Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention broadly relates to real-time healthcare data monitoring and visualization. More particularly, the present invention relates to a user-friendly, cost effective, and reliable system for live streaming of health data (biological vital signs) so that an authorized user can access and view such data in real-time in a ready-to-use or easily interpretable format from anywhere across the globe. A method for live streaming of healthcare data is also disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In today's fast-paced world, where healthcare needs are becoming increasingly complex and demanding, there is a growing necessity for innovative solutions that can efficiently monitor and manage health data in real-time from any remote location. Traditional methods of healthcare monitoring often lack the ability to provide immediate feedback or access to vital health information, especially for geriatric patients or those with chronic conditions requiring continuous monitoring.

Post COVID-19, the virtual interaction between healthcare professionals and patients and the use of telemedicine have been significantly increased. There have been developed many audio-video medical consultation and messaging application platforms to support such practice. Although, such advancements in medical field bring more convenience for both doctors and patients and save their time and money, however, the doctors do not get scope to view/check all essential health parameters in real-time. Generally, the health data of patients are recorded and transmitted to the doctors over internet for diagnosis, however, the medical data recording/storage may impose additional risk (data misuse) and cost. Further, the physiological parameters (health status) of patients are remotely monitored by the healthcare experts through camera surveillance. However, all these techniques may not always be feasible in the cases where the live status of physiological parameters such as ECG (electrocardiogram), SpO2 (oxygen saturation), RR (respiratory rate), BP (blood pressure), and body temperature are required to visualized/observed in different formats at different timings as per the remote doctors’ convenience. It is therefore of great interest to develop a simplified and cost-effective alternative methodology that can give access to view live status of such essential health information (biological vital signs) without using cameras or means of audio video recording or data storage.

A reference may be made to US20140249856 that discloses a system and method for providing access to patient information and patient physiological data in a mobile device. The data received from various health monitoring devices and are stored in a local data management system from where the data is retrieved to the mobile device via internet upon receipt of a periodic request. However, the periodic calls/requests generate unnecessary network requests and server processing, causing increased load. In contrary, live streaming can distribute data continuously, ensuring better server performance and responsiveness by avoiding spikes in load. Therefore, it is required some mechanism to avoid periodic calls in favour of live streaming to optimize resource utilization.

Another reference may be made to WO2023055862A1 that discloses a system and method for real-time detection of vital signs from video stream of patients, wherein an RGB camera is used capture video and PPG data are extracted from face region marked in the video frames.

One more reference may be made to Indian patent application number 201941030703 that discloses a vital sign monitoring system, in which vital signs are measured and analysed by a control unit that further transmits an emergency alert message to patient family member, hospitals, and ambulance, if the analysis detects any deteriorating condition of patient. However, there is no provision of viewing the measured vital signs in desirable format in real-time.

In view of the above limitations, there is a further need of advanced reliable methodology for accessing live streaming of the healthcare data, particularly a dedicated application program interface can be devised to stream the patient physiological data in real-time from a local monitoring device to a remote device with reduced data transmission load/cost. Moreover, it is required to develop a user-friendly, low-cost, risk-free, secured, and reliable system/method od for live streaming of healthcare data, which includes all the advantages of the conventional/existing techniques/methodologies and overcomes the deficiencies of such techniques/methodologies.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to monitor essential biological vital signs from a remote place in real-time without using any camera and data recording/storage mechanism.

It is another object of the present invention to eliminate limitation of audio-video platforms and messaging online applications used in healthcare consultation field by way of providing opportunities to view the real-time health data in desired formats for easy analysis and interpretation.

It is one more object of the present invention to develop a user-friendly, cost effective, secured, and reliable system for live streaming of vital signs (health data/information) of patients.

It is a further object of the present invention is to devise a method for live streaming of vital signs (health data/information) of patients so that an authorized user can access and visualize such data in real-time in a ready-to-use or easily interpretable format from anywhere across the globe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the present invention provides a user-friendly, cost-effective, secured, and reliable system for live streaming of vital signs (health data/information) of patients. The system comprises a health signal acquisition device, a first user equipment, a cloud server, a second user equipment, and an application program interface. The health signal acquisition device includes one or more probes (sensors) configured to acquire health signals (biological vital signs) from a subject body. The first user equipment is synchronized (paired) with the health signal acquisition device to wirelessly transmit the health signals to the cloud server in a defined data file format. The second user equipment is adapted to wirelessly receive the data file from the cloud server. The application program interface is embedded in processors of the first and second user equipment. The application program interface comprises: a selection field for selecting subject identity and health parameters; a set of codes configured to organize the health signal characteristics of the selected health parameter corresponding to the selected subject in a user interpretable format; and a streaming field to display the user interpretable format in real time.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which delineate the present invention in different embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying figures.

