Surfacing insights into usage of a pressure-mitigation device through analysis of movements of a living body situated thereon

Abstract

Introduced here are pressure-mitigation systems able to mitigate the pressure applied to a human body by the surface of an object. A system can include a pressure-mitigation device with chambers whose pressure can be varied by a controller that regulates the flow of fluid produced by a pump. The controller may be deployed as part of a closed loop system that autonomously infers information related to the health of a patient based on data related to the pressure of these chambers. For example, the data may be examined to determine whether the values indicate the patient is properly situated. A notification may be presented responsive to determining that the patient is not situated on the pressure-mitigation device, the patient has been improperly situated on the pressure-mitigation device for a certain amount of time, etc. Thus, real-time feedback may be provided to those responsible for monitoring the patient.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A controller comprising:
 a structural body that includes—
 a first fluid interface to which a pump is fluidly couplable, and 
 a second fluid interface to which a pressure-mitigation device with a plurality of chambers is fluidly couplable; 
   a display on which information is visually presentable;   a processor; and   a memory that includes instructions for establishing a health state of a human body that is situated on the pressure-mitigation device,
 wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to:
 obtain data that is representative of measurements generated by a plurality of pressure sensors in the pressure-mitigation device over an interval of time,
 wherein each of the plurality of pressure sensors is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of chambers and a corresponding subset of the measurements, 
 
 examine the data to identify patterns of the measurements that indicate location of the human body over the interval of time, 
 determine that the human body is improperly positioned on the pressure-mitigation device based on an analysis of the patterns of the measurements, and 
 causing a notification to be presented on the display that indicates the human body is improperly positioned on the pressure-mitigation device. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The controller of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a data interface at which to receive one end of a data cable interconnected between the controller and the pressure-mitigation device.   
     
     
         3 . The controller of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to receive, via the data interface, the data as the measurements are generated by the plurality of pressure sensors. 
     
     
         4 . The controller of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a communication module configured to establish a communication channel to enable wireless communication with the pressure-mitigation device.   
     
     
         5 . The controller of  claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to receive, via the communication channel, the data as the measurements are generated by the plurality of pressure sensors. 
     
     
         6 . The controller of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the controller to:
 for each of the plurality of chambers,
 establish the corresponding subset of the measurements based on a determination that the corresponding subset is associated with a corresponding pressure sensor collocated near that chamber. 
   
     
     
         7 . The controller of  claim 1 , wherein each of the measurements is indicative of a change in electrical resistance experienced by a corresponding pressure sensor of the plurality of pressure sensors due to a force applied by the human body. 
     
     
         8 . A controller for managing fluid flow into a pressure-mitigation device that has a plurality of chambers intertwined in a geometric shape, the controller comprising:
 a structural body that includes a fluid interface to which the pressure-mitigation device is fluidly couplable via multi-channel tubing;   a processor; and   a memory that includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to:
 cause the plurality of chambers to be independently inflated to varying degrees in accordance with a programmed pattern, in response to a determination that the pressure-mitigation device is disposed between a human body in a supine position and a surface; 
 obtain data that is representative of a plurality of temporal series of values, wherein each temporal series of values is indicative of pressure of a corresponding one of the plurality of chambers over time; 
 examine the data to identity patterns of the measurements that indicate location of the human body; and 
 determine that the human body is improperly positioned on the pressure-mitigation device based on an analysis of the patterns of the measurements. 
   
     
     
         9 . The controller of  claim 8 , wherein the structural body further includes a second fluid interface to which a pump is fluidly couplable. 
     
     
         10 . The controller of  claim 8 , wherein each channel of the multi-channel tubing corresponds to a different one of the plurality of chambers of the pressure-mitigation device. 
     
     
         11 . The controller of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the controller to:
 causing a notification to be presented that indicates the human body is improperly positioned on the mitigation device.   
     
     
         12 . The controller of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a display on which information is visually presentable;   wherein the notification is presented via the display.   
     
     
         13 . The controller of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 an audio output unit through which information is audibly presentable;   wherein the notification is presented via the audio output unit.   
     
     
         14 . The controller of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a communication module that is configured to establish a wireless communication channel with a destination external to the controller;   wherein the said causing includes transmitting, via the communication module, the notification to the destination for presentation.   
     
     
         15 . A method performed by a controller that has a durable housing in which a processor resides, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the processor, input indicating that a pressure-mitigation device is fluidically coupled to a fluid interface that is accessible along a surface of the durable housing,
 wherein the pressure-mitigation device includes a plurality of chambers that are intertwined to collectively have a geometric form; 
   causing, by the processor, the plurality of chambers to be inflated to varying degrees in accordance with a programmed pattern, so as to shift force that is applied to a human body by an underlying surface;   obtaining, by the processor, data that is representative of a plurality of series of values,
 wherein each series of values is indicative of pressure of a corresponding one of the plurality of chambers over time; 
   examining, by the processor, the data to identify patterns of the measurements that are indicative of location of the human body;   determining, by the processor, that the human body is improperly positioned on the pressure-mitigation device based on an analysis of the patterns of the measurements; and   causing, by the processor in response to said determining, presentation of a notification that the human body is improperly positioned on the pressure-mitigation device.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said causing is performed in response to a determination that the pressure-mitigation device is disposed between the human body and the underlying surface. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the determination is based on input provided by an operator through an interaction with the controller. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 ,
 wherein the pressure-mitigation device includes a plurality of pressure sensors, each of which is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of chambers, and   wherein each of the measurements is indicative of a change in electrical resistance experienced by a corresponding one of the plurality of pressure sensors due to a force applied by the human body.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the data is obtained at a data interface to which a data cable is connected, the data cable being interconnected between the controller and the pressure-mitigation device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 for each chamber of the plurality of chambers,
 establishing a corresponding series of values based on a determination that the corresponding series of values is associated with a corresponding sensor that is associated with that chamber.