RU2251156C1 - Telemetric control system for checking operator working capacity from vigilance level and hypoglycemia precursors - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medical engineering.

SUBSTANCE: device has telemeter, electrodes for recording electric dermal activity from phase and tonus components, electrodes for recording hypoglycemia precursors from critical drop of electric skin resistance, logarithmic transducers, dual-channel analog-to-digital converter, code package shaper and transmitter connected to stationary part unit having receiving unit, control and signal-processing unit, display unit with acoustic signal unit and awareness and hypoglycemia precursors indication units.

EFFECT: wide range of functional applications.

6 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to a diagnostic tool for the psychophysiological state of a person in the process of professional activity and can be used in automatic control systems for the state of operators, in particular drivers of vehicles.

It is known that safety in industry, in transport is primarily determined by the psychophysiological state of the human operator of responsible professions. For example, being in the stage of fatigue, under the influence of stressful situations, or in a state of alcoholic (narcotic) exposure, the operator - driver loses the objective picture of the road situation, being a source of traffic accidents.

A large number of inventions are described that relate to technical means of counteracting both an initially inoperative operator and an operator who loses working capacity during the course of his professional activity. So, it is known to use gas analyzers to determine alcohol vapor during the breathing of a driver that prevents engine starting (EP 1024746 A1, Smart Start Inc., 08/09/2000), the use of speech recognition systems (RU 2148505, CJSC NEYROKOM, 60 K 28 / 06.10.05.2000) for the same purposes.

Another direction of monitoring the state of the operator is fixing its physiological parameters - electroencephalograms, electromyograms and electrooculograms, as well as their joint analysis (WO 00/44580 A1, Compumedics Sleep. PTY. Ltd, 08/03/2000), state of pressure, heartbeat, skin temperature, its electrical conductivity, etc. (WO 02/096694 A1, 12/05/2002). Functional state monitoring can be effectively used to maintain operability, for example, in monotony conditions, when the operator loses vigilance (see RU 2111134 C1, NEUROKOM, 1998). One of the most informative criteria for transitioning to an operator’s loss of working capacity state is a change in the skin-galvanic reaction (RU 2107460 C1, NEYROKOM, 03/27/1998; US 6167299, Galchenkov et al., NEUROCOM, 12/26/2000). A device for implementing the method comprises electrodes with their mounting means connected to an input device, means for suppressing impulse noise, means for isolating a signal in the phase and tonic band of electrodermal activity, means for detecting pulses of a phase component, a registration unit.

The closest device to the destination and combination of features is the system according to patent RU 2200095 C1, NEUROKOM, 03/10/2003. The telemetry system for monitoring the wakefulness of the operator contains electrodes with means for their attachment, connected to an input device connected to the reception, signal processing and control units and an indication unit. The electrodes and the input device are made in the form of a single unit of a telemetric sensor with the ability to place and mount on the wrist or on the finger of the operator. The reception, signal processing and control units and the display unit are located in a single unit of the stationary part, while the said telemetry sensor and the reception unit are connected via a radio channel. The input device contains a logarithmic converter, an analog-to-digital converter, a code parcel shaper, and a transmitter having a transmit antenna that is the output of the telemetry sensor in series. The signal receiving unit is made two-channel, with each channel formed by a series-connected receiving antenna, high-frequency amplifier, detector, correlator, the outputs of the correlators are connected to an information preprocessing unit connected via an interface to the signal processing and control unit, and the receiving antennas are mutually orthogonal polarization. The signal processing and control unit is connected to the input signal blocks of the vehicle, pairing with the vehicle's on-board computer, generating control actions and an interface for communicating with the display unit, while the input signal block is connected to the wake confirmation button and has a group of inputs for connecting to the corresponding electrical vehicle chains. The display unit includes an indication control unit, to the outputs of which an audible alarm unit and a wake level indicator are connected.

The system makes it possible to monitor the wakefulness of the operator, however, it does not allow to inform in a timely manner about the possibility of hypoglycemic shock if the operator suffers from diabetes.

At the same time, hypoglycemic shock in patients with diabetes is one of the most dangerous conditions of a human operator. Hypoglycemia often occurs due to the negligence of the diabetes patient himself, who will not eat right on time or unacceptably increase physical activity. With a mild stage of hypoglycemia, a person experiences hunger, with a greater one - sweating, weakness, and with a severe degree, loss of consciousness and even death can occur. There are numerous cases where a person, for example, driving a vehicle, because of the sudden onset of hypoglycemia, lost control over his actions and created an emergency on the road, often leading to dire consequences (see Rune Elvik, Anne Borger Mysen, Truls Waa. Handbook traffic safety / Translated from Nor. Edited by Prof. V.V. Silyanova, M .: MADI (GTU), 2001. 754 pp.). In accordance with the list of medical contraindications for admission to work (approved by order of the Ministry of Health of the USSR of September 29, 1989 No. 555), patients with diabetes mellitus were deemed unfit for professional activity as drivers of categories "B", "C", "D" and "E". At the same time, in Russia and some other countries, this disease is not an obstacle to obtaining rights to drive a car.

