Wearable computing device with localized impedance measurement devices

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a wearable computing device that includes a housing defining an upper surface and a lower surface for placement adjacent to a wrist of a user. The wearable computing device includes a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on the lower surface of the housing. The plurality of biometric measurement devices is configured for measuring, at least, a localized impedance at the wrist of the user. The wearable computing device also includes a processor configured to execute instructions stored in a memory device. The instructions includes receiving continuous passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user and detecting impedance changes in a tissue composition of the user using the passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user longitudinally.

Description

[0001] WEARABLE COMPUTING DEVICE WITH LOCALIZED IMPEDANCE MEASUREMENT DEVICES

[0002] FIELD

[0003] [1] The present disclosure relates generally to wearable computing devices, and more particularly, to a wearable computing device that measures localized impedance changes for perfusion, composition, and aging.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] [2] Body impedance analyzers (BIA) are impedance-based tools for estimating body composition, such as body fat and muscle mass. Tissue types respond differently to different applied currents. Therefore, BIA can be used to estimate relative tissue distributions.

[0006] Conventional BIA sensors are limited in their applicability to wrist-worn wearable devices due to several factors. First, BIA sensors typically operate by measuring impedance across the body and require at least two bodily contact points. For example, certain BIA sensors require users to hold the device using both hands (e.g., by pressing the electrodes into respective palms), and the impedance is measured across the upper body. There are also BIA scales that complete similar measurements across the feet through the lower body.

[0007] [3] Another limitation of BIA sensors in wrist-worn wearable devices is interventional measurement. For example, a typical BIA measurement approach is an interventional method that requires users to actively touch two contact points to measure across the body. This approach generally requires an amount of time to pass for an accurate measurement to occur due to the signal settling time nature of dry electrodes. In other words, such measurements are not passive and require user interaction for the sensors to work.

[0008] [4] Still another limitation of BIA sensors in wrist-worn wearable devices is limited wearable applications. For example, for a wrist-worn device, there would need to be at least two sets of electrodes: 1) electrode(s) on the device underside for interaction with the dorsal or ventral wrist, and 2) electrode(s) either on the display or housing, so that the fmgertip / palm of the opposite hand can interact.

[0009] [5] Yet another limitation of BIA sensors in wrist-worn wearable devices is the requirement of a large electrode area. For example, traditional BIA devices rely on large electrodes to minimize the impact of contact resistance on impedance measurements. By having large electrodes, the contact impedance of the sensor(s) is reduced - improving the sensor accuracy for short-term (active) measurements. However, these bulky electrodes canbe challenging for integration into compact wearable devices.

[0010] [6] In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure is directed to a wearable computing device that passively measures localized impedance changes for perfusion, composition, and aging that addresses the aforementioned issues.

[0011] SUMMARY

[0012] [7] Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the following description, or can be learned from the description, or can be learned through practice of the example embodiments.

[0013] [8] In an aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a wearable computing device. The wearable computing device includes a housing defining an upper surface and a lower surface for placement adjacent to a wrist of a user. The wearable computing device includes a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on the lower surface of the housing. The plurality of biometric measurement devices is configured for measuring, at least, a localized impedance at the wrist of the user. The wearable computing device also includes a processor configured to execute instructions stored in a memory device. The instructions includes receiving continuous passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user and detecting impedance changes in a tissue composition of the user using the passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user longitudinally.

[0014] [9] In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a wrist-worn wearable computing device including a housing defining an upper surface and a lower surface for placement adjacent to a wrist of a user. The wrist- worn wearable computing device includes a plurality of impedance measurement devices arranged on the lower surface of the housing and a processor configured to execute instructions stored in a memory device. The instructions include receiving passive measurements from the plurality of impedance measurement devices relating to a localized impedance at the wrist of the user and detecting impedance changes in a tissue composition of the user using the passive measurements from the plurality of impedance measurement devices.

[0015]

[0010] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of various embodiments of the disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following description, drawings, and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate examples of the disclosure and, together withthe description, serve to explain the related principles.

