Patent Application
20220331195
The present invention relates generally to the field of assistive devices, compression apparel, and soft wearable robotics, and more specifically to active compression garments for rehabilitation, sports, recreation and increasing quality of life for its users. Even more specifically, the present invention uses air microfluidics and air minifluidics techniques to create fully untethered, ultra lightweight, ultra formfitting and aesthetically pleasing active compression apparel to enhance the user's mobility, relieve pain, and increase comfort.
Exoskeletons and rigid braces may have, by and large, occupied the realm of assistive devices and may have been categorized as “hard” assistive devices, which may have been either active or passive systems.
Soft wearable robotics may have been orthotics or prosthetics. The majority of soft wearable robotics may have used soft fluidic actuators to provide assistance to the human body. This assistance may typically have come in the form of an augmenting force or torque. The soft fluidic actuators may have been actuated by liquid or gas. Compared to traditional hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, soft fluidic actuators may be more lightweight, smaller in size, less bulky, more compliant, and/or cheaper to fabricate. Typically, soft wearable robots may have had multiple independently controlled fluidic chambers, and these fluidic chambers are usually controlled by valves to actively inflate and deflate. The timing and/or sequencing of these valves may have been typically determined by software programming. Another type of timing and sequencing may have been determined by adjusting the material property and thickness of the walls of each fluidic chamber. These types of fluidic actuators may have been useful in creating propulsion via torque around a joint or limb, but may not have been ideal for compression.
Although soft fluidic actuators may have been compliant and/or form-fitting, their control system still may have been bulky and/or large which may have made overall systems challenging to become untethered. Untethering the systems typically may have required reducing the number and/or shrinking the size of valves to reduce the weight of the control system. Shrinking the size of valves still may pose challenges of mechanical failures and/or increases to the cost of fabrication. Hence, it may have been unsustainable and/or challenging to scale up for commercial production. Reducing the number of solenoid valves might pose challenges of functionality and/or aesthetics of soft fluidic actuators.
Patent reference WO 2015/102723 A2 may disclose a mechanically programmed soft fluidic actuator that may be configured to bend, linearly extend, contract, twist or combinations thereof with usage of a sleeve wrapped around part of the soft actuator.
Patent reference WO 2015/050853 A1 may disclose methods of using and/or making a soft composite fluidic actuator, potentially including an elastomeric layer, a strain limiting layer, and/or a radially constraining layer. All such layers may have been bonded together to form a bladder for holding pressurized fluid.
Patent reference U.S. Pat. No. 9,945,397 B2 may disclose systems and/or methods for actuating soft robotic actuators.
Patent reference U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,463 B1 may disclose methods and/or apparatus for controlling fluid flow through flow paths with pressure gradient fluid control. Passive fluid flow elements such as barriers may have allowed for fluid flow to be regulated.
Patent reference US 2018/0143091 A1 may disclose an artificial skin and/or elastic strain formed by filling channels in an elastic substrate material with a conductive liquid.
Patent reference WO 2013/033669 A2 may disclose an actively controlled wearable orthotic device and/or active modular elastomer sleeve for wearable orthotic devices. The orthotic device may be used for locomotion assistance, gait rehabilitation, and/or gait training.
Patent reference WO 2018/220596 A2 may disclose a soft portable wearable pneumatic interactive suit for communication and/or information transfer between users and/or machines. The interactive suit may include actuators, sensing elements, and/or a portable control device.
Patent reference EP 1 133 652 B1 may disclose a manifold system of removable components for distribution of fluids.
Patent reference U.S. Pat. No. 7,976,795 B2 may disclose a microfluidics system comprising a pneumatic manifold having apertures, and a chip manifold having channels disposed for routing pneumatic signals from respective apertures to valves in a microfluidic chip.
Patent reference U.S. Pat. No. 8,595,922 B2 may disclose a method for making flexible silicone cable system integrated with snap washers. The silicone cable system may transport fluid.
Patent reference US 2017/0128008 A1 may disclose a process and/or method for making flexible and/or wearable microfluidic channel structures and/or devices. The microfluidic channel structures and/or devices may be printed on textiles.
Patent reference U.S. Pat. No. 8,657,772 B2 may disclose a wearable device having feedback characteristics that may be integrated with a compliant article for providing a user with information regarding a range of motion parameters of a joint and/or to condition users to maintain proper joint orientations.
Patent reference WO 2018/222930 A1 may disclose textile actuators made out of a fluid bladder surrounded by a textile envelope that may be worn by a user for displacing a body segment of the user and/or may support and/or hold the body segment of the user in place.
