Method and apparatus for limb circumference measurement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10743795-B2
Application number	US-201715656527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2017
Priority date	Jul 21, 2017
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining a first plurality of circumference measurements, each of the first plurality of circumference measurements corresponding to a first circumference around a limb of a person at a respective one of a plurality of locations of the limb, each of the first plurality of circumference measurements being obtained from a respective one of a plurality of elastic measurement elements that is positioned at a respective one of the locations; determining, based upon the first plurality of circumference measurements, a first geometric profile along a length of the limb; and outputting data representing the first geometric profile. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a sleeve, wherein the sleeve has a first length that spans from a first end of the sleeve to a second end of the sleeve, wherein the sleeve has a first non-expanded circumference at a first location along the first length of the sleeve, wherein the sleeve has a second non-expanded circumference at a second location along the first length of the sleeve and wherein the sleeve has a third non-expanded circumference at a third location along the first length of the sleeve;
a first elastic measurement element attached to the sleeve at the first location, the first elastic measurement element traversing a first portion of the first non-expanded circumference, the first elastic measurement element having a first end and a second end, and the first elastic measurement element being attached to the sleeve such that there is a first gap between the first end of the first elastic measurement element and the second end of the first elastic measurement element;
a second elastic measurement element attached to the sleeve at the second location, the second elastic measurement element traversing a second portion of the second non-expanded circumference;
a third elastic measurement element attached to the sleeve at the third location, the third elastic measurement element traversing a third portion of the third non-expanded circumference;
a first conductor;
a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
obtaining, from the first elastic measurement element, a first value representative of a first expanded circumference of the sleeve at a point in time when the sleeve is disposed on a limb of a person;
obtaining, from the second elastic measurement element, a second value representative of a second expanded circumference of the sleeve at the point in time when the sleeve is disposed on the limb of the person, the second value being obtained via the first conductor that is routed through the first gap;
obtaining, from the third elastic measurement element, a third value representative of a third expanded circumference of the sleeve at the point in time when the sleeve is disposed on the limb of the person;
determining, based upon the first value, the second value, and the third value, a geometric profile along a second length of the limb; and
outputting, to a computing device, data representing the geometric profile, the outputting of the data to the computing device enabling the computing device to present via a display a graphic visualization of a difference between the geometric profile and another geometric profile of the limb of the person that had been determined at another point in time that is different from the point in time at which the geometric profile had been determined.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first elastic measurement element comprises a first elastic resistive element, wherein a first expansion of the first elastic resistive element provides a first change in resistance that correlates to the first expansion of the first elastic resistive element;
the second elastic measurement element comprises a second elastic resistive element, wherein a second expansion of the second elastic resistive element provides a second change in resistance that correlates to the second expansion of the second elastic resistive element; and
the third elastic measurement element comprises a third elastic resistive element, wherein a third expansion of the third elastic resistive element provides a third change in resistance that correlates to the third expansion of the third elastic resistive element.

3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second conductor;
wherein the second elastic measurement element has a first end and a second end, and wherein the second elastic measurement element is attached to the sleeve such that there is a second gap between the first end of the second elastic measurement element and the second end of the second elastic measurement element;
wherein the first conductor is routed through the first gap to direct a first signal from the second elastic measurement element to the processing system; and
wherein the second conductor is routed through the second gap and the first gap to direct a second signal from the third elastic measurement element to the processing system.

4. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second conductor electrically connected with the second elastic measurement element and a third conductor electrically connected with the third elastic measurement element, the first conductor being electrically connected with the first elastic measurement element.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first elastic measurement element is disposed on the sleeve, the first elastic measurement element is disposed in the sleeve, or any combination thereof;
the second elastic measurement element is disposed on the sleeve, the second elastic measurement element is disposed in the sleeve, or any combination thereof; and
the third elastic measurement element is disposed on the sleeve, the third elastic measurement element is disposed in the sleeve, or any combination thereof.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first end of the sleeve is open and the second end of the sleeve is closed, such that the sleeve is in a form of a sock or a glove.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the computing device comprises the display.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the difference between the geometric profile and the another geometric profile is shown as a shaded area.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first end of the sleeve is open and the second end of the sleeve is open, such that the sleeve is in a form of a cuff or an arm band.

10. A machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
obtaining a first plurality of circumference measurements, each of the first plurality of circumference measurements corresponding to a respective first circumference around a limb of a person at a respective one of a plurality of locations of the limb, each of the first plurality of circumference measurements being obtained from a respective one of a plurality of elastic measurement elements that is positioned at a respective one of the locations, each of the plurality of elastic measurement elements being attached to a sleeve that has a first length, a first one of the plurality of elastic measurement elements being disposed partially around the sleeve such that between a first end of the first one of the plurality of elastic measurement elements and a second end of the first one of the plurality of elastic measurement elements there is a first gap; a conductor being attached to a second one of the plurality of elastic measurement elements, and the conductor being routed from the second one of the plurality of elastic measurement elements through the first gap that is associated with the first one of the plurality of elastic measurement elements to direct a signal from the second one of the plurality of elastic measurement elements to the system;
determining, based upon the first plurality of circumference measurements, a first geometric profile along a second length of the limb;
obtaining a second plurality of circumference measurements, each of the second plurality of circumference measurements corresponding to a respective second circumference around the limb of the person at the respective one of the plurality of locations of the limb, t

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Morris Nadia
• Mohamed Mohamed
• Yu Shaoda

Classifications

• G01B7/12

  for measuring diameters · CPC title

• G01B7/287

  using a plurality of fixed, simultaneously operating transducers (G01B7/293 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B5/025

  Measuring of circumference; Measuring length of ring-shaped articles (G01B5/0035 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A41H1/02

  Devices for taking measurements on the human body · CPC title

• G01B7/18

  using change in resistance · CPC title