital signs indicating dangerous conditions requiring immediate attention.

requiring immediate intervention.

Traditionally, to control the state of sleep of a child in everyday life, wireless audio or video monitoring devices (“audio baby monitors”, “video baby monitors”) are used, allowing parents to hear and / or see what is happening in the room where the child is, and, for example, quickly respond to crying baby and other sounds or the absence of any sounds for a long time. However, such devices do not allow remote monitoring of the child's vital activity parameters, in particular, body temperature, pulse, etc. In addition, they do not allow timely detection of changes in the child's vital signs that indicate dangerous conditions or general physiological distress of the child or poor environmental conditions in the place where the child sleeps.

A device for wireless monitoring of a child's vital signs is known, disclosed in US2015157263 (OWLET PROTECTION ENTERPRISES LLC, published 06/11/2015). The known device contains a measuring module placed in a wearable object, and at least a part of the measuring module is made with the possibility of contact with the child's leg. The measurement module may include a processing unit configured to receive and process vital signs received by the measurement module, as well as a wireless transmitter connected to said processing unit. The wireless transmitter may be configured to transmit the processed vital signs of the child to a receiving station, which may issue an alert if the processed vital signs indicate some trend in the child's vital status that is outside predetermined thresholds.

In this well-known technical solution, the measuring module contains, in particular, a skin temperature sensor, however, data from the skin temperature sensor is used to correct the readings of the heart rate sensor and the arterial oxygen saturation sensor, and they are not in themselves intended for subsequent transmission to other devices to interpret them in a user-readable format. Therefore, one of the disadvantages of this known technical solution is that it does not allow the user (for example, a person caring for or supervising a child) to remotely set the temperature of the child's skin.

From the source US9848786 (Mattel Inc., published on 12/26/2017), a baby vital monitoring system is known, containing a wearable device with sensors for measuring baby vital signs, such as heart rate and skin temperature, and a base station for measuring environmental indicators at or near the location of the child, such as temperature, air humidity, noise and lighting levels, as well as for wirelessly receiving data from the sensors of a wearable device, processing the received data and then transmitting it to a wireless communication device (smartphone, smart watch, tablet computer) caregiver or supervisor of the child, data on the state of life of the child and the state of the environment in the location of the child, as well as information obtained on the basis of the analysis of the said data on the predicted change in the physiological state of the child and / or event with the child, for example, about predicted awakening of the child. In this well-known solution, the wearable device is made in the form of a bracelet and contains sensors for measuring essentially only two indicators of the child's vital activity - heart rate (pulse) and skin temperature, at the same time, the ability to measure such an indicator as blood oxygen saturation, in this known solution is not provided. In addition, the bracelet attracts the attention of the child to a greater extent, which can lead to active attempts to remove the bracelet and, accordingly, to incorrect operation of the known system.

This section, which discloses various aspects and embodiments of the claimed invention, is intended to provide a brief description of the claimed objects of the invention and embodiments. A detailed description of technical means and methods that implement combinations of features of the claimed inventions is given below. Neither this disclosure nor the following detailed description and accompanying drawings should be construed as defining the scope of the claimed invention. The scope of legal protection of the claimed invention is determined solely by the attached claims.

The present invention was created taking into account the shortcomings of the above known solutions and is aimed at eliminating or at least reducing the shortcomings of the prior art.

The technical problem solved by the invention is to increase the reliability and reliability of remote monitoring of the sleep of a young child with obtaining information about various indicators of the child's vital activity, such as skin temperature, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, as well as information about the state of the environment in the place , where the child is located, with a high degree of accuracy and display of relevant information in a user-friendly format.

The objective of the invention is to create a system for monitoring the vital signs of young children, in particular newborns and infants, made with the ability to measure various vital signs of the child and the state of the environment in the place where the child is, processing the measurements obtained and transmitting the data to the user with the ability to display the data on one or more user devices.

The technical result achieved by using the invention is to increase the accuracy and reliability of measuring the child's vital signs.

According to the invention, the above problem is solved by a system for monitoring the vital signs of a child, containing a measuring unit made in the form of a wearable device, made with the possibility of putting on the child's leg, and an indoor station, made with the possibility of wireless connection with the measuring unit. The measuring unit contains a heart rate sensor, a blood oxygen saturation sensor, and a skin temperature sensor. The indoor station contains: an air humidity sensor, an air temperature sensor, a wireless transceiver and a controller. The room station controller is configured to process signals from a heart rate sensor, a blood oxygen saturation sensor, and a skin temperature sensor received from the measuring unit via a wireless transceiver, and signals from an air humidity sensor and an air temperature sensor. The wireless transceiver is configured to transmit data obtained as a result of signal processing from sensors by the room station controller to one or more external devices for display to one or more users.

The measuring unit may additionally contain a child's spatial position sensor, an accelerometer to detect the child's movements. The indoor station may additionally contain a microphone for receiving sounds from the child's environment. The indoor station may further comprise at least one memory device for temporary storage of data from the sensors, as well as a charging station for wireless charging of the measuring unit according to the Qi standard. In addition, the indoor station may further comprise a loudspeaker for outputting sound signals. The external device may be a room display configured to display information about the child's condition based on data received via a wireless connection from the room station. The wireless connection between the measuring unit and the room station and/or between the room station and one or more external devices can be established using the Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE 5) or higher standard. In addition, the external device may be a subscriber device of the user, configured to display information about the state of the child based on data received via a wireless connection from the room station. The external device can be equipped with a software application capable of displaying information about the state of the child based on data received via a wireless connection from the room station, as well as with the possibility of long-term storage of data in the memory of the external device, analysis of data received from the room station for long periods of time. periods of time, and/or transferring data to a system that provides access to data for medical professionals. The indoor station may additionally contain a built-in WiFi module for data transfer to external devices.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the measuring unit is made in the form of a multi-layer fabric bandage with an ankle area, a foot area and a connecting area, while the multi-layer fabric bandage is made with the possibility of fixing on the child's leg using a contact tape. The measuring unit can be additionally configured to control pressing at least one of the heart rate sensor, the blood oxygen saturation sensor and the skin temperature sensor to the skin surface of the child's body. The measuring unit may additionally contain a temperature sensor configured to measure the air temperature in the immediate vicinity of the skin surface of the child's body. The indoor station may be configured to act as an access point to its own wireless data network.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in addition to the foregoing objects of the invention, the inventive concept underlying the present invention may be embodied in the form of other objects of the invention, such as one or more devices, methods, and the like.

The drawings are given in this document to facilitate understanding of the essence of the present invention. The drawings are schematic and not to scale. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to define the scope of the present invention.

Figure.1

On FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the composition of the components of a child vital signs monitoring system according to the invention;

On FIG. 2 shows an example of the appearance of the user interface displayed on the room display screen in the child vital signs monitoring system according to the invention;

On FIG. 3 is an external view of an exemplary, non-limiting, practical implementation of a room station in a child vital signs monitoring system according to the invention;

On FIG. 4 is an external view of an exemplary non-limiting embodiment of a measurement unit in a child vital signs monitoring system according to the invention.

The present invention relates to a system for monitoring the vital signs of a child, which is essentially a complex (set) of hardware and software that allows monitoring the vital signs of a young child, in particular a newborn child or infant. The system can be used both in everyday living conditions to monitor the child's sleep status, and for the timely detection and prevention of problems associated with breathing, cardiac activity, blood oxygen saturation and sleep disorders, at home or in a medical institution.

As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the child vital signs monitoring system 1 according to the invention includes the following main components:

- measuring unit 10, which is in direct contact with the child;

- an indoor station 20 wirelessly connected to the measuring unit 10, receiving and processing data from the measuring unit 10, and

- one or more external devices 30 connected by a wireless connection to the room station 20 and configured to display the data received from the room station 20 for users monitoring the child's condition through the system 1 according to the invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described using one or more exemplary embodiments, which should be understood as intended only to illustrate the invention and exemplary means and methods by which it can be implemented, but not to limit the scope of legal protection of the invention in any specific detail. The above main components of system 1 will be further discussed in detail on specific examples of their implementation.

Measuring block

The measuring unit 10 according to the invention is a wearable device capable of being attached to a child's leg, implemented according to the invention in the form of a fabric bootie worn on the child's leg. The fabric bootie is designed to be attached to the child's body, for example, around the child's leg, and is a multilayer fabric bandage with three sections: an ankle section, a foot section and a connecting section. Ankle wrap wraps around the leg at the ankle and is fixed with a contact tape (Velcro fastener). The foot loop wraps around the foot in the area of the foot and tightens, for example, under the little toe. The connection portion connects the ankle portion and the foot portion. The ankle area and the foot area are made with the possibility of tight fixation on the leg. This design ensures that the position of the fabric bootie on the child's leg during the entire time of its use, does not allow the fabric bootie to fall off the child's leg or does not allow the child to remove the fabric bootee from the leg with the other leg or other parts of the body. The design of the fabric booties also provides the necessary contact of the sensors included in the measuring unit 10 with the child's skin surface where it is necessary to obtain reliable measurement results.

The measuring unit 10 generally contains at least the following sensors designed to measure the child's vital signs:

- 100 heart rate sensor (Hr),

- sensor 110 saturation of blood with oxygen (SpO ₂ ),

- skin temperature sensor 120.

It should be understood that this list of sensors that can be placed on the measuring unit 10 is not exhaustive. Thus, in embodiments, various sensors can also be provided to determine the position of the child, as well as, for example, an accelerometer, which can detect the movements of the child. The measuring unit 10 may also include its own ambient temperature sensor 130 . In addition, other embodiments will also be apparent to those skilled in the art, in which other sensors may be provided in the measurement unit 10, provided that they can be accommodated in the measurement unit 10 structure according to the invention.

In addition to the sensors, the measurement unit 10 also includes a power supply, a controller 140 (at least one processor), and a communication unit 150 (wireless transceiver). The power supply is connected to the measuring unit 10, the controller 140 and the communication unit 150. The measuring unit 10 is connected to the controller 140. The controller 140 is connected to the communication unit 150.

The blood oxygen saturation (SpO ₂ ) sensor 110 and the heart rate (Hr) sensor 100 can, in at least one embodiment, be substantially combined in one sensor, which is called a pulse oximeter. A pulse oximeter is essentially an optical sensor. It contains a housing, a red radiation source, an infrared radiation source and at least one radiation receiver (photodetector). The pulse oximeter has a digital interface for configuring its operating modes and transmitting data to the controller. A red light source, an infrared light source and at least one light receiver (photodetector) are integrated into the body of the pulse oximeter. As a non-limiting example, in at least one embodiment of the invention, a pulse oximeter can be implemented based on the MAX30102 sensor module.

The principle of operation of the pulse oximeter is as follows. The measurement process uses a channel of red and infrared light with the ability to programmatically control the intensity of the glow and the duration of the measurement sessions from the controller via a digital interface, which allows you to choose the optimal sampling rate in terms of accuracy / power consumption ratio for calculating heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, for example, newborn. At the point of contact with the child's leg, the pulse oximeter alternately emits red and infrared light, and its photodetector measures the corresponding level of the optical signal reflected from the body. Based on the analysis of infrared and red light signals digitized from the photodetector, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate can be calculated. The calculation of SpO ₂ based on data from the pulse oximeter can be performed in the controller based on at least one algorithm known in the art. As a non-limiting example, the algorithm implemented by the MAX32664 sensor module, disclosed on the Internet at: https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/design/technical-documents/app-notes/6/6845.html, can be used. The calculation of the frequency of respiratory movements can be carried out by analyzing the frequency of amplitude modulation of the heart rate signal by respiratory movements.

The skin temperature sensor 120 is configured to measure the temperature of the skin at the point where the sensor 120 touches the body. As a non-limiting example, in one or more embodiments, the skin temperature sensor 120 is an optical temperature sensor and is essentially a non-contact receiver of infrared radiation from the human body. In an embodiment, the skin temperature sensor 120 is configured to measure skin temperature with an accuracy of 0.3 degrees in the medical range of 34-42 degrees Celsius. In another embodiment, the skin temperature sensor 120 may be implemented as an infrared temperature sensor configured to measure skin temperature with an accuracy of 0.1 degrees, such as, but not limited to, commercially available sensors manufactured by Melexis. The skin temperature sensor is configured to transmit data to the controller and is non-contact.

The use of the skin temperature sensor 120 in the measuring unit 10 makes it possible, in particular, to detect such conditions of the child's body as "white" fever and "red" fever. In the case of "white" fever, due to high temperature, a spasm of peripheral vessels occurs, followed by hypothermia of the extremities, which is dangerous for children aged from birth to one year, as it can lead to complications, for example, febrile convulsions, clouding of consciousness, disruption of the central nervous system , hallucinations. In the case of "red" fever, there is a significant increase in body temperature (from a degree or more) over a short period of time. An increase in body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius may indicate inflammatory processes in the body that require intervention. The detection of symptoms by means of the skin temperature sensor 120 allows appropriate treatment to be started in advance.