[0016] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]

[0011] Detailed discussion of example embodiments directed to one of ordinary skill in the art is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0018]

[0012] FIG. 1 A illustrates a front perspective view of a wearable computing device on a wrist of a user according to the present disclosure;

[0019]

[0013] FIG. IB illustrates a side view of the wearable computing device of FIG. 1A according to the present disclosure;

[0020]

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example system that can be utilized with the wearable computing device of FIGS. 1A-1B according to the present disclosure;

[0021]

[0015] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate rear side views of embodiments of a wearable computing device having a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on a lower surface thereof according to the present disclosure;

[0022]

[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates a rear side view of another embodiment of a wearable computing device having a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on a lower surface thereof according to the present disclosure;

[0023]

[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates a rear side view of still embodiment of a wearable computing device having a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on a lower surface thereof according to the present disclosure;

[0024]

[0018] FIG. 6 illustrates a rear side view of yet embodiment of a wearable computing device having a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on a lower surface thereof according to the present disclosure;

[0025]

[0019] FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate rear side views of further embodiments of a wearable computing device having a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on a lower surface thereof according to the present disclosure;

[0026]

[0020] FIG. 8 illustrates a rear side view of still another embodiment of a wearable computing device having a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on a lower surface thereof according to the present disclosure; and

[0027]

[0021] FIG. 9 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a wearable computing device having a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on a lower surface and a wristband thereof according to the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028]

[0022] Reference now will be made to embodiments of the disclosure, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the disclosure. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the disclosure covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0029]

[0023] Terms used herein are used to describe the example embodiments and are not intended to limit and / or restrict the disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, terms such as "including", "having", “comprising”, and the like are used to specify features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more of the features, elements, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0030]

[0024] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, the elements are not limited by these terms. Instead, these terms are used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, a first element may be termed as a second element, and a second element may be termed as a first element.

[0031]

[0025] The term “and / or” includes a combination of a plurality of related listed items or any item of the plurality of related listed items. For example, the scope of the expression or phrase “A and / or B” includes the item “A”, the item “B”, and the combination of items “A and B”.

[0032]

[0026] In addition, the scope of the expression or phrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to include all of the following: (1) at least one of A, (2) at least one of B, and (3) at least one of A and at least one of B. Likewise, the scope of the expression or phrase "at least one of A, B, or C" is intended to include all of the following: (1) at least one of A, (2) at least one of B, (3) at least one of C, (4) at least one of A and at least one of B, (5) at least one of A and at least one of C, (6) at least one of B and at least one of C, and (7) at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.

[0027] In general, the present disclosure is directed to a wearable computing device that addresses issues associated with conventional BIA sensors, such as those described herein. In particular, the wearable computing device of the present disclosure utilizes a localized, passive measurement approach of impedance in the periphery. By using passive measurements of impedance (i.e., not requiring any interaction from the user), a larger amount of impedance data may be collected over longitudinal timeframes. This large-data approach to measuring localized impedance changes means that small changes in tissue compositions in the periphery can be detected. These changes can occur longitudinally (such as those due to body composition changes or aging), as well as acutely (such as perfusion). Accordingly, the wearable computing device of the present disclosure includes a housing defining an upper surface and a lower surface for placement adjacent to a wrist of a user and a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on the lower surface of the housing and / or on a band of the wearable computing device. Thus, the biometric measurement devices measure, at least, a localized impedance at the wrist of the user. A processor of the wearable computing device is therefore configured to receive continuous passive measurements from the biometric measurement devices relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user and detect impedance changes in a tissue composition of the user using the passive measurements longitudinally.

[0033]

[0028] With reference now to the Figures, example embodiments of the present disclosure will be discussed in further detail.

[0034]

[0029] Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 A-1B illustrate various views of a wearable computing device 100 and components thereof according to the present disclosure. For instance, FIG. 1 A illustrates a perspective view of the wearable computing device 100, particularly with the wearable computing device 100 being worn on a wrist of a user. FIG. IB illustrates a side view of the wearable computing device 100 of FIG. 1 A.