Patent reference US 2017/0239821 A1 may disclose a soft robotic device with embedded sensors.
Patent reference US 2012/0238914 A1 may disclose an actively controlled orthotic device. The orthotic device may be applied to the wrist, elbow, torso, and/or another body part.
Patent reference US 2015/0148619 A1 may disclose a wearable system for monitoring biometric signals of a user.
Patent reference U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,020 B1 may disclose methods of controlling fluid flow through microchannels by use of passive valves or stopping means in the microchannels.
Patent reference U.S. Pat. No. 8,286,665 B2 may disclose multiplexed latching valves for microfluidic devices and/or processors that may be used to form pneumatic logic circuits.
Patent reference US 2010/0292706 A1 may disclose a modular, scalable, layerable balloon actuator and/or actuator array.
Patent reference U.S. Pat. No. 9,652,037 B2 may disclose a human-computer interface system having an exoskeleton that may be configured to apply a force to a body segment of the user.
The prior art canvassed above, however, may have suffered from one or more significant problems and/or shortcomings. For example, all this prior art may have suffered from one or more of the following problems: (a) lack of wearability regarding on-the-go usage; (b) inefficient and/or bulky actuation hardware; (c) using only constant passive compression methods; (d) unable to achieve sequential actuation and/or selective actuation of a plurality of balloon actuators; (e) inefficient large volume balloon actuators; and/or (f) poor user compliance, perhaps at least in part due to mechanical, electronics, and/or software shortcomings.
What may be needed is an air microfluidics and air minifluidics enabled active compression device, apparel, and/or method, or a wearable air microfluidics and minifluidics device, garment, and method for active compression.
It may be desirable to provide a device, garment, and/or method that uses novel air microfluidics and air minifluidics to miniaturize the control system of active compression apparels by replacing numerous electromechanical valves with one or more much more compact air microfluidic chips. The miniaturized control system may present better efficiency, less bulk, and/or novel sequential inflation and/or deflation, and/or selection methods for a plurality and/or an array of balloon actuators (i.e., otherwise known as air chambers or pneumatic bladders).
Additionally or instead, it may be desirable to provide a device, garment, and/or method that may preferably, and without being bound by theory or analogy, uses the theory of equivalent hydraulic resistance and/or an electrical circuit analogy, and/or otherwise minimizes the usage of numerous pressure sensors during the inflation/deflation of a plurality or an array of balloon actuators, which is coined “digital soft fluidic actuation” as the amount of compression can be controlled without knowing each individual balloon actuator's pressure.
Yet further, it may be advantageous to provide a device, garment, and/or method that uses an array of balloon actuators, which allow for better distribution of compression compared to a single large air chamber and/or allows for sequential inflation and/or deflation.
It may be desirable to provide a device, garment, and/or method that may find advantageous utility in association with one or more of the following applications: (i) Osteoarthritic knee unloading braces—unicompartmental and/or multicompartmental unloading and proprioception; (ii) Lymphedema treatment; (iii) Deep vein thrombosis treatment; (iv) Dynamic prosthetic socket liners; (v) Joint stabilization sleeves—post-surgery or prophylactic; (vi) Neck and back massages; (vii) Repetitive strain injury treatment, including, for example, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and/or carpal tunnel; (viii) Workout massages—warmup and lactic acid removal; and/or (ix) Athleisure apparel, i.e. yoga pants, compression clothing, and sports bras—movement/posture synchronized force tactile sensation and haptics during a workout.
It may be an object according to one aspect of the invention to provide an air microfluidics and air minifluidics enabled active compression device, apparel, and/or method.
It may be an object according to one aspect of the invention to provide a wearable air microfluidics and minifluidics device, garment, and method for active compression.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate one or more disadvantages and/or shortcomings associated with the prior art, to meet or provide for one or more needs and/or advantages, and/or to achieve one or more objects of the invention—one or more of which may preferably be readily appreciable by and/or suggested to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings and/or disclosures hereof.
