Wearable/portable protection for a body

• US 7,548,168 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Science Fund, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Myhrvold, Conor L., Wood, Victoria Y. H., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Jung, Edward K. Y., Myhrvold, Cameron A.
• Primary Examiner(s): La; Anh V
• Application Number:
  US11/136,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20060267779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/539.1, 340/689, 340/573.6, 280/730.1, 280/734, 280/735, 245/5, 246/5, 246/8, 2DI/G 3
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• 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 via a sensor a particular state of a living body; and

in response to the sensing, protecting the living body from an object by

determining one or more protective specifics related to at least one protective cushioning action located substantially at the body based upon accessing stored information associated substantially with an approximation of the living body'"'"'s mass distribution, and

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

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensing is performed substantially at the body.

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

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensing includes at least

detecting motion;

and

determining whether the motion is likely to be the particular state.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensing includes at least sensing an acceleration from substantially a beginning of a specified time-interval until substantially an end of the specified time-interval.

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

7. The method of claim 1 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.

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

9. 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.

10. 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 detecting motion; and

determining whether the motion is likely to be substantially due to the acceleration.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein

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

and

the sensing includes at least determining the approximate positioning.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein

the particular state is associated substantially with at least a change in an approximate positioning of the body;

and

the sensing includes at least determining the change in the approximate positioning.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein

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

and

the sensing includes at least determining the approximation of the acceleration based on at least a time interval that is substantially shorter than a minimum time in which the body'"'"'s center of mass is likely to move through a distance comparable to a distance between the body'"'"'s center of mass and its lowest extremity.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein

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

and

the sensing includes at least

determining the acceleration based on at least a time interval that is expected to be sufficiently long to determine that an adverse interaction is likely to be imminent, and

determining whether an adverse interaction is likely to be imminent.

15. 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 on at least an approximate height of the body.

16. 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, wherein the time interval is based substantially on at least a mass distribution associated substantially with at least the body.

17. 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.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the tensor is essentially independent of a value of mass associated substantially with at least the body.

19. The method of claim 17, 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.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein

the particular state is associated substantially with at least an expected contact with an object that is likely to be imminent, and

the sensing includes at least determining whether the contact is likely to occur imminently.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein

the particular state is associated substantially with at least an adverse interaction likely to be imminent, and

the sensing includes at least determining whether the adverse interaction is likely to occur imminently.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein

the particular state includes at least a deficiency of anticipated deceleration, and

the sensing includes at least determining whether the deceleration is substantially deficient relative to anticipation.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein

the particular state includes at least the body being on a collision trajectory with the object, and

the sensing includes at least determining that the body is on an object-collision trajectory.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the particular state includes at least

a deficiency of anticipated acceleration, and

the body being on a collision trajectory with the object;

and

the sensing includes at least

determining whether the anticipated acceleration is substantially lacking, and

determining whether the body is substantially on a collision trajectory with the object.

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

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective cushioning action includes at least two protective actions that are substantially coordinated with one another in a manner based on an approximation of at least one of a size, a shape, or a known characteristic of the body and the state.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective cushioning action is substantially selected from a range of protective cushioning actions.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective cushioning action includes at least controlling an acceleration profile associated substantially with at least one or more parts of the body.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective cushioning action is based substantially on a feedback control of an acceleration.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the protective cushioning 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.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective cushioning action is not activated if the direction of the sensed motion is substantially upward.

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

33. 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.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein

the at least one protective cushioning 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.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein

the generating and/or releasing of the pressurized fluid includes at least causing a chemical reaction that produces and/or releases the vapor and/or the gas.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein

the generating and/or releasing of the pressurized fluid includes at least passing an electrical current through a material and thereby causing the vapor and/or the gas to be released by the material.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one protective cushioning 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.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored information associated substantially with an approximation of the body'"'"'s mass distribution includes at least information related to approximations of the body'"'"'s mass and inertial moments.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored information associated substantially with an approximation of the body'"'"'s mass distribution includes at least information related to at least one of the body'"'"'s muscle distribution or the body'"'"'s skeletal distribution.

40. A system comprising:

circuitry for sensing a particular state of a living body; and

circuitry for, in response to a sensed particular state of the living body, protecting the body from an object by

determining one or more protective specifics related to at least one protective cushioning action located substantially at the body based upon accessing stored information associated substantially with an approximation of the living body'"'"'s mass distribution, and

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

41. A method comprising:

sensing via a sensor a particular state of a body; and

in response to the sensing, protecting a substantially living organism from an object by

determining one or more protective specifics related to at least one protective cushioning action located substantially at the body based upon accessing at least some stored medical information associated substantially with at least one or more specifics of the substantially living organism; and

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

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the stored medical information associated substantially with at least one or more specifics of the substantially living organism includes at least a physical feature of an individual.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the stored medical information associated substantially with at least one or more specifics of the substantially living organism includes at least medical damage information.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the stored medical information associated substantially with at least one or more specifics of the substantially living organism includes at least vulnerability-related information.

45. A system comprising:

circuitry for sensing a particular state of a body; and

circuitry for, in response to a sensed particular state of a body, protecting a substantially living organism from an object by

determining one or more protective specifics related to at least one protective cushioning action located substantially at the body based upon accessing at least some stored medical information associated substantially with at least one or more specifics of the substantially living organism; and

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