Smart Clothing for Ambulatory Human Motion Capture

• US 20160338644A1
• Filed: 08/03/2016
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medibotics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Medibotics, LLC
• Inventors: Connor, Robert A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,321,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1281 with incorporated means for medical monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A41H 1/02 Devices for taking measurements on the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3975 active
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0204 Acoustic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0266 Optical strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1071 measuring angles, e.g. using goniometers A61B5/1123 takes precedence
• 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 5/1121 Determining geometric values, e.g. centre of rotation or angular range of movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4528 Joints A61B5/4533, A61B5/4538 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4585 Evaluating the knee
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 : Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 : Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 : Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 : Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining

Abstract

This invention is smart clothing (such as a shirt or pair of pants) for ambulatory motion capture comprising: an article of clothing; an electromagnetic energy emitter; an electromagnetic energy receiver; a helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway that spans a body joint, wherein motion of the body joint stretches and/or bends the pathway, and wherein stretching and/or bending of the pathway changes the flow of electromagnetic energy from the emitter to the receiver; and a data processor, wherein the data processor analyzes changes in the flow in order to measure motion of the body joint.

Claims

1. Smart clothing for ambulatory human motion capture comprising:

an article of clothing which is worn by a person;

an electromagnetic energy emitter;

an electromagnetic energy receiver;

a helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway, wherein electromagnetic energy flows from the electromagnetic energy emitter to the electromagnetic energy receiver through the pathway, wherein the pathway is configured to span a body joint of the person when the article of clothing is worn by the person, wherein motion of the body joint stretches and/or bends the pathway, and wherein stretching and/or bending of the pathway changes one or more parameters of the flow of electromagnetic energy from the emitter to the receiver; and

a data processor, wherein the data processor analyzes changes in the one or more parameters in order to measure motion of the body joint.

2. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway has a spiral shape.

3. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein a distal portion of the helical stretching and/or bending sensor is configured to spiral at least once around a lower arm or lower leg and a proximal portion of the helical stretching and/or bending sensor is configured to spiral at least once around an upper arm or upper leg, respectively.

4. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic energy emitter is configured to be located on the same side of the person'"'"'s arm or leg as the electromagnetic energy receiver.

5. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic energy emitter is configured to be located on a different side of the person'"'"'s arm or leg than the electromagnetic energy receiver.

6. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic energy emitter transmits electrical energy into one end of the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway and the electromagnetic energy receiver receives this electrical energy from the other end of the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway.

7. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein the resistance, impedance, capacitance and/or conductivity of the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway changes as the pathway stretches and/or bends.

8. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway further comprises one or more undulating, wavy, and/or sinusoidal electroconductive threads, yarns, or fibers.

9. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway further comprises two or more layers, wherein at least one layer is electroconductive.

10. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway is woven into the fabric of the article of clothing.

11. The smart clothing in claim 1 wherein the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway is slid or otherwise inserted into a channel, pocket, opening, and/or pouch in the article of clothing.

12. A smart shirt for ambulatory human motion capture comprising:

a shirt which is worn by a person;

a first sensor set comprising a first electromagnetic energy emitter, a first electromagnetic energy receiver, and a first helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s right elbow;

a second sensor set comprising a second electromagnetic energy emitter, a second electromagnetic energy receiver, and a second helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s left elbow;

a third sensor set comprising a third electromagnetic energy emitter, a third electromagnetic energy receiver, and a third distal-to-proximal longitudinal stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s right elbow;

a fourth sensor set comprising a fourth electromagnetic energy emitter, a fourth electromagnetic energy receiver, and a fourth distal-to-proximal longitudinal stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s left elbow;

and a data processor which measures body motion by analyzing changes in the flows of electromagnetic energy through electromagnetic energy pathways in the four sensor sets.

13. The smart shirt in claim 12 wherein a helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway has a spiral shape.

14. The smart shirt in claim 12 wherein a distal portion of the helical stretching and/or bending sensor is configured to spiral at least once around a lower arm or lower leg and a proximal portion of the helical stretching and/or bending sensor is configured to spiral at least once around an upper arm or upper leg, respectively.

15. The smart shirt in claim 12 wherein the electromagnetic energy emitter transmits electrical energy into one end of the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway and the electromagnetic energy receiver receives this electrical energy from the other end of the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway.

16. The smart shirt in claim 12 wherein the resistance, impedance, capacitance and/or conductivity of the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway is changed as the pathway stretches and/or bends.

17. The smart shirt in claim 12 wherein the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway further comprises one or more undulating, wavy, and/or sinusoidal electroconductive threads, yarns, or fibers.

18. The smart shirt in claim 12 wherein the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway further comprises two or more layers, wherein at least one layer is electroconductive.

19. The smart shirt in claim 12 wherein the helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway is woven into the fabric of the article of clothing.

20. A smart shirt for ambulatory human motion capture comprising:

a shirt which is worn by a person;

a first sensor set comprising a first electromagnetic energy emitter, a first electromagnetic energy receiver, and a first helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s right elbow;

a second sensor set comprising a second electromagnetic energy emitter, a second electromagnetic energy receiver, and a second helical stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s left elbow;

a third sensor set comprising a third electromagnetic energy emitter, a third electromagnetic energy receiver, and a third longitudinal stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s right elbow;

a fourth sensor set comprising a fourth electromagnetic energy emitter, a fourth electromagnetic energy receiver, a fourth longitudinal stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s left elbow;

a fifth sensor set comprising a fifth electromagnetic energy emitter, a fifth electromagnetic energy receiver, and a fifth longitudinal stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s right elbow;

a sixth sensor set comprising a sixth electromagnetic energy emitter, a sixth electromagnetic energy receiver, and a sixth longitudinal stretching and/or bending electromagnetic energy pathway which spans the person'"'"'s left elbow;

a seventh sensor set comprising a seventh distal inertial motion sensor distal from the person'"'"'s right elbow and a seventh proximal inertial motion sensor proximal from the person'"'"'s right elbow; and

an eighth sensor set comprising an eighth distal inertial motion sensor distal from the person'"'"'s left elbow and an eighth proximal inertial motion sensor proximal from the person'"'"'s left elbow.