OBTAINING PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS USING EAR-LOCATED SENSORS
First Claim
1. A portable system for obtaining one or more physiological measurements, comprising:
- a first sensor assembly configured to sealingly engage a first ear of a user to form a first sealed ear cavity within a first ear canal, the first sensor assembly including a first sensor configured to detect a first physiological parameter associated with the first sealed ear cavity and to generate a signal representative of the physiological parameter, wherein the first sensor comprises a pressure sensor configured to detect changes in pressure within the first sealed ear cavity that is indicative of a blood pulse pressure; and
a processor in communication with the first sensor assembly, the processor configured to receive the first physiological parameter signal from the first sensor assembly and to determine a first physiological measurement based on the received first physiological parameter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for obtaining one or more physiological measurements associated with a user using ear-located sensors is disclosed herein. One or more of different types of sensors are configured to engage a user'"'"'s ear. In some cases, the sensors will be included in one or both of a pair of earphones to capture physiological parameters. A portable device is configured to be in communication with the earphones to receive physiological parameters from the sensor(s) therein, and to potentially provide control signals to the sensors or other components in the earphones. The portable device determines physiological measurements corresponding to the received physiological parameters. The portable device is also configured to provide a user interface to interact with the user regarding the physiological measurements.
33 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A portable system for obtaining one or more physiological measurements, comprising:
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a first sensor assembly configured to sealingly engage a first ear of a user to form a first sealed ear cavity within a first ear canal, the first sensor assembly including a first sensor configured to detect a first physiological parameter associated with the first sealed ear cavity and to generate a signal representative of the physiological parameter, wherein the first sensor comprises a pressure sensor configured to detect changes in pressure within the first sealed ear cavity that is indicative of a blood pulse pressure; and a processor in communication with the first sensor assembly, the processor configured to receive the first physiological parameter signal from the first sensor assembly and to determine a first physiological measurement based on the received first physiological parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for obtaining one or more physiological measurements, the method comprising:
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receiving, from a first earphone sealingly engaging a first ear of a user, a first signal representative of a first physiological parameter associated with a first ear canal of a user, the first physiological parameter measured by a first sensor comprising a pressure sensor included in the first earphone for detecting changes in pressure within the first ear canal that is indicative of a blood pulse pressure, the first earphone configured to seal the first ear canal to form a first sealed ear cavity within the first ear canal, wherein the earphone is configured to communicate audio information to the user'"'"'s ear; and generating a first physiological measurement based at least in part on the first physiological parameter using a physiological measurement module associated with the first earphone. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A portable apparatus for obtaining one or more physiological measurements, comprising:
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a device assembly, the device comprising at least one processor; a first earphone including a first sensor comprising a pressure sensor, the first earphone in communication with the device assembly, the first earphone configured to seal a first ear canal of a user to form a first sealed ear cavity within the first ear canal and the first sensor configured to detect changes in pressure within the first sealed ear cavity that is indicative of a blood pulse pressure and corresponds to a first physiological parameter associated with the first ear canal; a second earphone including a second sensor, the second earphone in communication with the device assembly, the second earphone configured to seal a second ear canal of the user to form a second sealed ear cavity within the second ear canal and the second sensor configured to detect a second physiological parameter associated with the second ear canal; and a display in communication with the processor, the touch-sensitive display configured to determine and display a physiological measurement corresponding to at least one of the first and the second detected physiological parameters. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification