Smart hub for smart garment

• US 9,582,038 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2016
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sarvint Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sarvint Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Jayaraman, Sundaresan, Park, Sungmee
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Anthony Q
• Application Number:
  US14/991,422
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for a smart hub for a smart garment including a mate-able top housing and a bottom housing, the top housing configured for engagement with a controller, the controller comprising automated computing machinery for information processing functions for the smart garment; an engagement for mating the top housing and the bottom housing; wherein the top housing and the bottom housing form an interior cavity to house a baseboard and a PCB when mated; a baseboard within the interior cavity including a pattern of lead paths conforming at least to a portion of the pinout of the PCB; a plurality of electrical leads within the one or more of the lead paths providing electrical connectivity from a plurality of terminals of the PCB through the baseboard to the controller when installed and providing structural support to maintain the PCB to the baseboard.

Claims

1. A smart hub for a smart garment, the smart hub comprising:

a mate-able top housing and a bottom housing,

the top housing configured for engagement with a controller, the controller comprising automated computing machinery for information processing functions for the smart garment;

an engagement for mating the top housing and the bottom housing;

wherein the top housing and the bottom housing form an interior cavity to house a baseboard, a temperature sensor, and a printed circuit board (‘

PCB’

) when mated;

a baseboard within the interior cavity including a pattern of lead paths conforming at least to a portion of the pinout of the PCB;

a plurality of electrical leads within the one or more of the lead paths providing electrical connectivity from a plurality of terminals of the PCB through the baseboard to the controller when installed and providing structural support to maintain the PCB to the baseboard.

2. The smart hub of claim 1 further comprising logic correlating the output of the temperature sensor with the body temperature of a wearer of the smart garment.

3. The smart hub of claim 1 further comprising logic correlating the output of the temperature sensor with the temperature of the environment of the smart garment.

4. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the bottom housing is made of thermoplastic material.

5. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the top housing is made of thermoplastic material.

6. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the smart garment includes at least a portion of thermochromic material and the smart hub receives from an optical sensor one or more values associated with the thermochromic material.

7. The smart hub of claim 6 wherein the smart hub includes logic correlating the one or more values associated with the thermochromic material with the body temperature of the wearer of the smart garment.

8. The smart hub of claim 6 wherein the smart hub includes logic correlating the one or move values associated with the thermochromic material with the temperature of the environment of the smart garment.

9. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the controller provides bi-directional communications between components of the smart garment and a peripheral device.

10. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the smart garment includes sensing or information processing components in communication with the PCB of the smart hub.

11. The smart hub of claim 10 wherein at least a portion of the fabric of the smart garment resides between top housing and the bottom housing of the smart hub when the smart hub is installed on the smart garment and one or more electrical leads of the smart garment are in electrical communication with the PCB of the smart hub when the smart hub is installed on the smart garment.

12. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the interior cavity formed by the engagement of the top housing and the bottom housing is a water-resistant interior cavity.

13. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the interior cavity formed by the engagement of the top housing and the bottom housing is potted.

14. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the lead paths comprise guide holes through the baseboard and the electrical leads include pin headers.

15. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the top housing is shaped to receive the controller and to provide frictional engagement to secure the controller.

16. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the top housing has an aperture exposing at least a portion of the baseboard and the electrical leads through the baseboard.

17. The smart hub of claim 1 wherein the top housing has an aperture exposing a magnetic engagement corresponding with a magnetic engagement of the controller.