METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONFORMAL SENSING OF FORCE AND/OR ACCELERATION AT A PERSON'S HEAD
First Claim
1. An apparatus for sensing force and/or acceleration proximate to a person'"'"'s head, 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, the at least one sensing element including at least one of a pressure sensor and an accelerometer and generating at least one output signal;
a processor, disposed on the flexible substrate and communicatively coupled to the at least one sensing element, to receive and process the at least one output signal; and
a memory, disposed on the flexible substrate and communicatively coupled to the processor, to store data relating to the at least one output signal.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Sensing a force and/or a change in motion proximate to an arbitrarily-shaped surface via a conformal sensing element (e.g., a pressure sensor, an accelerometer) disposed on a flexible substrate and having a sufficient mechanical coupling to the surface. The conformality of the sensing element facilitates intimate proximity to the surface to ensure accurate sensing. Examples of arbitrarily-shaped surfaces include body parts of a person (e.g., a head). 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.
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Citations
58 Claims
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1. An apparatus for sensing force and/or acceleration proximate to a person'"'"'s head, 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, the at least one sensing element including at least one of a pressure sensor and an accelerometer and generating at least one output signal; a processor, disposed on the flexible substrate and communicatively coupled to the at least one sensing element, to receive and process the at least one output signal; and a memory, disposed on the flexible substrate and communicatively coupled to the processor, to store data relating to 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, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A method, comprising:
A) sensing force and/or acceleration proximate to a person'"'"'s head via at least one sensing element disposed on a flexible substrate in sufficient contact with the person'"'"'s head, the flexible substrate substantially conforming to a surface of the person'"'"'s head so as to facilitate comfortable and safe intimate proximity of the at least one sensing element to the person'"'"'s head, the at least one sensing element including at least one of a pressure sensor and an accelerometer. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. A helmet comprising:
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at least one suspension pad; and an apparatus, integrated with the at least one suspension pad, to sense a force and an acceleration proximate to a head of a person wearing the helmet, 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; a pressure sensor and an accelerometer disposed on the flexible substrate and generating at least one output signal; a processor communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor and the accelerometer to receive and process the at least one output signal so as to provide information relating to a blast exposure; a power source; and switching circuitry, disposed on the flexible substrate and electrically coupled to the power source, to detect the proximity of the apparatus to the person'"'"'s head and to couple and/or decouple the power source and at least the processor based at least in part on the detected proximity of the apparatus to the person'"'"'s head. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58)
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Specification