Sensor based ear-worn electronic device fit assessment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12389166-B2
Application number	US-202118018610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2021
Priority date	Jul 31, 2020
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

An ear-worn electronic device comprises a housing configured for deployment in, on or about an ear of a wearer and a power source situated in the housing. A sensor is situated in or on the housing and coupled to the power source. The sensor is configured to generate a sensor signal representative of motion of the wearer's head and relative motion between the sensor and skin of the wearer's ear resulting from the wearer's head motion. A controller is situated in the housing and coupled to the power source and the sensor. The controller is configured to assess a fit of the device using the sensor signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ear-worn electronic device, comprising:
a housing configured for deployment in, on or about an ear of a wearer;
a power source situated in the housing;
a sensor situated in or on the housing and coupled to the power source, the sensor configured to generate a sensor signal representative of motion of the wearer's head and relative motion between the sensor and skin of the wearer's ear resulting from the wearer's head motion; and
a controller situated in the housing and coupled to the power source and the sensor, the controller configured to assess a fit of the device using the sensor signal and produce an output indicating a proper fit or an improper fit based on the fit assessment.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
detect execution of the wearer's head motion using a first portion of the sensor signal; and
assess the fit of the device using a second portion of the sensor signal representative of relative motion between the sensor and skin of the wearer's ear resulting from execution of the wearer's head motion.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to assess the fit of the device using the sensor signal generated:
after execution of the wearer's head motion; or
during and after execution of the wearer's head motion.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
detect an artifact in the sensor signal during and/or following execution of the wearer's head motion; and
assess the fit of the device using the artifact.

5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the artifact comprises noise.

6. The device according to claim 4 , wherein:
the artifact comprises high frequency noise; and
a frequency of the high frequency noise is higher than a frequency associated with any motion of the wearer's head.

7. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the artifact comprises at least one of:
ringing in the sensor signal;
a change in morphology of the sensor signal;
a shift in a baseline measurement of the sensor signal; and
a change in a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the sensor signal.

8. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the artifact comprises a shift in a DC baseline level of the sensor signal.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
detect the presence or absence of an artifact in the sensor signal during and/or following execution of the wearer's head motion;
detect a proper fit of the device in response to detecting the absence of the artifact; and
detect an improper fit of the device in response to detecting the presence of the artifact.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
measure a baseline feature of the sensor signal prior to and after execution of the wearer's head motion; and
assess the fit of the device using at least one of:
a change in the measured baseline feature;
a rate of change in the measured baseline feature;
a change in magnitude of the measured baseline feature; and
a rate of change in the measured baseline feature and a change in magnitude of the measured baseline feature.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises one or any combination of:
an accelerometer;
a gyroscope;
a magnetometer;
an inertial measurement;
a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor; and
a sensor configured to contact the skin of the wearer's ear and sense one or any combination of impedance, conductance, resistance, and electrodermal activity.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor and the controller is configured to:
calculate a perfusion index (PI) measured by the PPG sensor;
measure a shift of the PI prior to and after execution of the wearer's head motion; and
assess the fit of the device using the measured shift of the PI.

13. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to generate an output indicating a result of the fit assessment, and the output comprises at least one of:
an audible output communicated to an ear drum of the wearer's ear; and
a signal transmitted from a wireless communication device of the ear-worn electronic device to an external device or system.

14. A method implemented by an ear-worn electronic device configured for deployment in, on or about an ear of a wearer, the method comprising:
generating, using a sensor of the device, a sensor signal representative of motion of the wearer's head and relative motion between the sensor and skin of the wearer's ear resulting from the wearer's head motion;
assessing, by a controller, a fit of the device using the sensor signal; and
generating, by the controller, information about the fit of the device in response to assessing the device fit; and
producing, by the controller, an output indicating a proper fit or an improper fit of the device based on the generated information.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the controller comprises a controller of the ear-worn electronic device or a controller of an external electronic device configured to communicatively couple to the ear-worn electronic device.

16. The method according to claim 14 , comprising:
detecting execution of the wearer's head motion using a first portion of the sensor signal; and
assessing the fit of the device using a second portion of the sensor signal representative of relative motion between the sensor and skin of the wearer's ear resulting from execution of the wearer's head motion.

17. The method according to claim 14 , comprising:
detecting an artifact in the sensor signal during and/or following execution of the wearer's head motion; and
assessing the fit of the device using the artifact.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein:
the artifact comprises high frequency noise; and
a frequency of the high frequency noise is higher than a frequency associated with any motion of the wearer's head.

19. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the artifact comprises at least one of:
ringing in the sensor signal;
a change in morphology of the sensor signal;
a shift in a baseline measurement of the sensor signal; and
a change in a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the sensor signal.

20. The method according to claim 14 , comprising:
detecting the presence or absence of an artifact in the sensor signal during and/or following execution of the wearer's head motion;
detecting a proper fit of the device in response to detecting the absence of the artifact; and
detecting an improper fit of the device in response to detecting the presence of the artifact.

Assignees

• Starkey Labs Inc

Inventors

• Lin Andy S
• Flanagan Peter
• Olson Kyle
• Wang Fa

Classifications

• H04R1/1041

  Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H) · CPC title

• H04R25/305 Primary

  Self-monitoring or self-testing · CPC title