Earpiece life monitor with capability of automatic notification system and method

• US 10,052,065 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2017
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Jamal, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US15/463,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20170273622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 381315, 381 74
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

An earpiece includes an earpiece housing, at least one biometric sensor disposed within the earpiece, a wireless transceiver disposed within the earpiece for voice communications, an intelligent control operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor and the wireless transceiver, a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control, and at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control. The earpiece is configured to monitor biometrics of a user using the at least one biometric sensor, communicate biometric data to the user, detect a crisis level event, and communicate occurrence of the crisis level event using the wireless transceiver.

Claims

1. A set of wireless earpieces comprising a first wireless earpiece and a second wireless earpiece:

the first wireless earpiece comprising;

an earpiece housing;

at least one biometric sensor disposed within the first wireless earpiece;

a wireless radio transceiver disposed within the first wireless earpiece for voice communications;

an intelligent control, disposed within the first wireless earpiece, operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor and the wireless radio transceiver;

a near field magnetic induction transceiver operatively connected to the intelligent control for operative communication with the second wireless earpiece;

a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control;

an inertial sensor operatively connected to the intelligent control;

at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control;

the second wireless earpiece comprising;

at least one biometric sensor disposed within the second earpiece;

an intelligent control within the second wireless earpiece and operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor;

a near field magnetic induction transceiver operatively connected to the intelligent control for operative communication with the first wireless earpiece;

a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control;

an inertial sensor operatively connected to the intelligent control;

at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control;

wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to monitor biometrics of a user using the at least one biometric sensor of the first wireless earpiece and the at least one biometric sensor of the second wireless earpiece to provide biometric data, monitor inertial changes of the user using the inertial sensor of the first wireless earpiece and the inertial sensor of the second wireless earpiece, communicate the biometric data and the inertial data to the user, detect a crisis level event, and communicate occurrence of the crisis level event to a remote location using the wireless radio transceiver;

wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to provide a direct voice prompt from the set of wireless earpieces to the user upon detecting a crisis level event, requesting the user to provide user input comprising a gesture.

2. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the set of wireless earpieces is further configured to upload the biometric data to a database associated with a remote server.

3. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to communicate the biometric data to the user through voice feedback.

4. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to communicate occurrence of the crisis level event by initiating a voice call to a third party.

5. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to communicate occurrence of the crisis level event by initiating a voice call to a third party.

6. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to communicate occurrence of the crisis level event by sending an indicator of the crisis level event to a remote server.

7. A method for monitoring an individual suffering from at least partial incapacitation, the method comprising steps of:

assigning a set of wireless earpieces to an individual once the individual is admitted to a health care facility;

wherein the set of wireless earpieces includes a first earpiece and a second earpiece;

the first earpiece comprising a first earpiece housing, at least one biometric sensor disposed within the first earpiece housing, a wireless radio transceiver disposed within the first earpiece housing for voice communications, an intelligent control operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor and the wireless radio transceiver, a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control, and at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control, an inertial sensor operatively connected to the intelligent control, and a near field magnetic induction transceiver operatively connected to the intelligent control for communication with the second earpiece;

wherein the second earpiece comprises a second earpiece housing, at least one biometric sensor disposed within the second earpiece housing, a speaker, at least one microphone, an intelligent control operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor, to the speaker and the at least one microphone, an inertial sensor operatively connected to the intelligent control and a near field magnetic induction transceiver operatively connected to the intelligent control for communication with the first earpiece;

monitoring biometric data and inertial data of a user of the set of wireless earpieces using the at least one biometric sensor of the first earpiece, the at least one biometric sensor of the second earpiece, the inertial sensor of the first earpiece and an inertial sensor of the second earpiece;

detecting a crisis level event using the biometric data and the inertial data;

confirming the crisis level event by providing a direct voice prompt from the set of wireless earpieces requesting the user to provide user input comprising a gesture; and

wirelessly communicating an alert associated with the crisis level event from the set of wireless earpieces to a remote location using the wireless radio transceiver of the first earpiece.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising communicating the biometric data of the user of the set of wireless earpieces to the user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the communicating the biometric data of the user of the set of wireless earpieces to the user comprises generating speech describing the biometric data of the user of the set of wireless earpieces at a speaker of the set of wireless earpieces.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the communicating the biometric data of the user of the set of wireless earpieces to the user comprises communicating the biometric data to the user by interacting with a mobile device in operative communication with the set of wireless earpieces, the mobile device having a display so as to display the biometric data on the display of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the mobile device is a tablet computer.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the wirelessly communicating the alert associated with the crisis level event from the set of wireless earpieces to the remote location using the wireless radio transceiver comprises accessing a mobile device in operative communication with the earpiece and initiating a voice call using the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of detecting the crisis level further comprises at least one of crossing a predetermined threshold a preset number of consecutive sensor readings and crossing a predetermined threshold for a preset amount time.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the first earpiece further comprises a gestural interface operatively connected to the intelligent control of the first earpiece.

15. A system comprising:

a set of wireless earpieces comprising of a first wireless earpiece and a second wireless earpiece;

the first wireless earpiece comprising (a) an earpiece housing, (b) at least one biometric sensor disposed within the first wireless earpiece, (c) a wireless radio transceiver disposed within the first wireless earpiece for voice communications, (d) an intelligent control operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor and the wireless radio transceiver, (e) a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control, (f) at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control, (g) an inertial sensor operatively connected to the intelligent control and (h) a near field magnetic induction transceiver operatively connected to the intelligent control for communication with the second earpiece;

the second wireless earpiece comprising;

(a) an earpiece housing, (b) at least one biometric sensor disposed within the second earpiece, (c) an intelligent control operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor, (d) a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control, (e) at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control, (f) an inertial sensor operatively connected to the intelligent control and (g) a near field magnetic transceiver operatively connected to the intelligent control for communication with the second earpiece;

a software application executing on a mobile device in operative communication with the set of wireless earpieces;

wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to monitor biometric data of a user using the at least one biometric sensor of the first wireless earpiece and the at least one biometric sensor of the second wireless earpiece, monitor inertial data of the user using the inertial sensor of the first wireless earpiece and the inertial sensor of the second wireless earpiece, and communicate the biometric data and the inertial data to the software application executing on the mobile device;

wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to detect a crisis level event by analyzing the biometric data and the inertial data;

wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to confirm the crisis level event by providing a direct voice prompt from the set of wireless earpieces requesting the user to provide user input comprising a gesture to the set of wireless earpieces;

wherein the set of wireless earpieces is further configured to communicate occurrence of the crisis level to the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the mobile device is a tablet computer.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the mobile device is a phone.