Systems, articles and methods for wearable electronic devices that accommodate different user forms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10152082-B2
Application number	US-201414276575-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2014
Priority date	May 13, 2013
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

Wearable electronic devices that provide robustness against variations in user form are described. The wearable electronic devices include a set of pod structures arranged in an annular configuration having a variable circumference, with adaptive physical coupling between adjacent pairs of pod structures. Adaptive physical coupling advantageously accommodates different user sizes, forms, and movements and enhances the overall ergonomics of the wearable electronic devices. Adaptive physical coupling also maintains substantially constant and/or equal angular spacing between components of the wearable electronic devices regardless of the form of the user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A closed annular wearable electronic device having a variable circumference, the closed annular wearable electronic device comprising:
a first pod structure positioned at least approximately on the circumference, wherein the first pod structure includes a first housing formed of a substantially rigid material, the first housing including an inner volume that contains a first electrical circuitry and a first sensor to detect a signal from a user;
a second pod structure positioned at least approximately on the circumference, wherein the second pod structure includes a second housing formed of a substantially rigid material, the second housing including an inner volume that contains a second electrical circuitry and a second sensor to detect a signal from the user, and wherein the first and the second sensors are physically spaced apart from one another by a circumferential spacing C and by an angular spacing θ;
at least one continuous, closed annular adaptive coupler that physically couples the first pod structure and the second pod structure, wherein a length of the at least one adaptive coupler is variable and the circumferential spacing C between the first and second sensors is variable, and wherein the angular spacing θ between the first and the second sensors is at least approximately constant regardless of the length of the at least one adaptive coupler; and
at least one flexible electrical connection that communicatively couples the first electrical circuitry to the second electrical circuitry, the at least one flexible electrical connection in a folded configuration when the circumferential spacing C is at a minimum and the at least one flexible electrical connection at least partially unfolded from the folded configuration when the circumferential spacing C is greater than the minimum.

2. The closed annular wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor is selected from a group consisting of: an electromyography sensor; a magnetomyography sensor; a mechanomyography sensor; a blood pressure sensor; a heart rate sensor; an accelerometer; a gyroscope; a compass; and a thermometer.

3. The closed annular wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first electrical circuitry and the second electrical circuitry include at least one component selected from a group consisting of: an amplification circuit, an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, a battery, a wireless transmitter, and a connector port.

4. The closed annular wearable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the at least one adaptive coupler includes at least one elastic band.

5. The closed annular wearable electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third pod structure positioned at least approximately on the circumference, wherein the at least one adaptive coupler physically couples the second pod structure and the third pod structure.

6. The closed annular wearable electronic device of claim 5 wherein the third pod structure includes a third housing formed of a substantially rigid material, the third housing including an inner volume that contains a third electrical circuitry and a third sensor to detect a signal from the user, the second and third sensors physically spaced apart from one another by the circumferential spacing C and by the angular spacing θ, and wherein the circumferential spacing C between the second and the third sensors is variable and the angular spacing θ between the second and the third sensors is at least approximately constant regardless of the length of the at least one adaptive coupler.

7. The closed annular wearable electronic device of claim 6 wherein the angular spacing θ between the second and the third sensors is at least approximately equal to the angular spacing θ between the first and the second sensors.

8. The closed annular wearable electronic device of claim 6 , further comprising:
at least one additional pod structure positioned at least approximately on the circumference, wherein each one of the first pod structure, the second pod structure, the third pod structure, and the at least one additional pod structure is positioned adjacent two other ones of the first pod structure, the second pod structure, the third pod structure, and the at least one additional pod structure, and wherein the at least one adaptive coupler provides physical adaptive coupling between each pair of adjacent pod structures and each respective physical adaptive coupling between each pair of adjacent pod structures has a variable length.

9. The closed annular wearable electronic device of claim 8 wherein each additional pod structure includes a respective housing formed of a substantially rigid material, the respective housing including an inner volume that contains a respective electrical circuitry and a respective sensor to detect a signal from the user, the respective sensors in each pair of adjacent pod structures physically spaced apart from one another by the circumferential spacing C and by the angular spacing θ, and wherein the circumferential spacing C between the respective sensors in each pair of adjacent pod structures is variable and the angular spacing θ between the respective sensors in each pair of adjacent pod structures is at least approximately constant regardless of the length of the at least one adaptive coupler providing physical adaptive coupling between each pair of adjacent pod structures.

10. The closed annular wearable electronic device of claim 9 wherein the angular spacing θ between the respective sensors in each pair of adjacent pod structures is at least approximately equal.

11. A wearable electronic device comprising:
a set of pod structures arranged in a closed annular configuration having a variable continuous circumference, each pod structure in the set of pod structures including a respective housing formed of a substantially rigid material, the respective housing of each pod structure in the set of pod structures including a respective inner volume that contains a respective electrical circuitry and a respective sensor to detect signals from a user, wherein each pod structure in the set of pod structures is positioned adjacent two other pod structures in the set of pod structures at least approximately on the continuous circumference, and wherein the respective sensors of each pair of adjacent pod structures are physically spaced apart from one another in the closed annular configuration by a circumferential spacing C and an angular spacing θ;
at least one closed continuous annular adaptive coupler that physically couples each pod structure in the set of pod structures to two adjacent pod structures in the set of pod structures and physically binds the set of pod structures in the closed continuous annular configuration, wherein a length of the at least one adaptive coupler is variable and the circumferential spacing C between the respective sensors of each pair of adjacent pod structures is variable, and wherein the angular spacing θ between the respective sensors of each pair of adjacent pod structures is at least approximately constant regardless of the length of the at least one adaptive coupler; and
a set of flexible electrical connections, wherein each flexible electrical connection communicatively couples a respective pair of two of the electrical circuitries, each flexible electrical connection in a folded configuration when the circumferential spacing C is at a minimum and each flexible electrical connection at least partially unfolded from the folded configuration when the circumferential spacing C is greater than the minimum.

12. The wearable electron

Assignees

• Thalmic Labs Inc
• North Inc

Inventors

• Bailey Matthew

Classifications

• G06F3/015

  Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection · CPC title

• G06F1/1694

  the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer · CPC title

• G06F1/163 Primary

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• G06F1/1692

  the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders · CPC title

• G06F1/1656

  Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories (mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203) · CPC title