Wearable computing device having a curved back to reduce pressure on vertebrae

• US 10,561,519 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2016
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Tiffany
• Primary Examiner(s): Hodges, Susan E.
• Application Number:
  US15/215,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20180021161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 348 62
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2005/006 comprising a suspension strap or lanyard
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2200/0525 Personal portable computing devices, e.g. laptop, tablet, netbook, game boy, navigation system, calculator
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/00 Holders or carriers for hand articles; Holders or carriers for use while travelling or camping
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/026 Back straightening devices with shoulder braces to force back the shoulder to obtain a correct curvature of the spine for clavicle fractures A61F5/05808; restraining devices A61F5/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt

Abstract

A wearable computing device includes a first side portion and a second side portion that partially extend across a shoulder and rest on a front of a user. The device also includes a neck portion connected to the first side portion and the second side portion. The neck portion includes an outer edge and an inner edge. The neck portion is curved from the first side portion to the second side portion to extend around a portion of a circumference of the neck of the user. The neck portion is also curved from the outer edge to the inner edge to follow a curvature of a spine of the user. The wearable computing device also includes an input device and a mobile processor designed to determine output data based on input data. The wearable computing device also includes an output device designed to output the output data.

Claims

1. A wearable computing device, comprising:

a first side portion and a second side portion each configured to at least partially extend across a shoulder of a user and to rest on a front of the user;

a neck portion having an inner housing and an outer housing configured to be coupled together and to define a cavity, the neck portion having a first end connected to the first side portion, a second end connected to the second side portion, a center portion that is in between the first end and the second end and that has a width that extends from a neck of the user to a thoracic portion of a spine of the user, an outer edge, an inner edge that is positioned nearer the neck of the user than the outer edge when the wearable computing device is worn, a contact surface that extends the width of the center portion and is configured to contact and rest flush with the thoracic portion of the spine of the user when the wearable computing device is worn, and an exposed surface defined by the outer housing and oriented opposite the contact surface, a curvature of the neck portion extending from the inner edge to the outer edge along the width of the center portion;

an input device configured to detect input data;

a mobile processor positioned in the cavity, coupled to the input device, and configured to determine output data based on the input data;

an output device coupled to the mobile processor and configured to output the output data;

a thermal pad positioned in the cavity, in contact with the mobile processor such that the mobile processor is located between the thermal pad and the contact surface, and configured to transfer heat from the mobile processor; and

a heat spreader located in the cavity and configured to distribute the heat from the mobile processor via the thermal pad.

2. The wearable computing device of claim 1 further comprising a padding coupled to the neck portion and configured to contact the user when the wearable computing device is worn.

3. The wearable computing device of claim 2 wherein the padding includes a first padding that extends from a first location away from a halfway point along the width of the neck portion to the first end of the neck portion and a second padding that extends from a second location away from the halfway point to the second end of the neck portion such that the spine of the user is positioned between the first padding and the second padding when the wearable computing device is worn.

4. The wearable computing device of claim 1 wherein the inner edge of the neck portion is positioned at a height that is substantially equal to a height of shoulders of the user when the wearable computing device is worn.

5. The wearable computing device of claim 1 wherein the mobile processor is further configured to operate in a first mode in which it generates navigation instructions to a desired location and in a second mode in which it recognizes objects in an environment.

6. The wearable computing device of claim 1 wherein the output device includes a first output unit and a second output unit that each include a speaker and a vibration unit for providing at least one of stereo audio output or stereo haptic output.

7. The wearable computing device of claim 1 wherein the curvature from the inner edge of the neck portion to the outer edge of the neck portion resembles a curvature of the spine of the user from a cervical portion of the spine to the thoracic portion of the spine.

8. The wearable computing device of claim 1 wherein each of the first side portion and the second side portion includes a rigid portion configured to rest on the front of the user when the wearable computing device is worn, and a flexible portion positioned between the rigid portion and the neck portion and configured to at least partially extend across the shoulder of the user.