Fig. 1 illustrates hardware configuration of the system for live streaming of health data, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates live streaming format to be visualized and easily interpreted by health professionals or authorized users, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 illustrates various method steps employed in live streaming of health data, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

List of reference numerals
100 health signal acquisition device
102 probes/sensors
200 first user equipment
300 cloud server
400 second user equipment
500 application program interface
P patient (subject)
S support staff (nurse)
D doctor (healthcare professionals)
LS live streaming screen (visible to users)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Various embodiments described herein are intended only for illustrative purposes and subject to many variations. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

The use of terms “comprises/comprising”, ‘includes/including’ or “having/have/has” and variations thereof herein are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Further, the terms, “an” and “a” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. Further, the term ‘subject’ used herein refers to patients whose biological vital signs (health signal/data) are required to be monitored in real-time. Further, the term ‘authorized user’ used herein refers to doctors, staffs, patients, and patient’s family members who can access, view, and interpret the health data/signal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, the system for live streaming of health data (biological vital signs) is depicted. The system comprises: a health signal acquisition device (100), a first user equipment (200), a cloud server (300), a second user equipment (400), and an application program interface (API) (500). The health signal acquisition device (100) is adapted to acquire health signals from a subject body (P). The first user equipment (200) transmits the acquired health signals/data from the health signal acquisition device (100) to the cloud server (300). The second user equipment (400) collects such health data from the cloud server (300) to display in live streaming (LS) manner. The user equipment (200, 400) may be any computing device such as PC, laptop, tabloid, smartphone, each having a memory, a processor, and a display operable in an internet communication network. The API (500) is embedded in the processors of the user equipment (200, 400), and programmed to convert/organize/reconstruct signal characteristics in a specific data format and file format for reducing computing resource load in the cloud and stream the data at the second user equipment (400) end without any latency (lag).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the health signal acquisition device (100) includes one or more probes (102) to be coupled to the subject body, a processor, and a display. The probes are vital sign measuring sensors adapted to detect health signal associated with ECG (electrocardiogram), SpO2 (oxygen saturation), RR (respiratory rate), BP (blood pressure), and body temperature, which are very frequently or continuously monitored in the subject body. The signal characteristics (amplitude and frequency) are analysed by the processor and instantly visualized in the display, as shown in Fig. 2. As long as the probes (102) are attached to the subject body (P), the corresponding signals are continuously visualized, thus the live streaming of such data happens. One can use one or multiple probes at a time based on health monitoring requirement of the subject (P). The health signal acquisition device (100) has an interface where the user can enter/select subject identity (e.g., patient name, or health insurance number etc.) and health parameter (e.g., ECG, SpO2, RR, BP or body temperature) required to be monitored, so that the exact required data with the correct identity are streamed at the second user equipment (400) end, thus there will be no identity confusion. The health signal acquisition device (100) may be assigned with a quick response (QR) code that is linked with the subject identity or its device serial number (given by its manufacture).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first user equipment (200) is linked with the health signal acquisition device (100) using the quick response (QR) code scan over Wi-Fi network. Further, the first user equipment (200) is synchronized with the health signal acquisition device (100) to wirelessly transmit the acquired health signals to the cloud server (300) in a defined data file format. Before transmission, the raw health signals acquired by the health signal acquisition device (100) need to be pre-processed and converted into a digital format suitable for transmission and analysis, which involves converting analog signals into digital form, filtering out noise, and sampling the signals at regular intervals to capture their amplitude and frequency characteristics accurately. Then, the signals are processed, organized, and formatted into a structured data format such as JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format (lightweight data interchange format) that is suitable for fast transmission and easy to read without any data recording/storage, thus saving both computing resource and cost, and improving speed of data transmission. The JSON data contains key-value pairs representing different data attributes such as signal amplitude, and frequency.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second user equipment (400) is adapted to wirelessly receive the data file from the cloud server (300) for the live streaming (LS).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the health data is transmitted from the first user equipment (200) to the cloud server (300) using open sockets. Similarly, the health data is retrieved from the cloud server (300) to the second user equipment (400) using open sockets. Socket programming is a way of connecting two nodes on a network to communicate with each other. Open channels in sockets allow for efficient communication between processes. Sockets provide a mechanism for inter-process communication (IPC) and networking, which is essential for applications such as client-server architectures and peer-to-peer networking. Open channels provide a flexible means of communication. Using this for various types of data transfer including text, binary data, streaming signals. Sockets secure communication protocols SSL/TLS, providing encryption and authentication mechanisms to protect data privacy and integrity during transmission.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the application program interface (API) (500) comprises a QR code scanning option for establishing connection between the first user equipment (200) and the health signal acquisition device (100). The API further comprises: a selection field, a set of codes, and a streaming field. The selection field may automatically detect the subject identity with the health parameters as selected in the interface of the health signal acquisition device (100), or allow the authorized users to select the subject identity and the health parameters to be streamed at the second user equipment (400) end. The codes are scripted to organize the health signal characteristics (amplitude, frequency, temperature values) of the selected health parameter corresponding to the selected subject in a user interpretable format. The streaming field option is adapted to display the user interpretable format in real time. the user interpretable format may be wave strings, numerical values, human readable text, or image forms. The API (500) is developed on Node js. Further, the signal conversion is done in Java language on Android Studio platform. The API (500) is deployed in the cloud server (300) for ease of accessibility. The API provides a web-based or a mobile app-based interface for ease of scalability.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the use of Wi-Fi network protocol for communication between the health signal acquisition device and the mobile application (user equipment) enhances data security, as it operates within a confined and controlled network. The API is secured using authentication mechanisms, such as API keys or tokens, to ensure that only authorized devices and applications can communicate with the backend system. The health data, both in transit and at rest, is encrypted using industry-standard encryption protocols to protect against unauthorized access.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 3, the method for live streaming of health data is depicted. The method employs a health signal acquisition device (100), a first user equipment (200), a cloud server (300), a second user equipment (400), and an application program interface (API) (500). The method comprises steps of: acquiring (S1) health signals from a subject body by the health signal acquisition device (100); selecting (S2) in an application program interface (500) subject identity and health parameters; organizing (S3) the health signal characteristics of the selected health parameter corresponding to the selected subject in a defined file format by the API (500) in the first user equipment (200); transmitting (S4) wirelessly the data to a cloud server (300) using open sockets by the first user equipment (200); receiving (S5) wirelessly the transmitted data from the cloud server (300) using open sockets by the second user equipment (400); and displaying (S6) the received data in form of a user interpretable format (wave strings, numerical values, text, graph or image formats) in real time by the API (500) in the second user equipment (400).

