CN118574565A - In-ear microphone and device for AR/VR applications - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for in-ear use is provided. The device includes: an in-ear holder configured to seal the ear canal of a user; an internal microphone coupled to receive an internal acoustic signal propagated through the ear canal of the user; an external microphone coupled to receive an external acoustic signal propagated through the user's environment; and a processor coupled to an augmented reality head-mounted device, the processor configured to identify the user's vital signs based on at least one of the internal acoustic signal and the external acoustic signal. A memory stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause a method of using the above device to identify the user's vital signs to be performed. The memory, the processor, and the method are also provided.

Description

In-ear microphones and devices for AR/VR applications

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to in-ear microphones and devices for use in virtual reality and augmented reality environments. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to microphones configured to receive acoustic inputs inside and outside the ear for health monitoring using in-ear devices for immersive reality applications.

Background Art

Current in-ear devices (e.g., hearing aids, hearables, headphones, and earbuds, etc.) used for mobile and immersive applications are often bulky and uncomfortable for the user. Adding health monitoring functionality to in-ear devices is hampered by the small form factor expected of such devices and the complex data processing and analysis involved.

The present disclosure attempts to at least partially address any or all of the above-mentioned shortcomings and disadvantages.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided, comprising: an in-ear holder configured to seal an ear canal of a user; an internal microphone coupled to receive internal acoustic signals propagated through the ear canal of the user; and a processor coupled to an augmented reality head-mounted device (headset), the processor being configured to identify a vital sign of the user based on at least one of the internal acoustic signals.

In some embodiments, the device may further include an external microphone coupled to receive an external acoustic signal propagating through the user's environment, and the processor is further configured to identify a vital sign of the user based on the external acoustic signal.

In some embodiments, the device may also include a first electrode mounted on the in-ear holder and configured to receive electronic signals from the skin in the user's ear canal, and the processor may be configured to identify the user's vital signs based on at least one of the internal acoustic signals and the electronic signals.

In some embodiments, the device may also include a first electrode mounted on the in-ear holder and configured to receive electronic signals from the skin in the user's ear canal, and in order to identify the user's vital signs, the processor may be configured to determine a blood pressure value based on a time delay between the electronic signal and the internal acoustic signal.

In some embodiments, the internal microphones may be contact microphones and the internal acoustic signals may be indicative of movement of the user's internal organs.

In some embodiments, the device may also include: an external microphone coupled to receive an external acoustic signal propagated through the user's environment; and a speaker located on the in-ear holder and facing the user's ear canal, wherein the processor may be configured to filter the external acoustic signal using the internal acoustic signal to form an acoustic waveform, and provide the acoustic waveform to the speaker.

In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to form a waveform using the internal acoustic signal and generate a spectrogram of the waveform, and wherein, in order to identify the vital signs of the user, the processor may be configured to extract the heart rate from the spectrogram.

In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to form a waveform using the internal acoustic signal and generate a spectrogram of the waveform, and wherein, in order to identify the vital signs of the user, the processor may be configured to extract a blood pressure value from the spectrogram.

In some embodiments, the processor can be configured to form a waveform using the internal acoustic signal to identify a systolic portion and a diastolic portion of the waveform, and wherein the user's vital sign can be blood pressure derived from the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the waveform.

In some embodiments, to identify a user's vital signs, the processor may be configured to form a waveform using the internal acoustic signal and determine the user's blood pressure based on a ratio of a systolic portion to a diastolic portion of the waveform.

In some embodiments, to identify a user's vital signs, the processor may be configured to form a waveform using the internal acoustic signal and select spectral components within the sub-Hertz acoustic range from the waveform.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-implemented method comprising: generating a first acoustic signal from a first ear canal of a user of an in-ear monitor from a first microphone, forming a first waveform using the first acoustic signal, and identifying a vital sign of the user based on the first waveform.

In some embodiments, the first acoustic signal may be an internal signal from the user's body, and identifying the user's vital signs may include determining the user's heart rate based on the first waveform.

In some embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further include: receiving a second acoustic signal from a first ear canal of a user of the in-ear monitor from a second microphone; forming a second waveform using the first acoustic signal filtered according to the second acoustic signal; and providing the second waveform to the user via a speaker, wherein the second acoustic signal may be an audio signal from the user's external environment.

In some embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further include receiving electronic signals from electrodes in the in-ear monitor; and wherein identifying the user's vital signs may include determining the user's heart rate based on a correlation of the electronic signals with the first waveform.

In some embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further include receiving an electronic signal from the electrode; and wherein identifying the user's vital signs may include: identifying the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform based on the correlation of the electronic signal with the first acoustic signal; and determining the blood pressure value using the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform.

In some embodiments, the computer-implemented method may further include identifying a systolic portion and a diastolic portion of the first waveform, wherein identifying the user's vital signs may include determining a blood pressure value based on the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform.

In some embodiments, identifying the vital sign of the user may include: generating a spectrogram of the first waveform; and identifying at least one of a heart rate value or a blood pressure value from the spectrogram of the first waveform.

In some embodiments, identifying a vital sign of the user may include identifying a systolic portion and a diastolic portion of the first waveform, and determining a blood pressure value based on an amplitude of the diastolic portion compared to an amplitude of the systolic portion of the first waveform.

In some embodiments, the computer-implemented method may also include: using a speaker to provide a sound signal to the user that enters the first ear canal, wherein the first acoustic signal may include a backreflection of the sound signal from the inner ear, and wherein identifying the user's vital signs may include: determining the user's hearing condition based on the delay and amplitude of the backreflection of the sound signal.

