METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSING HEAD TRAUMA BASED ON CONFORMAL SENSING OF FORCE AND/OR CHANGE IN MOTION OF A PERSON'S HEAD
First Claim
1. An apparatus for sensing a force and/or a change in motion proximate to a person'"'"'s head and providing information relating to possible head trauma of the person, the apparatus comprising:
- a flexible substrate to substantially conform to a surface of the person'"'"'s head so as to facilitate comfortable and safe intimate proximity of the apparatus to the person'"'"'s head;
at least one sensing element disposed on the flexible substrate to sense the force and/or the change in motion proximate to the person'"'"'s head and provide at least one output signal representing the sensed force and/or change in motion; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one sensing element to receive the at least one output signal and provide information relating to the possible head trauma of the person based at least in part on the at least one output signal.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Sensing a force and/or a change of motion proximate to a person'"'"'s head via one or more sensing elements (e.g., a pressure sensor, an accelerometer) disposed on a flexible substrate having a sufficient mechanical coupling to the person'"'"'s head. The conformality of the sensing element facilitates intimate proximity to the surface of the person'"'"'s head to ensure accurate sensing. A processor receiving one or more signals from the sensing element may provide information relating to possible injury to a body part (e.g., head trauma) resulting from sensed forces and/or changes in motion. Such information may be conveyed by one or more output devices that provide indications of possible degrees of injury/trauma. A conformal sensing apparatus may be integrated with a protective garment or accessory, such as a helmet, wherein the conformality of the sensing apparatus also ensures sufficient comfort for the wearer.
247 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An apparatus for sensing a force and/or a change in motion proximate to a person'"'"'s head and providing information relating to possible head trauma of the person, the apparatus comprising:
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a flexible substrate to substantially conform to a surface of the person'"'"'s head so as to facilitate comfortable and safe intimate proximity of the apparatus to the person'"'"'s head; at least one sensing element disposed on the flexible substrate to sense the force and/or the change in motion proximate to the person'"'"'s head and provide at least one output signal representing the sensed force and/or change in motion; and a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one sensing element to receive the at least one output signal and provide information relating to the possible head trauma of the person based at least in part on the at least one output signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method, comprising:
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A) sensing a force and/or a change of motion proximate to a person'"'"'s head via at least one sensing element disposed on a flexible substrate having a sufficient mechanical coupling to the person'"'"'s head; and B) electronically providing information relating to possible head trauma of the person based at least in part on A). - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A system, comprising:
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an apparatus for sensing an acceleration proximate to a person'"'"'s head and providing information relating to possible head trauma of the person, the apparatus comprising; a flexible substrate to substantially conform to a surface of the person'"'"'s head so as to facilitate comfortable and safe intimate proximity of the apparatus to the person'"'"'s head; at least one accelerometer disposed on the flexible substrate to sense the acceleration proximate to the person'"'"'s head and provide at least one output signal representing the sensed acceleration; and a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one accelerometer to receive the at least one output signal and provide information relating to the possible head trauma of the person based at least in part on an acceleration curve associated with the at least one output signal; and at least one light source coupled to the processor to provide at least one visual cue representing the information relating to the possible head trauma, wherein the at least one light source includes a plurality of LEDs having different colors respectively corresponding to a degree of the possible head trauma.
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Specification