Sensor Interface System
AssigneeConvergent Engineering, Inc.
InventorsNeil Russell Euliano, II, Dorothee Marossero, Shalom Darmanjian, Daniel Patrick McKenna
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sensor interface system for providing a connection between at least one sensor and a maternal-fetal monitor, wherein the interface system converts electrical muscle activity captured by the sensor(s) into uterine activity data signals for use by the maternal-fetal monitor. The sensor interface system of the invention preferably includes a conversion means for converting the signals from the sensor(s) into signals similar to those produced by a tocodynamometer.
Claims18
An interface system comprising:
- a sensor interface for operably connecting to at least one maternal abdominal sensor and receiving at least one signal from the at least one maternal abdominal sensor;
- a signal converter connected to the sensor interface, wherein the signal converter processes the at least one signal into output data that mimics electrical output from a tocodynamometer, intra-uterine pressure catheter, fetal scalp electrode, and/or ultrasound device;
- and
- a maternal-fetal monitor port interface for operably and physically connecting to a maternal-fetal monitor,
- wherein the maternal abdominal sensor is not a tocodynamometer or an ultrasound sensor.
A sensor array designed for a maternal abdomen, comprising:
- a substrate;
- at least two sensors on the substrate;
- and
- a curved electrical connection connected to each sensor, wherein each curved electrical connection is configured to allow the sensor array to conform to the shape of the maternal abdomen.
A method of optically coupling a signal converter and a maternal-fetal port, wherein the signal converter comprises an LED circuit,
- wherein the method comprises:
- providing an optical interface for the maternal-fetal port, wherein the optical interface comprises an optically-isolated balanced bridge circuit comprising a photo-resistor optically coupled to the LED circuit;
- driving the LED circuit with a voltage-to-current converter device, thereby modulating a current through the LED circuit and creating a maternal-fetal port input signal;
- and
- providing the maternal-fetal port input signal to the maternal-fetal port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.