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Apple acquired a company called Beddit in May 2017, which invented the Beddit 3 sleep monitoring system that uses a single detection strip placed on a user's sheet and allowing to monitor the vital signs of it overnight. This week, the US Patent & Trademark Office (US Patent & Trademark Office) released a patent application from Apple that allows a sleep monitoring system to move up a gear by creating a rug. smart sheets covering the entire bed to better monitor the vital signs of the user. The advanced system now includes a surveillance camera that studies the night movements of the user and more. None of the inventors listed in the patent is a former Beddit engineer, making it an original invention of Apple.
Traditionally, monitoring a user's sleep and / or measuring their vital signs required expensive and bulky equipment. Some systems require that surveillance be done outside the home in a medical facility and / or that the equipment be connected to or contact the person directly, which can lead to inconvenience and imprecise analysis. because of a sleep disturbance of the user. Some systems may be more user-friendly in terms of portability, indirect contact, etc., but these systems are configured to determine vital signs based on a type of measurement, signal and / or mode of operation. With only one type of measurement, signal, and / or mode of operation, the sensitivity of these systems can result in inaccurate and / or insufficient information, rendering any analysis of sleep and vital signs of the user ineffective. .
The invention of Apple concerns monitoring systems and sensors for physiological measurements. The sensors can be multi-element piezo sensors capable of generating multiple electrical signals, the monitoring systems being able to receive multiple electrical signals to analyze the vital signs of the user along multiple areas of the body of the user.
In some examples, the piezoelectric sensor may include one or more ripples, such as peaks and valleys, to create localized regions with increased mechanical response (eg, sensitivity) to force.
The sensitivity and resolution of the piezoelectric sensor can be improved by further locating the electrode sections at the corrugations, the electrode sections being electrically insulative and operable independently of the other electrode sections. Traces electrically connecting an electrode section to an external controller, for example, can be routed on and / or around other electrode sections by including an insulator to electrically isolate other sections of the electrode. 39, electrode, or using vias to route through one or more layers. The multi-element piezoelectric sensor may include multiple piezo films and several pairs of electrodes (and / or electrode sections).
The examples in Apple's patent application also include piezoelectric sensors having a plurality of piezo film elements, where the force (for example, stress) can be concentrated on the piezo film elements.
Each piezo film element can be structurally and electrically isolated from other piezo film elements. The concentration of force can be achieved by configuring one or more intermediate layers to have a conical profile, including one or more structures for transferring the force to the piezo film elements, by configuring one or more intermediate layers to have force concentration regions. different, or a combination thereof. this one. Examples of the disclosure further include piezo sensors configured to convert one type of force to another type of force by Poisson conversion.
The Apple patent FIG. 1 below illustrates an example of a functional diagram of a monitoring system; FIG. Fig. 2A illustrates a top view of an exemplary carpet comprising a single element piezoelectric sensor, much like a Beddit tape; FIG. Figure 2B illustrates a top view of an example of a carpet comprising multi-element piezoelectric sensors.
Camera system
In another deviation from the Beddit 3 product, Apple notes in patent specification 1 that the system could include a complete mat, a power source, cameraand control system.
Regarding the camera, Apple notes that the camera 108 of FIG. 1 could be a video camera configured to perform one or more features, including, but not limited to, determining the position of the user 's body, determining the location of the body of the user. user, determine the body temperature of the user and determine the temperature of the user. the local atmosphere.
The monitoring system may be configured to use the information from the camera together with that of one or more sensors (eg piezo sensors) for physiological measurements (e.g., heart rate measurements), an analysis (e.g. sleep analysis) and feedback.
Smart bedding
Further, Apple notes that the system and sensors could also be used with sheets in which the system is incorporated into the fabric or textile of the sheet and may include related surveillance accessories such as pillowcases, a duvet and / or a blanket. This would support many of Apple's patents on smart fabrics.
The Apple patent FIG. Figure 5A below illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of a multi-layered piezo sensor; FIG. Figure 5B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of a piezo sensor comprising a single electrode located across corrugations; FIG. 5C illustrates a sectional view of an example of a piezo sensor comprising an electrode section located between ripples.
