Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The shift towards preventive and personalized medicine is accelerating globally, fueled by advancements in AI and sensor technology. Regulatory bodies are increasingly favoring non-invasive diagnostic tools that improve patient comfort and accessibility. This technology aligns perfectly with these trends, offering a unique capability to monitor subtle cardiovascular changes without physical contact. It enables healthcare providers and wellness companies to deliver proactive health insights, reducing the burden on traditional medical infrastructure and meeting consumer demand for continuous, convenient health data.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Accurately measures venous waves by separating and reconstructing them from arterial signals using autocorrelation processing, a previously challenging task.

02

Enables non-invasive, continuous monitoring using microwaves, eliminating physical contact or pressure, thus minimizing patient discomfort.

03

Offers broad application potential across diverse healthcare sectors, including early detection of cardiovascular diseases, continuous health monitoring, and athlete conditioning.

Market Opportunity
Medical & Healthcare Devices
$1B–$5B globally (AI est.)
Accurate venous wave data could enhance diagnostic precision in hospitals and clinics, and support remote monitoring in home healthcare settings, driving increased demand.
Medical device manufacturers Digital health platform providers Remote patient monitoring solution developers
Fitness & Wellness
$0.5B–$2.5B globally (AI est.)
Growing consumer health awareness and demand for detailed, non-invasive biometric monitoring for athlete conditioning and general wellness are creating new market opportunities.
Sports technology companies Wearable fitness device brands Corporate wellness program providers
Smart Home & Elderly Care Monitoring
$0.5B–$2.5B globally (AI est.)
Continuous health monitoring in elderly living spaces could enable early detection of anomalies and provide reassurance, reducing the burden on families and caregivers, thus driving high demand.
Smart home technology developers Assisted living facility operators Geriatric care solution providers
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects a data analysis device, venous wave monitor, method, and program, covering multiple aspects of the technology. Despite six prior art references during examination, the patentability was established through effective amendments and arguments, resulting in a robust and stable right with low invalidation risk.

Competitive White Space

This patent focuses on the signal processing and estimation algorithms. It leaves white space for developing novel microwave sensor hardware designs or integrating advanced AI/ML models for predictive health analytics based on the estimated venous wave data.

Economic Impact
~$1.5M/year estimated healthcare cost reduction per 100,000 patients (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

By enabling early detection of cardiovascular diseases, this technology could reduce severe complications. For example, if adopted by healthcare providers for 100,000 patients annually, a cost reduction of ~$15 (AI est.) per patient (e.g., from milder conditions, fewer hospital visits) could lead to an estimated annual saving of ~$1.5M (AI est.).

Speed to Market
4× faster than in-house development
This technology's core algorithms for microwave signal processing and autocorrelation-based arterial wave separation and venous wave estimation are already established. This eliminates the need for licensees to conduct R&D from scratch, as the foundational technology exists as university research. Integration into existing non-contact sensor technologies and data analysis platforms is relatively straightforward, potentially shortening development time by approximately 3 years compared to in-house efforts, enabling faster market entry and competitive advantage.
Competitive Positioning

X: Measurement Accuracy & Data Richness
Y: Non-Invasiveness & Usability

Business Models & Applications
🏥 Licensing to Medical Device Manufacturers
Develop high-precision venous wave monitoring devices incorporating this technology for medical institutions. This model could establish new revenue streams by aiding diagnosis and patient progress monitoring.
📱 Healthcare Service Integration
Integrate acquired venous wave data with cloud-based health management systems or AI analysis services to offer preventive medicine and personalized health advice. This could support subscription-based business models.
⌚ Wearable Device Application
Embed this technology into wearables like smartwatches or smart rings for daily health monitoring and anomaly detection for general consumers, creating new value in the B2C market.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
👷‍♂️ Industrial Safety & Worker Management
Remote Vital Monitoring Systems
Non-invasively and continuously monitor vital signs, including venous waves, for workers in demanding environments like high-altitude construction or hazardous material handling. This could enable early detection of sudden health changes, enhancing accident prevention and safety management protocols.
🚗 Autonomous Driving & Driver Status
Driver Fatigue & Health Detection
Integrate as an in-car sensor to non-contactually detect driver venous waves, estimating fatigue and stress levels. This could link with drowsiness alerts or emergency stop systems during sudden health incidents, potentially reducing traffic accident risks.
🐶 Pet Healthcare
Non-Invasive Animal Vital Monitoring
Non-contactually measure venous waves in small animals to detect health changes or early signs of illness. This could reduce examination stress at veterinary clinics and support home pet health management, opening new market opportunities in the ~$10B global pet tech market (AI est.).
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 17-Month Deployment
Phase 1: Technical Validation & PoC
Duration: 4 months
Integrate the core algorithms into existing microwave sensors and data processing infrastructure, then validate the accuracy and stability of venous wave measurement for specific use cases.
Phase 2: Prototype Development & System Optimization
Duration: 9 months
Based on PoC results, develop prototype devices and data analysis systems for target markets. Implement functional additions and performance optimization for practical application.
Phase 3: Pilot Testing & Market Preparation
Duration: 4 months
Conduct large-scale pilot tests in real-world environments using the developed prototypes. Address regulatory requirements and finalize preparations for market launch.
Technical Feasibility
This technology primarily involves microwave signal processing and autocorrelation algorithms, making software integration into existing microwave sensors and data analysis platforms relatively straightforward. The patent claims specify functional elements like a waveform processing unit, reconstruction unit, and estimation unit, which could be modularized for integration into current systems. This suggests low barriers to adoption, without requiring significant new capital investment.
Success Scenario
Adopting this technology could enable companies to launch products with a unique strength in venous wave measurement within the non-contact biometric monitoring device market. This could offer new value in early cardiovascular disease detection and preventive medicine, differentiating them from competitors and expanding market share. The technology also has the potential to enable personalized healthcare services based on acquired data.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
JP2015-244038
REGISTRATION NO.
6668063
FILING DATE
2015/12/15
GRANT DATE
2020/02/28
EXPIRATION DATE
2035/12/15
PATENT HOLDER
学校法人　関西大学
Examination History
2018-11-06
Request for Examination
2019-10-01
Office Action
2019-10-23
Applicant's Response
2019-10-23
Amendment (Voluntary)
2020-01-28
Decision to Grant