IN-EAR DEVICE FOR BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING
A system provides blood pressure monitoring for a user. The system includes an in-ear device, a sensor, and a processor. The in-ear device includes in-ear electrodes that capture electrical signals of pulses of a user's heartbeat from within an ear canal of the user. The sensor captures sensor data indicating tissue movements caused by the user's heartbeat. The processor determines a time interval between a peak in an R wave in electrocardiogram (EKG) data generated using the electrical signals and a peak in a waveform representing the tissue movement generated using the sensor data. The processor determines a blood pressure level of the user using the time interval. The sensor may be located on the in-ear device, and may be a motion sensor, an acoustic sensor, or a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor.
1 . A system, comprising:
an in-ear device including in-ear electrodes configured to capture electrical signals of pulses of a user's heartbeat from within an ear canal of the user; and
a sensor configured to capture sensor data indicating tissue movements caused by the user's heartbeat; and
a processor configured to:
determine a time interval between a peak in an R wave in electrocardiogram (EKG) data generated using the electrical signals and a peak in a waveform representing the tissue movement generated using the sensor data; and
determine a blood pressure level of the user using the time interval.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is located on the in-ear device.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein:
the sensor data includes motion data; and
the sensor is a motion sensor configured to capture the motion data of the tissue movements inside the ear canal of the user.
4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the motion sensor is one of:
a contact microphone;
an accelerometer;
an inertial measurement unit; or
a contact transducer.
5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein:
the sensor data includes audio data; and
the sensor is an acoustic sensor configured to capture the audio data of sound pressure inside the ear canal of the user caused by the tissue movements.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the in-ear device creates a sealed acoustic chamber within the ear canal when inserted within an ear of the user; and
the acoustic sensor is located within the sealed acoustic chamber.
7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the system further includes a motion sensor configured to capture motion data of the tissue movements inside the ear canal of the user; and
the processor is configured to:
determine a second time interval between the peak in the R wave in the EKG data and a peak in a second waveform representing the tissue movement generated using the motion data; and
determine the blood pressure level using the time interval and the second time interval.
8 . The system of claim 2 , wherein:
the sensor data includes optical data; and
the sensor is a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor configured to capture the optical data of light reflections indicating the tissue movements inside the ear canal of the user.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is located in a headset.
10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is located on the headset.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the sensor data includes image data; and
the sensor is an imaging device configured to capture the image data indicating the tissue movements.
12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the in-ear device further includes a signal processor configured to synchronize the electrical signals and the sensor data and provide the electrical signals and the sensor data to the processor via a wireless connection.
13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to perform a calibration to relate different time intervals with different blood pressure levels.
14 . A method, comprising:
capturing, by in-ear electrodes of an in-ear device, electrical signals of pulses of a user's heartbeat from within an ear canal of the user;
capturing, by a sensor, sensor data indicating tissue movements caused by the user's heartbeat;
determining, by a processor, a time interval between a peak in an R wave in electrocardiogram (EKG) data generated using the electrical signals and a peak in a waveform representing the tissue movement generated using the sensor data; and
determining, by the processor, a blood pressure level of the user using the time interval.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the sensor is located on the in-ear device.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the sensor data includes motion data; and
the sensor is a motion sensor configured to capture the motion data of the tissue movements inside the ear canal of the user.
17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein:
the sensor data includes audio data; and
the sensor is an acoustic sensor configured to capture the audio data of sound pressure inside the ear canal of the user caused by the tissue movements.
18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein:
the sensor data includes optical data; and
the sensor is a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor configured to capture the optical data of light reflections indicating the tissue movements inside the ear canal of the user.
19 . The system of claim 14 , wherein:
the sensor is located on a headset.
the sensor data includes image data; and
the sensor is an imaging device configured to capture the image data indicating the tissue movements.
20 . An in-ear device, comprising:
in-ear electrodes configured to capture electrical signals of pulses of a user's heartbeat from within an ear canal of the user;
a sensor configured to capture sensor data indicating tissue movements inside the ear canal of the user caused by the user's heartbeat, wherein the sensor is one of:
a motion sensor; or
an acoustic sensor; and
a processor configured to:
determine a time interval between a peak in an R wave in electrocardiogram (EKG) data generated using the electrical signals and a peak in a waveform representing the tissue movement generated using the sensor data; and
determine a blood pressure level of the user using the time interval.