Wearable/portable protection for a body

• US 20060267779A1
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Science Fund, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Jung, Edward K.Y., Wood, Victoria Y.H., Myhrvold, Cameron A., Myhrvold, Conor L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.100
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/018 inflatable automatically
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/05 protecting only a particular body part ear protectors A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/11 Protective face masks, e.g. for surgical use, or for use in foul atmospheres eye-masks A61F9/04 ; hoods affording protection against heat or harmful chemical agents A62B17/04
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0036 characterised by a special shape or design
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/32 with shock-absorbing means resilient soles A43B13/18
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/1241 for the thigh
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/125 for the knee
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/1258 for the shin, e.g. shin guards
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/1266 for the calf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/00 Measuring physiological parameters of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/081 fluid-filled, e.g. air-filled
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/12 for the body or the legs , e.g. for the shoulders A63B71/081 takes precedence

Abstract

In one embodiment, a particular state of a body is sensed. In response to the sensing, at least one action is taken to modulate a projected adverse interaction between the body or a portion thereof and at least one object in the environment of the body.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sensing a particular state of a body; and

in response to the sensing, protecting the body from an object by at least determining one or more protective specifics related to at least one protective action based upon specifics of the state, and

activating the at least one protective action with the one or more protective specifics based on the determining.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective action is performed substantially at the body.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating is performed substantially at the body.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating is performed substantially at a location remote from the body.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is performed substantially at a location remote from the body.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing is performed substantially at a location remote from the body.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes accessing stored information associated substantially with at least one or more specifics of the body.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the information is substantially related to at least an approximation of the body'"'"'s mass distribution.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein

the body is substantially a living organism, and

the information includes at least some medical information.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, via a user interface, information about the body for use during the determining.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the protective action includes at least altering at least one of a position, an orientation, a size, or a shape of a protective element with respect to the body.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining selects the at least one protective action by determining which protective action is likely to ensure that a shear stress on at least a portion of the body is substantially less than a predetermined threshold.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining selects the one or more protective specifics by determining which one or more protective specifics are likely to ensure that a shear stress on at least a portion of the body is substantially less than a predetermined threshold.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein

the particular state is associated substantially with at least an acceleration of the body;

and

the sensing includes at least determining the acceleration based on at least a time interval that is based substantially on at least an expected tensor that is based substantially on at least a size and/or shape of the body.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the tensor is essentially independent of a value of mass associated substantially with at least the body.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the tensor has a value that is substantially equal to a moment of inertia tensor associated substantially with at least the body divided by an estimated mass associated substantially with at least the body.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing includes at least sensing a direction of motion of the body.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the at least one protective action is not activated if the direction of the sensed motion is substantially upward.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the sensing includes at least determining a location at which to perform the activating based on at least the direction of the sensed motion.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing includes at least sensing a vector direction of a motion.

46. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective action includes at least cushioning of the body'"'"'s interaction with the object.

47. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective action includes at least forming a mechanically compliant protective region between the object and one or more proximate portions of the body.

48. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective action includes at least forming a mechanically-rigid surface on or about a portion of the object which is proximate to at least one portion of the body.

49. The method of claim 1, wherein

the at least one protective action includes at least generating and/or releasing a pressurized fluid including but not limited to a vapor and/or a gas, and

filling an expandable receptacle with the pressurized fluid.

52. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective action includes at least releasing a compressed vapor and/or gas into at least one expandable receptacle, thereby

at least partly filling the at least one expandable receptacle with the vapor and/or gas released.

53. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing includes at least determining whether a positive indication of the particular state is substantially expected to be a false positive.

62. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending to an interested party a location associated substantially with at least the body.

64. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending to an interested party a geolocation including but not limited to at least one of Global Positioning System coordinates and/or derivatives thereof that are associated substantially with at least a location of the body.

65. The method of claim 1, further comprising triggering an alarm function.

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67. A system comprising:

a detector that is substantially capable of detecting at least a particular state of a body, and the system is substantially configured for having the detector positioned on the body;

circuitry for determining one or more specifics associated substantially with at least one protective action based substantially upon the state; and

a protective instrument that is activated substantially based on the determining, the system being configured for having the protective instrument placed substantially on the body.

