Earpiece life monitor with capability of automatic notification system and method

• US 10,433,788 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• 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:
  US16/048,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20180360380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 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 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 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, prompt the user to determine if the user is all right using a voice prompt, detect a crisis level event, and communicate occurrence of the crisis level event to a remote location using the wireless transceiver of the first or second earpieces;

wherein the set of wireless earpieces is configured to, upon detection of the crisis level event, initiate a voice call to communicate the crisis level event through the transceiver of the first or second earpieces to appropriate personnel, such as emergency contacts of the user and or emergency personnel and wherein the crisis level event is communicated by performing speech processing by the set of wireless earpieces to verbally communicate the crisis level event.

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 appropriate personnel 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 sending an indicator of the crisis level event to a remote server.

6. 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;

he 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;

at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control,

an inertial sensor operatively connected to the intelligent control, and

a 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 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 when the at least one biometric sensor and or the inertial sensor provide a reading exceeding a threshold level associated with the crisis level event prompting the user to determine if the user is all right using a voice prompt;

notifying authorized personnel of the crisis level event by initiating a voice call to communicate the crisis level event through the transceiver; 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 wherein the crisis level event is communicated by performing speech processing by the set of wireless earpieces to verbally communicate the crisis level event.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising communicating the biometric data of the user of the set of wireless earpieces to the authorized personnel.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the communicating the biometric data of the user of the set of wireless earpieces to the authorized personnel 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.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the communicating the biometric data of the user of the set of wireless earpieces to the authorized personnel comprises communicating the biometric data to the authorized personnel by interacting with a mobile device in operative communication with the set of wireless earpieces, the mobile device having a display, so the biometric data can be displayed of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile device is a tablet computer.

11. The method of claim 6, 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.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of detecting the crisis level further comprises at least one of crossing the threshold a preset number of consecutive sensor readings and crossing a predetermined threshold for a preset amount time.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the first earpiece further comprises a gestural interface operatively connected to the intelligent control of the first earpiece.

14. 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 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 transceiver operatively connected to the intelligent control for communication with the first 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 or the inertial data, prompting the user to determine if the user is all right using a voice prompt, and initiating a voice call to communicate occurrence of the crisis level event to a remote location using the wireless transceiver;

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 authorized personnel provide input to the set of wireless earpieces, and wherein the crisis level event is communicated by performing speech processing by the set of wireless earpieces to verbally communicate the crisis level event;

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

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobile device is a tablet computer.

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