Wearable apparatus with a stretch sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016270700-A1
Application number	US-201514664095-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 20, 2015
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques and configurations for a wearable sensor apparatus. In one instance, the apparatus may comprise a flexible substrate and conductive fabric component that comprises a first length and that may be attachably mounted on the flexible substrate. The conductive fabric component, in response to a direct or indirect application of external force to the flexible substrate, may stretch between the first length and a second length that is greater than the first length, and generate an electric parameter based at least in part on an amount of the applied external force. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
a flexible substrate; and a conductive fabric component that comprises a first length and that is attachably mounted on the flexible substrate, wherein the conductive fabric component, in response to a direct or indirect application of external force to the flexible substrate, is to stretch between the first length and a second length that is greater than the first length, and to generate an electric parameter based at least in part on an amount of the applied external force.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate is a first flexible substrate, wherein the apparatus further comprises a second flexible substrate, wherein the first flexible substrate is attachably mounted on the second flexible substrate, wherein the external force is applied to the second flexible substrate.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first flexible substrate comprises a first thickness and the second flexible substrate comprises a second thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, wherein a range of the application of external force corresponds to the first thickness and the second thickness, wherein the range of the application of external force is to enable the stretch of the conductive fabric component between the first and second lengths.

4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first and second flexible substrates include at least a selected one of: elastic fabric, elastomer, or polymer, wherein the application of external force corresponds to a ratio of the first thickness to the second thickness.

5 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second flexible substrate is stretchable to a third length, wherein the third length is by at least an order of magnitude greater than the second length.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
electrical contacts disposed around respective ends of the conductive fabric component, to provide readings of the electrical parameter generated in response to the stretch of the conductive fabric component between the first and second lengths; and circuitry coupled with the electrical contacts, to receive and process readings of the electric parameter.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the electric parameter comprises resistance, wherein the circuitry includes:
a resistive potential divider circuit coupled with the electrical contacts, to generate voltage in response to a change in resistance caused by the stretch of the conductive fabric component; and an amplifier coupled to the resistive potential divider circuit, to receive the generated voltage and to provide an output voltage signal in response to the stretch of the conductive fabric component.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second length is greater than the first length by about 10% of the first length.

9 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the apparatus is a wearable system having a body conformal to a human body part, wherein the second flexible substrate is disposable on the conformable body of the wearable system.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the conformal body includes the second flexible substrate.

11 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the apparatus further comprises:
one or more inertial measurement units (IMU) disposed around the conformal body; and a digital node communicatively coupled with the one or more IMU, to supply power to the one or more IMU and to receive, convert, and process the measurements provided by the IMU and to provide the processed measurements to an external aggregating device for further processing.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the digital node is communicatively coupled with the one or more IMU via respective one or more wired connections that are disposed in the conformal body of the wearable system.

13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising one or more sensors disposed in the conformal body and communicatively coupled with the digital front end node, to provide readings of the sensors to the digital node.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the one or more sensors include at least selected ones of: electromyography (EMG) sensors, temperature sensors, sweat chemical sensors, or motion sensors.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the wearable system comprises a wearable knee strap, a wearable chest strap, a wearable neck strap, a wearable wrist strap, or a wearable foot strap, wherein the external aggregating device comprises a mobile computing device.

16 . A wearable system, comprising:
a stretch sensor, including a flexible substrate and a conductive fabric component that comprises a first length and that is attachably mounted on the flexible substrate, wherein the conductive fabric component, in response to a direct or indirect application of external force to the flexible substrate, is to stretch between the first length and a second length that is greater than the first length, and to generate an electric parameter based at least in part on an amount of the applied external force; and circuitry communicatively coupled with the stretch sensor, wherein the circuitry is to receive and process readings of the electric parameter provided by the stretch sensor.

17 . The wearable system of claim 16 , wherein the wearable system further comprises:
a body that is conformal to a human body part; one or more inertial measurement units (IMU) disposed around the conformal body; and a digital node communicatively coupled with circuitry and the one or more IMU, to:
supply power to the one or more IMU;
receive, convert, and process the measurements provided by the IMU and the electric parameter provided by the stretch sensor; and
provide the processed measurements to an external aggregating device for further processing.

18 . The wearable system of claim 17 , wherein the flexible substrate is a first flexible substrate, wherein the wearable system further comprises a second flexible substrate, wherein the first flexible substrate is attachably mounted on the second flexible substrate, wherein the second flexible substrate is disposable on the conformable body of the wearable system.

19 . The wearable system of claim 17 , wherein the digital node is communicatively coupled with the one or more IMU via respective one or more wired connections that are disposed in the conformal body of the wearable system.

20 . The wearable system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more wired connections comprise a multi-wire bus to carry a power signal, ground, and one or more signals corresponding to the one or more IMU.

21 . The wearable system of claim 17 , further comprising one or more sensors disposed in the conformal body and communicatively coupled with the digital front end node, to provide readings of the sensors to the digital node.

22 . A method of fabricating a wearable system, comprising:
disposing a digital node on a substrate comprising a conformal body of the wearable system; disposing a stretch sensor on the substrate, the stretch sensor including a flexible substrate and a conductive fabric component that comprises a first length and that is attachably mounted on the flexible substrate, wherein the conductive fabric component, in response to a direct or indirect application of external force to the flexible substrate, is to stretch between the first length and a second length that is greater than the first length, and to generate an electric paramete

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Baxi Amit S
• Mageshkumar Vincent S

Classifications

• A61B5/6831

  Straps, bands or harnesses · CPC title

• A61B5/1121 Primary

  Determining geometric values, e.g. centre of rotation or angular range of movement · CPC title

• A61B5/1118

  Determining activity level · CPC title

• A61B5/6828

  Leg · CPC title

• A61B2562/166

  the sensor is mounted on a specially adapted printed circuit board · CPC title