# US 10,117,616 B2 · Apnea safety control

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- Number: US 10,117,616 B2
- Document ID: US10117616B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/035,512
- Filed: 2014-11-12
- Published: 2016-10-06
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-11-22
- Assignees: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Applicants: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Inventors: Matthew John Lawrenson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10117616B2

## CPC

- A61B 5/18: for vehicle drivers {or machine operators}
- A61B 3/113: for determining or recording eye movement
- A61B 5/02416: {using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation (A61B5/14552 takes precedence)}
- A61B 5/087: Measuring breath flow
- A61B 5/14542: {for measuring blood gases (A61B5/14551 takes precedence)}
- A61B 5/4815: {Sleep quality}
- A61B 5/4818: {Sleep apnoea}
- A61B 5/7264: {Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems}
- A61B 5/7282: {Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition (cough events A61B5/0823; seizures A61B5/4094; sleep apnoea A61B5/4818)}
- A61B 7/003: {Detecting lung or respiration noise}
- A61M 16/0069: {the speed thereof being controlled by respiratory parameters, e.g. by inhalation}
- B60K 28/06: responsive to incapacity of driver
- G08B 21/06: indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
- A61B 5/0295: using plethysmography, i.e. measuring the variations in the volume of a body part as modified by the circulation of blood therethrough, e.g. impedance plethysmography
- A61B 5/0826: {Detecting or evaluating apnoea events (sleep apnoea A61B5/4818)}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a safety support system (10), comprising a data interface (20) for receiving sleep quality data carrying information on the sleep quality of a person (12), a sleep quality assessment unit (22) for determining a sleep quality indicator being indicative of the sleep quality of the person (12) based on the received sleep quality data and a safety unit (24) for determining machine operation settings for the person (12) based on the sleep quality indicator, said machine operation settings being indicative of an allowed operation of a machine (14) by the person (12). The present invention further relates to a corresponding method and to a machine (14) comprising a safety support system (10) as described above.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system configured to determine machine operation settings, the system comprising:
a data interface for receiving sleep quality data carrying information on the sleep quality of a person;
a sleep quality assessment unit for determining a sleep quality indicator indicative of the sleep quality of the person based on the received sleep quality data, wherein the sleep quality indicator is determined based on a number of apnea or hypopnea events; and
a safety unit for determining machine operation settings prior to an intended operation of a machine by the person based on the sleep quality indicator, the machine operation settings being indicative of an allowed operation of the machine by the person,
wherein the machine operation settings refer to restrictions or constraints on the operation of the machine and include values describing an accessible functional range defining which functions of the machine can be accessed by the person and to which extent each of the functions can be accessed, and
wherein the machine operation settings include one or more of a maximum operation duration of the machine, a number of passengers permitted to be taken along with the person in the machine, a maximum load of the machine, an operation duration of the machine without rest, a driving velocity of the machine, a maximum operation speed of one or more moving parts of the machine, a minimum required resting time of the person while operating the machine, or a number and/or duration of required pauses for and/or surveillance of the person.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

Safety support system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a machine interface for communicating with the machine and for controlling the operation of the machine based on the determined machine operation settings.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

Safety support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleep quality data include data determined during a time period prior to an intended operation of the machine by the person.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

Safety support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleep quality data include a polysomnogram of the person that includes one or more signals representative of an electroencephalogram, an electrooculogram, an electromyogram, an electrocardiogram, an oral and/or nasal airflow, snoring loudness, a level of eye movement and a level of body movement.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the sleep quality data include data carrying direct or indirect information on apnea and hypopnea events during a sleep period of the person; and
the sleep quality assessment unit is configured to determine an estimate for an apnea-hypopnea-index of the person.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

Safety support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleep quality assessment unit is configured to determine the sleep quality indicator based on a neural network analysis.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

Safety support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the safety unit is configured to compare the determined sleep quality indicator with a threshold value.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

Safety support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the data interface is configured to further receive medical history data of the person in addition to the sleep quality data, said medical history data being indicative of progress of a medical condition of the person; and
the sleep quality assessment unit is configured to determine the sleep quality indicator based on the received sleep quality data and the medical history data.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

Safety support system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following sensors connected to the data interface for capturing at least one sensor signal, which at least one sensor signal at least partly forms the sleep quality data:
an acceleration sensor for capturing a sensor signal indicative of a movement of the person;
a camera sensor for capturing a sensor signal indicative of a movement of the eyes of the person;
a flow sensor for capturing a sensor signal indicative of the breathing of the person;
an acoustic sensor for capturing a sensor signal indicative of breathing sounds of the person;
a blood oxygenation sensor for capturing a sensor signal indicative of the blood oxygen saturation of the person; and
a photoplethysmography sensor for capturing a sensor signal indicative of a vital sign of the person.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

Safety support system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a pressure support system including:
a pressure generator for generating a pressurized flow of breathable gas;
a patient interface for delivering the pressurized flow of breathable gas to the person; and
a flow sensor for capturing a sensor signal indicative of the breathing of the person;
wherein the flow sensor is connected to the data interface and the sensor signal at least partly forms the sleep quality data.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

Safety support system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an interlock device for restricting the operation of a machine to the allowed operation based on the determined machine operation settings.

### Claim 12 (depends on 2)

Machine comprising:
a safety system interface for communicating with a safety support system as claimed in claim 2 and for receiving machine operation settings being indicative of an allowed operation of the machine by a person, wherein said machine operation settings include a value which describes an accessible functional range defining which function of the machine can be accessed by the person and to which extent said function can be accessed; and
an interlock device for restricting the operation of the machine to the allowed operation based on said value included in the machine operation settings.

### Claim 13

A method for determining machine operation settings, the method comprising:
receiving sleep quality data carrying information on the sleep quality of a person;
determining a sleep quality indicator indicative of the sleep quality of the person based on the received sleep quality data, wherein the sleep quality indicator is determined based on a number of apnea or hypopnea events; and
determining machine operation settings prior to an intended operation of a machine by the person based on the sleep quality indicator, the machine operation settings being indicative of an allowed operation of the machine by the person,
wherein the machine operation settings refer to restrictions or constraints on the operation of the machine and include values describing an accessible functional range defining which functions of the machine can be accessed by the person and to which extent each of the functions can be accessed, and
wherein the machine operation settings include one or more of a maximum operation duration of the machine, a number of passengers permitted to be taken along with the person in the machine, a maximum load of the machine, an operation duration of the machine without rest, a driving velocity of the machine, a maximum operation speed of one or more moving parts of the machine, a minimum required resting time of the person while operating the machine, or a number and/or duration of required pauses for and/or surveillance of the person.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A computer program comprising program code means for causing a computer to carry out the steps of the method as claimed in claim 13 when the computer program is carried out on the computer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleep quality indicator is determined based on the number of apnea events, the number of hypopnea events, and an amount of time the person was asleep.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a second data interface configured to facilitate reception of a secure code from a mobile device of the person such that the intended operation of the machine begins.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the sleep quality indicator is determined based on the number of apnea events, the number of hypopnea events, and an amount of time the person was asleep.