At the same time, it is known that the exclusion or reduction of the influence of the environment to the extent of the error makes it possible to more accurately diagnose changes in the physiological processes occurring in the human body. To this end, in at least one embodiment of the invention, an ambient temperature sensor 130 is also preferably provided, which can be part of the measuring unit 10 and/or room station 20 in the system 1 according to the invention. The data from the ambient temperature sensor 130 may be taken into account in the analysis of the data from the measuring unit 10 performed in one or more processors of the room station controller 20 to provide relevant information to users. More specifically, environmental temperature analysis also allows analysis of the correlation of temperature change with changes in the child's vital signs such as SpO ₂ , Hr, breathing cycles, and sleep quality. Providing the ability to measure the ambient temperature also allows you to monitor the presence of the body in a comfortable temperature range (for example, to detect overheating of the air and exclude overheating of the child under the covers, or to detect cold, for example, when opening a window, removing a blanket, etc.), based on which system 1 can timely signal to the user about the need for intervention to eliminate unfavorable temperature conditions in which the child is located.

The placement of the skin temperature sensor 120 in the temperature measurement area is also important because it increases the accuracy of the corrections made. Measuring the ambient temperature with a separate device, which is located at a considerable distance from the place where the temperature of the skin is measured, is impractical, since the temperature difference can be significant. For example, when the child is covered, he himself generates heat, and the temperature under the blanket will be higher than in the place where a separate device for measuring the ambient temperature is located, or it will be the same if the child has opened.

The ambient temperature sensor 130 is an optical temperature sensor known in the art, such as the temperature sensor from Texas Instruments, for example, and is designed to detect the temperature of the environment around the baby. When using the ambient temperature sensor 130 as part of the measuring unit 10, it is located in close proximity to the place where the temperature of the skin is measured, but at the same time is maximally isolated from the effect of the heat flux of the child's body. As a non-limiting example, in at least one embodiment, the ambient temperature sensor 130 may be located on the outside of the measuring unit 10, opposite the side facing the child's skin, for example, on the side of the measuring unit 10, opposite from the child's foot, which is optimal in terms of temperature measurement accuracy.

In preferred embodiments, the data received from the ambient temperature sensor 130 is used to correct the readings from the skin temperature sensor 120, which improves the accuracy of the skin temperature measurement. The ambient temperature sensor 130 is configured to transmit data to the controller of the measuring unit 10. The signal from the ambient temperature sensor 130 can be used by the controller of the measuring unit 10 to correct the data from the skin temperature sensor 120. The use of a combination of two temperature sensors also makes it possible to follow in dynamics over a certain period of time the trend towards an increase, stabilization or decrease in the child's body temperature, and when processing the corresponding data, the measuring unit 10 can transmit the corresponding data to the indoor station 20 for issuing an appropriate indication to one or more users. .

The accelerometer is configured to detect movements of the child's body, and it can also be configured to determine the position of the body in space. In particular, the accelerometer is configured to measure the projection of gravitational acceleration about its axis. As a non-limiting example, the accelerometer can be implemented as a three-axis linear microelectronic digital accelerometer (MEMS) LIS3DH manufactured by ST Microelectronics. However, it should be understood that this embodiment is provided by way of example only, and other variations of an accelerometer suitable for use in the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The motion data from the accelerometer can also be used to evaluate the accuracy of the pulse oximeter data. In case of detection in a certain time interval of movement with an acceleration exceeding the set threshold value, the determination of the heart rate, respiratory movements and blood oxygen saturation is not performed in this time interval to ensure the necessary accuracy in the readings.

The accelerometer is also designed to detect movements of the child (for example, to monitor the quality of sleep and awakening), and to determine the position of the child's body in space in order to detect cases of him turning over on his stomach, which is considered unsafe, since this position of the child's body may cause respiratory arrest. The accelerometer is configured to transmit data to the controller. Data from the accelerometer can be used, for example, to analyze the quality of sleep by processing data on the number of movements in sleep, the number of awakenings, crying, and identifying sleep phases, which can be obtained based on heart rate.

The power supply included in the measuring unit 10 contains a power source, and is configured to wirelessly charge the power source. The power supply is configured to exchange data with the controller, in particular, the power supply is configured to send to the controller, for example, information about the start of charging. The rechargeable power supply is connected to the power supply circuit of the measuring unit 10 through a charge/discharge protection circuit. As a non-limiting example, the power source of the measuring unit 10 is a lithium-ion battery with a charge/discharge protection circuit. In addition, the measuring unit 10 contains a wireless charging facility, which is preferably made using Qi WPC 1.2 technology and is a receiver chip and a flat inductor with one side shielded with a ferrite ring. The measuring unit 10 is mechanically attached to the indoor station 20 in order to charge the power source using said wireless charging means.

The controller 140 is configured to collect data from the sensors of the measuring unit 10 and generate and transmit data to the communication unit 150 (wireless transceiver). The interaction between the sensors of the measuring unit 10 and the controller is carried out via the I2C bus. As a non-limiting example, the controller 140 of the measurement unit 10 may be implemented based on an ARM architecture microcontroller. The wireless transceiver (communication unit 150) is configured to receive data from the controller 140 and transmit them to the indoor station 20 via a wireless communication channel. As a non-limiting example, in the preferred embodiment, the communication unit 150 of the measuring unit 10 is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and/or Bluetooth 4.2 wireless transceiver. In another exemplary preferred embodiment, the communication unit 150 of the measuring unit 10 is a Bluetooth 5.0 and higher wireless transceiver. The use of this standard allows to reduce power consumption, increase the size of the transmitted data packets, and also provides the possibility of wireless connection with the room station 20 more than one measuring unit 10 (in particular, from 2 to 5 measuring units 10), which allows using one system 1 according to the invention for simultaneous monitoring of the condition of several young children, eliminating the need to use such a system for each of the children separately, as is the case with the known analogues disclosed in the sources US2015157263 and US9848786, described above in the "prior art" section of this description. The use of the measurement unit 10 of the BLE 5 standard in the communication unit 150 provides the advantage of a particularly low power consumption in the receive (standby) mode compared to, for example, the previous BLE 4 standard, and at the same time a particularly long transceiver range and communication stability when interference from WiFi devices.

It should be understood that, depending on the specific implementation of the system according to the invention, the communication unit 150 of the measuring unit 10, designed to communicate with the room station 20, can be implemented as a wireless transceiver based on other wireless communication standards known to specialists in this field of technology, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, USB, RS-485, Ethernet, etc.

