US 12,239,462 B2
Thermally actuated electrodes for improved skin-contact physiological measurements
Victoria M. Powell, San Francisco, CA (US); and Ali Moin, San Mateo, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/358,644.
Prior Publication US 2022/0409137 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 5/251 (2021.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/0531 (2021.01); A61B 5/256 (2021.01); A61B 5/28 (2021.01); A61B 5/291 (2021.01); A61B 5/296 (2021.01)
CPC A61B 5/6843 (2013.01) [A61B 5/0531 (2013.01); A61B 5/251 (2021.01); A61B 5/256 (2021.01); A61B 5/28 (2021.01); A61B 5/291 (2021.01); A61B 5/296 (2021.01); A61B 5/6844 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0209 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device for skin-contact biological measurement, the device comprising:
one or more electrodes configured to enable signal transmission through a skin contact; and
a control mechanism comprising a plurality of rigid bars coupled to one another by a pivot and further coupled to the one or more electrodes and to a thermal actuator, wherein the control mechanism is configured to adjust an electrode-to-skin impedance (ESI) using the thermal actuator that causes the plurality of rigid bars to rotate about the pivot in opposite directions to cause movement in the one or more electrodes based on a change in length of the thermal actuator.