SYSTEMS, ARTICLES AND METHODS FOR SIGNAL ROUTING IN WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20150051470A1
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: META Platforms Technologies LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Thalmic Labs Inc.
• Inventors: Bailey, Matthew, Lake, Stephen, Grant, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 11,426,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/384
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection

Abstract

Wearable electronic devices that employ techniques for routing signals between components are described. An exemplary wearable electronic device includes a set of pod structures with each pod structure positioned adjacent and physically coupled to at least one other pod structure. The set of pod structures includes multiple sensor pods and at least one processor pod. Each sensor pod includes an on-board sensor to in use detect user-effected inputs and provide signals in response to the user-effected inputs. The signals are serially routed via successive ones of adjacent pod structures by respective communicative pathways until the signals are routed from the sensor pods to the processor pod. A processor on-board the processor pod processes the signals. Systems, articles, and methods for routing electrical signals and/or optical signals, including analog signals and/or digital signals, between pod structures are described.

Claims

1. A wearable electronic device comprising:

a set of pod structures that form physically coupled links of the wearable electronic device, wherein each pod structure in the set of pod structures is positioned adjacent and physically coupled to at least one other pod structure in the set of pod structures, and wherein the set of pod structures comprises at least two sensor pods and a processor pod, each of the at least two sensor pods comprising a respective sensor to in use detect inputs effected by a user and provide signals in response to the detected inputs, and the processor pod comprising a processor to in use process signals provided by each of the at least two sensor pods; and

a plurality of communicative pathways to in use route signals provided by the at least two sensor pods to the processor pod, wherein each of the at least two sensor pods is communicatively coupled to the processor pod by at least one respective communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways.

2. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein each of the at least two sensor pods further comprises a respective amplification circuit to in use amplify signals provided by the respective sensor.

3. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the processor pod comprises at least one analog-to-digital conversion (“

ADC”

) circuit to in use convert analog signals provided by the at least two sensor pods into digital signals.

4. The wearable electronic device of claim 3 wherein the at least two sensor pods include a first sensor pod and a second sensor pod, the first sensor pod communicatively coupled to the processor pod by a first communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways and the second sensor pod communicatively coupled to the processor pod by a second communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways, and wherein:

the first communicative pathway comprises;

a first portion to in use route analog signals output by the first sensor pod to the processor pod, and

the second communicative pathway comprises;

a first portion to in use route analog signals output by the second sensor pod to the first sensor pod, and

a second portion to in use route analog signals output by the second sensor pod from the first sensor pod to the processor pod.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 4 wherein the at least two sensor pods further includes a third sensor pod, the third sensor pod communicatively coupled to the processor pod by a third communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways, and wherein the third communicative pathway comprises:

a first portion to in use route analog signals output by the third sensor pod to the second sensor pod;

a second portion to in use route analog signals output by the third sensor pod from the second sensor pod to the first sensor pod; and

a third portion to in use route analog signals output by the third sensor pod from the first sensor pod to the processor pod.

6. The wearable electronic device of claim 5 wherein the at least two sensor pods further includes a fourth sensor pod, the fourth sensor pod communicatively coupled to the processor pod by a fourth communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways, and wherein the fourth communicative pathway comprises:

a first portion to in use route analog signals output by the fourth sensor pod to the third sensor pod;

a second portion to in use route analog signals output by the fourth sensor pod from the third sensor pod to the second sensor pod;

a third portion to in use route analog signals output by the fourth sensor pod from the second sensor pod to the first sensor pod; and

a fourth portion to in use route analog signals output by the fourth sensor pod from the first sensor pod to the processor pod.

7. The wearable electronic device of claim 2 wherein each of the at least two sensor pods comprises a respective analog-to-digital conversion (“

ADC”

) circuit to in use convert analog signals provided by the respective sensor into digital signals.

8. The wearable electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a clock signal line communicatively coupled to each pod structure in the set of pod structures and wherein the plurality of communicative pathways includes a digital signal bus that is communicatively coupled to the processor pod, wherein the at least two sensor pods include a first sensor pod and a second sensor pod, the first sensor pod communicatively coupled to the digital signal bus by a first communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways and the second sensor pod communicatively coupled to the digital signal bus by a second communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways.

9. The wearable electronic device of claim 8 wherein the at least two sensor pods further includes a third sensor pod, the third sensor pod communicatively coupled to the digital signal bus by a third communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways.

