Nova Patents
CA2199016C

Signal processing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention involves method and apparatus for analyzing two measured signals acquired by a detector (20) that are modeled as containing primary and secondary portions. Coefficients relate the two signals according to a model defined in accordance with the present invention. In one embodiment, the present invention involves utilizing a transformation which evaluates a plurality of possible signal coefficients in order to find appropriate coefficients. Alternatively, the present invention involves using statistical functions or Fourier transform and windowing techniques to determine the coefficients relating to two measured signals. Use of this invention is described in particular detail with respect to blood oximetry measurements.

CA2199016C, drawing sheet 1
Sheet 1 of 69

Term

Term ended

Expired 10 October 2015, 11 years ago.

  1. Priority
  2. Filed
  3. Granted
  4. Expired
  5. Today

27 claims: 8 independent, 19 dependent

  1. 1
    CA 02199016 2001-01-19 WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:1, In a signal processor for processing at least two measured signals St and S2 each containing a primary signal portion s and a secondary signal portion n, said signals Si and S2 being in accordance with the following relationship: S 1 = s 1 + Sg = ^2 + ^2 where st and S2, and m and n2 are related by: s 1 = r a s 2 and and where r a and r v are coefficients, a method comprising the steps of;determining a values for the coefficient r a which minimizes correlation between si and m;calculating the blood oxygen saturation from said value of r a;and displaying the blood oxygen saturation on display.
  2. 2
    In a signal processor for processing at least two measured physiological signals Si and S2 each containing a primary signal portion s and a secondary signa; portion n, said signals St and S2 being in accordance with the following relationship:5 1 = s, + n, 5 2 = s 2 + n 2 where si and s 2 , and m and n 2 are related by: = r a s 2 and n^r^ and where r a and r v are coefficients, a method comprising the steps of: determining a value the coefficients r a which minimize correlation between Si and ni ;and CA 02199016 1997-03-03 WO 96/12435 PCT/ÜS95/13469 -128processing at least one of the first and second signals using the determined value for r a to significantly reduce π from at least one of the first or second measured signal to form a clean signal.
  3. 3
    The method of Claim 2, further comprising the step of displaying the resulting clean signal on a display.
  4. 4
    The method of Claim 2, wherein said first and second signals are physiological signals, further comprising the step of processing said clean signal to determine a physiological parameter from said first and second measured signals.
  5. 5
    The method of Claim 4, wherein said physiological parameter is arterial oxygen saturation.
  6. 6
    The method of Claim 4, wherein said physiological parameter is an ECG signal.
  7. 7
    The method of Claim 2, wherein the first portion of said measured signals is indicative of a heart plethysmograph, further comprising the step of calculating the pulse rate.
  8. 8
    A physiological monitor comprising:a first input configured to receive a first measured signal S 1 having a primary portion, s v and a secondary portion np a second input configured to received a second measured signal S 2 having a primary portion s 2 and a secondary portion n 2 , said first and said second measured signals S 1 and S 2 being in accordance with the following relationship: 5 1 = s 1 + /η 5 2 = s 2 + n 2 where s^ and s 2 , and n 1 and n 2 are related by: S! = r a s 2 and n^r\n 2 and where r 3 and r v are coefficients;a scan reference processor, said scan reference processor responsive to a plurality of possible values for r a , to multiply said second measured signal by each of said possible values for r a and for each of the resulting values, to subtract the resulting values from the first measured signal to provide a plurality of output signals;a correlation canceler having a first input configured to receive said first measured signal, and having a second input configured to receive the plurality of output signals from said saturation scan reference processor, said correlation canceler providing a plurality of output vectors CA 02199016 1997-03-03 WO 96/12435 PCT/ÜS95/13469 -129corresponding to the correlation cancellation between the plurality of output signals and the first measured signal;an integrator having an input configured to receive the plurality of output vectors from the correlation canceler, the integrator responsive to the plurality of output vectors to determine a 5 corresponding power for each output vectors;and a extremum detector coupled at its input to the output of the integrator, said extremum detector responsive to said corresponding power for each output vector to detect a selected power.
  9. 9
    The physiological monitor of Claim 8, wherein said plurality of possible values correspond 10 to a plurality of possible values for a selected blood constituent.
  10. 10
    The physiological monitor of Claim 9, wherein said selected blood constituent is arterial blood oxygen saturation.
  11. 11
    The physiological monitor of Claim 9, wherein said selected blood constituent is venous blood oxygen saturation. 15
  12. 12
    The physiological monitor of Claim 9, wherein said selected blood constituent is carbon monoxide.
  13. 13
    The physiological monitor of Claim 8, wherein said plurality of possible values correspond to a physiological concentration.
  14. 14