[0035]

[0030] As generally shown in FIGS. 1 A-1B, and as will be described below in greater detail, the wearable computing device 100 includes a housing 102 that contains electronics associated with the wearable computing device 100. In some instances, as shown in FIG. 1A, the wearable computing device 100 may be worn on a user’s forearm 104 like a wristwatch. Thus, as shown, the wearable computing device 100 may include a wearable band, such as a wristband 106 having one or more parts, such as the two wristband straps 106A, 106B, for securing the wearable computing device 100 to the user’s forearm 104. In such instance, the housing 102 may include one or more connection points (e.g., connection points 108 A, 108B) at which the wristband 106 is couplable to the housing 102. For instance, the wristband 106is shown coupled to the housing 102 at two locations (e.g., connection points 108 A, 108B). However, it should be appreciated that the wearable computing device 100 may be worn at any other suitable location by a user, such as, for example, on an ankle, a torso, and / or the like.

[0036]

[0031] In addition, as best shown in FIG. IB, in some instances, the housing 102 has a main housing 110, an upper housing cover 112, and a rear housing cover 114. In some instances, the connection points 108 A, 108B may be provided on the main housing 110. The main housing 110, the upper housing cover 112, and the rear housing cover 114 together generally define an exterior of the wearable computing device 100. Particularly, the upper housing cover 112 generally defines an upper surface of the wearable computing device 100, the rear housing cover 114 generally defines a rear surface of the wearable computing device 100, and the main housing 110 generally defines a side surface defined between the upper surface and the rear surface.

[0037]

[0032] The upper and rear housing covers 112, 114 are connectable to the main housing 110 to at least partially enclose an interior volume of the wearable computing device 100. The interior volume of the wearable computing device 100 is configured to at least partially receive one or more components. For instance, as shown in FIG. 1 A, an electronic display screen 116 may be received within the interior volume and viewable through at least the upper housing cover 112. For such purpose, in an embodiment, the upper housing cover 112 may be constructed of glass, polycarbonate, acrylic, or similar, or the electronic display screen 116 may form part of the upper housing cover 112. Moreover, in an embodiment, the electronic display screen 116 may cover an electronics package (not shown), which may also be housed within the housing 102. The electronic display screen 116 may be any suitable display type, such as a touch screen, organic light emitting diode (OLED), liquid crystal display (LCD), and / or the like. The rear housing cover 114 of the housing 102 may be configured to be closest to a user when worn. For instance, the rear housing cover 114 may contact a dorsal wrist of a user when being worn by the user, as shown in FIG. 1 A.

[0038]

[0033] Additionally, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the wearable computing device 100 may also include one or more sensors, such as optical sensors, temperature sensors (such as an ambient temperature sensor or a skin temperature sensor), skin autofluorescence (SAF) sensors, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, one or more microphones, one or more biometric sensors, and / or the like. For instance, as shown in FIG.

[0039] 2, the optical sensor(s) of the wearable computing device 100 may include one or more light emitters 129 and light detectors 130. Generally, the light detector(s) 130 may be used aloneto detect ambient light (light not emitted from the wearable computing device 100) or may be used in combination with the light emitter(s) 129 such that the light detector(s) 130 detects both ambient light and at least a portion of the light emitted by the light emitter(s) 129 and reflected off a user or a surface and received within the interior volume of the wearable computing device 100. Use of the light emitter(s) 129 may particularly be useful in dark environments, where there is little ambient light. Moreover, the light emitter(s) 129 may be controlled and / or configured to output specific wavelengths of light, infrared, ultraviolet, and / or the like, which may be used to generate particular biometric data. The light data generated by the light detector(s) 130 may be used to determine an optical measurement of a biometric, such as a heart rate (HR) measurement, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurement, heart rate variability measurement, blood pressure, a SAF measurement, and / or other physiological metrics, and / or a distance of the rear housing cover 114 of the wearable computing device 100 from an object, such as the user’s forearm 104 (FIG. 1A).

[0040]

[0034] Moreover, as shown in the schematic diagram of a computing system 150 including the wearable computing device 100 in FIG. 2, the wearable computing device 100 may also include one or more internal motion sensors 138 (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, and / or the like) within the interior volume of the housing 102 and configured to generate motion data indicative of movement of the wearable computing device 100.

[0041]

[0035] In addition, as shown, the wearable computing device 100 includes any suitable user interface elements, such as the display 116 of the wearable computing device 100 and / or one or more additional VO devices 140 configured to allow the wearable computing device 100 to receive conventional inputs from a user. These conventional inputs can include, for example, a push button (e.g., button 142 in FIG. IB), wheel joystick, keyboard, mouse, keypad, and / or any other such device or element whereby a user can input a command to the wearable computing device 100. In some embodiments, the VO device(s) 140 may additionally, or alternatively, include a microphone or other audio capture element that accepts voice or other audio commands. For example, in particular embodiments, the wearable computing device 100 may be controllable through a combination of visual and audio commands, such that a user can control the wearable computing device 100 without having to specifically contact an VO element of the wearable computing device 100. In certain embodiments, the VO elements 140 may include the light emitter(s) 129, the light detector(s) 130, the temperature sensor(s), SAF sensor, humidity sensor, pressure sensor, microphone(s), biometric sensor(s), motion sensors, and / or any other sensor described herein.

[0042]

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the wearable computing device 100 may includeone or more of the light emitter(s) 129 and / or light detector(s) 130 described herein. As further shown in FIG. 2, the wearable computing device 100 may also include at least one controller 144. In an embodiment, the controlled s) 144 may include one or more processors 145. The processor(s) 145 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU) for executing instructions that can be stored in a memory device 146, such as flash memory or DRAM, among other such options. For example, in an embodiment, the memory device 146 may include RAM, ROM, FLASH memory, or other non-transitory digital data storage, and may include a control program comprising sequences of instructions which, when loaded from the memory device 146 and executed using the controller(s) 144, cause the controller(s) 144 to perform the functions that are described herein.

[0043]

[0037] As would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the computing system 150 can include many types of memory, data storage, or computer-readable media, such as data storage for program instructions for execution by the controller or any suitable processor. The same or separate storage can be used for images or data, a removable memory can be available for sharing information with other devices, and any number of communication approaches can be available for sharing with other devices.

[0044]

[0038] The wearable computing device 100 also includes one or more power components 147, such as a battery operable to be recharged, for powering one or more components of the wearable computing device 100 described above. The power component s) 147 may be at least partially positioned within the interior volume of the wearable computing device 100.

[0045]

[0039] The wearable computing device 100 may also include one or more wireless components 148 operable to allow the controlled s) 144 to communicate with one or more electronic devices within a communication range of the particular wireless channel. The wireless channel can be any appropriate channel used to enable devices to communicate wirelessly, such as Bluetooth, cellular, NFC, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), or Wi-Fi channels. It should be understood that the wearable computing device 100 can have one or more conventional wired communications connections as known in the art.

[0046]

[0040] The user might have a wearable computing device, such as a smartwatch or fitness tracker (e.g., the wearable computing device 100), which the user would like to be able to communicate with other devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, and / or the like. Applications may allow communication between multiple devices and a wearable computing device to enable a user to obtain information from the wearable computing device. For example, data captured using a sensor of the wearable computing device 100 may be communicated to the smartphone and / or the tablet computer using an application installed onthe smartphone and / or the tablet computer. The user may also want the wearable computing device 100 to be able to communicate with a service provider, such as with the host computer 152 of a service provider, or other such entity, that is able to obtain and process data from the wearable computing device 100 and provide functionality that may not otherwise be available on the wearable computing device 100 or applications installed on the other devices. In some embodiments, the host computer 152 executes control programs and / or application programs that are configured to perform some of the functions described herein.