10. The wearable electronic device of claim 9 wherein the at least two sensor pods further includes a fourth sensor pod, the fourth sensor pod communicatively coupled to the digital signal bus by a fourth communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways.

11. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of communicative pathways includes at least one power line and at least one ground line.

12. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one adaptive coupler, wherein each respective pod structure in the set of pod structures is adaptively physically coupled to at least one adjacent pod structure in the set of pod structures by at least one adaptive coupler.

13. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein, for each of the at least two sensor pods:

the sensor comprises an electromyography sensor to in use detect muscle activity by the user and provide signals in response to the detected muscle activity.

14. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the processor pod further comprises:

a sensor to in use detect inputs effected by the user and provide analog signals in response to the detected inputs;

an amplification circuit to in use amplify analog signals provided by the sensor; and

an analog-to-digital conversion (“

ADC”

) circuit to in use convert analog signals into digital signals.

15. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein each pod structure in the set of pod structures comprises a respective housing formed of a substantially rigid material and having a respective inner volume, and wherein:

for each of the at least two sensor pods, the sensor is positioned on or proximate a surface of the housing,

for the processor pod, the processor is positioned in the inner volume of the housing, and

each communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways includes a respective first portion in the inner volume of the housing of a respective first pod structure in the set of pod structures, a respective second portion in the inner volume of the housing of a respective second pod structure in the set of pod structures, and a respective third portion that extends between the housing of the respective first pod structure in the set of pod structures and the housing of the respective second pod structure in the set of pod structures.

16. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein at least one communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways is selected from the group consisting of:

an electrically conductive pathway and an optical pathway.

17. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein at least one communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways comprises a flexible printed circuit board.

18. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein each pod structure in the set of pod structures is positioned adjacent and in between two other pod structures in the set of pod structures and physically coupled to the two other pod structures in the set of pod structures, and wherein the set of pod structures forms a perimeter of an annular configuration.

19. A wearable electronic device comprising:

a set of pod structures that form physically coupled links of the wearable electronic device, the set of pod structures comprising a plurality of sensor pods and a processor pod, each sensor pod comprising a respective sensor to in use detect inputs effected by a user and provide signals in response to the detected inputs, and the processor pod comprising a processor to in use process signals provided by the plurality of sensor pods, wherein each pod structure in the set of pod structures is positioned adjacent and physically coupled to at least one other pod structure in the set of pod structures; and

a plurality of communicative pathways to in use route signals provided by the plurality of sensor pods to the processor pod, wherein each pod structure in the set of pod structures is communicatively coupled to at least one adjacent pod structure in the set of pod structures by a respective communicative pathway from the plurality of communicative pathways to in use serially route signals provided by each sensor pod to the processor pod via successive ones of adjacent pod structures in the set of pod structures by respective communicative pathways in the plurality of communicative pathways.

20. The wearable electronic device of claim 19, wherein the plurality of sensor pods comprises:

a first sensor pod positioned adjacent and physically coupled to the processor pod;

a second sensor pod positioned adjacent and physically coupled to the processor pod;

a third sensor pod positioned adjacent and physically coupled to the first sensor pod; and

a fourth sensor pod positioned adjacent and physically coupled to the second sensor pod;

and wherein;

the first sensor pod is communicatively coupled to the processor pod by a first communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways to in use route signals provided by the first sensor pod to the processor pod;

the second sensor pod is communicatively coupled to the processor pod by a second communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways to in use route signals provided by the second sensor pod to the processor pod;

the third sensor pod is communicatively coupled to the processor pod by a third communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways to in use route signals output by the third sensor pod from the third sensor pod via the first sensor pod to the processor pod; and

the fourth sensor pod is communicatively coupled to the processor pod by a fourth communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways to in use route signals output by the fourth sensor pod from the fourth sensor pod via the second sensor pod to the processor pod.

21. The wearable electronic device of claim 20 wherein the third communicative pathway includes at least a portion of the first communicative pathway and the fourth communicative pathway includes at least a portion of the second communicative pathway.

22. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 wherein the processor pod further comprises an analog-to-digital conversion (“

ADC”

) circuit to in use convert analog signals into digital signals.

23. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 wherein each sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods further comprises a respective analog-to-digital conversion (“

ADC”

) circuit to in use convert analog signals into digital signals.

24. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 wherein the plurality of communicative pathways includes at least one power line and at least one ground line.

25. The wearable electronic device of claim 19, further comprising:

at least one adaptive coupler, wherein each respective pod structure in the set of pod structures is adaptively physically coupled to at least one adjacent pod structure in the set of pod structures by at least one adaptive coupler.

26. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 wherein, for each sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods:

the sensor comprises an electromyography sensor to in use detect muscle activity by the user and provide signals in response to the detected muscle activity.

27. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 wherein the processor pod further comprises a sensor to in use detect inputs effected by the user and provide signals in response to the detected inputs.

28. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 wherein each pod structure in the set of pod structures comprises a respective housing formed of a substantially rigid material and having a respective inner volume, and wherein:

for each sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods, the sensor is positioned on or proximate a surface of the housing,

for the processor pod, the processor is positioned in the inner volume of the housing, and

each communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways includes a respective first portion in the inner volume of the housing of a respective first pod structure in the set of pod structures, a respective second portion in the inner volume of the housing of a respective second pod structure in the set of pod structures, and a respective third portion that extends between the housing of the respective first pod structure in the set of pod structures and the housing of the respective second pod structure in the set of pod structures.

29. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 wherein at least one communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways is selected from the group consisting of:

an electrically conductive pathway and an optical pathway.

30. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 wherein at least one communicative pathway in the plurality of communicative pathways comprises a flexible printed circuit board.

31. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 wherein each pod structure in the set of pod structures is positioned adjacent and in between two other pod structures in the set of pod structures and physically coupled to the two other pod structures in the set of pod structures, and wherein the set of pod structures forms a perimeter of an annular configuration.

32. A method of operating a wearable electronic device that comprises a set of pod structures and a plurality of communicative pathways, the set of pod structures including a plurality of sensor pods and a processor pod, wherein each sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods comprises a respective sensor and the processor pod comprises a processor, and wherein each pod structure in the set of pod structures is positioned adjacent and physically coupled to at least one other pod structure in the set of pod structures, the method comprising:

detecting inputs effected by a user by the sensor in at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods;

providing signals in response to the detected inputs by the sensor in the at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods;

serially routing the signals via successive ones of adjacent pod structures in the set of pod structures by respective communicative pathways in the plurality of communicative pathways until the signals are routed to the processor pod; and

processing the signals by the processor in the processor pod.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein:

providing signals in response to the detected inputs by the sensor in the at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods includes providing analog signals in response to the detected inputs by the sensor in the at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods,

serially routing the signals via successive ones of adjacent pod structures in the set of pod structures by respective communicative pathways in the plurality of communicative pathways until the signals are routed to the processor pod includes serially routing the analog signals via successive ones of adjacent pod structures in the set of pod structures by respective communicative pathways in the plurality of communicative pathways until the analog signals are routed to the processor pod, and

the processor pod further comprises an analog-to-digital conversion (“

ADC”

) circuit, and wherein the method further comprises;

converting the analog signals into digital signals by the ADC circuit in the processor pod, wherein processing the signals by the processor in the processor pod includes processing the digital signals by the processor in the processor pod.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein providing signals in response to the detected inputs by the sensor in the at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods includes providing analog signals in response to the detected inputs by the sensor in the at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods, and wherein each sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods further comprises a respective analog-to-digital conversion (“

ADC”

) circuit, the method further comprising;

converting the analog signals provided by the sensor in the at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods into digital signals by the ADC circuit in the at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods, wherein;

serially routing the signals via successive ones of adjacent pod structures in the set of pod structures by respective communicative pathways in the plurality of communicative pathways until the signals are routed to the processor pod includes serially routing the digital signals via successive ones of adjacent pod structures in the set of pod structures by respective communicative pathways in the plurality of communicative pathways until the digital signals are routed to the processor pod, and

processing the signals by the processor in the processor pod includes processing the digital signals by the processor in the processor pod.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the respective sensor in each sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods includes an electromyography sensor, and wherein detecting inputs effected by a user by the sensor in at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods includes detecting muscle activity of the user by the electromyography sensor in at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods and providing signals in response to the detected inputs by the sensor in the at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods includes providing signals in response to muscle activity of the user by the sensor in the at least one sensor pod in the plurality of sensor pods.