Wearable posture advisory system

• US 9,855,005 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cheng, Doreen
• Primary Examiner(s): HENSON, DEVIN B
• Application Number:
  US14/693,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20160310064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0064 Body surface scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/107 Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1077 Measuring of profiles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1079 using optical or photographic means
• 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 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4561 Evaluating static posture, e.g. undesirable back curvature A61B5/1116 takes precedence
• 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 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/024 having pressure pads connected in a frame for reduction or correction of the curvature of the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/62 posture
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0244 with signalling or indicating means, e.g. of incorrect posture, for deep-breathing exercises
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4099 : Surface or curve machining, making 3D objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35134 : 3-D cad-cam
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49007 : Making, forming 3-D object, model, surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 : Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 : Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 : worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait

Abstract

In one aspect, a method for formulating a wearable posture advisory system will be described. A three dimensional body model of at least a part of a body of a user is obtained. A model for 3D printing a wearable posture advisory system is generated based on the 3D body model. The system model models one or more sensors that are arranged to help determine a posture of a user and one or more actuators that are arranged to help instruct the user to adjust his or her posture. The system model is provided to a 3D printer so that the 3D printer can print the wearable posture advisory system. Various embodiments relate to devices, arrangements and executable computer code that are associated with the above method.

Claims

1. A method for formulating a wearable posture advisory system, the method comprising:

retrieving a three-dimensional (3-D) system model indicating one or more sensors that are arranged to help determine a posture of a user of the wearable posture advisory system and one or more actuators that are arranged to help instruct the user to adjust the posture, wherein the 3-D system model is generated based on a 3-D body model of at least a part of a body of the user and the 3-D body model is obtained via scanning at least the part of the body of the user using a 3-D scanner, wherein the 3-D body model includes a mesh defining a plurality of cells on the 3-D body model with each cell being a region on the 3-D body model that is identified by one or more coordinates, wherein at least one of the cells indicates a location for one of the actuators or sensors of the 3-D system model; and

manufacturing the wearable posture advisory system using the 3-D system model, wherein the wearable posture advisory system includes the one or more sensors and the one or more actuators indicated in the 3-D system model and includes said one of the actuators or sensors based upon said location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the cells are one or more of 1) distributed unevenly across the 3D body model;

2) vary in size and

     3) are positioned in an asymmetrical arrangement.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the 3D system model models one or more strips, each strip including one or more active pads wherein each active pad includes one or more of a sensor, an actuator, a solar panel, a battery and a network element arranged to communicate with a remote device; and

each sensor is an accelerometer that is arranged to help determine the posture of the user.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a posture management model based at least in part on the 3D body model wherein the posture management model helps define a desired posture for the user, an alternative posture for the user that deviates from the desired posture, and a corrective action that indicates how the user can transition from the alternative posture to the desired posture.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the posture management model is stored at a computing device; and

the method further comprises receiving input from a specialist at the computing device wherein the input causes adjustments in the posture management model and customizes the posture management model for the user.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

providing software based on the posture management model; and

installing the software at a control device wherein the software is arranged to process sensor data received at the control device from the wearable posture advisory system after the wearable posture advisory system is manufactured based on the 3D system model, the received data indicating a current posture of the user and wherein the software is further arranged to help transmit signals to the manufactured wearable advisory system indicating the corrective action that the user should undertake to improve the current posture.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving sensor data from one or more sensors in the wearable posture advisory system after the wearable posture advisory system is manufactured based on the 3D system model and placed on the user; and

using the sensor data to help determine the posture management model.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

installing software based on the posture management model at a control device;

receiving signals from the one or more sensors of the wearable posture advisory system at the control device after the wearable posture advisory system is manufactured based on the 3D system model wherein the signals help indicate the posture of the user; and

transmitting signals from the control device to the manufactured wearable advisory system that cause the one or more actuators to prompt the user to correct the current posture.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the prompting of the user includes generating, at the one or more actuators, a physical stimulus, the physical stimulus being selected from one or more of vibration, heat and pressure.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

after the wearable posture advisory system is manufactured based on the 3D system model, placing the manufactured wearable posture advisory system on the user such that the one or more sensors of the system are distributed in an asymmetrical arrangement on the user.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said manufacturing includes printing the wearable posture advisory system using a 3-D printer.