Wearable Ring Aortic Valve Sensing for Continuous Hydration Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydration assessment methods are inconvenient, require clinical equipment, and are not suitable for continuous monitoring, especially during physiological stress, as they do not accurately reflect overall hydration status due to variations in individual sweat rates and reliance on the 'drink to thirst' mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A wearable ring with optical sensors that detect aortic valve opening and closing intervals to determine hydration status, using aortic valve interbeat and ejection time intervals, and adjusts to different postures and transmural pressures for accurate hydration assessment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If standard hydration assessment methods are used, then measurement accuracy can be achieved, but convenience and ease of continuous monitoring deteriorate due to requirement for clinical equipment and complex procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical and clinical measurement systems with optical sensing technology. The ring device uses optical sensors to detect aortic valve opening and closing events through photoplethysmography, eliminating the need for clinical equipment and complex procedures while maintaining measurement accuracy for hydration status determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service hydration monitoring by using the user's own body's physiological signals (aortic valve events detected through optical sensing) to determine hydration status. The wearable ring continuously monitors without requiring external clinical intervention, making the process convenient and continuous.
2Measurement precision
If clinical equipment and complex procedures are used for hydration assessment, then measurement accuracy is maintained, but device complexity and loss of time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential measurement function from complex clinical equipment by isolating the critical detection of aortic valve opening and closing events. The ring device focuses solely on detecting these physiological events through optical sensors, eliminating unnecessary clinical equipment and procedures while maintaining the ability to accurately determine hydration status.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable ring device serves multiple functions including hydration monitoring, heart rate measurement, and continuous physiological tracking. By integrating these functions into a single portable device, the system reduces overall device complexity compared to using separate specialized clinical equipment for each measurement.
3Ease of operation
If drink to thirst mechanism is relied upon, then ease of operation is maintained, but reliability deteriorates under physiological stress conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous feedback on actual hydration status through optical detection of aortic valve events. By monitoring physiological changes in real-time and providing feedback to the user, the system enables data-driven hydration decisions that are more reliable than relying solely on thirst mechanisms, especially under physiological stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the biological thirst mechanism with an optical sensing system that objectively measures hydration status through aortic valve event detection. This substitution provides reliable, quantifiable hydration information that is not influenced by subjective thirst perception, particularly under conditions of physiological stress.
4Reliability
If continuous monitoring is implemented, then reliability of hydration status determination is improved, but use of energy and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The optical sensors in the ring device operate periodically rather than continuously, activating to detect aortic valve opening and closing events at appropriate intervals. This periodic operation maintains reliable hydration monitoring while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous high-power operation.
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
Provides a convenient, non-invasive method for continuous hydration monitoring by accurately determining hydration status through aortic valve time intervals, accounting for individual variations and physiological stress, without the need for clinical equipment.
Implementation Method 1
an optical sensor system comprising (i) one or more optical emitters mounted with the ring such that light emitted by the one or more emitters is directed toward the finger and (ii) one or more detectors mounted with the ring such that the one or more detectors produce a detector signal representative of light reaching the detectors from one or more emitters after the light has interacted with tissue of the finger
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides methods and systems that provide for reliable, convenient, and noninvasive assessment of hydration status. The methods and apparatuses can use the temporal sequence of the aortic value opening and closing along with the user's body position to derive parameters that determine the hydration status of the user. The user can use this information to make near-term lifestyle changes that can improve physical performance, health, and general wellbeing.