In accordance with the above, timely recognition of signs of the onset of hypoglycemia using non-invasive remote methods is relevant. This is advisable both from the point of view of safe performance of responsible work and the return to the full-fledged activities of people with diabetes when such activity is prohibited due to illness.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a device for monitoring the health of the operator by the level of wakefulness and the identification of precursors of hypoglycemia. According to the information available to the applicant, the statement of the problem and the means to solve it are new.

The technical result formulated in the task of the invention is achieved by the fact that the telemetric system for monitoring the health of the operator comprises a telemetry sensor unit including a first pair of electrodes for detecting electrodermal activity by phase and tonic components, connected to the first logarithmic converter, analog-to-digital converter connected to each other , to the shaper of the code parcels and the transmitter, connected via a radio channel with the stationary part unit, the output of which th is connected with a display unit comprising a display control unit, which are connected to the outputs of the chime unit and wakefulness level indicator. The system additionally includes means for registering precursors of hypoglycemia by a critical drop in the level of electrical resistance of the skin, made in the form of a second pair of electrodes connected to the second logarithmic converter, while the analog-to-digital converter is made of two channels, the outputs of both of the mentioned logarithmic converters are connected to its inputs, and the display unit includes an indicator of precursors of hypoglycemia by the state of a critical drop in electrical resistance Nia skin, connected to the output of the control unit display.

The system may be characterized in that the first pair of electrodes has means for galvanic communication with the inner surface of the skin of the wrist or finger, and the second with the back of the hand or wrist of the operator.

The system can be characterized by the fact that the critical drop in the electrical resistance of the skin, as a harbinger of hypoglycemic shock, includes the value of the drop in electrical resistance of the skin in the range from 1.5 to hundreds of times over a period of time not exceeding one minute.

The system can also be characterized by the fact that the telemetry sensor unit is made as a unit with the electrodes of the second group of the unit with the possibility of placement and fastening on the operator's hand.

The system can be characterized, in addition, by the fact that the telemetry sensor unit is made as a unit with the electrodes of the second group unit and can be placed and mounted on the operator’s hand.

The system can be characterized by the fact that the means of fastening the telemetry sensor unit on the operator’s hand is made in the form of a glove or part thereof, and the electrodes are mounted on the inner surface of the glove with the possibility of galvanic communication with the skin of the hand.

The patented invention is based on the following provisions. As you know, to date, no reliable bloodless method for determining blood sugar levels has been created. At the same time, to determine hypoglycemia, it is not necessary to know exactly the quantitative values of sugar concentration. It is enough to detect the precursors of hypoglycemic shock so that the human operator can take standard corrective actions in time. One of the harbingers is increased sweating in those areas on the skin where there is no sweating due to other reasons, such as the emotional state of a person. Such zones should also be characterized by the absence of thermoregulatory sweating in comfortable temperature conditions. Examples of sites that satisfy the described conditions are the skin of the back of the hand and wrist of a person. An increase in perspiration is recorded by a sharp drop in the electrical resistance of the skin G. As shown by experiments, the values of the decrease in the electrical resistance of the skin G in the range from 1.5 to tens to hundreds of times over a time interval not exceeding several tens of seconds can be taken as precursors of hypoglycemic shock. To generate precursor signals, an upgraded signal conversion and processing path is used according to the patent analogue of RU 2200095, the essential features of which are disclosed in the graphic materials and description below.

The invention is illustrated in the figures, where:

figure 1 shows a block diagram of a patented system;

figure 2 presents the algorithm of the system.

The system comprises (see FIG. 1) a telemetry sensor 10, a telemetry sensor signal receiver 20, a controller 30, and an indication device 40. The telemetric sensor 10 is designed to obtain information about the relative change in the parameters of the skin resistance of the driver, converting this information into code packages and transmitting them over the radio channel of the gigahertz frequency range to the signal processing subsystem of the telemetric sensor. The telemetry sensor 10 is located on the wrist or on the finger of the operator and can be made in the form of a bracelet, watch or ring, as well as a glove or its fragment, worn on the hand.

The telemetry sensor 10 has two pairs of electrodes: 101 and 102, 103 and 104, providing electrical contact with the skin of the operator. One pair of electrodes (102, 101) is designed to record electrodermal activity, according to the parameters of which signals are distinguished in the phase and tonic components (completely analogous to the closest analogue of RU 2200095). The second pair of electrodes (103, 104) is designed to register precursors of hypoglycemia by the state of a critical drop in skin electrical resistance. These electrodes are installed in areas, as noted above, which are usually not characterized by perspiration under conditions of emotional stress, as well as without pronounced sweating under comfortable environmental conditions. Such areas are the back of the hand or the back of the operator’s wrist.