In some embodiments, the first acoustic signal may include a sound gesture generated by a user as an input command, and may also include: identifying the input command from the first waveform, and causing a processor in the smart glasses to execute the input command.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving a first acoustic signal from a first ear canal of a user of an in-ear monitor from a first microphone; forming a first waveform using the first acoustic signal; and identifying a vital sign of the user based on the first waveform.

In other embodiments and aspects of the present disclosure, a system includes a first device for storing instructions and a second device for executing the instructions to cause the system to perform a method. The method includes: receiving a first acoustic signal from a first ear canal of a user of an in-ear monitor from a first microphone; forming a first waveform using the first acoustic signal; and identifying a vital sign of the user based on the first waveform.

These and other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following.

It will be understood that any feature described herein as being suitable for incorporation into one or more aspects or embodiments of the present disclosure is intended to be universal in any and all aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure. Other aspects of the present disclosure may be understood by those skilled in the art based on the specification, claims and drawings of the present disclosure. The above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and illustrative only, and are not limitations of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an artificial reality (AR) head mounted device and an in-ear monitor (IEM) in a framework configured to assess a user's health according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an augmented reality ecosystem including an in-ear wearable device and a wrist wearable device to assess a user's health according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

3A-3D illustrate different embodiments of an in-ear monitor (IEM) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

4 illustrates a frequency domain analysis of acoustic signals collected by an internal microphone in an IEM, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figures 5A to 5C show a user wearing an in-ear microphone (IEM) and an outer-ear microphone (OEM) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as a spectrogram of an acoustic waveform from an IEM signal, a combination of the IEM signal with an electro-cardiography (ECG) signal, and a blood pressure regression graph.

FIG. 6 illustrates a waveform obtained using a contact microphone in an IEM for determining a user's heart rate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

7 is a flow chart illustrating steps in a method 700 for assessing the health of a user of a head mounted device or smart glasses using microphones in in-ear monitors, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, with which a head mounted device and other client devices and the method of FIG. 7 may be implemented.

In the drawings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, elements with the same or similar reference numerals are associated with the same or similar attributes and features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, many specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.

General Overview

Head-worn devices (e.g., devices worn on the head, including but not limited to hearing devices, smart glasses, AR/VR headsets and smart glasses, etc.) provide opportunities to obtain valuable health information.

The ear (e.g., ear canal and auricle) is in close proximity to the brain, body chemicals, blood vessels that indicate brain activity, cardiopulmonary activity, and body temperature. More specifically, sensors (including electrodes, inertial motion units (IMUs), accelerometers, and microphones) can be placed in the ear canal or around the ear (in the case of AR/VR headsets or smart glasses) to sense electrophysiological activity of the brain, heart, and eyes (e.g., electroencephalography (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), electro-oculography (EOG), and electrodermal activity (EDA), etc.); or to sense vital signs (heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, etc.); or to sense body chemicals (e.g., blood alcohol level and blood sugar estimation, etc.).

The microphone disclosed herein may include a contact microphone for detecting motion, an internal microphone and an external microphone, an acoustic microphone, etc. In addition to the microphone, the in-ear device disclosed herein may further include a speaker to generate and provide a sound signal to a user of the in-ear device.

The electrodes in the embodiments disclosed herein can be used for EOG measurements, ECG measurements, and EEG measurements, for example, to determine auditory attention, heart rate estimation and breathing rate, etc., Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR), Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR). In some embodiments, the in-ear electrodes disclosed herein can be used to measure resting state electrical oscillations (alpha waves in EEG) that can track relaxation/activity. In combination with other measurements (e.g., photoplethysmography (PPG)), a new branch of diagnostic possibilities is open. In-ear EEG measurements can be applied to track user attention (e.g., distinguishing between focus of attention and direction of eye gaze).

The methods and devices disclosed herein include optical sensors, acoustic sensors, motion sensors, chemical sensors, and temperature sensors in and around the ears of a user of an AR/VR head-mounted device, combined with software correlation of signals provided by the above sensors to generate a comprehensive diagnosis and health assessment of the user.

Some of the features disclosed herein include in-ear body temperature sensing or head-worn body temperature sensing using infrared sensing and spectroscopy technology. In some embodiments, the contact area of the sensor disclosed herein includes the in-ear ear canal (like in-ear earplugs) and the cavum concha (in the human auricle), the area on the top of the human ear (where the glasses are located), and the area in the nose pads of the head-mounted device or smart glasses (where the glasses are located on the nose). Some measurements may include blood sugar level sensing, alcohol sensing, body temperature and blood pressure in or around the ear. Some embodiments include glasses/head-mounted devices using a combination of optical signals and electrical signals (e.g., PPG sensors + ECG sensors, respectively) or using a combination of electrical information and acoustic or motion-based information (e.g., ECG sensors + acoustic or motion sensors, respectively) to estimate the pulse transit time (PTT) method of blood pressure. Some embodiments include glasses/head-mounted devices using (e.g., using a PPG sensor with more than one different wavelength) a combination of optical signals collected from multiple different wavelengths to estimate blood pressure based on optical pulse transit time (PTT) methods. Some embodiments use optical sensing technology (PPG) combined with a deep neural network for training the network using both PPG information and corresponding ground-truth blood pressure information to obtain the user's blood pressure. Some embodiments include a motion-based pulse transit time (PTT) method for estimating blood pressure for glasses/head-mounted devices using a combination of motion sensors and electrical signals (e.g., IMU+ECG sensors, respectively). Once the neural network is fully trained, it is possible to quantify and predict the user's blood pressure using only PPG information and this pre-trained network. To further improve accuracy, some subjective calibration may be desired. In some embodiments, the PPG signal collected in the IEM device disclosed herein may be able to estimate the user's cognitive load by analyzing oxygenated and deoxygenated blood flow (oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin) to the brain. Some embodiments combine sensing alcohol levels through emissions around the ears. Some embodiments include chemical sensing intake around the ear contact point. In some embodiments, the IEM device can perform alcohol monitoring and fat burning during user exercise.

Example system architecture

FIG. 1 illustrates an AR head mounted device 110 - 1 and an in-ear monitor (IEM) 100 in an architecture 10 configured to assess the health of a user 101 according to some embodiments. The IEM 100 is inserted into the ear 170 of the user 101, reaching the ear canal 161. The AR head mounted device 110 - 1 may include smart glasses having a memory circuit 120 storing instructions and a processor circuit 112, the processor circuit 112 being configured to execute the instructions to perform the steps in the method disclosed herein. The AR head mounted device 110 - 1 (or smart glasses) may also include a communication module 118, which is configured to wirelessly transmit information (e.g., data set 103 - 1) between the AR head mounted device 110 - 1 (and/or in-ear device 100, and/or smart watch, or a combination of the above devices) and the user's mobile device 110 - 2 (the AR head mounted device 110 - 1 and the mobile device 110 - 2 will be collectively referred to as "client device 110" hereinafter). The communication module 118 is configured to interface with the network 150 to send and receive information (such as data set 103-1, data set 103-2, data set 103-3, requests, responses, and commands) to other devices on the network 150. In some embodiments, the communication module 118 may include, for example, a modem or an Ethernet card. The client device 110 can then be communicatively coupled with the remote server 130 and the database 152 through the network 150, and transmit/share information and files, etc. (e.g., data set 103-2 and data set 103-3) with each other. Data sets 103-1, 103-2, and 103-3 are collectively referred to as "data sets 103" hereinafter. For example, the network 150 may include any one or more of the following: a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the Internet, etc. In addition, the network may include, but is not limited to, any one or more of the following network topologies, including a bus network, a star network, a ring network, a mesh network, a star bus network, and a tree network or a hierarchical network, etc.

In some embodiments, at least one of the multiple steps in the method disclosed herein is performed by a processor 112, which provides a data set 103-1 to a mobile device 110-2. The mobile device 110-2 can further process the signal and provide the data set 103-2 to the database 152 via the network 150. The remote server 130 can collect the data set 103-2 from multiple AR head-mounted devices 110-1 and mobile devices 110-2 in this form and perform further calculations. In addition, after aggregating data from a group of multiple individuals, the remote server can perform meaningful statistics. As long as each of the multiple users involved agrees to use non-personalized or anonymized data, the data cycle can be established. In some embodiments, the remote server 130 and the database 152 can be hosted by a medical network or medical facility or institution (e.g., a hospital, university, government agency, clinic, and health insurance network, etc.). The mobile device 110-2, the AR head-mounted device 110-1, the in-ear device 100, and the applications therein can be hosted by different service providers (e.g., network operators and application developers, etc.). In addition, the AR head mounted device 110-1 and the mobile device 110-2 may be from different manufacturers. The user 101 is ultimately the sole owner of the dataset 103-1 and all data derived therefrom (e.g., dataset 103), so all data flows (e.g., dataset 103), although provided, processed, or controlled by different entities, are authorized by the user 101 and protected by the network 150, server 130, database 152, and mobile device 110-2 to ensure privacy and security.

2 shows an augmented reality ecosystem 200 according to some embodiments, which includes an in-ear wearable device 205-1 (e.g., IEM), a wrist wearable device 205-2, a chest wearable device 205-3, and a smart glasses sensor 205-4 to assess the health of a user 201. In some embodiments, the IEM 205-1 also includes an optical sensor configured to provide an optical signal 220-1 to a processor in a computer 240 via a data acquisition module (DAQ) 230. The IEM 205-1 may also include one or more contact electrodes configured to provide an electrical signal to a processor in the computer 240 via the data acquisition module (DAQ) 230. The computer 240 is configured to identify the cardiovascular condition of the user 201 based on the first electronic signal from the IEM 205-1 and the optical signal 220-1. In some embodiments, the IEM 205-1 also includes a motion sensor (e.g., an accelerometer, a contact microphone, or an IMU) configured to provide a motion-based signal to the computer 240 via the DAQ 230. In some embodiments, a pair of IEMs 205 will be placed in two ears, and different optical sensors, electrical sensors (electrodes), acoustic sensors (microphones), or motion sensors (accelerometers, IMUs, contact microphones, etc.) can be placed in both sides; or in some cases, some sensors can be placed on one side (e.g., the right side), while some other sensors can be placed on the other side (e.g., the left side). The computer 240 is configured to identify the cardiovascular condition of the user based on the first electronic signal and the motion signal from the IEM 205-1. The optical sensor can be a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, and the optical signal 220-1 can include a digital or analog signal indicating vascular activity in the ear of the user 201. The chest sensor 205-3 and the smart glasses sensor 205-4 may include ECG sensors that provide distributed signals 220-3 and 220-4 from one or more areas around the chest and face (e.g., outside the ears, chin, and nose) of the user 201, respectively (or alternatively, ECG may be collected from some electrodes placed on the head area or from electrodes placed in the IEM 205-1 or from electrodes placed on the wrist device 205-2), and the wrist PPG sensor in the device 205-2 may provide a separate signal 220-2 for vascular activity around the wrist of the user 201. Hereinafter, the IEM 205-1, the wrist sensor 205-2, the chest sensor 205-3, and the smart glasses sensor 205-4 will be collectively referred to as the wearable device (and sensor) 205. Blood pressure (BP) measurements may be obtained using a cuff or cuffless BP monitor 210, and may also be determined by comparing the PPG signals 220-1 and 220-2. Signals 220-1, 220-2, 220-3, and 220-4 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "signals 220") can be collected and digitized by DAQ 230 in computer 240 for processing. In some embodiments, signal 220 and other signals can be wired or wireless. In some embodiments, wireless signal communication between different wearable devices 205 and user 201 may be preferred. In some embodiments, wearable devices and sensors 205 may include one or more motion sensors, and motion-based information collected from smart glasses, IEMs, chests, or wrists may be combined to create more meaningful information.

3A to 3D show different embodiments of in-ear monitors (IEMs) 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D (hereinafter collectively referred to as "IEM 300") according to some embodiments. IEM 300 may include a front end 301-1 and a rear end 301-2, wherein the front end 301-1 includes a sensor and faces the ear canal 361 and the tympanic membrane 362, and the rear end 301-2 includes a processor 312. The IEM 300 may include sensors such as: electrodes 305 for sensing electrical signals, acoustic sensors 325-1 and 325-2 (e.g., collectively referred to as "microphones 325" hereinafter), motion sensors 327 (e.g., accelerometers, contact microphones, and inertial motion units (IMUs), etc.), temperature sensors 329, and optical sensors including emitters 321 and detectors 323 (e.g., LEDs and PDs in PPG sensors, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) sensors based on Fourier transforms, spectroscopy-based). The electrodes 305 may include biopotential electrodes for applications such as EEG, ECG, EOG, and EDA). In some embodiments, the in-ear holder 340 (also referred to as an earplug) may be made entirely of a soft conductive material; therefore, the entire earplug will be conductive and will act as a soft electrode. In addition, the processor 312 can handle at least some operations in signal acquisition and control of components and sensors 321, 323, 324 (speakers), 325-1 (internal microphone), 325-2 (external microphone) (hereinafter collectively referred to as microphone 325), 327 and 329 via digital-to-analog converters and/or analog-to-digital converters (DAC/ADC) 330. The processor 312 can include a feedforward stage 311ff and a feedback stage 311fb, which cooperate to process the signals from the sensors: noise reduction, balancing, filtering and amplification.

In some embodiments, the electrode 305 includes a contact electrode configured to pass current from the skin in the ear canal of the user. In some embodiments, the electrode 305 is coated with at least one of a gold layer, a silver layer, a silver chloride layer, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the electrode 305 includes a capacitive coupling electrode arranged to be close enough to the user's skin but not in contact. In some embodiments, the IEM 300 also includes at least one second electrode 305 mounted on the in-ear retainer 340, which is configured to receive a second electronic signal from the skin in the ear canal 361. In some embodiments, the in-ear retainer 340 can be made entirely of a soft conductive material (e.g., a conductive polymer, a conductive adhesive, a conductive coating, etc.); therefore, the entire earplug will be conductive and will act as a soft electrode for collecting electrical signals from the ear canal skin. In some embodiments, the processor 312 is configured to select the first electronic signal when the quality of the first electronic signal is higher than a preselected threshold. In some embodiments, the processor 312 is configured to use the second electronic signal to reduce the noise background in the first electronic signal. In some embodiments, the processor 312 is configured to determine the user's heart rate based on the first electronic signal. In some embodiments, processor 312 is configured to determine brain activity based on the first electronic signal corresponding to the acoustic stimulus received in the external microphone.

The IEM 300 in an AR head mounted device or smart glasses may include an in-ear holder 340 configured to hermetically seal the user's ear canal, a first electrode 305 mounted on the in-ear holder 340 and configured to receive a first electronic signal from the skin in the ear canal 361, and an internal microphone 325-1 coupled to receive an internal acoustic signal propagated through the ear canal 361. The acoustic front end includes the internal microphone 325-1, which is configured to detect sound waves (x _BC (t)) generated by the body and propagated through the ear canal 361 (e.g., heart rate of about <100 Hz, breathing rate of about 50-1000 Hz, and other sounds in the laryngeal cavity). The external microphone 325-2 is coupled to receive the external acoustic signal x(t) propagated through the user's environment. In some embodiments, the internal signal x _BC (t) in combination with the external signal x(t) can be used for acoustic processes such as audio streaming, hear-through, active noise cancelation (ANC), hearing correction, virtual presence and spatial audio and call services. In some embodiments, at least some of the above processes are performed in combination between the left ear IEM monitor 300 and the right ear IEM monitor 300.

In some embodiments, the speaker 324 and the internal microphone 325-1 can be part of a self-mixing interferometer (SMI). An SMI is a compact, low-power, inexpensive, and sensitive acoustic interferometry device that is configured to measure displacement of the skin based on the acoustic interference pattern between a portion of the emitted sound waves and the sound waves reflected from the skin. In some embodiments, the skin displacement obtained using the SMI is combined with heart rate measurements (e.g., from a PPG sensor, motion sensor, or ECG electrodes) to measure blood pressure and heart rate, or even the vibration of the eardrum; the eardrum also acts as an internal microphone.

IEM 300B includes a sealing cushion 341 that separates the interior of the ear canal 361 from the environment, leaving a back-volume vent including an acoustically resistive mesh 344 for a pressure equalizer (PEQ) tube 342 to vent to the resistive mesh 344 (also shown in IEM 300C). The sealed chamber enables respiration and heart rate monitoring (e.g., isolating the signal from the internal acoustic microphone 325-1) with low power usage and a small form factor.

The IEM 300C shows a processor circuit 312 for identifying a cardiovascular condition or a neurological condition of a user based on at least one of a first electronic signal, an internal acoustic signal, and an external acoustic signal (e.g., from a microphone 325). Some embodiments may include a lower cable 345 that electrically couples the IEM to a VR headset or smart glasses, the lower cable 345 including a strain relief 343.

The IEM 300D shows a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) 342 that provides internal electrical connections to the various components and sensors 321 , 323 , 324 , 325 , 327 , and 329 .

FIG4 is a diagram 400 showing a frequency domain graph 410 of an acoustic signal collected by an internal microphone in an IEM according to some embodiments. The abscissa 401 represents time (e.g., seconds) and the ordinate 402a represents frequency (e.g., Hertz). The grayscale 402b represents the power spectral density (in decibels per Hertz (dB/Hz)). The higher power density area (bright yellow) indicates the spectral content of the user's heartbeat 417.

5A to 5C show a user 501 wearing an in-ear microphone (IEM) 500 and an external ear microphone (OEM), and a spectrogram 530 of an acoustic waveform 510 of a signal collected from the IEM 500. According to some embodiments, the acoustic waveform 510 is combined with an ECG signal 515 and a regression graph 520 (e.g., correlation 502c) of blood pressure 501c. The audio signal captured by the (IEM) is processed by a processor to classify portions of the audio signal into different heart sounds corresponding to different phases indicating the user's heartbeat. The processor is also configured to: analyze the properties of the identified heart sounds to estimate the user's blood pressure level, for example, based on an intensity ratio of a first heart sound to a second heart sound, a time delay between the start of the first heart sound and the start of the second heart sound, a spectral content of the second heart sound, or some combination thereof.

The spectrogram 530 shows the spectral decomposition (eg, amplitude 503b) of the acoustic waveform 510 as a function of time 502b and frequency 501b. By analyzing the temporal evolution of the different spectral components of the acoustic waveform 510, vital signs of the patient, such as blood pressure 501c, etc., can be determined.

In some embodiments, the in-ear microphone signal (see in-ear microphone 325-1) forms an acoustic waveform 510 that can be overlapped with an ECG signal 515 provided by an in-ear electrode (see electrode 305) or any electrode arranged on a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch or wristband 205, etc.). The ECG signal 515 provides a reference time for the start of the heart pulse, from which the systolic portion 505 and the diastolic portion 507 of the acoustic waveform 510 can be identified. Therefore, the time interval 517 between the initial electronic pulse and the diastolic portion 507 can be indicative of the user's blood pressure 501c or directly related to the user's blood pressure 501c. Other relevant factors for determining the user's blood pressure 501c can include a ratio 502c between the amplitude of the systolic portion 505 and the amplitude of the diastolic portion 507.

In some embodiments, the audio signal captured by the (IEM) is processed by a processor to classify portions of the audio signal into different heart sounds corresponding to different phases of the user's heartbeat. The processor is further configured to analyze properties of the identified heart sounds to estimate the user's blood pressure level, for example, based on an intensity ratio of a first heart sound to a second heart sound, a time delay between the start of the first heart sound and the start of the second heart sound, a spectral content of the second heart sound, or some combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the frequency spectrum characteristics of the systolic portion 505 and the diastolic portion 507 may also indicate vital signs of the user. It is generally observed that the systolic portion 505 includes a narrower frequency bandwidth, while the diastolic portion 507 has a wider bandwidth.

FIG6 shows a chart 600 including a waveform 610 obtained using a contact microphone in an IEM for determining a user's heart rate according to some embodiments. Chart 600 includes a horizontal axis 601 (which represents time) and vertical axes 602a and 602b (signal amplitude), which are collectively referred to as "vertical axes 602" below. Waveform 610 is obtained from a contact microphone in the ear canal of an IEM user. In some embodiments, similar waveforms can be obtained using an IMU, an accelerometer, etc. A true ECG includes the location of an R peak 617 (e.g., a heartbeat).

Other measurements that can be obtained from waveform 610 (from the contact microphone) may include, in addition to heart rate and respiratory rate, but are not limited to: step count, posture estimation, and fall detection. In addition, some embodiments enable the use of pulse transit time (PTT) technology that combines contact microphones/motion sensors and ECG sensors to estimate blood pressure.

In some embodiments, the in-ear microphones and contact microphones can recover body-borne infrasound and low-frequency sounds associated with the user's vital signs. Signal processing techniques combined with artificial intelligence (AI) processing can be used to extract the user's vital signs from these acoustic waveforms (e.g., heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and blood pressure).

FIG7 is a flowchart of the steps in a method 700 for evaluating the health of a user of a head-mounted device or smart glasses using a microphone in an in-ear monitor according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, at least one or more of the steps in the method 700 may be performed by a processor executing a plurality of instructions stored in a memory in any one of the smart glasses or other wearable devices on a user's body part (e.g., head, arm, wrist, leg, ankle, finger, toe, knee, shoulder, chest, back, etc.). In some embodiments, at least one or more of the steps in the method 700 may be performed by a processor executing instructions stored in a memory, wherein the processor or the memory or both are part of a user's mobile device, a remote server, or a database that is communicatively coupled to each other via a network (see processors 112, 312 and memory 120, client device 110, server 130, database 152, and network 150). In addition, the mobile device, smart glasses, and wearable devices may be communicatively coupled to each other via wireless communication systems and protocols (e.g., communication module 118, radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and near-field communication (NFC), etc.). In some embodiments, methods consistent with the present disclosure may include one or more steps from method 700 performed in any order, simultaneously, quasi-simultaneously, or overlapping in time.

Step 702 includes receiving, from a first microphone, a first acoustic signal from a first ear canal of a user of an in-ear monitor.

Step 704 includes: forming a first waveform using the first acoustic signal. In some embodiments, step 704 includes: receiving a second acoustic signal from a first ear canal of a user of the in-ear monitor from a second microphone; forming a second waveform using the first acoustic signal filtered according to the second acoustic signal; and providing the second waveform to the user via a speaker, wherein the second acoustic signal is an audio signal from an external environment of the user.

Step 706 includes: identifying a vital sign of the user based on the first waveform. In some embodiments, the first acoustic signal is an internal signal from the user's body, and step 706 includes: determining the user's heart rate based on the first waveform. In some embodiments, step 706 includes: identifying and classifying the S1 segment and the S2 segment of the heart sound from the acoustic signal collected by the first acoustic signal, and forming a ratio of (S1/S2) to enable real-time blood pressure monitoring of the user.

In some embodiments, step 706 includes: receiving an electronic signal from an electrode in the in-ear monitor; and wherein identifying the vital sign of the user includes: determining the heart rate of the user based on the correlation of the electronic signal with the first waveform. In some embodiments, step 706 includes: receiving an electronic signal from the electrode; and wherein identifying the vital sign of the user includes: identifying the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform based on the correlation of the electronic signal with the first acoustic signal, and determining the blood pressure value using the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform. In some embodiments, step 706 includes: identifying the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform, wherein identifying the vital sign of the user includes: determining the blood pressure value based on the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform. In some embodiments, step 706 includes: generating a spectrogram of the first waveform; and identifying at least one of a heart rate value or a blood pressure value from the spectrogram of the first waveform. In some embodiments, step 706 includes: identifying the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform, and determining the blood pressure value based on the amplitude of the systolic portion compared to the amplitude of the diastolic portion of the first waveform. In some embodiments, step 706 includes: providing a sound signal entering a first ear canal for the user using a speaker, wherein the first acoustic signal includes a rear reflection of the sound signal from the inner ear, and wherein identifying the vital sign of the user includes: determining the hearing condition of the user based on a delay and an amplitude of the rear reflection of the sound signal. In some embodiments, the first acoustic signal includes a sound gesture generated by the user as an input command, and step 706 includes: identifying the input command from the first waveform, and causing a processor in the smart glasses to execute the input command.

Hardware Overview

FIG8 is a block diagram showing an exemplary computer system 800 according to some embodiments, with which the head mounted device and other client devices 110 and the method 700 may be implemented. In some aspects, the computer system 800 may be implemented using hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, which may be in a dedicated server, integrated into another entity, or distributed across multiple entities. The computer system 800 may include a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a tablet phone, a smart phone, a feature phone, or a server computer, etc. The server computer may be located remotely in a data center or stored locally.

The computer system 800 includes a bus 808 or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor 802 (e.g., processor 112) coupled to the bus 808 for processing information. As an example, the computer system 800 may be implemented with one or more processors 802. The processor 802 may be a general-purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, gate logic, a plurality of discrete hardware components, or any other suitable entity that can perform calculations or other manipulations of information.

In addition to the hardware, the computer system 800 may also include code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, such as code that constitutes the following stored in the included memory 804 (e.g., memory 120): processor firmware, protocol stack, database management system, operating system, or a combination of one or more of them, such as random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), programmable read-only memory (Programmable Read-Only Memory, PROM), erasable PROM (Erasable PROM, EPROM), registers, hard disk, removable disk, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or any other suitable storage device, which is coupled to the bus 808 for storing information and instructions to be executed by the processor 802. The processor 802 and the memory 804 may be supplemented by or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.

Instructions may be stored in memory 804 and may be implemented in one or more computer program products, such as one or more modules of multiple computer program instructions encoded on a computer-readable medium for execution by computer system 800 or for controlling the operation of the computer system, and according to any method well known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to computer languages such as data-oriented languages (e.g., SQL, dBase), system languages (e.g., C, object-oriented programming languages extending C (Objective-C), C++, assembly), structured languages (e.g., Java, .NET), and application languages (e.g., PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python). The instructions may also be implemented in computer languages such as array languages, aspect-oriented languages, assembly languages, authoring languages, command line interface languages, compiled languages, concurrent languages, curly-bracket languages, data flow languages, data structured languages, declarative languages, esoteric languages, extension languages, fourth generation languages, functional languages, interactive mode languages, interpreted languages, iterative languages, list-based languages, little languages, logic-based languages, machine languages, macro languages, metaprogramming languages, multiparadigm languages, numerical analysis, non-English-based languages, class-based object-oriented languages, prototype-based object-oriented languages, off-side rule languages, procedural languages, reflective languages, rule-based languages, scripting languages, stack-based languages, synchronous languages, syntax handling languages, visual languages, Wirth languages, and XML-based languages. Memory 804 may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 802 .

Computer programs as discussed herein do not necessarily correspond to files in a file system. A program may be stored in a portion of a file storing other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), a single file dedicated to the program in question, or multiple collaborative files (e.g., a file storing one or more modules, subroutines, or partial codes). A computer program may be deployed to execute on one or more computers, which are located at a site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network. The processes and logic flows described in this specification may be executed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating outputs.

The computer system 800 also includes a data storage device 806 such as a disk or optical disk, which is coupled to the bus 808 to store information and instructions. The computer system 800 can be coupled to various devices via an input/output module 810. The input/output module 810 can be any input/output module. An exemplary input/output module 810 includes a data port such as a universal serial bus (USB) port. The input/output module 810 is configured to be connected to a communication module 812. An exemplary communication module 812 includes a network interface card, such as an Ethernet card and a modem. In some aspects, the input/output module 810 is configured to be connected to multiple devices, such as an input device 814 and/or an output device 816. An exemplary input device 814 includes a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a tracking ball), and a user can provide input to the computer system 800 through the keyboard and the pointing device. Other types of input devices 814 can also be used to provide interaction with the user, and other types of input devices 814 are, for example, tactile input devices, visual input devices, audio input devices, or brain-computer interface devices. For example, the feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and the input from the user can be received in any form including sound input, voice input, tactile input, or brain wave input. Exemplary output device 816 includes a display device for displaying information to the user, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the head mounted device and the client device 110 may be implemented at least in part using a computer system 800 in response to a processor 802 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in a memory 804. These instructions may be read into the memory 804 from another machine-readable medium (e.g., a data storage device 806). The execution of the sequence of instructions contained in the main memory 804 causes the processor 802 to perform the process steps described herein. One or more processors in a multi-processing configuration may also be employed to execute the sequence of instructions contained in the memory 804. In alternative aspects, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of software instructions, or hard-wired circuitry may be used in combination with software instructions to implement various aspects of the present disclosure. Therefore, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

Aspects of the subject matter described in this specification may be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component (e.g., a data server), or includes an intermediate software component (e.g., an application server), or includes a front-end component (e.g., a client computer with a graphical user interface or a web browser, through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described in this specification); or aspects of the subject matter described in this specification may be implemented in any combination of one or more such back-end components, one or more such middleware components, or one or more such front-end components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). The communication network may, for example, include any one or more of a LAN, a WAN, and the Internet, etc. In addition, for example, the communication network may include, but is not limited to, any one or more of the following network topologies, including a bus network, a star network, a ring network, a mesh network, a star bus network, or a tree or hierarchical network, etc. The communication module may, for example, be a modem or an Ethernet card.

Computer system 800 can include client and server.Client and server are usually far away from each other, and usually interact through communication network.The relationship between client and server is generated by means of computer programs running on respective computers and having client-server relationship between each other.Computer system 800 can be, for example, but not limited to: desktop computer, laptop computer or tablet computer.Computer system 800 can also be embedded in another device, and this another device is, for example, but not limited to: mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile audio player, global positioning system (Global Positioning System, GPS) receiver, video game console and/or TV set-top box.

As used herein, the term "machine-readable storage medium" or "computer-readable medium" refers to any one or more media that participate in providing instructions to processor 802 for execution. Such media can take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as data storage device 806. Volatile media include dynamic memory, such as memory 804. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wires, and optical fibers, including the wires that form bus 808. Common forms of machine-readable media include, for example, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, any other magnetic media, CD-ROMs, DVDs, any other optical media, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical media with a pattern of holes, RAM, PROMs, EPROMs, FLASH EPROMs, any other memory chips or cassettes, or any other media that a computer can read. The machine-readable storage medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more of them.

As used herein, the phrase "at least one of" following a list of items, together with the terms "and" or "or" used to separate any of the items, modifies the list as a whole, rather than modifying each member of the list (e.g., each item). The phrase "at least one of" does not require selection of at least one item; rather, the phrase is meant to include at least one of any of the items, and/or at least one of any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. As an example, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" both refer to: only A, only B, or only C; any combination of A, B, and C; and/or, at least one of each of A, B, and C.

The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Phrases such as on the one hand, this aspect, on the other hand, some aspects, one or more aspects, one embodiment, this embodiment, another embodiment, some embodiments, one or more embodiments, one embodiment, this embodiment, another embodiment, some embodiments, one or more embodiments, one configuration, this configuration, another configuration, some configurations, one or more configurations, the subject technology, the disclosure, the phrases of the disclosure, and other variations thereof are for convenience and do not imply that the disclosure associated with such phrases is essential to the subject technology or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the subject technology. The disclosure associated with such phrases may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. The disclosure associated with such phrases may provide one or more examples. Phrases such as on the one hand or some aspects may refer to one or more aspects, and vice versa, and the same applies to the other phrases mentioned above.

Unless otherwise specified, reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one", but rather "one or more". Positive pronouns (e.g., his) include feminine and neuter pronouns (e.g., her and its), and vice versa. The term "some" refers to one or more. Underlined and/or italicized titles and subtitles are used for convenience only and do not limit the subject technology or refer to the interpretation of the description of the subject technology. Relative terms such as first and second can be used to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between these entities or actions. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various configurations described throughout the present disclosure that are known or will be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be included by the subject technology. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, whether or not such disclosure is explicitly recorded in the above description.

