Wearable integration with helmet

• US 20180007994A1
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Published: 01/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent, Dragicevic, Darko
• Application Number:
  US15/643,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20180007994A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0466 Means for detecting that the user is wearing a helmet
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/30 Mounting radio sets or communication systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/00 Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/105 Earpiece supports, e.g. ear hooks for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

A system includes a safety helmet and an earpiece, wherein the earpiece is configured to determine when a user of the earpiece is wearing the safety helmet. The earpiece may include a touch surface and at least one sensor associated with the touch surface and wherein the earpiece is configured to ignore input at the touch surface when the user of the earpiece is wearing the safety helmet. A method includes sensing by an earpiece that a user is wearing a helmet and deactivating sensors associated with a touch input area on the ear piece when the user is wearing the helmet. A method includes charging an earpiece using a battery of a helmet while a user is wearing the earpiece and the helmet. A method includes communicating data from one or more sensors of a helmet or one or more sensors of a motorcycle to an earpiece and providing audio output indicating of the data to a user through a speaker of the earpiece.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a safety helmet;

an earpiece;

wherein the earpiece is configured to determine when a user of the earpiece is wearing the safety helmet.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the earpiece comprises a touch surface and at least one sensor associated with the touch surface and wherein the earpiece is configured to ignore input at the touch surface when the user of the earpiece is wearing the safety helmet.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein 1 further comprising a battery disposed within the safety helmet and wherein the safety helmet is configured to charge a battery of the earpiece when the user is wearing the earpiece and the helmet.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the battery is charged inductively.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one sensor in the safety helmet and wherein the safety helmet comprises a transceiver for communicating data from the at least one sensor in the safety helmet to the earpiece.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor in the safety helmet comprises a plurality of microphone sensors.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor in the safety helmet comprises an imaging sensor.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the earpiece comprises an earpiece housing and at least one inertial sensor in the earpiece.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the earpiece is configured to determine if a crash has occurred using data sensed by the at least one inertial sensor.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the earpiece is configured to initiate a communication regarding a crash to a remote location if the earpiece has determined that the crash has occurred.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the communication is a phone call.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the communication is a text message.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the communication comprises at least one of a location, an identify of the user, and physiological information of the user.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is configured to provide audio feedback of information derived from sensors of the helmet.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is configured to provide audio feedback of information derived from sensors of a motorcycle.

16. The system of claim 8 wherein the helmet comprises at least one air bag and wherein the earpiece is configured to send a signal to the helmet to deploy the at least one air bag if the earpiece determines that a crash is imminent using data from the at least one inertial sensor.

17. The system of claim 8 wherein the earpiece comprises a speaker and wherein the earpiece is configured to provide audio feedback to a user to assist in coaching the user in operating a motorcycle.

18. The system of claim 1 further comprising an article of clothing having an air bag and wherein the earpiece is configured to send a signal to the article of clothing to deploy the air bag.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the article of clothing is selected from a set consisting of a race suit, a jacket, a vest, and a collar.

20. An earpiece comprising:

an earpiece housing;

a processor disposed within the earpiece housing;

a touch surface on an outer portion of the earpiece housing for receiving user input from a user;

wherein the earpiece is configured to determine when a user of the earpiece is wearing a safety helmet and to deactivate sensors associated with the touch surface if the user is wearing the helmet;

wherein the earpiece determines when the user of the earpiece is wearing the safety helmet by determining that sensor readings indicate that the safety helmet has been put on, receiving a user input that the user is putting on the safety helmet, receiving an active signal from the safety helmet that the safety helmet is powered on, determining that the safety helmet is in close proximity to the earpiece.