Systems to monitor proximity of body portions relative to an environment

• US 9,443,409 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Leuthardt, Eric C., Malamud, Mark A., Pan, Tony S., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Tegreene, Clarence T., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): File, Erin
• Application Number:
  US14/665,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20160284187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6829 Foot or ankle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/93 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold

Abstract

A device embodiment includes, but is not limited to, a deformable substrate; a sensor assembly coupled to the deformable substrate, the sensor assembly including a proximity sensor configured to generate one or more sense signals associated with a proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion; circuitry operably coupled to the sensor assembly and configured to receive the one or more sense signals and to determine whether the proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion changes over a time period; and a reporting device operably coupled to the circuitry and configured to generate one or more communication signals associated with one or more of the environmental object or a change in proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion responsive to instruction by the circuitry.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a deformable substrate configured to conform to a skin surface of a body portion;

a sensor assembly coupled to the deformable substrate, the sensor assembly including a proximity sensor configured to generate one or more sense signals associated with a proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion;

circuitry operably coupled to the sensor assembly and configured to receive the one or more sense signals associated with the proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion and to determine whether the proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion changes over a time period; and

a reporting device operably coupled to the circuitry and configured to generate one or more communication signals responsive to instruction by the circuitry, the one or more communication signals associated with one or more of the environmental object or a change in proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the deformable substrate, the sensory assembly, the circuitry, or the reporting device includes at least one serpentine electronic component.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the deformable substrate includes one or more of an elastomeric polymer, a hydrocolloid film, or a nanomembrane, wherein at least one of the sensor assembly, the circuitry, or the reporting device resides on one or more of the elastomeric polymer, the hydrocolloid film, or the nanomembrane.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the deformable substrate includes a gas-permeable elastomeric sheet, wherein at least one of the sensor assembly, the circuitry, or the reporting device resides on the gas-permeable elastomeric sheet.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor includes an optical sensor configured to detect one or more optical signals.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the optical sensor includes at least one of a photodetector or an imaging device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor includes an acoustic sensor configured to detect one or more acoustic signals.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor includes an electromagnetic proximity sensor configured to generate one or more electromagnetic signals and to detect one or more of the electromagnetic signals reflected from a surface.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to instruct the reporting device to generate the one or more communication signals based upon the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to make a determination regarding whether to instruct the reporting device to generate the one or more communication signals based upon the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the circuitry includes a comparison module configured to compare the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor to reference data indicative of another body portion.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine not to instruct the reporting device to generate the one or more communication signals when the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor indicate a presence of the other body portion.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is configured to instruct the reporting device to generate the one or more communication signals when the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor indicate a presence of an object or surface that differs from the other body portion.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the reference data indicative of another body portion includes at least one of reference proximity data of the other body portion or reference hardness data of the other body portion.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the circuitry includes a comparison module configured to compare the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor to reference data.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the reference data includes hardness data associated with environmental objects.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly includes a motion sensor configured to detect a movement of the body portion and to generate one or more sense signals responsive to the detection of the movement.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the circuitry is configured to actuate the proximity sensor to generate the one or more sense signals associated with the proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion responsive to the detection of the movement.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly includes a motion sensor configured to detect at least one of an acceleration, a velocity, or a speed of the environmental object.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine an estimated time of impact of the body portion with the environmental object based on the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor and based on at least one of the acceleration, the velocity, or the speed of the environmental object.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine an estimated force of impact of the body portion with the environmental object based on the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor and based on at least one of the acceleration, the velocity, or the speed of the environmental object.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor is oriented on the deformable substrate to generate one or more sense signals associated with the proximity of the environmental object relative to a particular direction from the body portion.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein circuitry is configured to instruct the reporting device to generate the one or more communication signals responsive to detection by the proximity sensor of the environmental object relative to the particular direction from the body portion.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein the circuitry is configured to disregard one or more sense signals associated with the proximity of the environmental object relative to a bottom portion of the body portion.

25. The device of claim 22, wherein the circuitry is configured to disregard one or more sense signals associated with the proximity of the environmental object relative to the particular direction from the body portion.

26. The device of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to communicate with an external device.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the reporting device is configured to receive communication signals from the external device.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the external device is configured to provide at least one of an auditory indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals associated with one or more of the environmental object or the change proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion, a visual indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals associated with one or more of the environmental object or the change proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion, or a tactile indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals associated with one or more of the environmental object or the change in proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion, responsive to the one or more communication signals from the reporting device.

29. The device of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to communicate with an external network.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the external network includes one or more of a health provider network, an insurance network, a personal health record, or a personal health database.

31. The device of claim 1, further including a power supply configured to supply power to one or more of the sensor assembly, the circuitry, or the reporting device.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein the power supply includes at least one of a battery coupled to the deformable substrate, a thin film battery coupled to the deformable substrate, a microbattery coupled to the deformable substrate, one or more wireless power coils configured to receive a remote power signal, one or more inductive coils configured to receive a remote power signal from a transmission coil, a solar cell coupled to the deformable substrate, or an energy harvesting device configured to generate power from motion of the body portion.

33. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly includes at least one of an accelerometer configured to measure an acceleration of the body portion or a speed sensor configured to measure one or more of a speed or a velocity of the body portion.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the circuitry is configured to at least one of actuate the proximity sensor to generate the one or more sense signals responsive to the acceleration of the body portion, determine an estimated time of impact of the body portion with the environmental object based on the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor and based on the acceleration of the body portion, determine an estimated force of impact of the body portion with the environmental object based on the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor and based on the acceleration of the body portion, actuate the proximity sensor to generate the one or more sense signals responsive to one or more of the speed or the velocity of the body portion, instruct the reporting device to generate the one or more communication signals responsive to one or more of the speed or the velocity of the body portion, determine an estimated time of impact of the body portion with the environmental object based on the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor and based on one or more of the speed or the velocity of the body portion, or determine an estimated force of impact of the body portion with the environmental object based on the one or more sense signals generated by the proximity sensor and based on one or more of the speed or the velocity of the body portion.

35. The device of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is configured to provide at least one of an auditory indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals associated with one or more of the environmental object or the change in proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion, a visual indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals associated with one or more of the environmental object or the change in proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion, or a tactile indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals associated with one or more of the environmental object or the change in proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion.

36. The device of claim 1, wherein the body portion includes at least one of a finger, a hand, a wrist, a toe, a foot, an ankle, an arm, an elbow, a leg, a knee, a shoulder, or a hip.

37. A method, comprising:

detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a first proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion;

generating one or more sense signals based on detection of the first proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion;

detecting, via the epidermal electronic system (EES) located on the body portion of the individual, a second proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion;

generating one or more sense signals based on detection of the second proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion;

determining whether the first proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion differs from the second proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion; and

when the first proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion is determined to differ from the second proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion, generating one or more communication signals based on detection of at least one of the first proximity or the second proximity.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a first proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion includes:

detecting, via the epidermal electronic system (EES) located on the body portion of the individual, one or more optical signals associated with the first proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a first proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion includes:

detecting, via the epidermal electronic system (EES) located on the body portion of the individual, one or more acoustic signals associated with the first proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a first proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion includes:

detecting, via the epidermal electronic system (EES) located on the body portion of the individual, one or more electromagnetic signals reflected from a surface of the environmental object.

41. The method of claim 37, further including:

comparing at least one of the one or more sense signals based on detection of the first proximity or the one or more sense signals based on detection of the second proximity to reference data indicative of another body portion.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the reference data indicative of another body portion includes at least one of reference proximity data of the other body portion or reference hardness data of the other body portion.

43. The method of claim 37, further including:

determining an estimated time of impact of the body portion with the environmental object based on the one or more sense signals based on detection of the first proximity and the one or more sense signals based on detection of the second proximity.

44. The method of claim 37, further including:

determining an estimated force of impact of the body portion with the environmental object based on the one or more sense signals based on detection of the first proximity and the one or more sense signals based on detection of the second proximity.

45. The method of claim 37, wherein detecting, via an epidermal electronic system (EES) located on a body portion of an individual, a first proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion includes:

detecting, via the epidermal electronic system (EES) located on the body portion of the individual, the first proximity of the environmental object relative a particular direction from the body portion.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein detecting, via the epidermal electronic system (EES) located on the body portion of the individual, the first proximity of the environmental object relative a particular direction from the body portion includes:

detecting, via the epidermal electronic system (EES) located on the body portion of the individual, the first proximity of the environmental object relative a lateral portion of the body portion.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein detecting, via the epidermal electronic system (EES) located on the body portion of the individual, the proximity of the environmental object relative a particular direction from the body portion includes:

detecting, via the epidermal electronic system (EES) located on the body portion of the individual, the proximity of the environmental object relative a dorsal portion of the body portion.

48. The method of claim 37, further including:

transmitting the one or more communication signals to an external device.

49. The method of claim 37, wherein generating one or more communication signals based on detection of at least one of the first proximity or the second proximity includes:

providing at least one of an auditory indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals based on detection of at least one of the first proximity or the second proximity, a visual indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals based on detection of at least one of the first proximity or the second proximity, a tactile indication pertaining to the one or more sense signals based on detection of at least one of the first proximity or the second proximity.

50. A system, comprising:

a device, including;

a deformable substrate configured to conform to a skin surface of a body portion;

a sensor assembly coupled to the deformable substrate, the sensor assembly including a proximity sensor configured to generate one or more sense signals associated with a proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion;

circuitry operably coupled to the sensor assembly and configured to receive the one or more sense signals associated with the proximity of an environmental object relative to the body portion and to determine whether the proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion changes over a time period; and

a reporting device operably coupled to the circuitry and configured to generate one or more communication signals responsive to instruction by the circuitry, the one or more communication signals associated with one or more of the environmental object or a change in proximity of the environmental object relative to the body portion; and

an external device communicatively coupled with the device, the external device configured to at least one of receive the one or more communication signals from the device or transmit one or more communication signals associated with environmental object characteristics to the device.