Body Heat Generation Model for Wearable Health Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable devices face challenges in accurately measuring internal body heat generation due to surface temperature measurements being influenced by external factors such as environment and clothing, which limits the accuracy of health and wellbeing monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A body heat generation model is created using thermal measurements from a wearable device, specifically a ring, that accounts for internal heat flux and external cooling factors to provide more accurate temperature data, allowing for better health and wellbeing monitoring by determining internal body temperature fluctuations over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surface temperature measurements are used by wearable devices, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to influence from external factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computational model as an intermediary between the simple surface temperature sensor and the desired internal body temperature measurement. The model uses the easily obtained surface temperature data along with environmental parameters (ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, clothing insulation) to calculate and estimate internal body temperature, thereby achieving accurate internal temperature measurement without complex internal sensors
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the need for complex mechanical/physical internal temperature sensing systems with a computational approach. Instead of using multiple invasive sensors or complex thermal imaging systems inside the body, the solution substitutes these with a mathematical model that processes simple surface temperature readings and environmental data to derive internal temperature information
2Measurement precision
If surface temperature measurements are taken, then device complexity is minimized, but measurement precision worsens because surface temperature does not reflect internal thermal phenomena
Solution Approach 1:
The computational model serves as an intermediary that recovers lost thermal information from deep tissues. By incorporating environmental parameters and using heat transfer physics in the model, it reconstructs the thermal state of internal body tissues that cannot be directly measured by surface sensors alone
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from environmental sensor measurements (ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed) to continuously adjust and refine the internal temperature estimation. This feedback loop allows the model to compensate for changing external conditions that affect surface temperature, thereby maintaining accurate internal temperature measurement
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables more precise health and wellbeing information to be derived from wearable devices, providing users with accurate indicators of their health status, recovery levels, and potential illness detection, while minimizing the impact of external factors.
Implementation Method 1
sensors detecting temperatures of the user's finger
Implementation Method 2
body heat generation model...accounts for internal heat flux...determining internal body temperature fluctuations
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, apparatuses and computer program products are for creating a body heat generation model of a user. A wearable device, such as a ring, is worn by the user. The method includes measuring finger skin temperatures with the wearable device, with at least one temperature sensor, and thereafter with an inverse problem-solving principle, a model is generated. Inner heat flux originating from the user's tissues is one component, and outer heat flux including cooling factors created by ambient temperature around the user and movements made by the user are other components. Thereafter, a thermal cross-sectional 2-dimensional map is constructed, including the finger tissue temperatures using heat convection information of the human tissue, and the result is a body heat generation model of the user. From the obtained model, an indicator of health or wellbeing information of the user may be determined.