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72. A system comprising a machine-readable medium carrying one or more instructions for implementing a machine-implemented method including at least

analyzing results of sensing a state of a body;

determining whether to activate a protective mode based substantially on the analyzing; and

based substantially on the analyzing, determining one or more specifics associated with the protective mode.

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75. A system comprising:

a sensor that is substantially capable of sensing at least a particular state of a body; and

a protective instrument sub-system that activates a protective mode in response to the sensor sensing the particular state, the protective instrument sub-system including at least two independently activatable portions, and the system being configured for having at least a portion of the protective instrument sub-system located at least in part on the body.

77. The system of claim 75, wherein the system is substantially configured such that while the system is substantially positioned in a predetermined manner on the body, prior to sensing the particular state, the system is substantially visually indistinguishable from clothing worn by the body or from outer-surface adornment or wrapping or packaging at least partly enclosing the body.

79. The system of claim 75, wherein the system is substantially configured for having the sensor positioned on the body.

80. The system of claim 75, wherein the system is substantially configured for having the sensor located on an object that is remote from the body.

82. The system of claim 75, wherein the system is substantially configured for having the sensor located

substantially within a vicinity of an object that the body is likely to contact, and

substantially remote from the object and the body.

114. The system of claim 75, wherein

the particular state is associated substantially with at least an anomalous acceleration history of the body, and

the acceleration history is based substantially on at least a time interval that is based substantially on at least an expected tensor that is based substantially on at least a size and/or shape of the body.

115. The system of claim 114, wherein the tensor is substantially independent of a value of mass associated substantially with at least the body.

116. The system of claim 114, wherein the tensor has a value substantially equal to an estimated moment of inertia tensor divided by an estimated mass associated substantially with at least the body.

131. The system of claim 75, wherein the protective instrument sub-system includes at least

an expandable receptacle;

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an impulse-diffusing agent, wherein when the protective instrument sub-system is substantially activated the impulse-diffusing agent generates and/or releases a pressurized fluid that at least partly fills the expandable receptacle and therein during the protective mode the protective instrument sub-system at least partially forms a compliant interfacing region between at least a portion of the body and at least a portion of the object.

133. The system of claim 75, wherein the protective instrument sub-system includes at least an impulse-diffusing agent, and the protective instrument sub-system is activated substantially by applying electrical and/or electromagnetic energy to the impulse-diffusing agent.

134. The system of claim 75, wherein the protective instrument sub-system includes at least

an expandable/deployable/actuatable entity;

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an impulse-diffusing agent, the impulse-diffusing agent includes at least a pressurized fluid-generating and/or releasing facility, which is substantially configured so that when the protective instrument sub-system is substantially activated, the facility causes a pressurized fluid to at least partly fill an expandable/deployable/actuatable entity, therein providing an interfacing structure between at least a portion of the body and at least a portion of the object.

135. The system of claim 75, wherein the protective instrument sub-system includes at least

an expandable/deployable/actuatable entity;

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an impulse-diffusing agent, the impulse-diffusing agent includes at least

a stored energy reservoir, and

an actuating agent stored in the stored energy reservoir, wherein, upon the protective instrument sub-system being activated, the stored energy reservoir releases the actuating agent into the expandable/deployable/actuatable entity.

147. The system of claim 75, wherein the system further comprises a communications module that sends a location to an interested party wherein the location is associated substantially with at least the body.

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200. A system comprising:

at least two sensors for sensing at least one acceleration of a body or portions thereof,

at least one stored energy reservoir, and

at least two actuators located on or about one or more parts of the body that actuate as a result of the at least one reservoir releasing a stored energy-medium to at least one actuator respectively; and

at least one processor for

determining if one or more consequences of a measured acceleration history are likely to result in an adverse interaction that will impose damage to the body as a result of interaction with at least one of the one or more objects,

determining an amount and/or a release rate-vs.-time-program of the stored energy medium to release to each of a set of one or more of the at least two actuators wherein the amounts of stored energy-medium released and which actuators are selected to be within the set are determined according to a model of the body and a model of physical laws that determine a manner in which the body is expected to move relative to the one or more objects, and

sending one or more signals to release the stored energy medium based on at least the determining of the amount and/or the release rate-vs.-time-program.