SYSTEM AND GARMENT FOR DETECTING MOVEMENT

• US 20090095094A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Superinteractive Pty. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (Commonwealth Of Australia As Represented By Department Of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research And Tertiary Education)
• Inventors: Mestrovic, Michael Anthony, Helmer, Richard James Neil
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/865.4
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0261 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• 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 5/4528 Joints A61B5/4533, A61B5/4538 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/165 by relative movement of a point of contact or actuation and a resistive track

Abstract

According to the present invention there is provided a system for detecting movement, for example and without limitation, for detecting movement of a part of a person such as their limb or a section of their limb or deformable surface. The system preferably includes: a) an electrical power source; two or more than two contactors that can be mounted directly or indirectly to parts of a person or object that move relative to each other; and c) an electrical element that, when in use, conducts an electrical current and is in electrical connection with the contactors, wherein the element is substantially un-extendable along its longitudinal axis and the element is either i) at least in part resiliently deformable in a direction transverse to its longitudinal axis and/or ii) supported directly or indirectly by a guide structure having elastic properties that is configured to minimise deformation of the element in a direction transverse to its longitudinal axis such that the effective length of the element that defines a path of least electrical resistance between the contactors is minimised, and wherein relative movement of the contactors can cause the effective length of the element between the contactors to change such that movement can be measured or detected as a change in electrical resistance between the contactors.

Claims

1. A system for detecting movement, for example and without limitation, for detecting movement of a part of a person such as their limb or a section of their limb, the system including:

a) two or more than two contactors that can be mounted directly or indirectly to parts of a person or object that move relative to each other, such that when in use, the spacing between the contactors can change as a result of the person or object moving; and

b) an elongate electrical element that, when in use, conducts an electrical current and is in electrical connection with the contactors, wherein the element is substantially un-extendable along its longitudinal axis and the element is either i) at least in part resiliently deformable in a direction transverse to its longitudinal axis and/or ii) supported directly or indirectly by a guide structure having elastic properties that is configured to minimise deformation of the element in a direction transverse to its longitudinal axis such that the effective length of the element that defines a path of least electrical resistance between the contactors is minimised, and wherein relative movement of the contactors can cause the effective length of the element between the contactors to change such that movement can be measured or detected as a change in electrical resistance between the contactors.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the resilient deformable nature of the element and/or the elastic properties of the guide structure minimises the degree of curvature in the element between the contactors.

3. The system according to claim 1, further including an electrical power source in electrical connection with the element.

4. The system according to claim 1 further including a means for recording or monitoring the variations in electrical resistance between the contactors.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said means for recording the variations in electrical resistance includes a computer for analysing the electrical resistance and analysing movement of the object.

6. The system according to claim 1, further including a flexible substrate on which the contactors are mounted or attached.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the substrate is a textile and may include an elastic material such as but by no means limited to:

nylon, rubber, spandex, and Lycra™

.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein the element is slidably connected to at least one of the contactors such that when the contactors are moved apart the element moves relative to the contactor to which it is slidably connected under tension and when the contactors are moved toward each other the resilient deformable nature of the element enables the element to move relative to the contactor under compression.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the slidable connection between the element and the contactor is in the form of the contactor partially or completely surrounding the element.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the element is slidably connected to both contactors.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the element is fixedly connected to at least two contactors and that the electrical element is configured such that the element includes a non-linear section of element and that a short circuit means electrically isolates the non-linear section from the effective length of the element that defines a path of least electrical resistance, and during use, the length of the element contained in the non-linear section changes as the distance between the contactors changes and in-turn changes the effective length of the element defining the path of least resistance.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the non-linear section be a section that changes in direction by at least 180 degrees.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the short circuit means is a point where the element contacts itself, and that the non-linear section include at least a 360 degree loop in the element that can vary in size such that the effective length of the element between the contactors also changes as the size of the loop changes.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein when the contactors are moved toward each other, the resilient nature of the element causes the size of the loop to increase and thereby reduce the effective length of the element between the contactors defining the path of least electrical resistance, and when the contactors are moved apart, the size of the loop decreases and thereby increases the effective length of the element between the contactors defining the path of the least electrical resistance.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the short circuit means includes a bridge that connects to, and spans across, the non-linear section of the element.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the non-linear section of the element includes at least one U-shape in the element and that the bridge excludes from the effective length of the element the non-linear section of the element.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the element includes two or more than two sub-elements and that each sub-element is in contact with at least one other sub-element to form one or more than one point of interconnection, and relative movement of the sub-elements causes the point of interconnection to shift and in turn cause the effective length of the element defining the path of least resistance to change.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein each sub-element is connection to one of said contactors.

21. The system according to claim 19 wherein the sub-elements are arranged parallel to one another and are slidably interconnected in a manner that enables one sub-element to slidably interconnect along at least one other element.

22. The system according to claim 20, wherein the sub-elements are interconnected at two points of interconnection and that the elements are connected in parallel relationship.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein each sub-element includes an end hook that engages the adjacent sub-element and thereby defines the point of interconnection.

24. The system according to claim 20, wherein the sub-elements are arranged transversely to one another, and intersect or contact at a point of interconnection and that the path of least electrical resistance between the sub-elements is defined along the portion of the sub-element in connect with the sub-elements and the point of interconnection.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the point of interconnection is able to move along at least one of the sub-elements in response to relative movement between the contactors.

26. The system according to claim 1 wherein the guide structure is a conduit, tube or sleeve in which the element can slidably move.

27. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system includes an essentially non-elastic guide structure in the form of a conduit, tube or sleeve in which the element can slidably move.

