SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INCREASING LOCALIZED PRESSURE TO IMPROVE PPG MOTION PERFORMANCE

• US 20170325744A1
• Filed: 05/10/2017
• Published: 11/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: ALLEC, Nicholas Paul Joseph, MANNHEIMER, Paul D., HARRISON-NOONAN, Tobias J., BLOCK, Ueyn L., VENUGOPAL, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US15/592,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20170325744A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0238 Optical sensor arrangements for performing transmission measurements on body tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/146 for optical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/185 Optical shielding, e.g. baffles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/30 Collimators
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/002 Mounting on the human body

Abstract

The relates to a back surface of the device including one or more protrusions configured to create the localized pressure. In some examples, the protrusion(s) can be located between the optical components and one or more edges of the back plate. In some examples, the protrusion(s) can include a surface that can be raised relative to the back plate of the device. In some examples, one or more protrusions can include one or more recessed regions. In some examples, the cover structure disposed over each of the openings may itself be a protrusion that can apply local regions of higher pressure. The protrusion(s) can be capable of applying localized pressure to multiple spatially separated regions of the skin. Additionally or alternatively, the protrusion(s) can be capable of applying different amounts of localized pressure. Examples of the disclosure can include the Fresnel lens(es) and/or optical isolation optically coupled to the protrusion.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more optical components;

one or more cover structures, each cover structure optically coupled to at least one of the one or more optical components and located on a back surface of the device;

a rigid back plate extending from the back surface of the device; and

one or more protrusions extending from the rigid back plate, wherein an area of the one or more protrusions is less than an area of the rigid back plate.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more protrusions are located between the one or more optical components and one or more edges of the device.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the one or more protrusions form a closed ring located around all edges of the device.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more openings in a housing of the device, wherein the one or more optical components and the one or more cover structures are located at least partially in the one or more openings, and the one or more protrusions at least partially surround the one or more openings.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more protrusions are configured to create a localized pressure to one or more regions of a skin of an individual, and the one or more regions are located in an optical path of the one or more optical components.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more recesses surrounded by the one or more protrusions; and

one or more cavities located in a housing of the device, wherein the one or more optical components are located in the one or more cavities, and each recess is associated with at least one of the one or more cavities.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein each cavity is associated with at least two recesses, the at least two recesses having different depths from a surface of the rigid back plate.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein each cavity is associated with one of the one or more cover structures, and the one or more cover structures are recessed with respect to a surface of the rigid back plate.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more second cover structures optically coupled to one or more light sensors, the one or more light sensors included in the one or more optical components, wherein the one or more cover structures include the one or more protrusions and are optically coupled to one or more light emitters, the light emitters included in the one or more optical components.

10. A device comprising:

one or more optical components;

a rigid back plate located on a back surface of the device; and

one or more cover structures, each cover structure optically coupled to at least one of the one or more optical components and located on the back surface, wherein each cover structure is at least partially transparent and protrudes from the rigid back plate.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more cover structures includes a first protrusion having a first protrusion height from a surface of the rigid back plate and a second protrusion having a second protrusion height from the surface of the rigid back plate, the second protrusion height greater than the first protrusion height.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the rigid back plate has a third protrusion height from the back surface of the device, wherein the third protrusion height is less than a height of the first protrusion from the back surface of the device.

13. The device of claim 10, further comprising:

one or more Fresnel lenses optically coupled to the one or more cover structures.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more Fresnel lenses includes multiple optical centers.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein at least one cover structure is a monolithic cover structure optically coupled to a plurality of cavities and disposed over a portion of the rigid back plate located between the plurality of cavities.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the monolithic cover structure includes a plurality of regions, each region disposed over one of the plurality of cavities, wherein a height of each region is greater than a height of the cover structure disposed over the portion of the rigid back plate.

17. A method for determining one or more physiological signals of an individual, the method comprising:

emitting light from one or more light emitters;

allowing the emitted light to pass through one or more first cover structures;

receiving at least a portion of the emitted light using one or more light sensors;

creating a first localized pressure at one or more first regions of a skin of the individual;

allowing the at least the portion of the emitted light to pass through one or more second cover structures;

generating one or more signals indicative of the received light; and

determining the one or more physiological signals of the individual from the one or more signals.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

creating a second localized pressure at one or more second regions of the skin of the individual, the second localized pressure greater than the first localized pressure.

19. A method for determining one or more physiological signals of an individual, the method comprising:

emitting light from one or more light emitters located on a first side of a cover structure;

optically isolating the emitted light from a second side of the cover structure;

allowing the emitted light to pass through the first side of the cover structure;

allowing at least a portion of the emitted light to pass through the second side of the cover structure;

optically isolating the at least the portion of the emitted light from the second side of the cover structure;

receiving the at least the portion of the emitted light using one or more light sensors located on the second side of the cover structure;

generating one or more signals indicative of the received light; and

determining the one or more physiological signals of the individual from the one or more signals.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

collimating the emitted light using one or more Fresnel lenses.