(Image source from: x.com/theapplehub)
Apple has received a patent for new smartwatch technology that could give the Apple Watch a long-awaited health feature: blood pressure monitoring. According to documents published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the company may be able to take measurements using a new method inspired by traditional blood pressure monitors. If the company launches an Apple Watch equipped with this technology in the future, it should be possible to measure blood pressure parameters without relying on optical sensors. In patent documents published on Thursday (via Notebookcheck), Apple describes a wearable device that consists of a strap, a pump, an inflatable chamber and a sensor chamber containing a liquid. According to the company, in addition to these components, the device also uses vibration and pressure sensors to record the user's blood pressure. Apple says the technology described in the document could be integrated into wearable devices, and the images in the patent are similar to those of the Apple Watch, including the crown and side buttons seen in Figure 1A. The process of measuring blood pressure.
When the user wears the device, an inflatable chamber expands using a pump and applies pressure to the user's wrist. A sensor chamber then measures vibrations and pressure. This happens during the expansion process. The chamber is then emptied and the device measures vibration and pressure again at the same time. Another flowchart included in the document shows that Apple's new blood pressure monitoring feature can expand an inflatable chamber (using a pump) and measure the vibrations of the sensor chamber. The device then checks that these measurements are valid, maintains expansion in the chamber, and attempts to measure pressure and vibration again before deflating the chamber. Apple's patent documents indicate that using a liquid-filled sensor housing improves accuracy and sensitivity compared to air-based housings. The device described by the company can be integrated into a variety of wearable devices, but the drawings shared by Apple show that it could be integrated into the Apple Watch in the future.
It has previously been reported that Apple has been working on integrating blood pressure monitoring support into the Apple Watch for several years, and it was previously said that the watch would launch with the Apple Watch Series 10 models this year. However, the company has not announced when the feature will be integrated into its popular smartwatches.
