Control algorithm for helmet with wireless sensor

• US 9,075,405 B1
• Filed: 02/05/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kiomars Anvari
• Original Assignee: Kiomars Anvari
• Inventors: Anvari, Kiomars
• Primary Examiner(s): KENNEDY, JOSHUA T
• Application Number:
  US13/815,154
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 242/5, 2410-421, 702/41, 702/43, 700/285, 700/28, 701/301, 340/686.6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/046 Means for detecting hazards or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0486 Airbags
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/021 in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance

Abstract

A control algorithm for helmet with wireless sensor system for monitoring of surrounding objects. The control algorithm comprises of an outer antenna loop to use one of the antennas for transmission, an inner transmission and reception loop to transmit from one antenna and receive from one or more antennas to measure speed, distance and direction of an approaching object to determine when and where an impact will occur, and a number of stiffenable and destiffenable pads installed on the helmet and external to the helmet that will be activated prior to an impact.

Claims

1. A helmet comprising:

at least one pad that is stiffenable and destiffenable;

a wireless sensor system comprising;

a pool of distributed antennas for transmission and reception;

a pool of transmitters and receivers to transmit a signal and receive reflected signals;

a computing device with memory to execute a control algorithm;

the control algorithm comprising;

an executable main program with a random wait or idle time that executes the control algorithm using a number of functions or subroutines to identify objects in surrounding environment of the helmet, and uses received reflected signals from surrounding objects to retrieve the information data for validation and calculation/estimation of direction, distance and the speed of any surrounding objects approaching the helmet to determine if any pad of the at least one pad, internal or external to the helmet, needs to be activated.

2. The helmet comprising a wireless sensor system of claim 1, wherein a transmit and receive function or subroutine uses an antenna pair from a pool of antenna pairs of said pool of distributed antennas to transmit a defined signal and receive the reflected signals from various objects in a surrounding environment.

3. The helmet comprising a wireless sensor system of claim 1, wherein, a transmit and receive function or subroutine uses a single transmit antenna from said pool of distributed antennas to transmit a defined signal and two or more receivers with associated receive antennas in the wireless sensor system to receive the reflected signals from various objects in the helmet'"'"'s surrounding environment.

4. The helmet comprising a wireless sensor system of claim 1, wherein a function or subroutine evaluates the reflected signals, determines their validity and stores the valid signal information in the memory.

5. The helmet comprising a wireless sensor system of claim 4, wherein a function or subroutine uses the stored valid received signals information to estimate the direction, distance, and approaching speed of various objects in helmet'"'"'s surrounding environment.

6. The helmet comprising a wireless sensor system of claim 1, wherein a function or subroutine uses a random generator to calculate both active time and idle time for said executable main program to minimize probability of any collisions of helmet'"'"'s reflected signals from surrounding objects with signals received from other helmets or devices.

7. The helmet comprising a wireless sensor system of claim 1, wherein a function or subroutine utilizes the estimated direction, distance, and speed of various objects in helmet'"'"'s surrounding environment and the stored pre-defined data to decide to activate certain of the at least one stiffenable and destiffenable pads.

8. The helmet comprising a wireless sensor system of claim 1, wherein the computing device with memory is an application specific signal processor (ASSP), a multi-core CPU, a digital signal processor (DSP), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).