[0047]

[0041] In addition, as shown, the wearable computing device 100 may be able to communicate with the service provider (e.g., the host computer 152 of the service provider) through at least one network (e.g., network 154), such as the Internet or a cellular network, one or more local area networks, wide area networks, UWB, and / or internetworks using any of terrestrial or satellite links, and / or may communicate over a wireless connection such as Bluetooth® to the other device(s) (e.g., the smartphone and / or the tablet computer), where the other device(s) then communicate with the service provider over the at least one network. There may be a number of other types of, or reasons for, communications in various embodiments.

[0048]

[0042] In addition to being able to communicate, a user may also want the devices to be able to communicate in a number of ways or with certain aspects. For example, the user may want communications between the devices to be secure, particularly where the data may include personal health data or other such communications. The device or application providers may also be required to secure this information in at least some situations. The user may want the devices to be able to communicate with each other concurrently, rather than sequentially. This may be particularly true where pairing may be required, as the user may prefer that each device be paired at most once, such that no manual pairing is required. The user may also desire the communications to be as standards-based as possible, not only so that little manual intervention is required on the part of the user but also so that the devices can communicate with as many other types of devices as possible, which is often not the case for various proprietary formats. A user may thus desire to be able to walk in a room with one device and have such device automatically communicate with another target device with little to no effort on the part of the user. In various conventional approaches, a device will utilize a communication technology such as Wi-Fi to communicate with other devices using wireless local area networking (WLAN). Smaller or lower capacity devices, such as many Internet of Things (loT) devices, instead utilize a communication technology such as Bluetooth®, and in particular Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) which has very low power consumption.

[0043] Further to the descriptions above, a user may be provided with privacy-related controls allowing the user to make an election as to both if and when systems, programs, or features described herein may enable collection of health-related data and / or user information (e.g., information about a user’s social network, social actions, or activities, profession, a user’s preferences, or a user’s current location), and if the user is sent content or communications that may be of a sensitive or private nature from a server. In addition, certain data may be treated in one or more ways before it is stored or used, so that personally identifiable information is removed. For example, a user’s identity may be treated so that no personally identifiable information can be determined for the user, or a user’s geographic location may be generalized where location information is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level), so that a particular location of a user cannot be determined. Thus, the user may have control over what information is collected about the user, how that information is used, and what information is provided to the user. To that end, any information collected as described herein relating to the user (e.g., personal medical data, health conditions, etc.) is capable of being kept private and confidential and not being improperly used or published.

[0049]

[0044] Moreover, one or more security measures can be implemented to ensure that the demographic data and / or physiological data of the user is safeguarded. For example, passcode or fingerprint authentication may be used to control access to the demographic data and the physiological or otherwise personal data of the user. Further, such data of the user can be stored in a privacy enhancing manner and not shared without the express consent of the user. For example, such data can be encrypted to secure the data from unauthorized access.

[0050]

[0045] In further embodiments, data may be captured, processed, and displayed in a number of different ways. For example, data may be captured using sensors on the wearable computing device 100, but due to limited resources on the wearable computing device 100, the data may be transferred to the smartphone, the tablet computer, and / or the service provider (or a cloud resource) for processing, and results of that processing may then be presented back to that user on the wearable computing device 100, smartphone, the tablet computer and / or another such device associated with that user. In at least some embodiments, a user may also be able to provide input such as health data using an interface on any of these devices, which can then be considered when making that determination.

[0051]

[0046] The wearable computing device 100 of FIGS. 1A-2 is merely an example and other modifications and variations can be made to the wearable computing device 100. Forexample, in some implementations, electrodes associated with bioelectrical impedance analyzers (BIA) can be disposed on one or more surfaces and / or sides of the wearable computing device 100. Thus, in such embodiments, the BIA can be configured to measure body composition (e.g., body fat).

[0052]

[0047] More specifically, and referring to FIGS. 1 A through 3B, the wearable computing device 100 includes housing 102 defining an upper surface 160 (FIGS. 1 A and IB) and a lower surface 162 for placement adjacent to a wrist of a user. Furthermore, as shown, the wearable computing device 100 includes a plurality of biometric measurement devices 200 arranged on the lower surface 162 of the housing 102. Accordingly, the biometric measurement devices 200 are configured to measure, at least, a localized impedance at the wrist of the user.

[0053]

[0048] In an embodiment, for the impedance measurement, its excitation frequency can be single, multiple, or swept through. Further, in an embodiment, the frequency range may be between 0.1 Hz and 10 MHz. Moreover, in an embodiment, the excitation frequency can be transmitted out one at a time or multiple at a time. For dry electrodes, such as those electrodes used in wearable devices, their contact impedance to body locations are known to be high. Those high contact impedance often impose a challenge to measure the desired bio impedance accurately. As such, in order to meet the desired accuracy, the impedance measurements can be calibrated (e.g. leveraging measurements without a bodily contact) or gated by opportunistic measurements (e.g. low movement, during sleep).

[0054]

[0049] Moreover, the processor(s) 145 described herein is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device 146. In an embodiment, for example, the instructions include receiving continuous passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices 200 relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user. Further, in an embodiment, the instructions include detecting impedance changes in a tissue composition of the user using the passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices 200 relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user longitudinally (e.g., gathered over a sufficient period of time). In other words, in an embodiment, the impedance changes in the tissue composition of the user occur over a time period, e.g., of greater than a couple of weeks, such as greater than about a month, such as over months or years.

[0055]

[0050] Thus, in an embodiment, the instructions may further include storing the passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices 200 relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user in the memory device 146. As such, in anembodiment, the instructions may also include utilizing the impedance changes in the tissue composition of the user to determine perfusion, aging, or changes in body composition of the user. In such embodiments, the impedance changes in the tissue composition of the user may be located in a periphery of the user, e.g., beyond the wrist of the user.

[0056]

[0051] Referring particularly to FIGS. 3 A-9, various configurations of the biometric measurement devices 200 according to the present disclosure are illustrated. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 3-7B, in certain embodiments, the biometric measurement devices 200 may cover a majority of a surface area (e.g., greater than 50%) defined by the lower surface 162 of the housing 102. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4, the plurality of biometric measurement devices 200 may include at least two electrodes, such as a first impedance electrode 202 and a second impedance electrode 204. Thus, as shown particularly in FIGS.

[0057] 3 A and 3B, the first and second impedance electrodes 202, 204 are arranged together on the lower surface 162 of the housing 102 at a linear interface 206. In particular, as shown in FIG.

[0058] 3 A, the linear interface 206 may extend in a generally vertical direction, e.g., with respect to the display 116. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 3B, the linear interface 206 may extend in a generally horizontal direction, e.g., with respect to the display 116.

[0059]

[0052] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first and second impedance electrodes 202, 204 are arranged together on the lower surface of the housing in a concentric configuration.

[0060]

[0053] In further embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5-7B, the wearable computing device 100 may include more than two electrodes, such as at least four electrodes. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the biometric measurement devices 200 may include at least four electrodes 202, 204, 208, 210 arranged together on the lower surface 162 of the housing 102 in the concentric configuration. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a first pair 212 of electrodes 202, 204 may form a detached outer ring shape that is arranged concentrically with respect to a second pair 214 of electrodes 208, 210. Thus, in such embodiments, the four electrodes 202, 204, 208, 210 of FIG. 5 are arranged together on the lower surface 162 of the housing 102 along a linear interface 216 and in a concentric configuration. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, each of the four electrodes 202, 204, 208, 210 may form a continuous ring shape, with each ring shape being arranged concentrically with each other. In yet another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 A, the four electrodes 202, 204, 208, 210 may be arranged together on the lower surface 162 of the housing 102 at multiple linear interfaces 216, 218, such as at a first linear interface 216 and a second linear interface 218. Thus, each of the four electrodes 202, 204, 208, 210 generally covers a quadrant of the lower surface 162 of thehousing 102. Furthermore, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 7B, the four electrodes 202, 204, 208, 210 may each generally define a square or rectangular shape and may be arranged in a side-by-side arrangement on the lower surface 162 of the housing 102.

