Abstract: A system and method for treating obstructive sleep apnea by terminating an obstructive sleep apnea event before the cessation of breathing occurs. The system has one or more microphones capable of detecting breathing sounds within an airway of a person and that generate signals representative of the breathing sounds and send the signals to a controller. When the controller detects a signal pattern that indicates the onset of an obstructive apnea event, the controller sends an alarm signal to a stimulus generator. The stimulus generator creates a stimulus to cause the sleeping person to move in a manner to terminate the obstructive sleep apnea event before cessation of breathing occurs. The obstructive sleep apnea event is terminated without waking the sleeping person and without causing the sleeping person physiological stress associated with cessation of breathing.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system and method for treating obstructive sleep apnea by terminating an obstructive sleep apnea event before the cessation of breathing occurs. The system comprises one or more microphones capable of detecting breathing sounds within an airway of a person. The microphones generate signals representative of the breathing sounds and send the signals to a controller. The controller uses digital signal processing to identify at least one signal pattern that is associated with a breathing pattern of the person that occurs at the onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event. When the controller detects a signal pattern that indicates the onset of an obstructive apnea event, the controller sends an alarm signal to a stimulus generator. The stimulus generator creates a stimulus (an electric current, a sound, a vibrator, a flashing light, etc.) to cause the sleeping person to move in a manner to terminate the obstructive sleep apnea event before cessation of breathing occurs.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system and method for treating obstructive sleep apnea by terminating an obstructive sleep apnea event before the cessation of breathing occurs. The system comprises one or more microphones capable of detecting breathing sounds within an airway of a person. The microphones generate signals representative of the breathing sounds and send the signals to a controller. The controller uses digital signal processing to identify at least one signal pattern that is associated with a breathing pattern of the person that occurs at the onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event. When the controller detects a signal pattern that indicates the onset of an obstructive apnea event, the controller sends an alarm signal to a stimulus generator. The stimulus generator creates a stimulus (an electric current, a sound, a vibrator, a flashing light, etc.) to cause the sleeping person to move in a manner to terminate the obstructive sleep apnea event before cessation of breathing occurs.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a system and method for detecting an acceleration of a body and for evaluating movement of a body relative to an environment to detect falls and irregular motions of the body. According to an exemplary embodiment, the system comprises a sensor and a controller that comprises a processor. The sensor, which is associable with the body, comprises a plurality of acceleration measuring devices and is capable of repeatedly sensing accelerative phenomena of the body. The controller, which is associated with the sensor, is operable to process the sensed accelerative phenomena as a function of at least one accelerative event characteristic. The controller determines when the body experiences an acceleration that represents a particular type of motion. The controller also determines when a static acceleration vector reaches a value indicative of a fall.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system and method for detecting the onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event before the obstructive sleep apnea event fully develops and before the cessation of breathing occurs. The system comprises one or more microphones capable of detecting breathing sounds within an airway of a person. The microphones generate signals representative of the breathing sounds and send the signals to a controller. The controller identifies at least one signal pattern that is associated with a breathing pattern of the person that occurs at the onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event. The controller may also identify at least one signal pattern that is associated with a partially occluded breathing pattern of the person. The controller identifies the signal patterns by using digital signal processing techniques to analyze the signals representative of breathing sounds.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system and method for remotely monitoring at least one physiological condition of a child by detecting very low frequency acoustic signals. The apparatus comprises a sensor that is capable of detecting low frequency acoustic signals in the frequency range of one tenth Hertz to thirty Hertz. The sensor comprises a chamber having portions that form a cavity and a low frequency microphone placed within the cavity. An alternate embodiment of the invention comprises a chamber having portions that form a resonant cavity, a microphone mounted in the resonant cavity, and a membrane that covers the resonant cavity. Low frequency acoustic signals that are incident on the membrane cause the membrane to move and amplify the acoustic signals within the resonant cavity. The sensor provides information concerning physiological conditions of the child, such as respiration and cardiac activity.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system and method for seizing control of a communications channel in a child monitor of the type comprising a child monitor transmitter and a child monitor base station. The system and method is used in conjunction with a physiological condition monitor that is capable of monitoring the status of a person's physiological conditions such as heartbeat and breathing. When the physiological condition monitor detects that an alarm condition has occurred, it causes a control transmitter to transmit an alarm signal to said child monitor base station. The signal that is transmitted by the control transmitter blocks any signal that is being transmitted to the child monitor base station by the child monitor transmitter.

