Integrated Biometric Sensing and Display Device

• US 20120271121A1
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Basis Science Incorporated (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Della Torre, Marco Kenneth, Ziady, Bashir, Verplaetse, Christopher James, Kassam, Nadeem Iqbal, He, Claus, Stirn, Andrew Atkinson, Rintoul, Jean Louise, Eckerle, Matthew Wayne, Harris, Steven Paul, Tan, Sean
• Application Number:
  US13/336,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271121A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• 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 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• 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 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1122 of movement trajectories
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices

Abstract

A biometric device configured to be attached to a portion of a body of a user measures biometric data of the user. The device includes an optical emitter, a wavelength filter, an optical sensor and a processor, for sending a light to the body of a user, receiving light received from the user, filtering and processing it to measure biometric data of the user, including for example, heart rate and blood flow rate. In addition, the biometric device may include other sensors, such as a galvanic skin response sensor, an ambient temperature sensor, skin temperature, motion sensor, etc., to enable the biometric device to measure arousal or conductivity changing events, ambient temperature, user temperature and motion associated with the user. Additionally, information from each sensor may be used to further filter noise in one or more signals received by the sensors to provide biometric data to the user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring biometric data of a user on a device secured to a user, the apparatus comprising:

a galvanic skin response sensor measuring a state of the user associated with physical activity, emotional arousal or other conductivity changing event;

an ambient temperature sensor measuring ambient temperature associated with surroundings of the user, the ambient temperature providing contextual data about biometric measurements of the user;

a skin temperature sensor measuring temperature of the user, the measured temperature used to measure the biometric data of the user;

a motion sensor measuring motion of the user, the motion sensor including a multi-axis accelerometer measuring a magnitude and direction of acceleration of the motion;

a light emitter transmitting light to body of the user, the emitted light of a particular wavelength, geometry, intensity and mode;

an optical sensor receiving light passed by the wavelength selection filter and converting the received light to data; and

a processor receiving data from the galvanic skin response sensor, the ambient temperature sensor, the skin temperature sensor, the motion sensor and the optical sensor and computing the biometric data of the user, the biometric data including an offset for motion experienced by at least one sensor, an offset for skin pigmentation of the user, the skin pigmentation effecting light received by the optical sensor and accounting for other sources of personal variance in light reflectance characteristics, an offset for geometry of the light emitter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wavelength selection filter selectively passing light received from the user tissues and body fluids, the light selected based on its wavelength.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a display presenting biometric data calculated by the processor, the biometric data including one or more of heart rate, skin temperature, heart rate variability measure, blood flow rate, pulse oximetry, stress level or stress events, emotional arousal levels or events, blood glucose level and blood pressure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a power supply enabled to provide power to the apparatus, the power supply capable of harvesting energy from at least one of a variety of sources.

5. An apparatus for measuring biometric data of a user on a device secured to a user, the apparatus comprising:

a light emitter transmitting light to body of the user, the emitted light of a particular wavelength, geometry, intensity and mode for reflection from a body of the user;

an optical sensor adapted to receive the light transmitted into the body of the user by the emitter and received back from the body of the user, the received light varying in intensity based on a flow of blood within the body of the user, the optical sensor further adapted to convert the received light to a voltage that corresponds to the intensity of the light;

a processor adapted to receive data from the optical sensor and compute biometric data about the user based data representing the light received from the body of the user, the data being varied based on the bioprocesses of the user and offset the received data based on characteristics of the user body affecting the received light.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a galvanic skin response sensor adapted to measure a state of the user associated with at least one of physical activity and emotional arousal; and

a processor adapted to receive data from the galvanic skin response sensor and computing a measurement associated with skin conductivity of the user, the measurement providing an indication of arousal or other skin conductivity changing events of the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

an ambient temperature sensor adapted to measure ambient temperature associated with surroundings of the user, the ambient temperature providing contextual data about biometric measurements of the user; and

a processor adapted to receive data from the ambient temperature sensor and computing a measurement associated with ambient temperature near the user, the processor discounting the temperature of the user.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a skin temperature sensor adapted to measure temperature of the user, the biometric data of the user comprising the temperature of the user; and

a processor adapted to receive data from the skin temperature sensor and computing temperature of the user based on the received data.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a motion sensor adapted to measure motion of the user, the motion sensor including a multi-axis accelerometer measuring a magnitude and direction of acceleration of the motion; and

a processor adapted to receive data from the motion sensor and computing a measurement of movement of the user, the movement measured in at least one direction based on a number and type of motion sensors.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to measure at least one of rectilinear and rotational acceleration, motion, position and a change in rectilinear and rotational speed of the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a wavelength selection filter adapted to selectively pass light received from the user tissues and body fluids, the light selected based on its wavelength; and

a processor adapted to receive data from the wavelength selection filter and computing the biometric data of the user, the biometric data including a measurement associated with the light received by the optical sensor.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

at least two light emitters, each light emitter adapted to emit light of differing wavelength, geometry, intensity and mode;

at least two optical sensors, each optical sensor associated with a corresponding light emitter and adapted to receive light of a particular wavelength, geometry, intensity and mode emitted by a corresponding light emitter.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein biometric data includes a heart rate of the user.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor further configured to provide for display of the biometric data.

15. A computer-readable method for measuring biometric data of a user on a device secured to a user, the method comprising:

a light emitter transmitting light to body of the user, the emitted light of a particular wavelength, geometry, intensity and mode for reflection from a body of the user;

an optical sensor adapted to receive the light transmitted by the emitter and received from the body of the user, the received light varying in intensity based on a flow of blood within the body of the user, the optical sensor further adapted to convert the received light to a voltage that corresponds to the intensity of the light;

a processor adapted to receive data from the optical sensor and compute biometric data about the user based data representing the light received from the body of the user, the data being varied based on the bioprocesses of the user and offset the received data based on characteristics of the user body affecting the received light.

16. The computer-readable method of claim 15, further comprising:

measuring a state of the user associated with at least one of a physical activity and emotional arousal;

receiving data from an galvanic skin response sensor; and

computing a measurement associated with skin conductivity of the user, the measurement providing an indication of arousal or other conductivity changing events of the user.

17. The computer-readable method of claim 15, further comprising:

measuring ambient temperature associated with surroundings of the user, the ambient temperature providing contextual data about biometric measurements of the user;

receiving data from an ambient temperature sensor;

computing a measurement associated with ambient temperature near the user; and

discounting the temperature of the user.

18. The computer-readable method of claim 15, further comprising:

measuring temperature of the user, the biometric data of the user comprising the temperature of the user;

receiving data from an skin temperature sensor; and

computing a measurement associated with the temperature of the user.

19. The computer-readable method of claim 15, further comprising:

measuring motion of the user using motion sensor including a multi-axis accelerometer for measuring a magnitude and direction of acceleration of the motion;

receiving data from the motion sensor; and

computing a measurement of movement of the user, the movement measured in at least one direction based on a number and type of motion sensors.

20. The computer-readable method of claim 19, further comprising measuring at least one of rectilinear and rotational acceleration, motion, position and a change in rectilinear and rotational speed of the user.