The Apple patent FIG. 6A illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of a piezo sensor comprising a plurality of piezo film elements, the piezo sensor being configured for a force concentration; FIG. 6B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of a piezo sensor comprising a plurality of piezo film elements and one or more structures, the piezo sensor being configured for a force concentration; FIG. 6C illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of a piezoelectric sensor comprising a plurality of piezo film elements connected by a film layer, the piezoelectric sensor configured for a force concentration according to examples of the disclosure.
The Apple patent FIG. 6D above illustrates an example of a piezo sensor comprising intermediate layers having regions of concentration of different strength; FIG. 6E illustrates an example of a piezoelectric sensor comprising a corrugated piezoelectric film and one or more structures, the piezoelectric sensor being configured for the concentration of force.
The Apple patent FIG. Fig. 6F above illustrates an exemplary method for operating a piezo sensor comprising a plurality of piezo film elements.
Part of what monitoring could measure
The monitoring system could monitor a user's breathing movement, body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate. The monitoring system could furthermore include fewer or more sensors and / or different types of sensors (e.g., electrodes configured for impedance cardiography (ICG), electrocardiogram (ECG) and / or ballistocardiograph (BCG)).
Movement of the user's body (for example, the chest cavity) due to blood flow to the heart and / or breathing in the lungs can cause mechanical distortions or deformations on the outer surface of the piezo sensor. Deformations or mechanical deformations can spread to piezo sensors. Piezo sensors can detect one or more changes in mechanical properties (eg tensile force, compression, torsion, etc.) of the piezoelectric sensors and can generate one or more electrical signals indicative of the change in mechanical properties . The system may use the one or more electrical signals to determine the physiological information of the user (e.g., heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and respiratory rate variability).
Apple privacy and health
Apple's patent filing also provides that an entity that may use (for example, measure, collect, analyze, disclose, transfer and / or store) personal information will comply with well-established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. These privacy policies and / or privacy practices may generally be recognized as meeting (or exceeding) industry or government privacy and security requirements and must be implemented and used consistently.
For example, personal information must be collected for legitimate and reasonable purposes and must not be shared (for example, sold) outside of these purposes. In addition, personal information collected should only be collected after having received the informed consent of the user (s).
To adhere to privacy policies and / or privacy practices, entities would take the necessary steps to protect and secure outside access to personal information. In some examples, entities may undergo a third-party assessment to certify that they adhere to well-established and generally accepted privacy policies.
In some examples, users may selectively block or restrict access to and / or use of personal information. The monitoring system may include one or more hardware components and / or one or more software applications to enable the user or users to selectively block or restrict access and / or use of the personal information.
For example, the monitoring system can be configured to allow users to "choose" or "disable" ad serving services when collecting personal information during registration. In some examples, a user can select the information (for example, the home address) to retain advertising delivery services.
While examples of disclosure may include surveillance systems and methods for measuring vital signs using personal information from the user, examples of disclosure may also allow for one or more features and functioning without the personal information of the user. The absence of all or part of the personal information may not render the control systems and methods unusable. In some examples, the content may be selected and / or delivered to the user based on non-user-specific personal information (for example, publicly available).
Apple's patent application was filed in the second quarter of 2018 and published last week by the United States Patent Office. Considering that it is a patent application, the date of placing such a product on the market is unknown at the moment.
Apple Engineers, Inventors
Chinhan Lin: Technical Director, Detection Technology. It is interesting to note that Lin came to Apple via Lumentum, the main supplier of Vertical Cavity Emitting Surface (VCSEL) Apple, which is in Apple's TrueDepth camera for Face ID, Animoji and Memoji.
Stuart Wenzel, Ph.D .: Hardware development. Experience with sensors and actuators, microscale fabrication (MEMS and nanotechnology) and ultrasound. Previous work includes microsensors (bio / chemical, physical), medical devices, microfluidics and more. Wenzel came to Apple via Johnson and Johnson Medical, Insound Medical and Earlens.
German Alvarez: Embedded Systems Engineer. Lin came to Apple via Symmetricom.
Santiago Quijano: R & D in Health Technologies – Integrated Engineer (HW and FW). Quijano came to Apple via Symmetricom ..
None of the engineers in this patent application worked for Beddit, making it an original invention of Apple.
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