The signal conversion/processing can be demonstrated with an example where the SPO2 status is taken into consideration. The SpO2 probe is attached to the subject body. The SPO2 signal is transmitted from the signal acquisition device to the first user equipment (mobile app), where the signal characteristics undergo specific data conversion technique. The BytesUtil class provides utility methods for handling byte data, including extracting specific bits from bytes and converting bytes to hexadecimal strings. The SPO2 is in a byte array, pass the byte array to the bytes2hex method of BytesUtil to convert it to a hexadecimal string. This method concatenates the hexadecimal representation of each byte in the byte array. The byte containing measurement form data, then use the getBitData method to extract specific bits representing different measurement conditions like probe status or pulse signals. The convertByte2HexString method is used to convert individual bytes representing SPO2 data to hexadecimal strings for visualization or further processing.
// Example byte data representing SPO2 measurement form
byte measurementFormByte = 0b11011000; // Example byte data
// Extracting specific bits from the measurement form byte
int probeFingerFallOff = BytesUtil.getBitData(measurementFormByte, 7);
int pulseSignal = BytesUtil.getBitData(measurementFormByte, 6);
// Converting SPO2 byte data to hexadecimal string
byte[] spo2DataBytes = {0x01, 0x02, 0x03}; // Example byte data, we'll need actual byte data
String spo2DataHex = BytesUtil.bytes2hex(spo2DataBytes.length, spo2DataBytes);

In the StreamClient class, data is being sent to the server (AWS server) in the following steps:
• The class initializes a Socket client instance, which facilitates communication with the server.
• The connect() method establishes a connection with the server using the specified stream URL. Before connecting, it prepares necessary options for the connection, such as authentication token and additional query parameters.
• There are prepared JSON payloads containing the measurement data in a structured format. the JSON payloads include the patient ID to identify the patient associated with the data. The sendMessage() method sends the JSON payload to the server through the Socket connection.
• The buildECGDataJSON(), buildSpo2DataJSON(), buildHeartRateDataJSON(), etc., create JSON objects containing specific measurement data, such as ECG waveforms, SpO2 waveforms, Heart Rate, respectively. The patient ID and the measurement data are organized within the JSON payload according to a predefined structure. If any error occurs during JSON construction, an empty JSON object is returned.
• After sending data, the disconnect() method is used to disconnect the Socket client from the server. This helps in managing resources and closing the connection when it's no longer needed.

