Method and Measuring Device for Measuring Oxygen Saturation in Blood

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This invention describes a method and device for measuring blood oxygen saturation in a peripheral human or animal body part. It uses light at two different wavelengths (typically red and infrared) directed through the body part and measures the transmitted or reflected light to generate two signals. Unlike conventional pulse oximeters, this method processes the signals using advanced mathematical models (blind source separation and statistical signal processing, especially Independent Component Analysis) to separate the true oxygenation signal from noise and motion artifacts. As a result, the measurement becomes very robust, particularly in the presence of movement, improving accuracy in real-world and ambulatory settings.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Non-invasive blood oxygen monitoring in clinical environments (e.g., hospitals, surgical theaters, emergency rooms)
• Continuous blood oxygen monitoring for patients at home, including the elderly or those with respiratory diseases
• Monitoring athletes or subjects during exercise or physical activity, where motion artifacts often distort conventional pulse oximetry
• Blood oxygen measurements in veterinary medicine (monitoring animals during surgery, recovery, or critical care)
• Wearable health and fitness trackers capable of accurate oxygen saturation readings during daily activity
• Ambulatory patient monitoring, including infants or active children prone to movement during measurement

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Greatly improved resistance to motion artifacts and disturbances, allowing accurate readings even if the patient or sensor moves
• More reliable and accurate oxygen saturation measurements than traditional pulse oximeters under challenging conditions
• Supports both human and animal patients, broadening applicability to human healthcare and veterinary use
• Potential to reconstruct clinically relevant photoplethysmogram signals in addition to oxygen saturation, allowing for additional physiological monitoring (e.g., heart rate)
• Reduces false alarms or missed measurements due to signal degradation from motion, improving patient comfort and care quality
• Can be implemented in portable, wearable, or standard medical devices for continuous and real-time monitoring

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates, inter alia, to a method for measuring oxygen saturation of the blood flowing in a peripheral human or animal body part (20), wherein electromagnetic radiation (q1' (t), q2' (t)) having a first and a second wavelength is radiated into or through the peripheral body part, the reflected or transmitted radiation (x1' (t), x2' (t)) is measured in order to form two measurement signals (x1 (t), x2 (t)), and the oxygen saturation of the blood is determined by evaluating the two measurement signals. According to the invention, a mathematical mixture module is used to evaluate the two measurement signals, and a statistical evaluation method is applied to the two measurement signals, wherein the statistical independence of a useful source signal and of an interference source signal is assumed as a constraint, and the evaluation method is used to determine the useful source signal and two filter functions related to the useful signal, and the oxygen saturation of the blood is determined by means of the three mentioned signals.