The pairs of electrodes are connected to the input of the logarithmic converters 106, 107. The outputs of the converters 106, 107 are connected to the inputs of a two-channel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 108, the output of which is connected to the input of the code transmitter former 110, the output of which is connected to the transmitter 112 connected to the transmitting antenna 114. The sensor 10 is powered by a battery 113.

The signal receiver 20 of the telemetric sensor 10 is designed to receive high-frequency signals through two independent channels with mutually orthogonal polarization, for which two receiving antennas 202 and 204 are used. Antennas 202, 204 are connected to two channels of a high-frequency amplifier 206, 208, the outputs of which are through detectors 210 , 212 are connected to the inputs of the channel correlators 214, 216. From the output of the correlators 214, 216, digital values of the correlation function of the input signal are fed to the input of the telemetry sensor information preprocessing unit 218. The output of said block 218 is connected to an interface 220 for communication with a controller 30.

For this purpose, the controller 30 has an interface 302 connected to a control and digital signal processing unit 304. Block 304 is connected to control actions generation block 306, having a number of corresponding output terminals 308 for connecting to various alarm systems or controlling an object (the object may be a vehicle). In this case, an input signal block 310 is connected to one of the inputs of block 304, having a group of inputs 312 for connecting to the corresponding electrical circuits of the object. For example, for a vehicle - indicators of braking, turning and others. A block wake confirmation button 314 is also connected to block 310. To connect the unit 304 to the on-board computer of the managed object, an interface unit 316 is introduced, the input of which is connected to the unit 304, and the output has a corresponding connector 318. In addition, the unit 304 is connected to the interface 320 for communication with the display device 40.

The display device 40 is connected to the interface 320 via an interface 402 connected to the display control unit 404 having corresponding outputs. These outputs are connected to an audible alarm unit 406, an awake level indicator 408 showing the operator’s awake level on a conditional scale, and an indicator of 410 precursors of hypoglycemia as a result of a critical drop in skin electrical resistance.

Interfaces 220, 302, 320 and 402 can be organized according to the RS-232C standard or another used on a managed site.

The device operates as follows.

The current through the skin of the hand, indicated in Fig. 1 as the resistance G connected to the pairs of electrodes 101, 102 and 103, 104, is converted by the logarithmic converters 106, 107 into voltage and supplied to the inputs of the ADC 108, which measures the current value of the resistances G.

The signal from the output of the ADC 108 is supplied to the generator 110 code parcels, which controls the modulation of the transmitter 112 of the radio channel. Information on connecting electrodes 101, 102, 103, 104 to the operator’s body, battery voltage (block 113) and the onset of the test mode is also transmitted in the code packages.

The receiver 20 of the telemetry sensor signals receives high-frequency pulse-modulated signals through two independent channels with mutually orthogonal polarization of the receiving antennas 202, 204. After amplification (blocks pos. 206, 208), detection (pos. 210, 212) and amplitude normalization, the input signal for each of the channels it goes to the inputs of the channel correlators 214, 216. From the output of the said correlators, the digital values of the correlation function of the input signal are fed to the input of the telemetry information preprocessing unit 218 atchka. The channel for processing the current package of the telemetry sensor is selected by the maximum value of the correlation function on the interval of the start bit of the package.

At the request of the controller 30, an information code along with the signs of testing and error is supplied to the output of the device. The control and digital processing unit 304 analyzes the signals received from the receiver 20 corresponding to the measured value of the skin resistance. Based on this analysis, taking into account the well-known criteria for the state of wakefulness according to a skin-galvanic reaction (for example, RU 2107460), block 304 determines the level of wakefulness of the operator.

In accordance with the level of wakefulness, an indicator status code 408 is received at the input of the display device 40 through the interface 320. The display control unit 404 includes the necessary number of indicator elements (for example, LEDs) and, upon a critical decrease in the level of wakefulness, sends a signal to the audible alarm unit 406. The audible alarm requires the operator to press the button 314 confirmation of wakefulness. If the operator pressed the button 314 or the block 310 of the input signals from the vehicle registered a signal at any of the inputs 312, the entire system continues to work as before. In the event that no signal confirming awake was received from the output of block 310 to block 304, block 304 provides signals to control actions generation block 306, the output terminals 308 of which are connected to the vehicle's functional systems. When using the telemetry system in road transport and river vessels, these are systems of light and sound alarms, fuel injection control, and air suspension control. In rail transport, the control action is applied to the emergency braking system.