28. The system according to claim 1, whereby when in use, the electrical resistance measured between the contactors ranges from 10 to 300 k ohms.

29. The system according to claim 1, whereby when in use, the electrical resistance measured between the contactors ranges from 10 to 100 k ohms.

7. The system according to claim 7, wherein when the substrate is fitted to a person or object, the substrate is capable of taking up the shape of the person or object such that the contactors are held in substantially the same position on the object during movement.

8. The system according to claim 7 wherein the substrate is stretchable and the connectors are attached to the substrate so that when the substrate is stretched or folded the connectors move apart or away from each other.

30. A garment for detecting movement of a part of a person such as their limb or a section of their limb, the garment including:

a) two or more than two contactors directly or indirectly mounted to selected positions on the garment, such that when the garment is worn the spacing between the connectors changes as a result of the person moving; and

b) an elongate electrical element that is connectable to an electrical power source and the contactors, wherein the element is substantially un-extendable along its longitudinal axis and the element is either i) at least in part resiliently deformable in a direction transverse to its longitudinal axis and/or ii) supported directly or indirectly by a guide structure having elastic properties that is configured to minimise deformation of the element in a direction transverse to its longitudinal axis such that the effective length of the element that defines a path of least electrical resistance between the contactors is minimised, and wherein relative movement of the contactors and thus a person wearing the garment can cause the effective length of the element between the contactors to change and be measured or detected as a change in electrical resistance between the contactors.

31. The garment according to claim 30, wherein the resilient deformable nature of the element and/or the elastic properties of the guide structure minimises the degree of curvature in the element between the contactors.

32. The garment according to claim 30, wherein the garment includes a stretchable and/or flexible textile and the connectors are attached to the textile so that when the substrate is stretched or folded the connectors can move away from each other.

33. The garment according to claim 32, wherein the textile includes an elastic material such as but by no means limited to:

nylon, rubber, spandex, and Lycra™

.

34. The garment according to claim 30, wherein the element is slidably connected to at least one of the contactors such that when the contactors are moved apart the element moves relative to the contactor to which it is slidably connected under tension and when the contactors are moved toward each other the resilient deformable nature of the element enables the element to move relative to the contactor.

35. The garment according to claim 32, wherein one of the connectors attached to the textile is fixed to the element and another connector attached to the textile is slidably connected to the element whereby when in use, movement of a person wearing the garment can in turn cause the element to slide through the connector to which it is slidably connected and change the effective length of the element.

36. The garment according to claim 35, wherein the element is slidably connected to two of the contactors.

37. The garment according to claim 30, wherein the element is fixedly connected to at least two contactors and that the electrical element is configured such that the element includes a non-linear section of the element and that a short circuit means electrically isolates the non-linear section from the effective length of the element that defines a path of least electrical resistance, and during use, the length of the element contained in the non-linear section changes as the distance between the contactors changes and in-turn changes the effective length of the element defining the path of least resistance.

38. The garment according to claim 37, wherein the non-linear section is a section that changes in direction by at least 180 degrees.

39. The garment according to claim 38, wherein the short circuit means is a point where the element contacts itself, and that the non-linear section be a 360 degree loop in the element that can vary in size such that the effective length of the element between the contactors also changes as the size of the loop changes.

40. The garment according to claim 39, wherein when the contactors are moved toward each other, the resilient nature of the element causes the size of the loop to increase and thereby reduce the effective length of the element between the contactors defining the path of least electrical resistance, and when the contactors are moved apart, the size of the loop decreases and thereby increases the effective length of the element between the contactors defining the path of the least electrical resistance.

41. The garment according to claim 39, wherein the short circuit means includes a bridge that connects to, and spans across, the non-linear section of the element.

42. The garment according to claim 41, wherein the non-linear section of the element includes at least one U-shape in the element and that the bridge excludes from the effective length of the element the non-linear section of the element.

43. The garment according to claim 30, wherein the element includes two or more than two sub-elements and that each sub-element is in contact with at least one other sub-element to form one or more than one point of interconnection, and relative movement of the sub-elements causes the point of interconnection to shift and in turn cause the effective length of the element defining the path of least resistance to change.

44. The garment according to claim 43, wherein the sub-element is connected to one connector.

45. The garment according to claim 43, wherein the sub-elements are arranged parallel to one another and are slidably interconnected in a manner that enables one sub-element to slidably interconnect along at least one other element.

46. The garment according to claim 45, wherein the sub-elements are interconnected at two points of interconnection and that the elements are connected in parallel relationship.

47. The garment according to claim 45, wherein each sub-element includes an end hook that engages the adjacent sub-element and thereby defines one of the points of interconnection.

48. The garment according to claim 45, wherein the sub-elements are arranged transversely to one another, and intersect or contact at a point of interconnection and that the path of least electrical resistance between the sub-elements is defined along the portion of the sub-element in connect with the sub-elements and the point of interconnection.

50. The garment according to claim 30, wherein the guide structure is a conduit, tube, sleeve in which the element can slidably move.

51. The garment according to claim 30, wherein the system includes an essentially non-elastic guide structure in the form of a conduit, tube or sleeve in which the element can slidably move.

52. The garment according to claims 30, wherein the garment is configured to monitor the movement of an elbow of a person.

53. The garment according to claims 30, wherein the electrical resistance measured between the contactors ranges from 10 to 300 k ohms.

54. The garment according to claim 30, wherein the electrical resistance measured between the contactors ranges from 10 to 100 k ohms.

49. The garment according to claim 49, wherein the point of interconnection is able to move along at least one of the sub-elements in response to relative movement between the contactors.