IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,551,117
Granted Patent B2
US 12,551,117 · App. 18/318,203 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Blood pressure monitoring

Inventors: Alessandro Montanari (Cambridge, GB); Hoang Truong (Boulder, CO); Fahim Kawsar (Cambridge, GB)
Assignee: Omnibuds Ltd
A61B5/02125A61B5/6817A61B7/04A61B5/02427A61B5/02438A61B2562/0204
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,551,117
App. No.
18/318,203
Granted
Feb 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus comprising: at least one photoplethysmography sensor configured to determine pulse information of a user; at least one audio sensor configured to determine heart sound information of the user; and means for determining, based, at least in part, on the pulse information and the heart sound information, blood pressure information of the user, wherein the at least one photoplethysmography sensor and the at least one audio sensor are comprised in an ear-worn device.

Claims (56)

1 . An apparatus comprising:

an ear-worn device, the ear-worn device including:

at least one photoplethysmography sensor configured to determine pulse information of a user from an ear of the user, and

at least one audio sensor configured to determine heart sound information of the user from an ear of the user,

wherein the at least one photoplethysmography sensor and the at least one audio sensor both form part of the ear-worn device;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

determine blood pressure information of the user based on the pulse information and the heart sound information.

2 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ear-worn device is a device worn on and/or in at least one ear of the user.

3 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the determining of blood pressure information of the user comprises:

identifying an S1 heart sound in the heart sound information;

identifying a systolic peak in the pulse information;

calculating a vascular transit time as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified systolic peak; and

determining the blood pressure information of the user based on the vascular transit time calculated as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified systolic peak.

4 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the determining of blood pressure information of the user comprises:

identifying an S1 heart sound in the heart sound information;

identifying an S2 heart sound in the heart sound information;

calculating an ejection time as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified S2 heart sound; and

determining blood pressure information of the user based on the ejection time calculated as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified S2 heart sound.

5 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the identifying of S1 and S2 heart sounds comprises:

identifying a systolic peak in the pulse information; and

identifying the S1 and S2 heart sounds based on a location of the systolic peak identified in the pulse information.

6 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one photoplethysmography sensor and/or the at least one audio sensor are configured to operate at a sampling rate in the range 100 Hz to 9 kHz.

7 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to:

determine calibration information for the user and determine blood pressure of the user based, at least in part, on the blood pressure information and the calibration information.

8 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions are comprised by the ear-worn device.

9 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a device that is separate from the ear-worn device, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing instructions are comprised in the device that is separate from the ear-worn device.

10 . A method comprising:

determining pulse information of a user from an ear of the user using at least one photoplethysmography sensor comprised in an ear-worn device;

determining heart sound information of the user from an ear of the user using at least one audio sensor comprised in the ear-worn device, wherein the at least one photoplethysmography sensor and the at least one audio sensor both form part of the ear-worn device; and

determining blood pressure information of the user based on the pulse information and the heart-sound information.

11 . A method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the ear-worn device is a device worn on and/or in at least one ear of the user.

12 . A method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the determining of blood pressure information of the user comprises:

identifying an S1 heart sound in the heart sound information;

identifying a systolic peak in the pulse information;

calculating a vascular transit time as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified systolic peak; and

determining the blood pressure information of the user based on the vascular transit time calculated as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified systolic peak.

13 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform:

determining pulse information of a user from an ear of a user using at least one photoplethysmography sensor comprised in an ear-worn device;

determining heart sound information of the user from an ear of the user using at least one audio sensor comprised in the ear-worn device, wherein the at least one photoplethysmography sensor and the at least one audio sensor both form part of the ear-worn device; and

determining blood pressure information of the user based on the pulse information and the heart sound information.

14 . A non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the determining of blood pressure information of the user comprises:

identifying an S1 heart sound in the heart sound information;

identifying a systolic peak in the pulse information;

calculating a vascular transit time as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified systolic peak; and

determining the blood pressure information of the user based on the vascular transit time calculated as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified systolic peak.

15 . A non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the determining of blood pressure information of the user comprises:

identifying an S1 heart sound in the heart sound information;

identifying an S2 heart sound in the heart sound information;

calculating an ejection time as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified S2 heart sound; and

determining blood pressure information of the user based on the ejection time calculated as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified S2 heart sound.

16 . A method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the determining of blood pressure information of the user comprises:

identifying an S1 heart sound in the heart sound information;

identifying an S2 heart sound in the heart sound information;

calculating an ejection time as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified S2 heart sound; and

determining blood pressure information of the user based on the ejection time calculated as the time difference between the identified S1 heart sound and the identified S2 heart sound.

Assignments (5)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 14, 2025
From: NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
To: OMNIBUDS LTD
Reel/Frame 070519/0023 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 16, 2023
From: TRUONG, HOANG
To: NOKIA OF AMERICA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063969/0155 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 16, 2023
From: MONTANARI, ALESSANDRO; KAWSAR, FAHIM
To: NOKIA UK LIMITED
Reel/Frame 063969/0158 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 16, 2023
From: NOKIA OF AMERICA CORPORATION
To: NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
Reel/Frame 063969/0168 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 16, 2023
From: NOKIA UK LIMITED
To: NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
Reel/Frame 063969/0181 →
Priority Claims (1)
EP 22174254 · May 19, 2022 · regional
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240000325A1 · Jan 4, 2024
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