TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to monitoring health metrics of a user and more specifically to systems, methods, and devices that integrate a plurality of sensors in a compact form factor to capture measurements for determining the health status of the user. The present disclosure also relates to an electronic device that uses a modular design to integrate various sensor units and functionalities to monitor health-related metrics at different body locations.

BACKGROUND

Wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous in society. These devices are worn on the human body and are designed to measure one or more biological and environmental parameters. Smartwatches and smart patches are examples of wearable devices that can have multiple sensors and that can pair to a smartphone, tablet, computer, or another connected device. Smartwatches can provide estimates of the activity level of a human in the form of the number of steps the human takes per day. Smartwatches can provide a heart rate of the human, a location of the human, and so on. Smart patches and smartwatches can have similar functionality, e.g., they can both measure health metrics, but both may have different sensors and user interfaces. Smart patches may include a complementary electrode array to record continuous and consistent electrocardiogram (ECG) signals and may not come with a display. Furthermore, unlike smartwatches which can be removed anytime by opening a strap or stretching an elastic band, smart patches typically attach to a user via some type of adhesive.

Some smart patches (e.g. a cardiac patch monitor) can acquire and present ECG readings more efficiently, surpassing the ECG monitoring performance of a smartwatch. To capture ECG data, smartwatches sometimes use an electrode integrated on the back of the watch housing which comes in contact with the skin, and another electrode embedded in the smartwatch's crown. Placing a finger from the opposite hand on the smartwatch's crown completes a circuit between the user's heart and arm that allows the smartwatch to record electrical impulses across the chest. Furthermore, a smart patch can have higher quality ECG readings as a result of employing more than one ECG lead for signal acquisition, and also due to positioning the smart patch on the user's chest, such that the smart patch is in close proximity to the user's heart. Thus, a versatile device that can operate as a smartwatch or a smart patch for capturing ECG signals can provide more accurate results compared to a smartwatch that can only be positioned on the wrist of a user. The present disclosure provides benefits of employing a convertible device that can function as either a smartwatch or a smart patch, compared to single-purpose wearable devices. The present disclosure avoids drawbacks associated with collecting health metrics of a user from a single-purpose wearable device and provides other advantages.

SUMMARY

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a housing forming an enclosed chamber. The housing has a top portion and a bottom portion. The electronic device further includes one or more sensors provided within the chamber and configured to interface with a user to generate physiological data associated with the user. The electronic device further includes a set of electrodes provided on the bottom portion of the housing. Each electrode in the set of electrodes is a single member having a corresponding inner electrode portion within the chamber and an outer electrode portion outside the housing. In some embodiments, the electronic device further includes a set of magnets provided on the bottom portion of the housing. In some embodiments, the electronic device can couple to a strap.

In some embodiments, the electronic device can couple to a patch housing. The patch housing includes a patch assembly, which includes a flat substrate having a first surface and a second surface with adhesive on at least one of the first or second surfaces. The substrate further includes at least one opening. The patch assembly further includes a set of electrodes provided in the second surface of the substrate. The patch assembly further includes a set of connectors on the first surface of the substrate, with at least some of the connectors being configured to mechanically couple the electronic device to the substrate. In some embodiments, some of the connectors on the first surface of the substrate of the patch assembly are configured to electrically couple with a set of electrodes provided in the second surface of the substrate. In some embodiments, the patch housing includes a case body for shielding the electronic device from environmental elements when the electronic device is coupled to the patch housing.

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a latching mechanism for connecting a first object to a second object is provided. The latching mechanism includes a groove provided along a surface of the first object. The groove includes a notch. The groove is configured to receive a connective end of the second object, and the notch is configured to lock the connective end of the second object in place. In some embodiments, the first object is an electronic device and the second object is a strap. In some embodiments, the connective end of the strap includes a tab that locks the strap within the groove, preventing the strap from laterally sliding along the groove.

The foregoing and additional aspects and implementations of the present disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments and/or implementations, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided next.