If there is a CAN BUS standard on-board network controlled by the operator, the patented telemetry system can be connected to the on-board computer via the interface unit 316 through the connector 318, also made in the CAN BUS standard. In this case, information about the current level of wakefulness of the operator, the inclusion of an audible alarm, the activation of the wake-up confirmation button 314 by the driver, information about the issuance of signals to the control action generation unit 306 can be transmitted to the on-board network. In addition, information on the state of the wakefulness monitoring system itself can be sent to the on-board network (for example, on the occurrence of malfunctions, loss of contact of the telemetry sensor with the skin of the operator’s hands, discharge of the sensor’s battery, and other unregulated situations in the system’s operation).

The algorithm of the system is shown in figure 2.

When you turn on the power (p. 60), the stationary part of the system performs a self-test (p. 61), during which the correct functioning of its units is checked. If errors are detected, a message is issued (p. 73), after which the driver makes a decision (p. 74) regarding further use of the system: continue the system (p. 61) or disable it (p. 75).

If the self-test was successful, a check is made for the presence of a signal from sensor 10 (p. 62). In the event that there is no signal, the system returns to the self-test cycle (p. 61). If there is a signal, the reception indicator turns on (p. 63) and the received data is analyzed (p. 64). In case of detection of errors (p. 65), a message about which was transmitted by the sensor 10 or receiver 20, a message is issued (p. 73). After that, the driver makes a decision (p. 74) regarding further use of the system: eliminate the cause of the error and continue the system (p. 61) or disable the system (p. 75).

If there are no errors, the level of wakefulness is determined (p. 66) and its indication (p. 67). Next, a check of the level of wakefulness (item 68) is carried out according to well-known criteria, its indication (item 69).

A check is made for the presence of precursors of hypoglycemia by a critical drop in the level of skin resistance (p. 76) in the measurement channel connected to the back of the wrist (pair of electrodes 103, 104). If a critical drop in resistance G is detected in a short period of time (the criteria of which are described above), then the corresponding indicator 410 is turned on (p. 78). If such a drop is not detected, then the system works similarly to the prototype, i.e. determines the level of wakefulness by the phase component of skin resistance.

If the level of wakefulness is higher than critical, the system returns to step 62 in a cycle. If the level of wakefulness is below the critical level, a sound signal “Confirm wakefulness” (p. 69) will be issued. The response of the operator is checked (item 70): is button 314 pressed for a specified time?

If the button is pressed, the system returns to step (p. 62). At the same time, the presence of signals from the vehicle controls (p. 71) from the group of inputs 312, for example, indicators of braking, turning, and others, is checked. If at least one of these signals is present, the system returns to step 62. In the absence of such signals, a control action is applied to the outputs 308 and the corresponding error message (p. 73). After that, the driver makes a decision (p. 74) regarding the further use of the system: continue the system, eliminating the cause of the error (p. 61), or disable the system (p. 75).

Thus, the system allows you to simultaneously monitor both efficiency by the level of wakefulness and register the precursors of hypoglycemic shock, thereby increasing the accuracy of the human operator.

Claims (6)

1. A telemetric system for monitoring the health of the operator, comprising a telemetry sensor unit, comprising a first pair of electrodes for detecting electrodermal activity by phase and tonic components, connected to the first logarithmic converter, analog-to-digital converter, code parcel shaper, and transmitter connected via a radio channel with a stationary unit, the output of which is connected to an indication unit, including an indication control unit, to the output which is connected to an audible alarm unit and an awake level indicator, characterized in that it additionally introduces means for registering precursors of hypoglycemia by a critical drop in the level of electrical resistance of the skin, made in the form of a second pair of electrodes connected to a second logarithmic transducer, while the digital converter is made two-channel, the outputs of both of the mentioned logarithmic converters are connected to its inputs, and the display unit is on There is an indicator of precursors of hypoglycemia according to the state of a critical drop in the electrical resistance of the skin, connected to the output of the display control unit. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first pair of electrodes has means for galvanic communication with the inner surface of the skin of the wrist or finger, and the second with the back of the hand or wrist of the operator. 3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the critical drop in the electrical resistance of the skin, as a harbinger of hypoglycemic shock, includes the value of the drop in electrical resistance of the skin in the range from 1.5 to hundreds of times over a period of time not exceeding one minute. 4. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the telemetry sensor unit is made as a unit with the electrodes of the second group of the unit with the possibility of placement and fastening on the operator's hand. 5. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that the telemetry sensor unit is made as a unit with the electrodes of the second group of the unit with the possibility of placement and fastening on the operator’s hand. 6. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the means of fastening the telemetry sensor unit on the operator’s hand is in the form of a glove or part thereof, and the electrodes are mounted on the inner surface of the glove with the possibility of galvanic communication with the skin of the hand.

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