Wearable apparatus performing diagnostic operation and operating method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025172614-A1
Application number	US-202418953749-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2024
Priority date	Nov 28, 2023
Publication date	May 29, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wearable apparatus may generate a second voltage based on a first voltage used by a motor, consume an electromotive force generated by the motor through a discharging circuit including one or more resistors when the second voltage is greater than or equal to a reference voltage, output a diagnostic voltage generated based on the first voltage, a resistor in the discharging circuit, and one or more electrical elements, and determine whether the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state based on at least one of a voltage value of the second voltage or a voltage value of the diagnostic voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wearable apparatus comprising:
a motor; a conversion circuit configured to generate a second voltage based on a first voltage to be used by the motor; a discharging circuit comprising one or more resistors, and configured to consume an electromotive force generated by the motor through at least the one or more resistors when the second voltage is greater than or equal to a reference voltage; a diagnostic circuit comprising one or more electrical circuit elements and configured to output a diagnostic voltage generated based on the first voltage, a resistor in the discharging circuit, and the one or more electrical circuit elements; and at least one processor, comprising processing circuitry, individually and/or collectively configured to receive the second voltage from the conversion circuit, receive the output diagnostic voltage from the diagnostic circuit, and determine whether the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state based on at least one of a voltage value of the second voltage or a voltage value of the received diagnostic voltage.

2 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the abnormal state corresponds to a first abnormal state comprising an electrical open state of the discharging circuit and a second abnormal state comprising an electrical short state of the discharging circuit, and
wherein the one or more electrical circuit elements comprises a resistor.

3 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to determine whether the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state through at least an amount of change in the second voltage during a time interval from a first time point, at which the second voltage is greater than or equal to the reference voltage, to a second time point.

4 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to determine whether the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state based on a current value of a current flowing through at least the discharging circuit when the second voltage is greater than or equal to the reference voltage.

5 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to determine whether the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state based on a voltage value of the received diagnostic voltage when the second voltage is less than the reference voltage.

6 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to determine whether a voltage of the received diagnostic voltage corresponds to a first voltage value when a diagnostic request signal for the discharging circuit exists in a pre-exercise state or post-exercise state of a user wearing the wearable apparatus, determine whether the voltage value of the received diagnostic voltage is greater than the first voltage value or corresponds to a second voltage value when the voltage value of the received diagnostic voltage does not correspond to the first voltage value, determine that the discharging circuit is in a first abnormal state when the voltage value of the received diagnostic voltage corresponds to the second voltage value, and determine that the discharging circuit is in a second abnormal state when the voltage value of the received diagnostic voltage is greater than the first voltage value.

7 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to determine whether the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state through a change in the second voltage in an exercising state of a user wearing the wearable apparatus.

8 . The wearable apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to obtain a voltage value of the second voltage at a first time point at which the second voltage is greater than or equal to the reference voltage, obtain the voltage value of the second voltage at a second time point after a predetermined time elapses from the first time point, determine that the discharging circuit is in a first abnormal state when the voltage value at the second time point is greater than the voltage value at the first time point, and determine that the discharging circuit is in a second abnormal state when the voltage value at the second time point is less than the voltage value at the first time point by more than a predetermined level.

9 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to enable a first switch circuit to be in a turned-on state such that the diagnostic circuit is electrically connected to the discharging circuit when the second voltage is less than the reference voltage at a time point at which a diagnostic request signal for the discharging circuit exists, determine whether the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state based on the voltage value of the received diagnostic voltage, enable the first switch circuit to be in a turned-off state when the second voltage is greater than or equal to the reference voltage at a time point at which a diagnostic request signal for the discharging circuit exists, and determine whether the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state based on the voltage value of the second voltage.

10 . The wearable apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the diagnostic request signal is based on the diagnostic request received from an electronic device that is in a wireless communication connection with the wearable apparatus and/or based on as a period of the diagnostic request signal is reached.

11 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to control a report, which indicates that the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state, to be transmitted to at least one of a cloud server and/or an electronic device of a user when it is determined that the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state.

12 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to control the motor to provide a torque to the user in an exercising state of the user wearing the wearable apparatus and control the motor to stop providing the torque to the user when it is determined that the discharging circuit is in an abnormal state in the exercising state.

13 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to output light corresponding to a state of the wearable apparatus, wherein the at least one processor is individually and/or collectively configured to control the one or more LEDs to use the electromotive force as a power source of the one or more LEDs.

14 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a first switch circuit located between at least the discharging circuit and the diagnostic circuit, and configured to connect the discharging circuit to the diagnostic circuit when the first switch circuit is in a turned-on state.

15 . The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a comparison circuit configured to compare the second voltage with the reference voltage; and a second switch circuit configured to be in a turned-on state and/or a turned-off state based on a result of the comparing of the comparison circuit, wherein the discharging circuit is configured to receive and consume the electromotive force when the second switch circuit is in the turned-on state.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jihye

Classifications

• A61H2003/007

  secured to the patient, e.g. with belts · CPC title

• A61H2201/165

  Wearable interfaces · CPC title

• G16H40/40

  for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades · CPC title

• G16H40/67

  for remote operation · CPC title

• G01R31/343 Primary

  in operation · CPC title