IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,254,989
Granted Patent B2
US 12,254,989 · App. 18/183,877 · Granted Mar 18, 2025

Connected body surface care module

Inventor: Thomas Nichols (Laguna Niguel, CA)
Assignee: PREH Holding, LLC
G16H50/30A61B5/0013A61B5/0077A61B5/445A61B5/4836A61B5/4842A61B5/6833A61B5/7267A61F13/05A61M1/90A61M1/915G06T7/0014G06V10/764G06V10/774G16H20/00G16H40/63G16H50/20G16H70/60H04N7/183A61B2562/06A61B2576/00A61F2013/00536A61M35/00A61M2205/3306A61N5/06A61N2007/0017G06T2207/20081G06T2207/30088G06V2201/03
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,254,989
App. No.
18/183,877
Granted
Mar 18, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A wearable treatment and analysis module is provided. The module is positioned on or near a body surface region of interest. The module provides remote access to sensor data, treatment administration, and/or other health care regimens via a network connection with a user device and/or management system.

Claims (71)

1. A system for monitoring a wound, the system comprising:

a wearable medical module for real-time monitoring of healing of a patient's wound, comprising:

a housing forming a receptacle having a lower opening configured to face the wound, wherein the housing is configured to be affixed to the patient over the wound using a wearable medical article;

a camera sensor disposed relative to the receptacle and configured to generate image data regarding the wound; and

a wireless antenna disposed relative to the receptacle and configured to transmit the image data; and

a computing system comprising one or more computer processors and executable instructions, wherein the computing system is configured to:

receive the image data transmitted by the wireless antenna;

select, based on a type of the wound, a set of machine learning models comprising a first machine learning model and a second machine learning model;

evaluate the image data using the first machine learning model trained to classify the image data into a class of a plurality of wound classes, wherein the first machine learning model comprises a neural network-based machine learning model with a plurality of layers, wherein an embedding layer of the plurality of layers generates image embedding data using the image data, and wherein an output layer of the plurality of layers generates classification data representing the class using the image embedding data;

evaluate the image embedding data and contextual data associated with the patient using the second machine learning model, wherein the second machine learning model comprises a regression model trained to generate state scores; and

generate a state score output based on evaluation of the image embedding data and contextual data using the second machine learning model.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing system is further configured to train the first machine learning model using training data comprising training image data associated with one or ore body surface region classifications to be generated by the first machine learning model.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wearable medical module further comprises one or more sensors configured to generate sensor data regarding a body surface region in which the wound is located, wherein the wireless antenna is further configured transmit the sensor data.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein a sensor of the one or more sensors comprises one of: a temperature sensor, a moisture sensor, a pH sensor, or a pressure sensor.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the computing system is further configured to:

receive the sensor data; and

evaluate the sensor data using the first machine learning model, wherein the first machine learning model is further trained to use the sensor data to generate classification.

6. The system of claim 1 , the plurality of wound classes comprises individual classes associated with different degrees of wound healing.

7. The system of claim 1 , the plurality of wound classes comprises individual classes associated with different degrees of wound severity.

8. The system of claim 1 , the plurality of wound classes comprises individual classes associated with different skin conditions.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing system is further configured to:

determine a treatment to be administered to the wound based at least partly on evaluation of the image data; and

transmit an instruction regarding the treatment.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wearable medical module further comprises a treatment dispenser configured to administer a treatment to the wound, wherein the wireless antenna is further configured to receive an instruction to administer the treatment.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wearable medical module further comprises one or more supports configured to lift a lower surface of the housing above a body surface in which the wound is present.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing system is further configured to receive the contextual data associated with the patient, wherein the contextual data comprises one or more of: sensor data from one or more sensors of the wearable medical module, demographic data regarding the patient, geographic data regarding a geographic location of the patient, skin data regarding a skin tone of the patient, treatment data regarding a treatment administered to the wound, or result data regarding a result of the treatment administered to the wound.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the computing system is further configured to train the second machine learning model using a set of image embedding data and a set of corresponding contextual data.

14. A system for monitoring a wound, the system comprising:

a wearable medical module for placement over the wound, the wearable medical module comprising:

a housing forming a receptacle having a lower opening configured to face the wound, wherein the housing is configured to be affixed to a patient over the wound using a wearable medical article;

a camera sensor disposed relative to the receptacle and configured to generate image data regarding the wound; and

a wireless antenna disposed relative to the receptacle and configured to transmit the image data; and

a computing system comprising one or more computer processors and executable instructions, wherein the computing system is configured to:

receive the image data transmitted by the wireless antenna;

evaluate the image data with respect to a database of reference images of wound conditions to identify a reference image with a similarity to the image data, wherein evaluation of the image data with respect to the reference image comprises:

generating a first encoded version of the image data comprising a pixel-wise hash of the image data representing differences in grayscale darkness of individual pixels of the image data compared against neighboring pixels in the image data, wherein for each pixel of the image data:

a first value is added to the pixel-wise hash in response to determining that a pixel adjacent in a direction is lighter than the pixel; and

a second value is added to the pixel-wise hash in response to determining that the pixel adjacent in the direction is darker than the pixel; and

evaluating the first encoded version of the image data with respect to a second encoded version of the reference image to generate a similarity score;

determine, based on a similarity of the image data to the reference image, a change to a treatment administered by wearable medical module; and

send a treatment instruction to the wearable medical module regarding the change to the treatment.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a user device configured to operate as an intermediary between the wearable medical module and the computing system.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the database comprises reference images associated with different degrees of wound healing.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the database comprises reference images associated with different degrees of wound deterioration.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the database comprises reference images associated with different individual wound conditions.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the database further comprises a plurality of characterized normal reference images.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the wearable medical module further comprises a treatment dispenser configured to administer a treatment to the wound.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the treatment comprises one of: a light therapy treatment, an ultrasonic therapy treatment, a negative pressure wound therapy, or a fluid treatment.

22. The system of claim 20 , wherein the wireless antenna is further configured to receive an instruction to administer the treatment.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein the wireless antenna is further configured to receive a second instruction to generate second image data regarding the wound subsequent to administration of the treatment.

24. The system of claim 14 , wherein the wearable medical module further comprises one or more supports configured to lift a lower surface of the housing above a body surface in which the wound is present.

25. A system for monitoring a wound, the system comprising:

a wearable medical module for monitoring of a body surface region of a wearer, comprising:

a housing forming a receptacle having a lower opening configured to face the body surface region, wherein the housing is configured to be affixed to the wearer over the wound using a wearable medical article;

an optical instrument supported by the housing and configured to generate image data regarding the body surface region; and

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the image data; and

a computing system comprising one or more computer processors and executable instructions, wherein the computing system is configured to:

receive the image data transmitted by the transmitter;

generate a first encoded version of the image data comprising a pixel-wise hash of the image data representing differences in grayscale darkness of individual pixels of the image data compared against neighboring pixels in the image data, wherein for each pixel of the image data:

a first value is added to the pixel-wise hash in response to determining that a pixel adjacent in a direction is lighter than the pixel; and

a second value is added to the pixel-wise hash in response to determining that the pixel adjacent in the direction is darker than the pixel; and

evaluate the first encoded version of the image data with respect to a second encoded version of second image data regarding the body surface region to generate output representing a change to the body surface region.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the computing system is further configured to train a machine learning model using training data comprising training image data and training contextual data, wherein the training data is associated with one or more state scores to be generated by the machine learning model.

27. The system of claim 25 , wherein the computing system is further configured to generate output data that represents at least one of: a treatment instruction, a sensor instruction, or a body surface region classification.

28. The system of claim 27 , wherein the wearable medical module is configured to:

receive the output data, wherein the output data represents the treatment instruction; and

administer a treatment to the body surface region.

29. The system of claim 27 , wherein the wearable medical module is configured to:

receive the output data, wherein the output data represents the sensor instruction; and

cause a sensor to generate sensor data based on the sensor instruction.

30. The system of claim 25 , wherein the wearable medical module further comprises one or more supports configured to lift a lower surface of the housing above a body surface in which the wound is present.

Continuity (5)
Continuation 17806846 · Jun 14, 2022
Provisional Application 63267475 · Feb 2, 2022
Provisional Application 63266392 · Jan 4, 2022
Provisional Application 63202506 · Jun 14, 2021
Related Publication 20230215583A1 · Jul 6, 2023
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