Patent ID: 8652040

Claim:
An earpiece module, comprising: an earpiece fitting adapted to be positioned within an ear of a person, the earpiece fitting comprising: a speaker configured to provide sound transmission from a source; an optical emitter, optical detector, and acoustic sensor, wherein the optical emitter is configured to direct optical energy to a region of the ear of the person, wherein the optical detector is configured to sense secondary optical energy emanating from the ear region and to sense at least one environmental condition in a vicinity of the person, and wherein the acoustic sensor is configured to sense footsteps of the person; and a first signal processor configured to receive and process signals produced by the optical detector; a second signal processor configured to process signals produced by the first signal processor, and by the acoustic sensor, and to selectively remove unwanted environmental signals and unwanted signals from footsteps to produce processed signals containing cleaner physiological information from the person; and a transmitter responsive to the second signal processor that is configured to transmit the processed signals containing cleaner physiological information to a remote terminal.