Google patents skin tone check to tune wearable health sensors
This patent describes a method where a wearable device, like a smartwatch, uses photos from a connected phone to determine a user's skin tone. The device then adjusts the brightness or color of its light sensor to ensure accurate health readings.
In the filing’s own words
Techniques of calibrating a PPG sensor include accessing photos on a companion device connected to a wearable device having PPG sensors and deriving skin tone information from the photos. Based on the skin tone information, the wearable device performs a calibration operation to set a parameter value (power, wavelength) of the PPG sensor.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a wearable device worn by a user, the wearable device including a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, an indication that a measurement with the PPG sensor is to be performed; obtaining, from a mobile device connected to the wearable device, skin tone data indicating a skin tone of the user; and adjusting a parameter of the PPG sensor based on the skin tone data.
Facts
- Company
- Google (GOOGLE LLC)
- Official title
- SKIN TONE DETECTION FOR PHOTOPLETHYSMOGRAPHY CALIBRATION
- Publication number
- US20260262975A1
- Application number
- 19164098
- Filed
- Apr 26, 2023
- Published
- Sep 10, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 19
Classified under
A61B 5/1495 Human necessitiesA61B 5/002 Human necessitiesA61B 5/14552 Human necessitiesA61B 5/681 Human necessitiesA61B 2560/0233 Human necessitiesA61B 2562/043 Human necessitiesMore from Google in Wearables
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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.