GARMENT INCLUDING INTEGRATED SENSOR COMPONENTS AND FEEDBACK COMPONENTS

• US 20160038083A1
• Filed: 08/10/2015
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ORN Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ORN Incorporated
• Inventors: Ding, Ye, Larusson, Arnar Freyr
• Application Number:
  US14/822,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20160038083A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/005 with embedded cable or connector
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1281 with incorporated means for medical monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0806 by whole-body plethysmography measuring blood flow using plethysmography A61B5/0295; impedance plethysmography A61B5/053; measuring volume of the body or parts thereof A61B5/1073
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1108 of excised organs, e.g. muscle preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1121 Determining geometric values, e.g. centre of rotation or angular range of movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6844 Monitoring or controlling distance between sensor and tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation

Abstract

A garment for measuring one or more parameters of a wearer includes a base material configured to be worn by a wearer and a sensing component. The sensing component has a first elastic stretchability along a first axis and a second elastic stretchability along a second axis that is greater than the first elastic stretchability. The sensing component is integrated into a first location of the base material corresponding to a predetermined region of the wearer. The sensing component includes an electrically conductive material having an electrical resistance that changes with a change in a length of the sensing component. The sensing component includes at least one wire to electrically couple the electrically conductive material to a controller including a processor and a memory. The memory stores processor-executable instructions to cause the controller to determine a electrical resistance value across the sensing component via the at least one wire.

Claims

1. A garment for measuring one or more parameters of a wearer, comprising:

a base material configured to be worn by a wearer;

a sensing component having a first elastic stretchability along a first axis and a second elastic stretchability along a second axis that is greater than the first elastic stretchability, the sensing component integrated into a first location of the base material corresponding to a predetermined region of a wearer, the sensing component including an electrically conductive material having an electrical resistance that changes with a change in a length of the sensing component, the sensing component including at least one wire to electrically couple the electrically conductive material to a controller including a processor and a memory, the memory storing processor-executable instructions to cause the controller to determine a electrical resistance value across the sensing component via the at least one wire.

2. The garment of claim 1, wherein the base material includes a torso portion configured to surround a torso of a wearer, and wherein the first location of the base material is located within the torso portion of the garment.

3. The garment of claim 2, wherein the sensing component extends along a circumference of the torso portion and having a height below a predetermined threshold.

4. The garment of claim 1, wherein the base material is shaped and sized to form a shirt and wherein the first location of the base material into which the sensing component is integrated is positioned at a first distance from a neckline of the base material, the first distance based on a size of the base material.

5. The garment of claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical port coupled to the at least one wire, the electrical port positioned on a back portion of the garment that is configured to cover a back of the wearer; and

an attachment mechanism to secure a device including the controller and a connector to the garment and establish a connection between the electrical port and the connector.

6. The garment of claim 5, wherein the device includes a body orientation detection sensor and the attachment mechanism is positioned on the back portion of the garment that is aligned with a spinal column of the wearer when the garment is worn by the wearer.

7. The garment of claim 1, wherein the base material is shaped to be worn as a shirt, the sensing component includes a first sensing component integrated into the first location of the shirt that is a first distance from a neckline of the shirt, the first location corresponding to a pectoral region of the wearer when the wearer wears the shirt and wherein the shirt includes a second sensing component integrated into a second location of the shirt that is a second distance from the neckline of the shirt, the second location of the garment corresponding to an abdominal region of the wearer when the wearer wears the shirt.

8. The garment of claim 7, wherein the first sensing component is configured to measure a contraction and expansion of a rib cage and chest cavity of a wearer.

9. The garment of claim 7, wherein the second sensing component is configured to measure a contraction and expansion of an abdominal cavity of a wearer.

10. The garment of claim 1, wherein the sensing component includes a plurality of electrically conductive particles, the electrically conductive particles positioned between a first film and a second film, the second film having a water solubility below a predetermined threshold.

11. The garment of claim 1, wherein the sensing component includes a strip positioned in between a first film and a second film, and at least one of the first film or the second film is permanently secured to the garment.

12. The garment of claim 6, wherein the body orientation detection sensor includes at least one of an accelerometer, a magnetometer or a gyroscope, the controller configured to sample values from the posture detection sensor at a predetermined frequency, the posture detection sensor configured to communicate with the controller to determine a body orientation of the wearer.

13. The garment of claim 1, further comprising one or more haptic vibrators, the haptic vibrators configured to receive a signal from the controller responsive to the controller detecting a trigger event based on the resistance value of the sensing component.

14. The garment of claim 13, wherein the one or more haptic vibrators are positioned at a second location of the garment corresponding to a location of a bone of the wearer when the wearer wears the garment.

15. The garment of claim 14, wherein the one or more haptic vibrators are positioned at a second location of the garment corresponding to a location of a collarbone of the wearer when the wearer wears the garment.

16. The garment of claim 1, wherein the sensing component is positioned at a location of the garment to determine one of i) an expansion or contraction of a muscle or ii) a change in an orientation of a joint.

17. A shirt for measuring one or more parameters of a wearer, comprising:

a base material configured to be worn by a wearer;

a sensing component having a first elastic stretchability along a first axis and a second elastic stretchability along a second axis that is greater than the first elastic stretchability, the sensing component integrated into a first location of the base material corresponding to a predetermined region of a wearer, the sensing component including an electrically conductive material having an electrical resistance that changes with a change in a length of the sensing component, the sensing component including at least one wire to electrically couple the electrically conductive material to a controller including a processor and a memory, the memory storing processor-executable instructions to cause the controller to determine a electrical resistance value across the sensing component via the at least one wire.

18. The shirt of claim 17, wherein the sensing component extends along a circumference of the torso portion and having a height below a predetermined threshold.

19. The shirt of claim 17, further comprising:

an electrical port coupled to the at least one wire, the electrical port positioned on a back portion of the garment that is configured to cover a back of the wearer; and

an attachment mechanism to secure a device including the controller and a connector to the garment and establish a connection between the electrical port and the connector.

20. The shirt of claim 17, wherein the device includes a body orientation detection sensor and the attachment mechanism is positioned on the back portion of the garment that is aligned with a spinal column of the wearer when the garment is worn by the wearer.