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GoogleGranted patentHealth & bodyInterest 8/10

Google patents using phone cameras to measure heart and breathing rates

Google has patented a method that uses a smartphone camera to track vital signs without wearable devices. For heart rate, a user places a finger over the rear camera, while breathing rate is measured by recording a video of the user's face with the front camera.

Why it mattersThis could make basic health monitoring more accessible by turning a standard smartphone into a simple diagnostic tool without needing extra hardware.

In the filing’s own words

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for measuring heart rate and respiratory rate using a camera such as, for example, a smartphone camera or other consumer-grade camera. Specifically, the present disclosure presents and validates two algorithms that make use of smartphone cameras (or the like) for measuring heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) for consumer wellness use. As an example, HR can be measured by placing the finger of a subject over the rear-facing camera. As another example, RR can be measured via a video of the subject sitting still in front of the front-facing camera.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A computer-implemented method to measure heart rate of a subject, the method comprising: obtaining, by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, a plurality of image frames captured by a camera while a digit of the subject is placed in a field of view of the camera; measuring, by the computing system, a plurality of photoplethysmography (PPG) waveforms extracted from the plurality of image frames; wherein the plurality of PPG waveforms are measured to identify a particular PPG waveform with the greatest signal to noise ratio; extracting, by the computing system, a dominant frequency from the particular PPG waveform; and determining, by the computing system, the heart rate of the subject based on the dominant frequency extracted from the particular PPG waveform.

Facts

Company
Google (Google LLC)
Official title
Heart rate and respiratory rate measurements from imagery
Patent number
US12733822B2
Application number
18011899
Filed
Mar 3, 2022
Granted
Sep 15, 2026
Inventors
23
Claims
20

Classified under

A61B 5/0205 Human necessitiesA61B 5/0077 Human necessitiesA61B 5/6898 Human necessitiesA61B 5/725 Human necessitiesA61B 5/7257 Human necessitiesA61B 5/7278 Human necessities
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.