    A physiological monitor comprising:20 a first input configured to receive a first measured signal Sj having a primary portion, and a secondary portion Πμ a second input configured to received a second measured signal S 2 having a primary portion s 2 and a secondary portion n 2 , said first and said second measured signals and S 2 being in accordance with the following relationship: n, S 2 ~ ^2 where s^ and s 2 , and and n 2 are related by: S 1 = r a S 2 ancl ^=^2 and where r a and r v are coefficients;CA 02199016 2001-01-19 a transform module, sard saturation transform module responsive to said first and said second measured signals and responsive to a plurality of possible values for r a to provide at least one power curve as an output;an extremum calculation module, said extremum calculation module responsive to said at least one power curve to select a value for r fl which minimizes the correlation between s and n, and to calculate from said value for r a a corresponding saturation value as an output;and a display module, said display module responsive to the output of said saturation calculation to display said saturation value.
  15. 15
    In a signal processor for processing at least two measured physiological signals, each containing a primary signal portion and a secondary signal portion, said first and second signals substantially adhering to a predefined signal model, a method comprising the steps of:sampling said first and second signals over a period to obtain a first plurality of data points representing said first signal over said period and a second series of data points representing said second signal over said period;transforming said first series of data points into a first transformed series of points having at least a frequency component and a magnitude component and transforming said second series of data points into a second transformed series of points having at least a frequency component and a magnitude component;comparing said first and second transformed series of points to obtain a third series of comparison values having a magnitude component and at least a frequency component;selecting at least one of said comparison values that has a magnitude within a selected threshold;and from said selected at least one comparison value, determining a resulting value consistent with the predefined signal model.
  16. 16
    The method of Claim 15, wherein said step of comparing comprises determining a ratio of the first transformed series of point to said second series of points, and wherein said step of selected at least one of said comparison values comprises the step of selecting the lower of the ratios.
  17. 17
    The method of Claim 16, wherein said step of determining a resulting value comprises calculating a blood oxygen saturation from the selected ratios.
  18. 18
    The method of Claim 15, wherein said resulting value is blood oxygen saturation.
  19. 19
    The method of Claim 15, wherein said resulting value is pulse rate. CA 02199016 2001-01-19
  20. 20
    In a signal processor for processing at feast two measured signals, each containing a primary signal portion and a secondary signal portion, said first and second signals substantially adhering to a signal model for blood constituent saturation, a method comprising the steps of:sampling said First end second signals over a period to obtain a first plurality of data points representing said first signal over said period and a second series of data points representing said second signal over said period;transforming said first series of data points from time domain to frequency domain to obtain first transformed series of points and a second transformed series of points, said first and second transformed series of points having a magnitude component and at least a frequency component;determining a series of ratios of magnitudes with respect to frequency of ones of said first transformed series of points to ones of said second transformed series of points;selecting at least one of the ratios from said series of ratios that has a magnitude within a selected threshold;and from said selected at least one of the ratios, determining a resulting value consistent with the signal model.
  21. 21
    The method of . Claim 20, wherein said ratios correspond to blood oxygen saturation, said step of selecting at least one of said ratios comprising selecting at least one of the ratios corresponding to the higher values of blood oxygen saturation.
  22. 22
    The method of Claim 21, wherein said step of determining a resulting value comprises calculating the blood oxygen saturation from the selected at least one of the ratios.
  23. 23
    The method of Claim 22, further comprising the steps of:combining with a window function at least one of said first transformed series of points or said second transformed series of points with said resulting value;performing a spectrum analysis on the combination to obtain the pulse rate. 24 The method of Claim 22, further comprising the steps of: using a window function, combining at least one of said first transformed series of points or said second transformed series of points with said resulting value;performing an inverse window function to obtain a plethysmograph. 25 The method of Claim 22, wherein said resulting value is blood oxygen saturation. CA 02199016 2001-01-19
  24. 24
    26. In a signal processor for processing at least two measured signals, each containing a primary signal portion and a secondary signal portion, said first and second signals substantially adhering to a signal model, a method comprising the steps of:sampling said first and second signals over a period to obtain a first plurality of data 5 points representing said first signal over said period and a second series of data points representing said second signal over said period;performing a fast saturation transform with said first and second series of data points to obtain a series of transformed data points in said frequency domain;determining a selected saturation value from said plurality of saturation values. 10
  25. 25
    27. The method of Claim 26, wherein said selected saturation value is arterial blood oxygen saturation.
  26. 26
    28. The method of Claim 26, wherein said selected saturation value is venous blood oxygen saturation.
  27. 27
    29. The method of Claim 26, wherein said step of performing said fast saturation transform 15 comprises calculating first and second plurality of intermediary transformed points from said first and second series of data points, said method further comprising the step of determining a pulse rate from said selected saturation value and from said first plurality of intermediary transformed points.
Independent claims27