Tragus-Contact Earpiece Layout for Continuous Physiological Sensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable physiological monitors are inconvenient for users engaged in activities that require hand movement or have sensitive ear canals, as they may affect accuracy or cause discomfort.
Innovation Solution
An earpiece designed to fit into the ear concha with sensors that interact with the tragus, providing continuous physiological monitoring through redundant sensor arrangements to ensure alignment and contact, even with minor misalignments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a physiological monitor is worn on the wrist, then it is convenient for most activities, but it affects accuracy when the hand is engaged in activities that require much action
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the physiological monitoring function from the traditional wrist location and relocates it to the ear concha and tragus area. The earpiece device separates the monitoring sensors from the hand, allowing continuous accurate monitoring without interfering with hand activities. The light sources and optical sensors are positioned to contact the tragus, extracting the measurement function from the problematic wrist location.
Solution Approach 2:
The earpiece acts as an intermediary device between the user and the monitoring system. It provides a stable mounting location in the ear concha that doesn't interfere with hand activities, while maintaining reliable optical contact with the tragus for accurate physiological measurements. The device mediates between the need for continuous monitoring and the need for unobtrusive wear during various activities.
2Measurement precision
If a device is inserted into the ear canal for monitoring, then physiological readings can be obtained, but it causes discomfort or is unsuitable for users with sensitive ear canals or ear infections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the monitoring sensors from the ear canal and relocates them to the ear concha and tragus area. The main body of the earpiece rests in the concha while the sensing elements contact the external tragus, completely avoiding insertion into the ear canal. This extraction eliminates the harmful factor of canal insertion while preserving the ability to obtain accurate physiological readings through optical contact with the tragus.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of inserting sensors into the ear canal as traditionally done, the patent inverts the approach by placing the sensor contact point on the external tragus. The light sources and optical sensors contact the outer ear structure rather than penetrating the canal, reversing the traditional insertion paradigm to eliminate discomfort while maintaining measurement capability.
3Device complexity
If a single sensor arrangement is used in the earpiece, then the device structure is simple, but misalignment with the tragus disrupts physiological monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensor arrangement into multiple independent light sources and optical sensors positioned at different locations on the earpiece. Each sensor pair can independently contact the tragus, and the system switches between them based on which sensors maintain proper alignment. This segmentation provides redundancy without requiring a complex unified sensor structure, maintaining reliability while managing complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic sensor selection where the system actively determines which sensor pairs maintain proper contact with the tragus and switches between them accordingly. The earpiece can adapt its active sensing elements based on user movement, ear position changes, or misalignment, maintaining continuous monitoring capability through dynamic reconfiguration rather than relying on a fixed static sensor arrangement.
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
Ensures continuous and accurate physiological monitoring by maintaining contact with the tragus despite minor misalignments, offering a comfortable and versatile alternative to traditional wear locations.
Implementation Method 1
the physiological sensor comprises at least one light source and at least one optical sensor... the at least one light source and the at least one optical sensor are arranged on the portion of the surface in order to be aligned along the length of the tragus
Data Source
AI summary
An earpiece having light sources and optical sensors arranged to obtain physiological data from the tragus of an ear. At least one extra light source or optical sensor is provided such that there is redundancy. The redundancy allows for misalignment of the earpiece while still having sufficient number of light sources and optical sensors to continuously obtaining physiological data.