Systems and methods for dynamically identifying a patient support surface and patient monitoring

Inventors

Clark, Matt • del Carpio, Derek • Chapman, Kenneth

Assignees

CareView Communications Inc

Abstract

Various patient monitoring systems can include a sensor configured to collect three dimensional information. The systems can identify a location of a patient support surface based on the three dimensional information. The systems can set a two dimensional planar threshold based on the patient support surface. The systems can identify a patient location above the patient support surface based on the three dimensional information and compare the patient location to the two dimensional planar threshold. Exceeding the threshold can be indicative of a high risk of a patient fall. An alert can be generated based on the threshold being exceeded. The systems can repeat the identification of the patient support surface location and the setting of the threshold to account for changes in the patient area.

Core Innovation

A patient monitoring system monitors a patient area using a camera that provides three dimensional pixel information in a plurality of frames. The system identifies a location of a patient support surface in each frame based on the three dimensional information and calculates a nominal patient support location by aggregating the identified patient support surface locations across the plurality of frames. One or more thresholds are set above or below the patient support surface based on the nominal patient support location.

The system also identifies locations of one or more features of a patient in each frame based on the three dimensional information and calculates a nominal patient location by aggregating the locations of the one or more patient features across the plurality of frames. The nominal patient location is compared to the one or more thresholds to determine whether the nominal patient location traverses the one or more thresholds. Based on the comparison, the system generates an indication with a user interface.

In a chronological series processing form, the method repeatedly performs the same sequence on a plurality of frames containing three dimensional pixel information to monitor a patient in a patient area. A nominal patient support location is computed from an aggregate of patient support surface locations identified in the frames, and one or more thresholds are set relative to that nominal patient support location. A nominal patient location is computed from an aggregate of patient feature locations, and an indication is generated when the nominal patient location traverses the one or more thresholds.

Claims Coverage

The document includes three independent claims that cover a patient monitoring system using nominal support and patient locations aggregated across frames, a method for processing a chronological series of frames to generate a user-interface indication when the nominal patient location traverses thresholds, and an alternative patient monitoring system that determines whether a body part is beyond thresholds above or below the patient support surface. Across these independent claims, the inventive core is supported by multiple thresholding and aggregation constructs.

Across the independent claims, the document covers computing a nominal patient support location from an aggregate across frames, setting one or more thresholds relative to the nominal patient support location, computing a nominal patient location or determining body-part locations from an aggregate across frames, and generating a user-interface indication based on threshold traversal or whether a body part is beyond thresholds above or below the patient support surface.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications