Wearable Computing Device

What is this patent about?

’228 is related to the field of wearable electronic devices, specifically those designed for continuous wear and physiological monitoring. Existing wearable devices, such as wristbands and clip-on monitors, often suffer from inaccuracies due to inconsistent contact with the body. This patent addresses the need for a compact, comfortable, and accurate wearable device suitable for prolonged use in monitoring activity and biological data.

The underlying idea behind ’228 is to create a ring-shaped wearable device that can be worn on a finger for extended periods, ensuring consistent contact with the skin. This form factor allows for continuous monitoring of physiological signals, such as heart rate, blood oxygenation, and body temperature, while also enabling gesture recognition and other functionalities. The ring's design incorporates a flexible circuit board and strategically placed components to maximize functionality within a small space.

The claims of ’228 focus on a wearable ring device with specific dimensional constraints for comfortable wear. The device includes an external and internal housing that encloses a curved battery, a printed circuit board, one or more processors, and several components. These components include an accelerometer and/or gyroscope for detecting physical movement, a temperature sensor for skin temperature, LEDs for emitting visible and infrared/near-infrared light, and light sensors for detecting the emitted light after interaction with the user's skin. The processors are configured to analyze the light absorption to measure blood oxygenation.

In practice, the device works by emitting light from the LEDs onto the skin and then measuring the wavelengths absorbed by the blood using the light sensors. The processor analyzes this data to determine the user's blood oxygenation level. The accelerometer and gyroscope detect physical activity, allowing the device to correlate physiological data with activity levels. The device's small size and ring shape make it less intrusive than other wearable devices, encouraging continuous wear and more accurate data collection. The use of a curved battery maximizes space utilization within the ring's form factor.

The design differentiates itself from prior approaches by integrating multiple sensors and processing capabilities into a compact ring form factor. Unlike wrist-worn devices that may shift or lose contact, the ring maintains consistent skin contact for more reliable data. The use of specific components, such as the curved battery and flexible circuit board, allows for efficient use of space within the ring. The inclusion of both visible and infrared/near-infrared LEDs, along with corresponding light sensors, enables a more comprehensive analysis of blood characteristics compared to devices that rely on a single light source.