The controller of the measuring unit 10 can be implemented based on at least one microcontroller known from the prior art architecture known from the prior art (ARM, AVR, MSP430, etc.). The controller may be configured to process and/or convert and/or calculate at least one value based on the signals received from the sensors of the measuring unit 10. In one or more embodiments, the controller may be configured to buffer the signals received from the sensors of the measuring unit 10. block 10, into data packets for communication block 150. The controller is also equipped with at least one computer-readable medium known from the prior art, configured to at least short-term storage of data received from the sensors of the measuring unit 10, processing results, calculations. In addition, at least one computer-readable medium is provided, on which software is stored, under the control of which the controller of the measuring unit 10 operates.

In one or more embodiments, the measurement unit 10 may also be provided with a body pressure sensor. In other embodiments of the proposed technical solution, the body pressure sensor may be at least one of the pressure sensors known from the prior art, for example, a capacitive or optical sensor, and/or at least one of the proximity sensors known from the prior art, for example, a capacitive sensor. , which can be located in the area of the fabric booties corresponding to the little toe of the child's foot. The pressure sensor against the body can be configured to measure the density of pressure against the child's body and/or the distance from the sensors of the measuring unit 10 to the surface of the child's body. The pressure sensor to the body can be contact or non-contact.

In the preferred embodiment of the system 1 according to the invention, the pulse oximeter of the measuring unit 10 itself can play the role of the pressure sensor to the body. pulse oximeter receiver. If the measuring unit 10 is very close to the child's body, the amount of light received by the radiation receiver will be greater than the nominal value set during the factory calibration of the sensor. If the fit density is weak, then the received amount of light is less than the nominal value.

In the case of using a capacitive pressure sensor during calibration, the nominal value of the electric capacitance is set, which corresponds to the optimal degree of pressing the measuring unit 10 to the body of the child. The deviation of this value in one direction or another will indicate insufficient or excessive pressing of the measuring unit 10. The current degree of pressing of the measuring unit 10 to the body of the child can be displayed to the user by means of the measuring unit 10 (for example, by means of sound and/or light indication) and/ or room station 20, and/or information about the current pressure of the measuring unit 10 can be transmitted to one or more external devices 30 for display in a user-friendly form, for example in the form of a graphical indication.

indoor station

Indoor station 20, connected to the measurement unit 10 by at least one wireless communication channel as described above, is primarily intended for collecting and processing data from the measurement unit 10. In addition, it is essentially a "base" for the measurement unit 10, from which the measuring unit 10 is charged by Qi wireless charging as described above.

In addition, in the General case, the indoor station 20 contains at least a humidity sensor 200 and an air temperature sensor 210. It should be understood that the set of sensors in the room station 20 is not limited to the humidity sensor 200 and the air temperature sensor 210, and in addition to them, the room station 20 may also include other sensors designed primarily to monitor the conditions in the room in which the child is located. .

In addition, in one or more embodiments, room station 20 may include at least one ultra-sensitive microphone, such as, as a non-limiting example, a miniature INMP621ACEZ omnidirectional MEMS microphone (manufactured by Invensense) designed to receive sounds in a room. in which the child is located. In particular, the hypersensitive microphone is capable of picking up sounds such as the crying and voice of a child, as well as other sounds such as sneezing, coughing, movement sounds of a sleeping and/or awake child. Preferably, the ultra-sensitive microphone should also be able to clearly pick up the sounds of the child's breathing.

Indoor station 20 includes a controller 220, which may be implemented as one or more processors, microprocessors, and the like, as is known to those skilled in the art. The controller 220 is configured to receive signals from a humidity sensor 200, an air temperature sensor 210, and an ultra-sensitive microphone, and to process data based on the received signals to generate data to be transmitted to one or more external devices 30, as will be described in more detail. below. The room station controller 220 is configured to collect data from the sensors of the room station 20 and generate and transmit data to the communication unit 230 (wireless transceiver) of the room station. The interaction between the sensors of the room station 20 and the controller 220 is carried out via the I2C bus. As a non-limiting example, the room station controller 220 may be implemented based on an ARM architecture microcontroller.

The wireless transceiver (communication unit 230) of the indoor station 20 is configured to receive data from the controller 220 and transmit them to external devices 30 via a wireless communication channel. As a non-limiting example, in the preferred embodiment, communication unit 230 of room station 20 is a Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2 wireless transceiver. However, it should be understood that, depending on the specific implementation of the system 1 according to the invention, the room station communication unit, designed to communicate with the measuring unit 10 and one or more external devices 30, can be implemented as a wireless transceiver based on other wireless communication standards, known to those skilled in the art, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, USB, RS-485, Ethernet, and the like. It is particularly preferred to use BLE 5 (Bluetooth 5.0) and higher in room station communication unit 230, which provides especially low power consumption in the receive (standby) mode compared to, for example, the previous BLE 4 standard, and at the same time, in particular, a greater range of the transceiver and communication stability in the presence of interference from WiFi devices, as well as an increased amount of transmitted data due to greater packet size compared to previous communication standards st and Bluetooth Low Energy. In addition, the use of BLE 5 and higher in the room station communication unit 230 allows the room station 20 to be connected to more than one measurement unit 10 at the same time (in particular, 2-5 measurement units), which makes it possible to use one system 1 according to the invention for simultaneous monitoring of several young children, which is not achieved by known analogues, described in the "Prior Art" section of the present description of the invention.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, the controller 220 is made in the form of an STM32 series processor and is additionally equipped with software and/or firmware for processing signals received from an ultra-sensitive microphone for detecting sounds that characterize the state of the child, and in particular, isolating the sounds of the child's crying , of all sounds perceived by an ultra-sensitive microphone. In this case, extraneous sounds, such as sounds from the street or loud sounds in the room that are not related to the child, are filtered out by the controller 220, eliminating the transfer of unnecessary data to external devices 30. Such filtering can be performed, as a non-limiting example, based on audio signal classification algorithms with using convolutional and/or recurrent neural networks. The result of the filtering processing may be, as a non-limiting example, the transmission to external devices 30 of predominantly sounds related specifically to the child, while suppressing other sounds in the transmitted audio data, or the operation of one or more external devices 30 of the corresponding alerts only in response, for example , to the crying or movements of the child, but not to extraneous sounds.

In addition, in one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention, room station 20 may be provided with at least one speaker for playing various sound effects under the control of controller 220. As a non-limiting example, room station speaker 20 may be configured to form a so-called " white noise, soothing the child and returning the waking child to a state of sleep. The "white noise" may be a ready-made audio recording stored in the memory of the room station 20, or the audio data may be randomly generated by the room station controller 220 and/or the external device 30. In addition to "white noise", embodiments are possible in which the room station speaker 20 can be used to play one or more melodies stored in the memory of the room station 20, in response to a command from an external device 30 or in response to a received signal from an ultra-sensitive microphone and determined by the room station controller 220 as a crying baby, or to play voice input data from a user received by the external device 30 and transmitted to the indoor station 20.