The data has been validated on the mobile application side before transmitting data to the server which ensures the accuracy and integrity of the information sent. A standard data formats i.e. JSON, which facilitates accurate interpretation and processing of the data on both ends, reducing the risk of misinterpretation or errors. Additional validation has been formed on the server side which ensures that the received data adheres to the expected structure and constraints, contributing to overall data accuracy. The accuracy assessment of the prototype of the proposed system (the real-time API) is conducted by situating the health signal acquisition device and the first user equipment in Odisha, and the second user equipment in Delhi. The live streaming of health data as tested is present in Table 1.
Table 1
Parameter 15mins 30mins 45mins 1 hour

One Device ECG No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
SpO2 No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
NIBP No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
RR No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag

Two Devices ECG No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
SpO2 No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
NIBP No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
RR No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag

Three Devices ECG No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
SpO2 No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
NIBP No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
RR No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag

Four Devices ECG No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
SpO2 No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
NIBP No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
RR No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag

Five Devices ECG No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
SpO2 No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
NIBP No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag
RR No Lag No Lag No Lag No Lag

Notably, no latency is observed during the testing phase. The system complies with relevant healthcare regulations e.g., HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) to ensure the secure handling of patient data and adherence to privacy standards. Data retention policies are implemented to manage the lifecycle of patient data, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

The proposed system is designed to o maximize speed, efficiency, and reliability through its unique configuration as discussed in the forging paragraphs. Further, a comparative analysis between the present invention the convention data transmission approach is presented in Table 2.
Table 2
Metric Conventional Systems Present Invention
Lag 0.5 seconds 0.2 seconds
Latency 35 milliseconds 20 milliseconds
Transmission Errors 1 in 10^6 bits 1 in 10^9 bits
Data Transfer Efficiency 1 MB per transmission 0.4 MB per transmission
Transmission Time 8-9 seconds 1-2 seconds

It is observed that the present invention exhibits reduced lag, minimized latency, lower transmission errors, enhanced data transfer efficiency, and streamlined transmission over the conventional approach. Particularly, the proposed system transmits the same data (health information) i.e., 0.4 MB per transmission, yet in a more compressed/compact and streamlined form, therefore such technique not only reduces bandwidth usage but also enhances speed and performance, making the proposed system/method more effective and cost-efficient.

Further, the present invention provides following advantages including but not limited to:
• Reduces the need for periodic data requests, thereby minimizing server load and network traffic.
• Provides a standardized and structured format for data transmission, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the transmitted data. Additionally, reducing latency and enhancing data accuracy for monitoring and analysis purposes.
• Provides a secure and seamless ecosystem for monitoring of vital health metrics, ensuring timely intervention and proactive healthcare management.
• Provides tailored health monitoring solutions for geriatric patients, providing personalized care and support.
• Provides real-time access to health data for both patients and healthcare professionals, facilitating remote diagnosis and intervention.
• Empowers individuals to take control of their health by providing actionable insights and personalized recommendations.

The foregoing descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable the persons skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions, substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention. , Claims:We Claim:

1. A system for live streaming of health data, the system comprises:
a health signal acquisition device (100) adapted to acquire one or more health signals from a subject body;
a cloud server (300);
a first user equipment (200) synchronized with the health signal acquisition device (100) to wirelessly transmit the health signals to the cloud server (300) in a defined data file format;
a second user equipment (400) adapted to wirelessly receive the data file from the cloud server (300); and
an application program interface (500) embedded in processors of the first and second user equipment (200, 400), wherein the application program interface (500) comprises:
a selection field for selecting subject identity and health parameters,
a set of codes configured to organize the health signal characteristics of the selected health parameter corresponding to the selected subject in a user interpretable format, and
a streaming field to display the user interpretable format in real time.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the health signal acquisition device (100) comprises an interface configured to display the user interpretable format of the acquired health signals.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the health signal acquisition device (100) has a unique identity encrypted in form of a quick response (QR) code for synchronization with the first user equipment (200) over internet communication.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the health signal acquisition device (100) comprises sensors or probes to detect the health signals associated with ECG (electrocardiogram), SpO2 (oxygen saturation), RR (respiratory rate), BP (blood pressure), and body temperature.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first user equipment (200) and the second user equipment (400) communicate with the cloud server (300) using open sockets.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the defined data file format is JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the application program interface (100) is web-based interface or mobile application interface.

8. A method for live streaming of health data, the method comprises steps of:
acquiring (S1), by a health signal acquisition device (100), health signals from a subject body;
selecting (S2), in an application program interface (500) subject identity and health parameters, wherein the application program interface (500) is embedded in processors of a first and a second user equipment (200, 400);
organizing (S3), by the application program interface (500) in the first user equipment (200), the health signal characteristics of the selected health parameter corresponding to the selected subject in a defined data file format;
transmitting (S4) wirelessly, by the first user equipment (200), the defined data file format to a cloud server (300) using open sockets;
receiving (S5) wirelessly, by the second user equipment (400), the transmitted data from the cloud server (300) using open sockets;
displaying (S6), by the application program interface (500) in the second user equipment (400), the received data in form of a user interpretable format in real time.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the acquiring step (S1) comprises sensing the health signals associated with ECG (electrocardiogram), SpO2 (oxygen saturation), RR (respiratory rate), BP (blood pressure), and body temperature.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the selection step (S2) comprises synchronizing the first user equipment (200) with the health signal acquisition device (100) using a quick response (QR) code assigned thereto.