Apple inc. (20240090865). Heart Measurement Using Time-Varying Frequency Acoustic Techniques simplified abstract

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Heart Measurement Using Time-Varying Frequency Acoustic Techniques

Organization Name

apple inc.

Inventor(s)

Avery L. Wang of Palo Alto CA (US)

Tom-Davy W. Saux of Los Altos CA (US)

Heart Measurement Using Time-Varying Frequency Acoustic Techniques - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240090865 titled 'Heart Measurement Using Time-Varying Frequency Acoustic Techniques

Simplified Explanation

The patent application describes a head-worn device that emits ultrasonic waves from a speaker and captures the reflected waves using a microphone to determine the user's heart rate.

  • Ultrasonic waves are emitted from a speaker in a head-worn device.
  • A microphone in the device captures the reflected waves off the user's ear.
  • The microphone signal is used to determine the user's heart rate.

Potential Applications

This technology could be used in:

  • Fitness trackers
  • Health monitoring devices
  • Wearable technology for medical purposes

Problems Solved

  • Non-invasive heart rate monitoring
  • Continuous health tracking
  • Convenient and wearable heart rate monitoring

Benefits

  • Real-time heart rate monitoring
  • Comfortable and unobtrusive design
  • Accurate heart rate measurements

Potential Commercial Applications

  • Health and fitness wearable devices
  • Medical monitoring equipment
  • Sports performance tracking devices

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of infrared sensors in wearable devices to monitor heart rate. Another could be the use of chest straps with sensors to measure heart rate during physical activity.

Unanswered Questions

How accurate is the heart rate measurement compared to traditional methods?

The accuracy of the heart rate measurement using ultrasonic waves compared to traditional methods like chest straps or ECG monitors is not specified in the abstract.

What is the range of the ultrasonic waves emitted by the device?

The abstract does not mention the range or distance over which the ultrasonic waves can accurately measure the user's heart rate.


Original Abstract Submitted

an ultrasonic wave is output from a speaker of a head-worn device. a microphone signal is obtained from a microphone of the head-worn device that senses the ultrasonic wave as it reflects off an ear of a user. heart activity such as a heart rate of the user is determined based at least on the microphone signal. other aspects are also described and claimed.