Wearable motion sensing device

• US 9,470,704 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2013
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NICE North America LLC
• Original Assignee: Nortek Security & Control LLC (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Inventors: Nadkarni, Vijay, Jangle, Jeetendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Desta, Elias
• Application Number:
  US13/975,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,151 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/25 Bioelectric electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6802 Sensor mounted on worn items
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6822 Neck
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/12 Recording devices indicating working conditions of vehicles G07C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A wearable motion sensing device is disclosed. One embodiment of the wearable motion sensing device includes a motion sensor, and a pendant that is attached to the wearable motion sensing device, wherein the pendant is attached to the wearable motion sensing device at a location of the wearable motion sensor relative to the motion sensor that when worn by a human being, a mass of the pendant urges the motion sensor towards the human being.

Claims

1. A wearable motion sensing device, comprising:

a necklace,

a motion sensor attached to the necklace; and

a pendant attached to the necklace, wherein the motion sensor is attached to the necklace at a diametrically opposed location of the necklace as to where the pendant is attached to the necklace, wherein a mass of the pendant urges the motion sensor towards a back of a neck of the human being when the necklace is worn by the human being;

wherein the necklace further comprises insulated electrical conductors that electrically connect the motion sensor to the pendant, allowing a power supply of the pendant to provide electrical power to the motion sensor; and

wherein the pendant is detachable from the necklace and the pendant includes a processor circuit configured to detect whether the pendant is attached to the necklace and;

if the pendant is detected to be attached to the necklace, then the processor circuit is further configured to identify motion of the motion sensor, and

if the pendant is detected to be detached from the necklace, then the processor circuit is further configured to identify motion of the pendant.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the necklace further comprises insulated electrical conductors that electrically connect the motion sensor to the pendant, allowing the processor of the pendant to receive sensed signals of the motion sensor.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the pendant comprises at least one of a battery, a central processing unit, wireless communications circuitry, an audio beeper, and a microphone.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor senses motion of the human being, and electrical circuitry of the pendant monitors the sensed motion.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the motion sensor comprises at least one accelerometer for generating an acceleration signature based on the sensed acceleration of the motion sensor, and wherein the pendant comprises:

means for matching the acceleration signature with at least one of a plurality of stored acceleration signatures, wherein each stored acceleration signatures corresponds with a type of motion; and

means for identifying the type of on of the motion sensor based on the matching of the acceleration signature.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor further comprises a temperature sensor.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor further comprises a moisture sensor.

8. The de vice of claim 1, further comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and the pendant further comprising an electrocardiogram processor, the pendant electrocardiogram processor configured to receive an electrical signal from the human being via the first and second electrodes.

9. A method of detecting motion of a human, comprising:

generating an acceleration signature based on acceleration of a motion sensor that is coupled to a necklace and is configured to be worn at a rear neck area of the human;

detecting, using a processor circuit in a pendant that is attachable to the necklace, whether the pendant is attached to the motion sensor; and

when the processor circuit detects that the pendant is attached to the motion sensor, identifying a type of motion of the motion sensor, and

when the processor circuit detects that the pendant is not attached to the motion sensor, identifying a type of motion of the pendant;

wherein the motion sensor includes one or more accelerometers that detect motion of the human.

10. A method of detecting motion of a human, comprising:

placing a wearable motion sensing device on the human, the wearable motion sensing device including a pendant that is attached to the wearable motion sensing device at a location of the wearable motion sensing device relative to a motion sensor of the wearable motion sensing device wherein a mass of the pendant urges the motion sensor towards the human being;

generating an acceleration signature based on sensed acceleration of the motion sensor;

wherein motion sensor includes accelerometers that detects motion of the motion sensor, and the pendant comprises processing circuitry for matching and identifying a type of motion;

wherein the motion sensor includes accelerometers that detect motion of the motion sensor, and the pendant comprises processing circuitry for matching and identifying a type of motion; and

further comprising;

the pendant detecting whether it is attached to the wearable motion sensing device;

if the pendant is attached to the wearable motion sensing device, then the pendant matching and identifying motion of the motion sensor; and

if the pendant is not attached to the wearable motion sensing device, then the pendant matching and identifying motion of the pendant.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wearable motion sensing device distributes an acceleration signature matching processing if a processing capability is available to the wearable motion sensing device through available network connections, wherein distributing the acceleration signature matching processing saves the wearable motion sensing device processing power.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the wearable motion sensing device distributes an acceleration signature matching processing if the processing capability is available to the wearable motion sensing device through available network connections, wherein distributing the acceleration signature matching processing increases a speed of the processing of the wearable motion sensing device.