Wearable monitoring device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10827979-B2
Application number	US-201615262528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2016
Priority date	Jan 27, 2011
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

A wearable device includes a housing, at least one optical emitter supported by the housing, wherein the at least one optical emitter is configured to generate modulated light, at least one optical detector supported by the housing, and a tip removably secured to the housing. The tip includes first and second portions, wherein the first portion directs light along a first path from the at least one optical emitter to a body of a subject wearing the device, and wherein the second portion directs light from the body of the subject to the optical detector along a second path that is different from the first path. The device may also include an analog-to-digital converter, a motion sensor, and a processor. The processor executes a first filter that attenuates sunlight noise and a second filter that attenuates motion artifacts.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A wearable device, comprising:
a housing;
at least one optical emitter supported by the housing, wherein the at least one optical emitter is configured to generate modulated light;
at least one optical detector supported by the housing; and
a tip removably secured to the housing, wherein the tip is configured to surround a portion of the housing, wherein the tip comprises an optically transparent polymeric material and has an outer surface and an inner surface that surrounds a central channel that extends in a first direction, wherein an optical barrier extends through the polymeric material between the tip outer surface and the tip inner surface in asecond direction that is transverse to the first direction and such that the tip is separated by the optical barrier into first and second portions that are optically isolated from each other, wherein the first portion of the tip directs light from the at least one optical emitter to a body of a subject wearing the device, and wherein the second portion of the tip directs light from the body of the subject to the at least one optical detector, wherein the optical barrier is configured to reduce optical communication between the first and second portions of the tip.

2. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the tip further comprises a region that matingly engages an external portion of the housing to maintain rotational alignment of the tip with the housing.

3. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises an earbud housing, and wherein the tip comprises an earbud tip that is configured to be positioned within an ear of the subject.

4. The wearable device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts analog signals generated by the at least one optical detector to digital signals;
a motion sensor configured to detect subject body motion; and
a processor configured to process the digital signals from the ADC and signals generated by the motion sensor.

5. The wearable device of claim 4 , wherein the processor executes a first filter configured to attenuate sunlight noise from the digital signals and a second filter configured to attenuate motion artifacts from the digital signals.

6. The wearable device of claim 5 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the first filter to attenuate sunlight noise, and then execute the second filter to attenuate motion artifacts.

7. The wearable device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to generate a step rate of the subject from the motion sensor and wherein the second filter is configured to attenuate motion artifacts associated with the step rate.

8. The wearable device of claim 5 , wherein the first filter is configured to attenuate sunlight noise from the digital signals by subtracting light detected by the at least one optical detector during a time period when the at least one optical emitter is off from light detected by the at least one optical detector during a time period when the at least one optical emitter is on.

9. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one optical emitter is selected from the group consisting of laser diodes (LDs), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

10. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the optical barrier within the tip is at least partially opaque to an optical wavelength of light emitted by the at least one optical emitter.

11. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a protruding portion, wherein the at least one optical emitter and the at least one optical detector are located within the protruding portion, and wherein the tip further comprises a recessed portion that is configured to matingly engage the protruding portion of the housing to maintain rotational alignment of the tip and the housing.

12. The wearable device of claim 1 , further comprising an optical filter that is configured to attenuate light at one or more selected wavelengths.

13. A wearable device, comprising:
a housing;
at least one optical emitter within the housing, wherein the at least one optical emitter is configured to generate modulated light;
at least one optical detector within the housing; and
a tip removably secured to the housing, wherein the tip is configured to surround at least a portion of the housing, wherein the tip comprises optically transparent polymeric material and has an outer surface and an inner surface that surrounds a central channel that extends in a first direction, wherein an optical barrier extends through the polymeric material between the tip outer surface and the tip inner surface in a second direction that is transverse to the first direction and such that the tip is separated by the optical barrier into first and second portions that are optically isolated from each other, wherein the first portion of the tip is configured to optically couple with the at least one optical emitter and direct light from the at least one optical emitter through the first portion to a body of a subject wearing the device, and wherein a second portion of the tip is configured to optically couple with the at least one optical detector and direct light from the body of the subject through the second portion to the at least one optical detector.

14. The wearable device of claim 13 , wherein the polymeric material is transparent to one or more selected wavelengths of light.

15. The wearable device of claim 13 , wherein the housing comprises an earbud housing, and wherein the tip comprises an earbud tip that is configured to be positioned within an ear of the subject.

16. The wearable device of claim 13 , wherein the at least one optical emitter and the at least one optical detector are located within the matingly engageable portion of the housing.

17. The wearable device of claim 13 , wherein the tip comprises a portion that matingly engages an external portion of the housing to maintain rotational alignment of the tip with the housing such that the first portion of the tip is maintained optically coupled with the at least one optical emitter and the second portion of the tip is maintained optically coupled with the at least one optical detector.

Assignees

• Valencell Inc

Inventors

• Leboeuf Steven Francis
• Tucker Jesse Berkley
• Aumer Michael Edward
• Romesburg Eric Douglas
• Morris Joseph Norman

Classifications

• A61B5/6803 Primary

  Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles · CPC title

• A61B5/721 Primary

  using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured · CPC title

• G16Z99/00 Primary

  Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass · CPC title

• A61B5/7207

  of noise induced by motion artifacts · CPC title

• A61B5/1455

  using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters · CPC title