Optical Heart Rate Detection for Touchless Climate Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic devices lack the ability to effectively detect changes in a user's heart rate and skin temperature without direct contact, leading to inefficient climate control in varying environments, especially during physical activity or changes in emotional states.
Innovation Solution
An 'always on' image capture device within electronic devices, such as smartphones, continuously monitors heart rate and respiratory rate through optical detection, eliminating the need for skin temperature sensors and enabling wireless communication with climate control systems to adjust ambient temperature based on detected heart rate thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional electronic devices use direct contact sensors to detect heart rate and skin temperature, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring skin contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based sensors with an optical detection system using an image capture device. The sensor processor analyzes sequential images to detect blood volume changes in the user's face, enabling contactless heart rate measurement through optical rather than mechanical contact methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light as an intermediary medium between the user and the detection system. The image capture device uses light to detect blood volume changes in the user's facial skin, which correlate with heart rate, allowing indirect measurement without direct sensor-to-skin contact.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional devices lack optical detection capability, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates due to inability to detect environments and adjust climate control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the image capture device multi-functional by using it not only for standard photography but also for continuous heart rate monitoring and environmental adaptation. This allows one existing component to serve multiple purposes, adding adaptability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the electronic device to automatically monitor the user's physiological state and autonomously control climate settings based on detected heart rate thresholds. The device serves itself by using its own image capture capability to gather data and trigger appropriate environmental responses without external intervention.
3Measurement precision
If skin temperature sensors are used for climate control, then temperature detection precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional sensor requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal contact sensors with an optical detection approach. By analyzing blood volume changes in the user's face through sequential imaging, the system can infer temperature-related physiological states without requiring direct thermal contact sensors, thereby reducing hardware complexity while maintaining detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an optical copy or representation of physiological data through image analysis. Instead of directly measuring temperature with a sensor, the system captures visual information from the user's face and processes it to infer physiological states, effectively copying the information needed without physical contact.
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 solution extends battery life by reducing power consumption, provides touchless monitoring, and dynamically adjusts environmental temperature to maintain user comfort, enhancing user experience and maintaining optimal body temperature without the need for direct skin contact.
Implementation Method 1
An 'always on' image capture device within electronic devices, such as smartphones, continuously monitors heart rate and respiratory rate through optical detection
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes an image capture device that can be an always on image capture device. The electronic device includes one or more processors operable with the image capture device and a wireless communication circuit operable with the one or more processors. The one or more processors determine, from images of a face and torso of a user of the electronic device captured by the image capture device, that a heartrate of the user of the electronic device increases by a predetermined threshold above a resting level heartrate of the user of the electronic device. In response, the one or more processors cause the wireless communication circuit to transmit a climate adjustment request to a climate control device.