Abstract: There is disclosed a sensor and method for detecting very low frequency acoustic signals. The sensor is capable of detecting low frequency acoustic signals in the frequency range of one tenth Hertz to thirty Hertz. The sensor comprises a chamber having portions that form a cavity and a low frequency microphone placed within the cavity. An alternate embodiment of the invention comprises a chamber having portions that form a resonant cavity, a low frequency microphone placed within the resonant cavity, and a membrane that covers the resonant cavity. Low frequency acoustic signals that are incident on the membrane cause the membrane to move and amplify the acoustic signals within the resonant cavity.

Abstract: Physiological condition monitors utilizing very low frequency acoustic signals and signals indicative of body orientation are disclosed. The physiological condition monitors comprise a sensor that is capable of detecting low frequency acoustic signals in the frequency range of one tenth Hertz to thirty Hertz. The sensor comprises a chamber having portions that form a cavity and a low frequency microphone placed within the cavity. An alternate embodiment of the invention comprises a chamber having portions that form a resonant cavity, a microphone mounted in the resonant cavity, and a membrane that covers the resonant cavity. Low frequency acoustic signals that are incident on the membrane cause the membrane to move and amplify the acoustic signals within the resonant cavity. The sensor provides information concerning physiological conditions, such as respiration and cardiac activity. The sensor in a physiological condition monitor does not need to be directly coupled to the skin of the person being monitored.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus and method for reducing power consumption in physiological condition monitors that use a memory data storage device that operates in a high power mode when data is being written to the memory data storage device and operates in a low power mode when inactive. The apparatus comprises: 1) a controller for receiving incoming data to be written to the memory data storage device; and 2) a first low power buffer coupled to the controller. The controller stores the incoming data in the first low power buffer until a predetermined amount of incoming data has been accumulated in the first low power buffer and transfers the accumulated predetermined amount of incoming data to the memory data storage device in a single data transfer.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system and method for seizing control of a communications channel in a child monitor of the type comprising a child monitor transmitter and a child monitor base station. The system and method is used in conjunction with a physiological condition monitor that is capable of monitoring the status of a person's physiological conditions such as heartbeat and breathing. When the physiological condition monitor detects that an alarm condition has occurred, it causes a control transmitter to transmit an alarm signal to said child monitor base station. The signal that is transmitted by the control transmitter blocks any signal that is being transmitted to the child monitor base station by the child monitor transmitter.

Abstract: The present invention comprises an apparatus and method for detecting a rotational movement of a body. An advantageous embodiment of the invention is capable of detecting a rotational movement of the body of a child. The invention can provide a care giver information concerning the position of the body of a child in the care giver's care. The invention is especially useful in warning when a child moves from a position of lying on its back to a position of lying on its stomach. The invention comprises at least two tilt switches capable of detecting when the apparatus of the invention has been rotated by a preselected inclination angle of approximately one hundred eighty degrees. The invention also comprises a controller that is capable of receiving a signal from the tilt switches and generating an alarm signal. The apparatus also comprises an alarm signaling device that is capable of sending the alarm signal to alert a care giver that a child has rolled over onto his or her stomach.

Abstract: The present invention introduces systems, as well as methods of operating such systems, that evaluate movement of a body relative to an environment. According to an exemplary embodiment, the system comprises a sensor and a processor. The sensor, which is associable with the body, is operable to repeatedly sense accelerative phenomena of the body. The processor, which is associated with the sensor, is operable to process the sensed accelerative phenomena as a function of at least one accelerative event characteristic. The system, and, more particularly, the processor generates state indicia relative the environment, and determines whether the evaluated body movement is within environmental tolerance. In a preferred embodiment, the processor communicates various state indicia to a monitoring controller, preferably using at least one of a wired network and a wireless network. The monitoring controller cooperates with the processor to remotely monitor the body.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus and method for reducing power consumption in physiological condition monitors that use a memory data storage device that operates in a high power mode when data is being written to the memory data storage device and operates in a low power mode when inactive. The apparatus comprises: 1) a controller for receiving incoming data to be written to the memory data storage device; and 2) a first low power buffer coupled to the controller. The controller stores the incoming data in the first low power buffer until a predetermined amount of incoming data has been accumulated in the first low power buffer and transfers the accumulated predetermined amount of incoming data to the memory data storage device in a single data transfer.