In an embodiment, the room station controller 220 may be configured to process the signal from the ultra-sensitive microphone to recognize the crying of a baby. Upon detecting a crying baby for a short period of time, controller 220 may start a timer to wait for another cry. Upon repeated recognition of a crying baby in the signal from the ultra-sensitive microphone before the repeat crying timer expires, the controller 220 may issue a command to start generating "white noise" to calm the baby and return him to the sleep state. The specific operation algorithms of the room station 20 and its components depend on the user settings entered into the room station 20 using its own input / output interface or received from one or more external devices 30 through the communication unit 230, such as a wireless transceiver, of the room station 20.

In at least one embodiment, communication between the measuring unit 10 and indoor station 20 can be carried out using the Bluetooth standard, and communication between room station 20 and one or more external devices 30 can be via WiFi, for example, using a home WiFi network, while data transmission is carried out in the presence of a WiFi router in the room. In this case, the communication unit 230 of the indoor station may contain at least one wireless transceiver, made in the form of a built-in WiFi module. It should be noted, however, that communication between room station 20 and one or more external devices 30 is not limited to WiFi technology, and other suitable standards for communication between room station 20 and one or more external devices 30 will be apparent to those skilled in the art, such as such as 3G/4G, LoRaWAN.

The room station controller 220 is also configured to process data received via wireless communication from the measurement unit 10, and more specifically, data obtained through the sensors of the measurement unit 10, such as the heart rate (Hr) sensor 100, the blood oxygen saturation sensor 110 ( SpO ₂ ) and a skin temperature sensor 120 . The room station controller 220 is configured to convert this data into at least one format suitable for transmission to external devices 30 for display to one or more users.

In one or more embodiments, room station controller 220 may be configured to buffer signals received from sensors in room station 20 into data packets for further transmission to communication unit 230. The controller 220 is also equipped with at least one computer-readable medium known from the prior art, configured to at least short-term and/or long-term storage of data received from the sensors of the measuring unit 10, as well as the results of processing these data. In addition, at least one computer-readable medium is provided on which software is stored under which the room station controller 220 operates.

In one or more embodiments, indoor station 20 may further comprise a backup battery provided in the event of a power failure from the 220 volt mains. The battery is configured to provide power to the room station 20 for at least 20 minutes, after which the room station is configured to issue a signal that the battery of the room station 20 battery is depleted, for example, by appropriate light and/or sound indication, and/or by transmitting an appropriate signal to at least one external device 30. When the power supply from the 220 volt network is restored, the indoor station 20 will switch to normal operation from the mains, while the battery can be charged.

In one or more embodiments, room station communication unit 230 enables room station 20 to operate in hybrid mode, so-called. client/server mode, which allows room station 20 to operate without a WiFi router.

Operation of room station 20 in client/server mode implies operation of room station 20 in two modes. In the first mode ("client"), the indoor station 20 connects to the home router of the WiFi network using one of the security protocols WEP, WPA2 or WPA. This mode provides the most reliable and stable way to transfer data between room station 20 and one or more external devices 30, which allows data to be transferred over a relatively long distance in an apartment format. However, this mode requires a home WiFi network.

In the second mode ("server"), indoor station 20 itself acts as an access point to its own wireless data network, i. as a wireless network router, which allows you to organize a small wireless network based on the room station 20. This connection method is suitable for situations of short-term deployment of the system 1 according to the invention, especially in places where there is no home WiFi network and / or your own router (for example, a trip to a dacha, hotel room), or to deploy the system 1 according to the invention in small rooms (for example, in a one-room studio apartment), where the distances are small and there are no load-bearing walls between the rooms. This mode does not require a home WiFi network and/or a router.

In one or more embodiments, room station 20 may be configured to operate in a so-called "multi-addressing" for interaction with two or more measuring units 10.

The "multicast" mode may be implemented, in a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the invention, as follows. When a connection to the home WiFi router is successfully established, the indoor station 20 operating in client mode as described above publishes a DNS service, which then allows other devices (such as external devices 30) to resolve the IP address. The device is capable of running an HTTP server according to the HTTP v1.0 protocol on a given open port, thereby allowing other devices, such as one or more external devices 30, to access the centralized data store. The "multi-addressing" mode allows you to establish a connection with several external devices 30 at once in order to display information to users provided by the system 1 according to the invention.

At the same time, the controller 220 can collect data separately from each of the two or more measuring units 10 and separately process data from each of the two or more measuring units 10, as well as separately transmit the data processing results to each of the one or more external devices 30.

In one or more embodiments, room station 20 may be provided with a modern USB type C connector to facilitate connection of the power cable to room station 20, which further enhances room station 20 usability over traditional connector types such as micro-USB and eliminates the possibility of breaking the power connector.

External devices

In the context of the present invention, the external devices 30 are primarily intended to display to one or more users information about the condition of the monitored child based on data received from the room station 20 in one or more formats convenient for users to quickly and accurately understand.

In addition, one or more external devices 30 communicating with the room station 20 can be used to control at least some of the functions of the room station 20 or, through it, the measuring unit 10. In particular, on a signal from one or more external devices 30, the room station 20 can turn on and/or turn off, change the operating mode, play "white noise" or any other sounds based on the audio data stored in the memory of the room station 20 and/or the external device 30 or received by the external device 30 through its interface. input/output.

As a non-limiting example, one or more external devices 30 may be user devices well known in the art, such as a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet computer, desktop or laptop computer, television, smart watch, augmented reality glasses, etc. as well as specialized devices designed specifically to display information about the status of a supervised child to one or more users, with some ability to accept input from one or more users.

One example of an external device 30 that can be used as part of the system 1 according to the invention in the preferred embodiment is a room display 300. As a non-limiting example, a room display 300 can be a small display device containing a screen configured as for example, based on LCD technology, OLED or the like. The room display 300 may be a compact device (as a specific non-limiting example, only 14 cm high) that is portable and does not take up much space, while displaying information about the condition of the supervised child in a user-friendly format, a small screen is sufficient. In particular, in one embodiment, a 3 inch full color display with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels, such as a Formike® display, may be used.

In addition to a screen for displaying information graphically, the room display 300 may also be equipped with a loudspeaker to emit sound signals and/or reproduce sound from the room in which the supervised child is located, received by the ultra-sensitive microphone of the room station 20 and transmitted from the room station 20 to the room display 300. The sound from the room can be played continuously or on command from the user. In addition, the sounds emitted by the speaker of the room display 300 may be various sounds indicating changes in the state of the child, in particular changes requiring immediate user intervention, and/or the state or changes in the state of the room station 20 and/or measuring unit 10, such as, but not limited to, the loss of pressing the sensors of the measuring unit 10 to the skin of the child, the battery of the measuring unit 10 and/or the room station 20, the loss of communication between the measuring unit 10 and the room station 20 and/or between the room station 20 and room display 300, etc.

Through the screen, the room display 300 implements a user interface capable of displaying information about indicators that reflect the state of the monitored child, as well as various notifications and visual signals in a format convenient for quick and error-free perception by the user. In addition, the room display 300 may be configured to display video from one or more webcams located in the room where the supervised child is located. One or more webcams can be an additional part of the system 1 according to the invention, as a non-limiting example, a webcam can be built into the indoor station 20; or one or more webcams can be external devices connected to the system 1 according to the invention via a wired or wireless connection.

The room display 300 is provided with input means specifically for controlling the interface of the room display 300. In a preferred embodiment, the input means comprise at least one gesture detection sensor that is configured to receive user input in the form of gestures to control the room display 300. The gesture detection sensor allows for non-contact control of the room display 300, which is preferred over other possible inputs such as keys, touch screen, and the like. However, in other embodiments, the room display 300 input means may also include a touch screen, one or more keys, buttons, and the like. In addition, the input means may also include at least one microphone for receiving voice input from the user, in particular for controlling the interface of the room display 300 and/or transmitting the user's voice to the room station 20.

In one or more embodiments, room display 300 may further comprise a backup battery provided in the event of a loss of 220 volt power supply. The battery is configured to power the room display 300 for at least 20 minutes. When the 220 volt mains supply is restored, the room display 300 switches to normal mains operation while the battery can be charged.

In one or more embodiments, the room display 300 may be provided with a modern USB type C power connector to facilitate the connection of a power cable to the room display 300, which further improves the usability of the room display 300 over traditional connector types such as micro-USB and eliminates the possibility of breaking the power connector.

It should be noted that the room display 300 described above is a dedicated device for interacting with other components of the system 1 according to the invention, however, it is only one of the possible external devices 30 with which the system 1 can interact. display 300 as external devices 30 can be universal user devices containing appropriate input / output, a display, a wireless transceiver for communication with other components of the system 1, and a controller configured to implement the appropriate user interface.

Software

The system 1 according to the invention operates under the control of a software platform, including, in particular, software that controls the measuring unit 10 and the room station 20, as well as a software application for one or more external devices 30 and a web client. The software controlling the measuring unit 10 and room station 20 may consist of a set of various elements implemented as one or more programs, firmware, software modules, etc. stored in the memory of the measuring unit 10 and room station 20, respectively. . In addition, when using the room display 300 described above as the external device 30, the room display 300 also has the software controlling the operation of the room display 300 and stored in the memory of the room display 300, respectively.

The software application is installed on one or more external devices 30 and is used, in particular, during the initial setup of the system 1, as well as the actual monitoring of the child's condition by one or more users of the system 1. In addition, compared to the software of the room display 300, the software application provides the possibility of long-term storage of information about the child's vital signs and the implementation of various analytical algorithms based on long-term stored information. In addition, the software application also provides the ability to transfer data to external networks and / or remote access to data obtained as a result of monitoring the child's vital signs for medical specialists, as well as the ability to receive various information from medical specialists, such as recommendations, instructions, etc. .p., in response to the issued data for monitoring the child's vital signs.

In addition, a software application installed on one or more external devices 30 provides data exchange with other components of the system 1 according to the invention in the absence of a WiFi router in the home network, while said one or more external devices 30 is itself an exit point to the network.

The web client for system 1 according to the invention exists in two versions. The first version is intended for users who monitor the child, in particular, at home, and the second is for medical professionals who remotely monitor the child's vital signs, remotely monitor and analyze the collected indicators and / or issue recommendations for responding to emergency situations, correcting sleep disorders of the child, child care, etc. for system users 1.

In the version intended for users of the system 1, the range of functionality of the web client corresponds to the range of functionality of the software application, in particular, displaying information about the child's vital signs for users, managing the components of the system 1 according to the invention from one or more external devices 30 and etc. In the version intended for medical professionals, the web client contains various tools for analyzing a child's long-term vital signs, it is possible to process and analyze statistics for more than one child, group the collected indicators by one or more children, filter the collected indicators by one or more children. more criteria etc. . The healthcare professional version of the web client may also have the ability to use the collected data on one or more children to train an artificial intelligence system to improve algorithms for automatic and proactive detection of pathologies on one or more vital signs of the monitored child. In the process of performing the mentioned algorithms, the corresponding software can be finalized and updated, with the possibility of subsequent refinement and updating of the software of the components of system 1, both as part of the software application and as part of the web client.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the software application and the web client may be implemented by various software and combinations of software, such as at least one computer program and/or one or more computer program elements, computer program modules, computer program a product, etc., made in one or more programming languages or in the form of machine-executable code. In addition, various hardware such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), integrated circuits, and the like can be used to implement the functionality of the components of the system 1 according to the invention. Specialists in the art will be obvious to various specific examples of software and/or hardware suitable for implementing the components of the proposed system 1, depending on the specific implementation of the proposed invention.

In order to provide healthcare professionals with access to the data collected by the proposed system 1, as well as to install software application and/or web client updates, system 1 components, such as one or more external devices 30, are configured to communicate with one or more remote servers. through various wireless and/or wired data networks. In particular, the communication of the components of the system 1 according to the invention with one or more servers can be carried out via one or more wireless networks operating on the basis of any wireless communication technology known to those skilled in the art, such as GSM, 3GPP, LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, etc. The means for transmitting and receiving data for communication between the server and components of the system 1 according to the invention do not limit the scope of the present invention, and depending on its specific implementation, a combination of one or more means for receiving and transmitting data can be provided by specialists in the art.

The method of operation of the system for monitoring the vital signs of the child

The system 1 for monitoring the child's vital signs described above is essentially a complex of the following components, separated spatially and interconnected by at least one wireless or, in some particular embodiments, a wired connection:

- measuring unit 10;

- room station 20;

- one or more external devices 30.

