In-Ear Health Monitoring

• US 20180256106A1
• Filed: 05/10/2018
• Published: 09/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rogers, Jeffrey L., DeBusschere, Brian Derek
• Granted Patent: US 11,219,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• 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 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/12 Devices for heating or cooling internal body cavities
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/063 Heating; Thermostating
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0011 Ear thermometers G01J5/021 and G01J5/049 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/049 Casings for tympanic thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/068 by controlling parameters other than temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/22 the element being a non-linear resistance, e.g. thermistor G01K7/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

This document describes techniques for, and systems that enable, in-ear health monitoring. The techniques described herein enable early detection of health conditions (e.g., contagious disease) through use of an in-ear health-monitoring and audio device. These techniques prompt a user, often through the user'"'"'s smart phone, to listen to audio content through the device, which also takes the user'"'"'s temperature. Through repetitive use, the techniques are capable of determining a temperature differential for the user, which aids in early detection of a contagious disease or other malady.

Claims

1. An in-ear health-monitoring and audio device comprising:

an audio plug configured to enable communication of audio content and temperature data with a port of a mobile computing device;

a speaker configured to render the audio content into a human auditory canal for at least a temperature-equalization period;

a temperature sensor; and

hardware circuitry or a System-on-Chip (SoC) configured to;

sense, after the temperature-equalization period has passed, the temperature of the human auditory canal via the temperature sensor; and

provide the temperature to the port of the mobile computing device via the audio plug.

2. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 1, wherein the hardware circuitry or SoC is further configured to determine that the temperature-equalization period has passed based on the in-ear health-monitoring and audio device reaching a stabilized, non-transient temperature equilibrium with the human auditory canal.

3. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 2, wherein:

the temperature sensor comprises a thermistor configured to perform multiple temperature measurements; and

the hardware circuitry or SOC is further configured to determine that the temperature-equalization period has passed based on the multiple temperature measurements equalizing.

4. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 2, wherein the hardware circuitry or SOC is further configured to determine that the temperature-equalization period has passed based on electro-mechanical losses associated with the speaker.

5. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 2, further comprising another temperature sensor,

wherein the hardware circuitry or SoC is further configured to determine that the completion of the temperature-equalization period has passed based on a gradient across the temperature sensor and the other temperature sensor.

6. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 1, wherein the hardware or SoC is configured to:

determine a temperature differential based on a comparison of the temperature with one or more prior temperatures sensed via the temperature sensor; and

provide the temperature differential to the port of the mobile computing device via the audio plug.

7. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 6, wherein:

the hardware circuitry or SoC is configured to encode the temperature differential on a microphone signal; and

the audio plug comprises a wired audio plug, the wired audio plug configured to provide the microphone signal to the port of the mobile computing device via a wire of the wired audio plug.

8. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 7, wherein the hardware circuitry or SoC is configured to encode the temperature differential on the microphone signal using an inaudible signal modulation or a low-level pseudo-random noise modulation.

9. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 7, wherein the wired audio plug is configured to provide power to the hardware circuitry or SoC via a bias current provided from the port of the mobile computing device via the wire.

10. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless transceiver, wherein:

the audio plug comprises a wireless audio plug; and

the wireless transceiver is configured to wirelessly communicate with the wireless audio plug to obtain the audio content from the port of the mobile computing device and provide the temperature to the port of the mobile computing device.

11. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 1, further comprising a self-heating element configured to generate heat to shorten the temperature-equalization period.

12. The in-ear health-monitoring and audio device of claim 11, wherein the self-heating element includes the speaker, the speaker configured to generate the heat based on audible or in-audible electric signals exiting a structure of the speaker.

13. A system comprising:

an in-ear health-monitoring and audio device configured to;

render audio content into a human auditory canal for at least a temperature-equalization period; and

after the temperature-equalization period has passed, sense a temperature of the human auditory canal; and

a monitoring module configured to;

provide the audio content to the in-ear health-monitoring and audio device; and

determine a temperature differential based on a comparison of the temperature with one or more prior temperatures sensed via the in-ear health-monitoring and audio device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the monitoring module is configured to:

present a list of selectable audio content to a user, each of the selectable audio content having temporal lengths greater than or equal to the temperature-equalization period; and

provide the audio content based on a chosen audio content that is selected from the list of selectable audio content.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the monitoring module is configured to prompt a person to initiate use of the in-ear health-monitoring and audio device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the monitoring module is configured to:

prompt a user to select a disease; and

adjust a frequency at which the user is prompted and the temperature is sensed based on the selected disease to enable the temperature differential to indicate whether the user is infected with the selected disease.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the monitoring module is configured to increase a frequency at which the user is prompted and the temperature is sensed based on the temperature differential indicating an increase in temperature.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the in-ear health-monitoring and audio device is configured to:

sense the temperature during continued rendering of the audio content after the temperature-equalization period has passed;

or

sense the temperature after the rendering of the audio content has ceased.

19. The system of claim 13, where the in-ear health-monitoring and audio device is configured to be coupled to the monitoring module via a wired interface or a wireless interface.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the in-ear health-monitoring and audio device is configured to sense a temperature of a tympanic membrane within the human auditory canal.