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EP-4561428-B1 - SYSTEM FOR MONITORING SLEEPING DISORDERS

EP4561428B1EP 4561428 B1EP4561428 B1EP 4561428B1EP-4561428-B1

Inventors

  • Jané Campos, Raimon
  • Ferrer Lluís, Ignasi
  • Castillo Escario, Yolanda

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230727

Claims (9)

  1. A system for monitoring a sleeping disorder in a subject person, the system comprising: a mobile device comprising: a microphone configured to acquire audio signals indicative of breathing of the subject person; and an accelerometer configured to acquire accelerometer signals including position, angular and movement information of the subject person; a fixation system for collocating the mobile device above the sternum of the subject person; and a pulse oximeter configured to measure oxygen saturation levels of the subject person, wherein the fixation system is composed of an elastic band and a bag to place the mobile device; wherein the system is configured for monitoring a sleeping disorder in a subject person by: - acquiring audio signals indicative of breathing of the subject person by means of the microphone; - acquiring accelerometer signals, by means of the accelerometer of the mobile device, to derive position, angular and movement information of the subject person from the accelerometer signals; - measuring thoracic movement related to respiration and sleep-disordered breathing by means of the accelerometer; - identifying a plurality of silence events based on the audio signals; - classifying the silence events into apnea or hypopnea depending on existence of low-intensity respiratory sounds in the audio signals; - identifying an apnea type of the classified apnea; and - associating to a classified silence event the respective angular information by combining the audio signals and the accelerometer signals; wherein the apnea type is identified based on the measured thoracic movement as indicated by the angular information derived from the accelerometer.
  2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the apnea type is identified as obstructive, central, or mixed by means of the angular information derived from the accelerometer; and wherein a reduction in the thoracic movement as indicated by the angular variation derived from triaxial accelerometer data comprised in the angular information is identified as an obstructive apnea, wherein an absence of thoracic movement as indicated by flat regions in the angular information is identified as a central apnea, and wherein an apnea which begins as a central apnea and ends as an obstructive apnea or vice versa is identified as a mixed apnea
  3. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the system is configured for monitoring a sleeping disorder in a subject person by further: - quantifying sleep movements and sleep position variability based on the accelerometer signals; and - detecting breathing route during sleep from the audio signals.
  4. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pulse oximeter is a wireless pulse oximeter and wherein the system is configured for monitoring a sleeping disorder in a subject person by further: - acquiring oxygen saturation levels of the subject person by means of the wireless pulse oximeter via a wireless link to the mobile device; and - selecting regions of interest, wherein the regions in interest are regions of the audio signals that are followed by oxygen desaturations measured by the wireless pulse oximeter.
  5. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the system is configured for monitoring a sleeping disorder in a subject person by further: - removing artefacts by considering the accelerometer signals while identifying the silence events.
  6. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the system is configured for monitoring a sleeping disorder in a subject person by further: - providing the classified silence events with associated the respective angular information on the mobile device.
  7. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the system is configured for monitoring a sleeping disorder in a subject person by further: - outputting vibration and/or sound from the mobile device based on the angular information and the oxygen saturation level and/or the audio signals for positional treatment.
  8. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apnea type is obstructive, central, or mixed; the breathing route is oral or nasal; and the angular information is one angle, a plurality of angles, or triaxial accelerometer values.
  9. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the system is configured for monitoring a sleeping disorder in a subject person by further: - detecting cardiac activity from the accelerometer; and - associating a relationship of changes of heart rate of the subject person and silence events.

Description

Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a method for monitoring a sleeping disorder and a sleeping quality in a subject person. More particular, the present disclosure relates to corresponding method and systems that employ mobile devices, such as smartphones or other wearable devices. Some aspects may also relate to corresponding positional treatment. Background Art Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent sleep disorder that is related to sleepiness and accidents and is also an independent risk factor of cardiac, brain and cancer diseases. However, more than 80% of patients are late diagnosed, as conventional techniques to diagnose OSA do not provide a method for monitoring sleeping of a subject person in a reliable and also in a cost-effective way. Known methods are based on questionnaires, such as the STOP-Band and Berlin questionnaires, which are supposed to quantify the sleep quality of the patient. However, they oftentimes fail to properly determine different sleeping positions and find their relations to the sleep apnea. Other techniques, such as polysomnography (PSG), which some regard as the golden-standard test for diagnosing sleep-related diseases, use multiple sensors, such as a nasal pressure transducer, thermistor, and thoracic and abdominal bands, for recording breathing activity, and accelerometry-based sensors, as well as cameras, for monitoring sleep position, which leads to a more objective and reliable measure. However, the PSG is cumbersome and costly; it requires the subject to sleep with multiple wires, and promotes the subject to sleep in a certain supine position, which may even worsen any disorder already present. In addition to the above, it is well known to employ the today ubiquitous presence of mobile electronic devices, especially smartphones. The capabilities of modern smartphones have long been appreciated in many technology fields. The fact that such mobile devices do not only provide substantial processing power and high-quality user interfaces, but also sensors and detectors for sound, light, position, accelerations and forces and the like, has already led to a broad variety of applications in technical fields that do not directly relate to telephony and communication. However, the mere existence of sensors and data acquisition and processing capabilities does not automatically yield practicable solutions. Especially in the context of health-related issues, in the field of telemedicine, telehealth, telemonitoring and mHealth, there is the need for a factual provision of well-defined, predictable and - above all - reliable solutions and related advantages. There is therefore a need for improved methods and systems that provide reliable functionality in the context of sleeping disorders. Summary The above problems are solved by the subject-matter of the independent claims. Further preferred embodiments are given by the subject-matter of the dependent claims. Moreover, further examples are provided for facilitating the understanding of the disclosure. According to an embodiment, there is provided a method for monitoring a sleeping disorder in a subject person, the using a mobile device and comprising: collocating the mobile device with the subject person; acquiring audio signals indicative of breathing of the subject person by means of a microphone of the mobile device; acquiring accelerometer signals, by means of an accelerometer of the mobile device, to derive position, angular and movement information of the subject person from the accelerometer signals or the signals from the accelerometer; measuring thoracic movement related to respiration and sleep-disordered breathing by means of the accelerometer; identifying silence events based on the audio signals; classifying the silence events into apneas or hypopneas; identifying an apnea type of the classified apnea based on the thoracic movement; and associating to a classified silence event the respective angular information by combining the audio signals and the accelerometer signals. According to another embodiment, there is provided a method for monitoring a sleeping quality in a subject person, the method using a mobile device and comprising: collocating the mobile device with the subject person; acquiring audio signals indicative of breathing of the subject person by means of a microphone of the mobile device; acquiring accelerometer signals, by means of an accelerometer of the mobile device, to derive position, angular and movement information of the subject person from the accelerometer signals; measuring thoracic movement related to respiration and sleep-disordered breathing by means of the accelerometer; identifying a sleep event based on the audio signals; and identifying body position at which the sleep event is produced based on the angular information. According to another embodiment, there is provided a system for monitoring sleeping disorder and quality in a subject person, the system comprising