9. A wearable computing device, comprising:

a first side portion and a second side portion each configured to at least partially extend across a shoulder of a user and to rest on a front of the user;

a neck portion having an inner housing and an outer housing configured to be coupled together and to define a cavity, the neck portion having a first end connected to the first side portion, a second end connected to the second side portion, a center portion that in between the first end and the second end and that has a width that extends from a neck of the user to a thoracic portion of a spine of the user, an outer edge, an inner edge that is positioned nearer the neck of the user than the outer edge when the wearable computing device is worn, a contact surface that extends the width of the center portion and is configured to contact and rest flush with the thoracic portion of the spine of the user when the wearable computing device is worn, and an exposed surface defined by the outer housing and oriented opposite the contact surface, a curvature of the neck portion extending from the inner edge to the outer edge along the width of the center portion;

a padding that is coupled to the neck portion and spans the entire contact surface to distribute weight on the user;

a camera configured to detect image data;

a mobile processor positioned in the cavity, coupled to the camera, and configured to recognize objects based on the image data and determine navigation instructions based on the image data;

a speaker coupled to the mobile processor and configured to output data corresponding to the recognized objects or the determined navigation instructions;

a thermal pad positioned in the cavity, in contact with the mobile processor such that the mobile processor is located between the thermal pad and the contact surface, and configured to transfer heat from the mobile processor; and

a heat spreader located in the cavity and configured to distribute the heat from the mobile processor via the thermal pad.

10. The wearable computing device of claim 9 wherein the inner edge of the neck portion is positioned at a height that is substantially equal to a height of shoulders of the user when the wearable computing device is worn.

11. The wearable computing device of claim 9 wherein the speaker includes a first output unit and a second output unit that each include a combined speaker and vibration unit for providing at least one of stereo audio output or stereo haptic output.

12. The wearable computing device of claim 9 wherein the curvature from the inner edge of the neck portion to the outer edge of the neck portion resembles a curvature of the spine of the user from a cervical portion of the spine to the thoracic portion of the spine.

13. The wearable computing device of claim 9 wherein each of the first side portion and the second side portion includes a rigid portion configured to rest on the front of the user when the wearable computing device is worn, and a flexible portion positioned between the rigid portion and the neck portion and configured to at least partially extend across the shoulder of the user.

14. A wearable computing device designed to be worn around a neck of a user comprising:

a first side portion and a second side portion each having a rigid portion configured to rest on a front of the user when the wearable computing device is worn, and a flexible portion configured to at least partially extend across a shoulder of the user;

a neck portion having an inner housing and an outer housing configured to be coupled together and to define a cavity, the neck portion having a first end connected to the flexible portion of the first side portion, a second end connected to the flexible portion of the second side portion, a top edge, a bottom edge configured to contact a back of the user at a lower location than the top edge, a contact surface defined by the inner housing and configured to contact the user, and an exposed surface defined by the outer housing and oriented opposite the contact surface, the contact surface being bowed towards the exposed surface along a width of the neck portion between the top edge and the bottom edge to resemble a curvature of a spine of the user;

a padding that is coupled to the neck portion and spans the entire contact surface to distribute weight on the user;

a camera configured to detect image data;

a mobile processor positioned in the cavity, coupled to the camera, and configured to recognize objects based on the image data and determine navigation instructions based on the image data;

a speaker coupled to the mobile processor and configured to output data corresponding to the recognized objects or the determined navigation instructions;

a thermal pad positioned in the cavity, in contact with the mobile processor such that the mobile processor is located between the thermal pad and the contact surface, and configured to transfer heat from the mobile processor; and

a heat spreader located in the cavity and configured to distribute the heat from the mobile processor via the thermal pad.

15. The wearable computing device of claim 14 wherein the top edge of the neck portion is positioned at a height that is substantially equal to a height of shoulders of the user when the wearable computing device is worn.

16. The wearable computing device of claim 14 wherein a curve from the top edge of the neck portion to the bottom edge of the neck portion resembles the curvature of the spine of the user from a cervical portion of the spine to a thoracic portion of the spine.