[0061]

[0054] In still another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the biometric measurement devices 200 may include at least two electrodes 202, 204 arranged together on the lower surface 162 of the housing 102 in a side-by-side arrangement at a linear interface 206. Furthermore, as shown and in contrast to the embodiments of FIGS. 3A-7B, the electrodes 202, 204 may cover less than a majority of a surface area defined by the lower surface 162 of the housing 102. Moreover, in an embodiment, the wearable computing device 100 may also include the biometric measurement devices 200 positioned on the wristband 106 thereof. For example, as shown, the wearable computing device 100 includes two electrodes 202, 204 positioned on the wristband 106.

[0062]

[0055] While the disclosure has been described with respect to various example embodiments, each example is provided by way of explanation, not limitation of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, can readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments.

[0063] Accordingly, the disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations and / or additions to the disclosed subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the disclosure covers such alterations, variations, and equivalents.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A wearable computing device, comprising:a housing defining an upper surface and a lower surface for placement adjacent to a wrist of a user;a plurality of biometric measurement devices arranged on the lower surface of the housing, the plurality of biometric measurement devices configured for measuring, at least, a localized impedance at the wrist of the user;a processor configured to execute instructions stored in a memory device, the instructions comprising:receiving continuous passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user; and detecting impedance changes in a tissue composition of the user using the passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user longitudinally.

2. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the impedance changes in the tissue composition of the user are located in a periphery of the user beyond the wrist of the user.

3. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the impedance changes in the tissue composition of the user occur over a time period greater than a week.

4. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise utilizing the impedance changes in the tissue composition of the user to determine at least one of perfusion, aging, or changes in body composition of the user.

5. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise storing the passive measurements from the plurality of biometric measurement devices relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user in the memory device.

6. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of biometric measurement devices cover a majority of a surface area defined by the lower surface of the housing.

7. The wearable computing device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of biometric measurement devices comprises at least two electrodes arranged together on the lower surface of the housing at a linear interface.

8. The wearable computing device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of biometric measurement devices comprises at least two electrodes arranged together on the lower surface of the housing in a concentric configuration.

9. The wearable computing device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of biometric measurement devices comprises at least four electrodes arranged together on the lower surface of the housing in the concentric configuration.

10. The wearable computing device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of biometric measurement devices comprises at least four electrodes arranged together on the lower surface of the housing at a linear interface and in a concentric configuration.

11. The wearable computing device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of biometric measurement devices comprises at least four electrodes arranged together on the lower surface of the housing at multiple linear interfaces.

12. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of biometric measurement devices comprises at least two electrodes arranged together on the lower surface of the housing in a side-by-side arrangement at a linear interface and cover less than a majority of a surface area defined by the lower surface of the housing.

13. The wearable computing device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of electrodes on a band of the wearable computing device.

14. A wrist-worn wearable computing device, comprising:a housing defining an upper surface and a lower surface for placement adjacent to a wrist of a user;a plurality of impedance measurement devices arranged on the lower surface of the housing;a processor configured to execute instructions stored in a memory device, the instructions comprising:receiving passive measurements from the plurality of impedance measurement devices relating to a localized impedance at the wrist of the user; anddetecting impedance changes in a tissue composition of the user using the passive measurements from the plurality of impedance measurement devices.

15. The wrist-worn wearable computing device of claim 14, wherein the impedance changes in the tissue composition of the user are located in a periphery of the user beyond the wrist of the user.

16. The wrist-worn wearable computing device of claim 14, wherein the impedance changes in the tissue composition of the user occur over a time period greater than a week.

17. The wrist-worn wearable computing device of claim 14, wherein the instructions further comprise utilizing the impedance changes in the tissue composition of theuser to determine at least one of perfusion, aging, or changes in body composition of the user.

18. The wrist-worn wearable computing device of claim 14, further comprising storing the passive measurements from the plurality of impedance measurement devices relating to the localized impedance at the wrist of the user in the memory device.

19. The wrist-worn wearable computing device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of impedance measurement devices cover a majority of a surface area defined by the lower surface of the housing.

20. The wrist-worn wearable computing device of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of electrodes on a band of the wearable computing device.

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