US 12,251,192 B2
Method and system to measure localized inflammation using an oral care device
Vincent Jeanne, Migne Auxances (FR); Yekaterina Aleksandrovna Borisenko, Lynnwood, WA (US); Steven Charles Deane, Cambridge (GB); and Olaf Thomas Johan Antonie Vermeulen, Oss (NL)
Assigned to KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Appl. No. 16/495,527
Filed by KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
PCT Filed Mar. 20, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/056971
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 19, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/172330, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 27, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/473,626, filed on Mar. 20, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 17169756 (EP), filed on May 5, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0022583 A1, Jan. 23, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 5/0088 (2013.01) [A61B 2560/0425 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for localizing gingival inflammation within a user's mouth using an oral care device, the method comprising the steps of:
identifying, by a first sensor, a plurality of positions and/or orientations of the oral care device within the user's mouth;
emitting light by one or more light emitters of the oral care device;
detecting, by one or more light detectors of the oral care device, reflectance from a surface at each of a plurality of locations corresponding to the sensed plurality of positions and/or orientations within the user's mouth to generate reflectance data for each of the plurality of locations, wherein the one or more light detectors each measure different parts of the surface at a location between the one or more light emitters and the one or more light detectors;
determining, by a controller of the oral care device, which of the plurality of locations comprises gingiva;
discarding reflectance data for locations determined not to comprise gingiva; wherein discarding reflectance data for locations determined not to comprise gingiva comprises generating a reflectance ratio for each of the plurality of locations, wherein the reflectance ratio comprises a measured value for a first wavelength of the reflectance data over a measured value for a second wavelength of the reflectance data; comparing the generated reflectance ratio to a predetermined threshold; and
discarding reflectance data for each of the plurality of locations for which the generated reflectance ratio falls below the predetermined threshold; determining, by the controller, for each of the plurality of locations, whether gingiva at that location is inflamed; and
providing, by user interface of the oral care device, information to the user regarding the inflamed location or locations.