Although this specification includes many specific details, these specific details should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the content that may be described, but should be interpreted as a description of the specific implementation of this theme. Certain features described in the context of different embodiments in this specification may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments. In addition, although features may be described above as working in certain combinations and even initially described as such, in some cases, one or more features from the described combination may be removed from the combination, and the described combination may be for a sub-combination or a variation of the sub-combination.

The subject matter of this specification has been described in particular aspects, but other aspects may be implemented and are within the scope of the appended claims. For example, although the operations are depicted in a particular order in the drawings, this should not be understood as requiring the operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a continuous order, or requiring the execution of all the operations shown to achieve the desired results. The actions recorded in the claims can be performed in different orders and still achieve the desired results. As an example, the process depicted in the drawings does not necessarily require the particular order shown or the continuous order to achieve the desired results. In some cases, multi-tasking parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of the various system components in the above-mentioned multiple aspects should not be understood as requiring such separation in all aspects, but it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in one software product or packaged in multiple software products.

The names, background technology, figure descriptions, abstracts, and drawings are incorporated herein into the present disclosure and are provided as illustrative examples of the present disclosure rather than as limiting descriptions. It should be understood that they will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the detailed description, it can be seen that the present specification provides illustrative examples and that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of simplifying the present disclosure. The method of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting the following intention: the described subject matter requires more features than those explicitly recited in each claim. On the contrary, as reflected in the claims, the inventive subject matter lies in less than all the features of a single disclosed configuration or operation. The claims are incorporated herein into the detailed description, and each claim is independently a subject described separately.

The claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects described herein, but rather should be given the full scope consistent with the language of the claims and encompassing all legal equivalents. Nevertheless, no claim is intended to encompass subject matter that would not satisfy the requirements of applicable patent law, nor should they be interpreted in such a manner.

Claims (15)

1. A device comprising: an in-ear retainer configured to seal an ear canal of a user; an internal microphone coupled to receive internal acoustic signals propagating through the ear canal of the user; and A processor is coupled to the augmented reality head mounted device, the processor being configured to identify a vital sign of the user based on the internal acoustic signal. 2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a first electrode mounted on the in-ear holder and configured to receive an electrical signal from skin in the ear canal of the user, and the processor is configured to: identifying the vital sign of the user based on at least one of the internal acoustic signal and the electronic signal; and/or A blood pressure value is determined based on a time delay between the electronic signal and the internal acoustic signal. 3. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the internal microphone is a contact microphone and the internal acoustic signal is indicative of movement of an internal organ of the user. 4. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: an external microphone coupled to receive external acoustic signals propagating through the user's environment; and A speaker is located on the in-ear holder and faces the ear canal of the user, wherein the processor is configured to filter the external acoustic signal using the internal acoustic signal to form an acoustic waveform and provide the acoustic waveform to the speaker. 5. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is configured to form a waveform using the internal acoustic signal and generate a spectrogram of the waveform, and wherein, in order to identify the vital sign of the user, the processor is configured to: Extracting heart rate from the spectrogram; and/or A blood pressure value is extracted from the spectrogram. 6. A device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is configured to form a waveform using the internal acoustic signal to identify a systolic portion and a diastolic portion of the waveform, and wherein the vital sign of the user is a blood pressure derived from the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the waveform. 7. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, in order to identify a vital sign of the user, the processor is configured to form a waveform using the internal acoustic signal and is configured to: determining the user's blood pressure based on a ratio of a systolic portion to a diastolic portion of the waveform; and/or Spectral components in the sub-Hertz acoustic range are selected from the waveform. 8. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, from a first microphone, a first acoustic signal from a first ear canal of a user of the in-ear monitor; forming a first waveform using the first acoustic signal; and A vital sign of the user is identified based on the first waveform. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the first acoustic signal is an internal signal from the user's body, and identifying the user's vital signs comprises determining the user's heart rate based on the first waveform. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 or 9, further comprising: receiving a second acoustic signal from the first ear canal of the user of the in-ear monitor from a second microphone; forming a second waveform using the first acoustic signal filtered according to the second acoustic signal; and providing the second waveform to the user via a speaker, wherein the second acoustic signal is an audio signal from an external environment of the user. 11. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising receiving electronic signals from electrodes in the in-ear monitor; and wherein identifying the vital signs of the user comprises: determining a heart rate of the user based on a correlation between the electronic signal and the first waveform; and/or A systolic portion and a diastolic portion of the first waveform are identified based on a correlation of the electronic signal with the first acoustic signal; and a blood pressure value is determined using the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform. 12. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising: identifying a systolic portion and a diastolic portion of the first waveform, wherein identifying a vital sign of the user comprises: determining a blood pressure value based on the systolic portion and the diastolic portion of the first waveform; and/or A blood pressure value is determined based on an amplitude of the diastolic portion compared to an amplitude of the systolic portion of the first waveform. 13. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein identifying the vital signs of the user comprises: generating a spectrogram of the first waveform; and identifying at least one of a heart rate value or a blood pressure value from the spectrogram of the first waveform. 14. The computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, further comprising: providing a sound signal entering the first ear canal to the user using a speaker, wherein the first acoustic signal comprises a rear reflection of the sound signal from the inner ear, and wherein identifying the vital signs of the user comprises: determining the hearing condition of the user based on the delay and amplitude of the rear reflection of the sound signal. 15. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein the first acoustic signal includes a sound gesture generated by the user as an input command, and the method further comprises: identifying the input command from the first waveform and causing a processor in the smart glasses to execute the input command.