Wearable devices for sensing and communicating data associated with a user

• US 10,470,671 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2018
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyler Evan Sisk, Zachary Joseph Braun
• Original Assignee: Tyler Evan Sisk, Zachary Joseph Braun
• Inventors: Braun, Zachary Joseph, Sisk, Tyler Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US16/105,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20190053719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/20 Workers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0833 Measuring rate of oxygen consumption
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• 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: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/003 Reconstruction from projections, e.g. tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure can comprise a wearable device for sensing and communicating data associated with a condition of a user. In some embodiments, the wearable device can comprise a biometric sensor unit configured to sense biometric data associated with a physiological condition of the user, a display unit configured to display a visual representation of the sensed biometric data from the biometric sensor unit to the user and a control unit operatively coupled to the biometric sensor unit and the display unit. The control unit may also comprise at least one processor configured to receive indications of the sensed biometric data and a communication unit configured to transmit and/or receive information associated with the sensed biometric data.

Claims

1. A wearable device for sensing and communicating data associated with a condition of a user, the wearable device comprising:

a biometric sensor unit configured to sense biometric data associated with a physiological condition of the user; and

a control unit operatively coupled to the biometric sensor unit and a display unit, the control unit comprising;

at least one processor configured to receive indications of the sensed biometric data and cause the display unit to display at least one visual representation of the biometric data to the user, and

at least one communication unit, the communication unit configured to;

determine whether the wearable device is within a communication range of a remote unit,

responsive to determining that the wearable device is within the communication range of the remote unit, perform at least one of transmitting and receiving information associated with the sensed biometric data to and from the remote unit, respectively, and

responsive to determining that the wearable device is not within the communication range of the remote unit, perform at least one of transmitting and receiving information associated with the sensed biometric data to and from a predetermined mobile device, respectively.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor unit comprises one or more sensors configured to sense a plurality of biometrics associated with the physiological condition of the user while using the wearable device, the plurality of biometrics comprising at least one of the user'"'"'s body temperature, heart rate, VO2_max, respiration, steps taken, blood pressure, heart rate variability, and calories burnt.

3. The wearable device of claim 2, wherein the biometric sensor unit comprises an earpiece configured to at least partially insert into an ear of the user of the wearable device.

4. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the display unit comprises at least one of a near-eye display and a heads-up display.

5. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the display unit is configured to display the at least one visual representation to the user of the wearable device in a location of the wearable device that is clear from obstructing a main view of the user of the wearable device.

6. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the communication unit of the control unit comprises at least one of a transmitter configured to transmit the biometric data to the remote unit and a receiver configured to receive information from the remote unit, the received information including one or more messages indicating at least one of i) the biometric data associated with the user of the wearable device, ii) action items to be performed by the user of the wearable device, and iii) status messages associated with a condition of the user of the wearable device.

7. The wearable device of claim 6, wherein the condition of the user of the wearable device comprises the physiological condition of the user of the wearable device while the wearable device is in use.

8. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the biometric sensor unit, display unit, and control unit is selectively attachable to headwear of the user of the wearable device.

9. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the biometric sensor unit and the control unit comprise one or more sensors configured to sense at least one of an internal or external temperature associated with the wearable device while the wearable device is in use.

10. A system for detecting and communicating data associated with a condition of a user of a wearable device, the system comprising:

a wearable device comprising;

a biometric sensor unit configured to detect biometric data associated with the condition of the user;

an identity detection module configured to automatically identify the user from among a plurality of users by;

receiving, from the biometric sensor unit, detected identifying biometric information;

comparing the detected identifying biometric information to saved identifying biometric information; and

determining, based on the comparison of the detected identifying biometric information to the saved identifying biometric information,

an identity of the user; and

a control unit operatively coupled to the identity detection module and the biometric sensor unit, the control unit configured to receive indications of the detected biometric data from the biometric sensor unit.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a remote unit in communication with the wearable device, the remote unit comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory;

a receiver configured to receive the indications of the detected biometric data from the control unit; and

a computer-executable application comprising a graphical user interface for interacting with a user of the remote unit, the computer-executable application being stored in the memory.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer-executable application is executable by the one or more processors to perform functions that comprise at least one of:

extracting a numerical representation of the detected biometric data;

comparing the numerical representation of the detected biometric data to a threshold value corresponding to a predetermined biometric range;

creating one or more graphical representations of the detected biometric data for display on the graphical user interface; and

generating one or more messages indicating at least one of i) the biometric data associated with the user of the wearable device, ii) action items to be performed by the user of the wearable device, and iii) status messages associated with a condition of the user of the wearable device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein wearable device is a wearable device of a plurality of wearable devices and the computer-executable application is executable by the one or more processors to perform additional functions that comprise at least one of:

creating, for display on the graphical user interface, one or more cumulative graphical representations of detected biometric data received from each wearable device of the plurality of wearable devices; and

creating, for display on the graphical user interface, one or more historical graphical representations indicating a time-based trend of detected biometric data received from at least one wearable device of the plurality of wearable devices.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the identity detection module comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a proximity sensory, and wherein automatically identifying the user of the plurality of users comprises determining, based on data received the accelerometer, gyroscope, or proximity sensory, that the wearable device is being used.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the biometric sensor unit comprises at least one sensor configured to sense a plurality of biometrics associated with a physiological condition of the user while using the wearable device, the plurality of biometrics comprising at least one of the user'"'"'s body temperature, heart rate, VO2_max, respiration, steps taken, blood pressure, and calories burnt.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the detected identifying biometric information comprises at least one of fingerprint data, hand geometry data, earlobe geometry data, retinal data, iris data, voice biometric data, and DNA data.

17. A method for detecting and communicating data associated with a condition of a user of a wearable biometric device, the method comprising:

receiving, from the wearable biometric device and at a gateway device, biometric data associated with a physiological condition of the user, the biometric data being detected by a biometric sensor unit of the wearable biometric device;

determining, by the gateway device, whether a communication module of the gateway device can establish or maintain a viable connection to a mobile network; and

responsive to determining that the communication module cannot establish or maintain a viable connection to the mobile network, broadcasting, by a router module of the gateway device, a wireless local network such that a command communication device can access, via the gateway device, data detected by the wearable biometric device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting, by the gateway device and to a control unit, one or more messages including information associated with the biometric data.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting, by the communication module and to a server, at least some of the biometric data such that the at least some of the biometric data can be accessed by a remote computing device and displayed by a graphical user interface of the remote computing device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the biometric data comprises at least one of the user'"'"'s body temperature, heart rate, VO2_max, respiration, steps taken, blood pressure, and calories burnt while using the wearable biometric device.