As described above, the measurement unit 10 is a wearable device that can be attached to the child's leg, implemented according to the invention in the form of a fabric bootie worn on the child's leg, while the measurement unit 10 contains at least the following sensors designed to directly measure the child's vital signs : heart rate (Hr) sensor 100, blood oxygen saturation sensor 110 (pulse oximeter, SpO ₂ ), skin temperature sensor 120. To actuate the measuring unit 10, the user puts a fabric bootie on the child's leg and fixes it on the child's leg using appropriate fixation means, visually controlling the pressing of the sensors to the child's skin. Next, the user turns on the measuring unit 10, for example, by pressing the appropriate button. In other embodiments, the measurement unit 10 may be turned on automatically, for example, upon detection of a corresponding signal from one or more of the above sensors. After turning on the measuring unit 10, the pressing of the sensors against the child's skin can be controlled either by a specially provided pressure sensor against the body, or by a pulse oximeter, depending on the embodiment of the invention. The measuring unit 10 gives the user an indication of the sufficiency / insufficiency of the degree of pressing the sensors to the body of the child, as a non-limiting example, by means of an appropriate light and / or sound signaling.

When determining that the pressing of the sensors against the child's body corresponds to at least one predetermined threshold value stored in the memory of the measuring unit 10 connected to the controller 140 of the measuring unit, the controller 140 of the measuring unit begins to receive signals from the sensors of the measuring unit 10. At the same time, in the controller 140 at least one timer may also be started to count the time during which signals are received from the sensors of the measuring unit 10 for the purpose of further data processing, analysis, etc. Also, the controller 140 buffers the signals received from the sensors of the measuring unit 10 into data packets for the communication unit 150. In addition, the controller 140 may temporarily store the buffered data in the memory of the measuring unit 10.

Along with data from sensors that measure the vital signs of the child, the controller 140 of the measuring unit can also receive a signal from the sensor 130 of the ambient temperature, located on the reverse side of the measuring unit 10 in relation to the said sensors. The signal from the ambient temperature sensor 130 can also be taken into account in the analysis and processing of data performed by the controller 140.

The signals from the sensors of the measuring unit 10, buffered in packets, can be transmitted by the communication unit 150 of the measuring unit 10 on at least one data transmission channel, such as a wireless channel based on the Bluetooth or BLE standard, to the communication unit 230 of the room station. The signals from the sensors of the measuring unit 10 may also be pre-processed by the digital signal processing algorithms in the unit 10 to calculate the child's vital signs.

The room station communication unit 230 receives signals from the measuring unit 10 and transmits them to the room station controller 220 for further processing. In addition, the room station controller 220 also receives signals from the humidity sensor 200 and the air temperature sensor 210 included in the room station 20. The signals from these sensors are also used by the room station controller 220 when processing the baby's vital signs.

The calculation of the child's vital signs in the system 1 according to the invention is based on one or more digital signal processing algorithms. The calculation of the heart rate according to the invention is based on the analysis of the infrared channel, since it is less susceptible to external light interference. To perform the calculation, two stages of filtering are performed. At the first stage, the constant component of the signal is removed, then the signal passes through a combination of a short median filter and a smooth smoothing low-pass filter based on the Kalman filter, which remove noise and dicrotic rises in the signal (notches in the pulse due to an increase in pressure in the aorta when the aortic valve closes) .

Next, the signal enters the extremum detector, where the minima and maxima are determined, and the frequency of their occurrence is calculated. Also, based on the level of detected extrema (AC_RED, AC_IR) and calculated constant components (DC_RED, DC_IR), SpO ₂ is calculated using the formula: SpO ₂ = (AC_RED/DC_RED)/(AC_IR/DC_IR).

By further smoothing with a tuned combination of the above filters and a peak detector, a respiratory rate is calculated that modulates the DC component of the pulse signal.

In one or more embodiments, the room station 20 may perform short-term storage of data, in particular for their accumulation and subsequent analysis. In addition, room station controller 220 may buffer processed data into packets for transmission to one or more external devices 30.

The room station communication unit 230 transmits the data obtained as a result of data processing by the room station controller 220 to one or more external devices 30 via at least one appropriate wireless communication channel, such as a WiFi communication channel or a communication channel based on one of the wireless standards. communications such as GSM, 3GPP, LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, ZigBee, etc. The communication unit 230 of the corresponding one or more external devices 30 receives data from the room station 20 and transmits it to the controller of the corresponding external device 30 for display to the user.

The controller of the external device 30 forms a user interface for displaying to the user information reflecting the results of measuring the child's vital signs and characteristics of the conditions in the room in which the child is located. In addition, in the form of various pictograms, audiovisual signals, and the like. the user can be given a general assessment of the current state of the child (sleep / wakefulness, normal or increased / decreased vital signs, detection of the child's crying, etc.), and the state of the components of the system 1 can also be displayed (correct / incorrect operation of the measuring unit 10 and / or room station 20, presence/absence of a communication channel with the measuring unit 10 and/or room station 20, power supply status of the measuring unit 10 and/or room station 20, charge/discharge of the battery of the measuring unit 10 and/or room station 20).

An example of the appearance of the user interface displayed on the screen of the external device 30 is shown in FIG. 2. In particular, in FIG. 2 shows the screen of the external device 30 (more specifically, the room display 300). The screen of the room display 300 in this exemplary embodiment shows (labeled “89 bpm”) the current heart rate value determined based on the signal from the heart rate (Hr) sensor 100 of the measuring unit 10, as well as the lowest one (labeled “68 low ”), highest (“105 high” label) and average (“82 avg” label) heart rate values for the current measurement period. The heart symbol shown in the exemplary user interface appearance image may indicate whether a valid signal is being received from the heart rate (Hr) sensor 100 of the measurement unit 10 at the moment, i. indicate the correctness/incorrect operation of at least one sensor of system 1 at the moment. It should be noted that in one or more exemplary non-limiting embodiments, displaying the results of measurements of various vital signs of the child (SpO ₂ , body temperature, etc.), and / or characteristics of environmental conditions (humidity, temperature, etc.) in the room , where the child is located, can cycle through with a certain frequency. In one or more specific exemplary embodiments of the invention, the following user interface sections may be displayed on the room display 300 screen: 1. SpO ₂ status screen; 2. screen with the child's body temperature; 3. sleep tracker screen (Sleep Tracker); 4. a general screen on the main indicators of the child's vital activity, as well as other indicators, such as humidity / temperature in the room; 5. Alert screen (Alarms), informing the user about the occurrence of any dangerous situation or a situation that requires the attention of the user. In the latter case, the room display 300 may also provide an appropriate audio signal to attract the user's attention. It should be understood, however, that the above list of displayed screens is only exemplary and is not exhaustive. The composition of the alternately displayed screens, the order and duration of their display can be configured by the user through the appropriate input to the room display 300 and/or one or more external devices 30.

As a non-limiting example, a screen displaying the value of each measurand may be displayed for 5 to 10 seconds, after which the user interface switches to displaying the values of the next measurand. In other embodiments, however, the screen may display the values of more than one measurand at the same time, or the values of all the measurable indicators at the same time. In addition, various intuitive graphic elements such as graphs, charts, icons, and the like can be used to display information in a form that is easy to read quickly and accurately by the user, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The display format of the information on the screen of the room display 300 can be configured by the user using the user interface and input/output means of the room display 300 itself (in particular, via a touch screen and/or a gesture recognition system), or remotely from another of one or more external devices 30 , including using a software application installed on said external device 30. The appearance of the user interface on the screen of the room display 300 and one or more other external devices 30 may vary, allowing you to flexibly customize the user interface to the format of each of the external devices (tablet computer , laptop, smartphone, smart watch, etc.) or can be the same, allowing the user to always quickly and accurately read information from any of the external devices connected to the system in the form familiar to the user.

In case the external device 30 is the room display 300, in addition to the above user interface displayed on the screen of the room display 300, other means such as one or more lights can also be used to display information about the state of the child and/or the state of the components of the system 1. indicators, a loudspeaker for issuing sound signals, etc.

In addition, the interface of the external device 30 accepts user input to control the display of information, as well as to control the room station 20 and/or the measuring unit 10. User input can be received through gesture recognition, touch screen touches, voice input, single taps or more keys, buttons, etc. The external device controller 30 recognizes user input, generates appropriate commands, and transmits them to indoor station 20 via one or more communication channels.

On FIG. 3 shows an external view of an exemplary, non-limiting, practical implementation of room station 20. In particular, as seen in FIG. 3, the indoor station 20 may be a miniature device that has at least one button on its body to enable/disable the indoor station 20, as well as a location for the measuring unit 10 to wirelessly charge its battery. The rest of the controls for room station 20 and/or indication of its status can be implemented remotely in one or more external devices 30 connected to room station 20 via a wireless connection.

On FIG. 4 shows an external view of an exemplary non-limiting embodiment of a practical implementation of the measurement unit 10. As seen in FIG. 4, the measuring unit 10 according to the invention is a wearable device, implemented according to the invention in the form of a fabric bootie, worn on the child's leg. As such, the measurement unit 10 is a multi-layer fabric bandage with three regions: an ankle region, a foot region, and a connecting region. Ankle wrap wraps around the leg at the ankle and is fixed with a contact tape (Velcro fastener). The foot loop wraps around the foot in the area of the foot and tightens, for example, under the little toe. The connection portion connects the ankle portion and the foot portion. The ankle area and the foot area are made with the possibility of tight fixation on the leg. This design of the measuring unit 10 provides optimal pressing of the sensors of the measuring unit (in particular, the heart rate (Hr) sensor 100, the blood oxygen saturation (SpO ₂ ) sensor 110, the skin temperature sensor 120, etc.) to the skin in those places. where they can accurately measure the relevant vital signs of the child. In addition, as described above, the measuring unit 10, made in the form of a fabric bootie, put on the child's leg and fixed by the above means, is also made with the possibility of remote control of the correctness of pressing the sensors in contact with the surface of the child's body, and with the possibility of measuring the temperature of not only the skin cover of the child, but also the air temperature in the immediate vicinity of the skin of the child's body.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing described and illustrated in the drawings are only some of the possible examples of techniques and facilities by which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit or determine the scope of legal protection of the present invention.

Other embodiments that may be within the scope of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art upon careful reading of the foregoing description with reference to the accompanying drawings, and all such obvious modifications, alterations and/or equivalent substitutions are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention. All prior art references cited and discussed in this document are hereby incorporated into this specification by reference, as far as applicable.

While the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to various embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made to its form and specific details without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is defined only the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims (16)

Child vital signs monitoring system, comprising:
- measuring unit, made in the form of a wearable device, made with the possibility of putting on a child's leg; and
- an indoor station capable of wireless connection with the measuring unit, moreover:
- the measuring unit contains a heart rate sensor, a blood oxygen saturation sensor, and a skin temperature sensor;
- indoor station contains:
- air humidity sensor;
- air temperature sensor;
- wireless transceiver;
- controller,
wherein the room station controller is configured to process signals from a heart rate sensor, a blood oxygen saturation sensor, and a skin temperature sensor received from the measuring unit via a wireless transceiver, and signals from an air humidity sensor and an air temperature sensor, and
the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit data resulting from the processing of signals from the sensors by the room station controller to one or more external devices for display to one or more users. The system according to claim 1, in which the measuring unit additionally contains a sensor of the spatial position of the child. The system according to claim 1, in which the measuring unit further comprises an accelerometer for detecting the movements of the child. The system of claim 1, wherein the indoor station further comprises a microphone for receiving sounds from the child's environment. The system of claim. 1, in which the room station further comprises at least one storage device for temporary storage of data from the sensors. The system of claim. 1, in which the room station further comprises a charging circuit for wireless and/or contactless charging of the measuring unit. The system of claim. 1, in which the indoor station further comprises a loudspeaker for issuing audio signals. The system of claim. 1, in which the external device is a room display, configured to display information based on data received via a wireless connection from the room station. The system according to claim 1, in which the wireless connection between the measuring unit and the room station and/or between the room station and one or more external devices is established according to the Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE 5) and higher standard. The system of claim. 1, in which the external device is a subscriber device of the user, configured to display information based on data received via a wireless connection from a room station. The system according to claim 10, in which the external device is equipped with a software application configured to display information about the state of the child based on data received via a wireless connection from the room station, as well as with the possibility of long-term storage of data in the memory of the external device, analysis of data received from a room station for extended periods of time, and/or transferring data to a system providing access to the data for healthcare professionals. The system according to claim 1, wherein the indoor station further comprises a built-in WiFi module for transmitting data to external devices. The system according to claim 1, in which the measuring unit is made in the form of a multilayer fabric bandage with a section for ankle circumference, a section for circumference of the foot and a connecting section, while the multilayer fabric bandage is made with the possibility of fixing on the child's leg using a contact tape. The system according to claim 1, in which the measuring unit is additionally configured to control pressing at least one of the heart rate sensor, the blood oxygen saturation sensor and the skin temperature sensor to the skin surface of the child's body. The system according to claim 1, in which the measuring unit further comprises a temperature sensor configured to measure the air temperature in the immediate vicinity of the skin surface of the child's body. The system of claim. 1, in which the indoor station is configured to operate as an access point to its own wireless data network.

Images