Sensing physiological parameters through an article
Inventors
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-12369804-B2
Publication Date
2025-07-29
Expiration Date
Abstract
Various examples are described for detecting heart rate and respiratory rate by using measurements of light applied to skin through an article. For example, a sensor application obtains a set of measurements of light. The application compensates for a contribution of the article based on one or more known optical properties of the article. The sensor application further determines, from the set of measurements of light, a periodic change in amplitude. The sensor application identifies the periodic change in amplitude as a heart rate having an identical periodicity. The sensor application identifies a respiratory rate as equal to the rate of change of the heart rate.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to sensing physiological parameters using light transmitted through an article to an area of skin and light returned from the article. A first plurality of measurements of light is obtained by causing a first light source to transmit a pulse of light through the article to the area of skin in a first configuration, and a first measurement of light returned from the article is determined. From the first plurality of measurements of light, a periodic change in an amplitude is determined and identified as a heart rate based on the periodic change in amplitude.
If an energy level of the first plurality of measurements of light is lower than a threshold, a second plurality of measurements of light is obtained. In the second plurality, a second light source transmits a second pulse of light through the article to the area of skin in a second configuration different from the first configuration, and a second measurement of light returned from the article is obtained. From the first plurality and the second plurality, the periodic change in amplitude is determined and identified as a heart rate based on the periodic change in amplitude.
The invention further includes system and computer-readable medium implementations that execute program instructions to obtain normalized measurements of light and identify periodic change in amplitude as a heart rate. Additional operations refine identification by removing an ambient light signal and using an inertial measurement device to correlate movement with light measurements and remove movement contributions, and by deriving respiratory rate as a rate of change in periodic amplitude and/or envelope modulation.
Claims Coverage
The document includes three independent claims: a method claim, a system claim, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium claim. Across these independents, the core inventive features are repeated, centered on obtaining first and second pluralities of (normalized) light measurements using different light-source configurations based on energy thresholding, then determining and identifying periodic amplitude change as heart rate, with optional dependent refinements for respiratory rate and contextual determinations.
Heart rate from periodic amplitude change in returned light
Determining, from first and second pluralities of light measurements returned from an article, a periodic change in an amplitude and identifying the periodic change in amplitude as a heart rate based on the periodic change in amplitude.
Energy-threshold selection of light-source configurations
Responsive to determining that an energy level of the first plurality of measurements of light is lower than a threshold, obtaining a second plurality of measurements of light wherein a second light source transmits a second pulse of light through the article to the area of skin, with the second light source positioned in a second configuration different from the first configuration, and obtaining a second measurement of light returned from the article.
Pulse light through an article to skin in first and second configurations
Obtaining a first plurality of measurements of light wherein, for each measurement, causing a first light source to transmit a pulse of light through an article to an area of skin with the first light source positioned in a first configuration, and determining a first measurement of light returned from the article; and obtaining a second plurality in a second configuration when the energy level threshold condition is satisfied.
Normalized measurements and executable instructions for heart-rate identification
Configuring a processing device to perform operations comprising obtaining a first plurality of normalized measurements of light using the pulse transmission and returned-light determination, and identifying periodic change in amplitude as a heart rate based on the periodic change in amplitude, or causing the processing device to perform the same operations via stored program instructions in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.
Across the independent claims, heart rate is identified by determining periodic change in amplitude from returned light measurements obtained with first and, when needed, second light-source configurations through an article to an area of skin, selected based on energy level relative to a threshold. The system and medium claims frame the same pipeline as processing-device operations executed by program instructions.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
Interested in licensing this patent?