Application US20180042556 Consumer Sleep Technology

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Apple Inc.

Application US20180042556

Published 2018-02-15

Vital Signs Monitoring System

This relates to a monitoring system capable of measuring a plurality of vital signs. The monitoring system can include a plurality of sensors including, but not limited to, electrodes, piezoelectric sensors, temperature sensors, and accelerometers. The monitoring system can be capable of operating in one or more operation modes such as, for example: capacitance measurement mode, electrical measurement mode, piezoelectric measurement mode, temperature measurement mode, acceleration measurement mode, impedance measurement mode, and standby mode. Based on the measured values, the monitoring system can analyze the user's sleep, provide feedback and suggestions to the user, and/or can adjust or control the environmental conditions to improve the user's sleep. The monitoring system can further be capable of analyzing the sleep of the user(s) without directly contacting or attaching uncomfortable probes to the user(s) and without having to analyze the sleep in an unknown environment (e.g., a medical facility).

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3 Independent Claims

1. A system for determining one or more physiological signals of a user, the system comprising: one or more first electrodes configured to measure one or more electrical signals; one or more second electrodes configured to capacitively couple to the one or more first electrodes; and logic configured to: detect a plurality of changes in capacitive coupling between the one or more first electrodes and the one or more second electrodes; determine at least one or more of one or more positions, one or more body motions, and one or more locations of the user based on the plurality of changes in capacitive coupling; detect the one or more electric signals; and determine one or more physiological signals based at least in part on the plurality of changes in capacitive coupling and the one or more electrical signals.
6. A method for determining one or more physiological signals of a user, the method comprising: stimulating one or more first electrodes; coupling one or more second electrodes to sense circuitry, the one or more second electrodes configured to capacitively coupling to the one or more first electrodes; detecting a plurality of changes in capacitive coupling at the one or more second electrodes; determining at least one or more of one or more positions, one or more body motions, and one or more locations of the user based on the plurality of changes in capacitive coupling; detecting one or more electrical signals using the one or more second electrodes; and determining one or more physiological signals based on at least in part to the plurality of changes in capacitive coupling and the one or more electrical signals.
15. A system for determining one or more physiological signals of a user, the system comprising: a plurality of electrodes configured to operate in at least one operation mode, wherein the operation modes comprise: capacitance measurement mode, electrical measurement mode, and impedance measurement mode; one or more piezoelectric sensors configured to measure one or more mechanical impulses; and logic further configured to: determine one or more values, the one or more values being one or more of changes in capacitive coupling, electrical signals, and impedance using the plurality of electrodes, determine at least one or more of the one or more positions, one or more body motions, and one or more locations of the user based on the one or more values; determine one or more mechanical impulses using the one or more piezoelectric sensors; and determine the one or more physiological signals based at least in part on the one or more values and the one or more mechanical impulses.