Granted Patent B2

US 12,414,695 · App. 17/564,600 · Granted Sep 16, 2025

Inventors: Gil Arditi (Binyamina, IL); Roman Vaistikh (Ganei Tikva, IL); Uriel Weinstein (Mazkeret Batya, IL)

Assignee: ZOLL Medical Israel Ltd.

A61B5/0205A61B5/05A61B5/0015A61B5/6804A61B5/7235A61B5/746A61B2562/0219A61B2562/166

Abstract

Claims (32)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to generate and/or receive radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic signals;

one or more antennae configured for removable placement at a location on or immediately adjacent skin of a human or animal body and configured to:

radiate the generated RF electromagnetic signals into and through the skin, and

output signals corresponding to received reflections of the RF electromagnetic signals;

an accelerometer configured to detect attachment to a living being or tissue and output an accelerometer signal corresponding thereto;

an electrode configured to be attached to or contact the skin of the human body or the animal body; and

a processing circuitry configured to process the received reflections and/or the output signals, as well as to process the accelerometer signal so as to:

determine values corresponding to one or more parameters of the received reflections and/or the output signals,

determine diagnostic values indicative of at least one physiological effect based on the values corresponding to one or more parameters of the received reflections and/or the output signals, and

determine attachment of the apparatus to a living being or tissue based on the accelerometer signal and values corresponding to the one or more parameters of the received reflections and/or the output signals,

wherein the parameters comprise amplitude and/or phase of the reflections and/or output signals, and

wherein the electrode is configured to provide electrical current to the human body or the animal body.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein determining attachment of the apparatus to a living being or tissue comprises calculating an amount of accelerometer signal energy in low frequencies compared to the energy of an entire spectrum.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein determining attachment of the apparatus to a living being or tissue comprises determining whether the apparatus is attached to a stationary surface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein processing circuitry is configured to process the reflections and/or the output signals to determine amplitudes of reflected signals with respect to an amplitude of a nominal signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein processing circuitry is configured to process the reflections and/or the output signals to determine the amplitudes of reflected signals with respect to the amplitude of the nominal signal by calculating a sum of an absolute value of a difference of the reflected signal amplitude per frequency from a nominal amplitude set.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a waveform of the RF electromagnetic signals is continuous and/or based on step-frequency.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the RF electromagnetic signals range in frequency from about 300 MHz to about 300 GHz.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more antennae comprise one or more of a monostatic antenna element, a bistatic antenna element, and a polystatic antenna element.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more antennae comprise a flexible plane configured to conform to the skin of the human or animal body, wherein the flexible plane includes a printed circuit board.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is incorporated into a wearable garment.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrode is configured to measure electrocardiogram and/or photoplethysmogram signals of the human body or the animal body, wherein the measurements are used to determine attachment level of the apparatus to the human body or the animal body.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with an external module.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an alarm unit configured to provide a warning when a determination of a change in position of the apparatus with respect to the skin of the human or animal body indicates attachment of the apparatus to the skin of a human or animal body is below a predetermined attachment level threshold.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to detect surface movements that are indicative of physiological effects, the physiological effects including heartbeat, muscle movement, and respiration.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the muscle movement includes movement of muscles of mastication and/or movements of muscles of swallowing.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is connected to a device for measuring physiological parameters, and further comprising a switch unit configured to activate or deactivate the device based on a determination of a change in position of the apparatus with respect to the skin of a human or animal body.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein processing the generated and/or the received signals comprises determining signal delays of the generated and/or the received signals.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one physiological effect relates to at least one of respiration, heartbeat, or muscle movement.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein determining attachment of the apparatus to a living being or tissue comprises comparing the values corresponding the one or more parameters of the received reflections and/or the output signals with a range of known values.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein determining attachment of the apparatus to a living being or tissue comprises comparing the values corresponding to the one or more parameters of the received reflections and/or the output signals with corresponding initial benchmark or nominal values, and determining attachment of the apparatus to a living being or tissue based on the comparison.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (4)

References Cited (312)