According to the invention, there is disclosed a wearable air microfluidics and minifluidics device, for use with one or more garments worn by a user. The device preferably includes balloon actuators, an air channel module, a pneumatic module, one or more sensors, and a control module. The balloon actuators are preferably integrated with the garments, and apply one or more predetermined forces to one or more anatomical portions of the user's body when inflated with gas. The forces preferably include active compression and/or augmenting forces. (Persons having ordinary skill in the art should readily appreciate, in view of the disclosures herein, that the term “balloon actuators” may be broad enough to reasonably encompass anything that, through inflation and/or deflation, can apply the forces to the anatomical portions of the user's body—including, for example, tube actuators among other things.) The air channel module preferably includes one or more small-scale air channels in fluid communication with the balloon actuators. The small-scale air channels preferably include air micro channels and/or air mini channels. The pneumatic module preferably is in fluid communication via the small-scale air channels with the balloon actuators. The pneumatic module, when activated, preferably induces flow of the gas under pressure, through the small-scale air channels, to the balloon actuators. The sensors preferably are integrated with the garments, and generate signals based on biometric data and/or user motion detected at the garment. Preferably, the control module selectively, depending upon the signals from the sensors, activates the pneumatic module to inflate and deflate the balloon actuators, to apply the predetermined forces to the anatomical portions of the user's body, based on the biometric data and/or user motion.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air channel module, the pneumatic module, and/or the control module may preferably, but need not necessarily, be securely attached to the garments.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air channel module may preferably, but need not necessarily, be configured to use (and/or utilize) equivalent hydraulic resistance and/or to induce passive delays in pressurization and/or depressurization of the balloon actuators.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the aforesaid passive delays in the aforesaid pressurization and/or depressurization, preferably via the small-scale air channels, may preferably (but need not necessarily) enable digital soft fluidic actuation of the balloon actuators.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the small-scale air channels may preferably, but need not necessarily, be configured to have different cross-sectional areas, cross-sectional shapes, channel lengths, channel characteristic dimensions, and/or channel routes.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the small-scale air channels may preferably, but need not necessarily, be configured to be connected in series and/or parallel fluid communication with the balloon actuators.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least a portion of the air channel module may preferably, but need not necessarily, be integrated with the garments in selectively removable relation.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, some of the small-scale air channels may preferably, but need not necessarily, be selectively blocked off, and the remainder of the small-scale air channels may preferably (but need not necessarily) remain, in fluid communication with the balloon actuators.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the small-scale air channels may preferably, but need not necessarily, be combined into a network. Each respective one of the small-scale air channels may preferably, but need not necessarily, be elastic, flexible, and/or rigid.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air channel module may preferably, but need not necessarily, also include: (a) one or more air microfluidics chips, and/or (b) an elastic mini channel network that may preferably, but need not necessarily, be integrated with the garments. The small-scale air channels may preferably, but need not necessarily, be embodied in the air microfluidics chips and/or in the elastic mini channel network. At least some of the small-scale air channels embodied in the elastic mini channel network may preferably, but need not necessarily, be the aforesaid air mini channels and may preferably, but need not necessarily, be elastic.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air channel module may preferably, but need not necessarily, include an air microfluidics socket. The air microfluidics socket may preferably, but need not necessarily, be adapted to receive at least a first selected one of the air microfluidics chips in fluid communication with the elastic mini channel network.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air microfluidics socket may preferably, but need not necessarily, receive the aforesaid first selected one of the air microfluidics chips in selectively removable relation. The air microfluidics socket may preferably, but need not necessarily, be further adapted to alternately receive a second selected one of the air microfluidics chips in fluid communication with the elastic mini channel network.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first selected one and the second selected one of the air microfluidics chips may preferably, but need not necessarily, block off different sets of the small-scale air channels in fluid communication with the balloon actuators.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the balloon actuators may preferably, but need not necessarily, be elastic and/or flexible. (Persons having ordinary skill in the art should readily appreciate, in view of the disclosures herein, that the term “elastic” may be broad enough to reasonably encompass various forms of elasticity—for example, hyper-elastic and/or hyper-elasticity, among others.)
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the balloon actuators may preferably, but need not necessarily, have a spherical shape, an elongated cylindrical shape, a donut shape, and/or an irregular shape.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic module may preferably, but need not necessarily, include one or more pneumatic mini channels and/or pneumatic micro channels in fluid communication with the air channel module.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least a portion of the pneumatic module may preferably, but need not necessarily, be integrated with the garments in selectively removable relation.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic module may preferably, but need not necessarily, draw gas from the external environment.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic module may preferably, but need not necessarily, include a fluidic reservoir. The pneumatic module may preferably, but need not necessarily, draw gas from the fluidic reservoir.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic module may preferably, but need not necessarily, include an air filter.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic module may preferably, but need not necessarily, include a mini/micro air pump and/or one or more mini/micro valves, integrated with the garments, in fluid communication with the small-scale air channels.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control module may preferably, but need not necessarily, operatively execute an actuation subroutine. The actuation subroutine, in selectively activating the pneumatic module as aforesaid, may preferably, but need not necessarily, control the mini/micro air pump and/or the mini/micro valves.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control module may preferably, but need not necessarily, operatively execute a sensor fusion subroutine. The sensor fusion subroutine may preferably, but need not necessarily, reconcile and/or combine the signals from the sensors into a substantially complete dataset of the biometric data and/or user motion that was detected at the garment.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control module may preferably, but need not necessarily, operatively execute an artificial neural network subroutine, preferably to determine user motion patterns of the user's body and/or said anatomical portions of the user's body.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control module may preferably, but need not necessarily, include physical hardware. At least some of the physical hardware may preferably, but need not necessarily, be integrated onboard the garments.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device may preferably, but need not necessarily, be adapted for use with a portable computing device that is preferably off-board the garments. The control module may preferably, but need not necessarily, include one or more software components that, at least partially, are operatively executed and/or reside on the portable computing device.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the software components may preferably, but need not necessarily, enable the user, at least partially, to manually control selective activation of the pneumatic module as aforesaid, to input predetermined settings for automated control of the pneumatic module and/or the balloon actuators, to track performance and information regarding the pneumatic module and/or the balloon actuators, and/or to update the software components.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device may preferably, but need not necessarily, also include one or more containers that at least partially contain the pneumatic module and/or the control module.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the containers may preferably, but need not necessarily, be integrated with the garments in selectively removable relation.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the containers may preferably, but need not necessarily, be elastic, flexible, and/or rigid.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device may preferably, but need not necessarily, also include at least one electrical power module that preferably electrically powers the pneumatic module, the sensors, and/or the control module.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the electrical power module may preferably, but need not necessarily, include a battery and/or a transmission system that preferably provides electrical power to the pneumatic module, the sensors, and/or the control module.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the battery may preferably, but need not necessarily, be rechargeable and/or replaceable.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device may preferably, but need not necessarily, be adapted for use with air as the gas.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device may preferably, but need not necessarily, be adapted for use with garments which have an outer garment layer. Each of the balloon actuators may preferably, but need not necessarily, be positioned between the outer garment layer and the user's skin. According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device may preferably, but need not necessarily, be adapted for use with garments which also have an inner garment layer that contacts the user's skin. Each of the balloon actuators may preferably, but need not necessarily, be positioned between the outer garment layer and the inner garment layer.
According to the invention, there is also disclosed an air microfluidics and minifluidics garment, adapted to be worn by a user. The garment preferably also includes one or more outer garment layers. The garment preferably also includes the aforesaid balloon actuators, air channel module, pneumatic module, sensors, electrical power module, and/or control module. According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the garment may preferably, but need not necessarily, also include at least one inner garment layer that contacts the user's skin. The balloon actuators may preferably, but need not necessarily, be positioned between the outer garment layers and the inner garment layer. The air channel module, the pneumatic module, the sensors, and the control module may preferably, but need not necessarily, be securely attached to the outer garment layers and/or to the inner garment layer.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer garment layers may preferably, but need not necessarily, be overlaid on top of each other, be selectively attachable at predetermined locations on the inner garment layer, and/or be selectively detachable from said predetermined locations on the inner garment layer.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, a first one of the outer garment layers may preferably, but need not necessarily, be selectively attachable at, and/or detachable from, predetermined locations on a second one of the outer garment layers.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer garment layers may preferably, but need not necessarily, limit an inflatable size of the balloon actuators and/or direct the predetermined forces towards the user's body preferably when the balloon actuators are inflated.
According to the invention, there is also disclosed an air microfluidics and minifluidics method for applying one or more predetermined forces to one or more anatomical portions of a user's body. The method preferably includes a detection step, a control step, an air channel step, and/or a balloon actuation step. In the detection step, one or more sensors are preferably integrated with garments that are adapted to be worn by a user. The sensors are preferably used to generate signals based on biometric data and/or user motion detected at the garment. In the control step, a control module is preferably used to selectively, depending upon the signals from the sensors, activate a pneumatic module to induce flow of gas under pressure, through small-scale air channels of an air channel module. In the air channel step, the small-scale air channels of the air channel module are preferably used, in fluid communication with balloon actuators, to convey the flow of the gas under pressure to the balloon actuators. Before the air channel step, the small-scale air channels are preferably provided in the form of air micro channels and/or air mini channels. In the balloon actuation step, the balloon actuators are preferably integrated with the garments, and inflated and deflated to apply the predetermined forces to the anatomical portions of the user's body, preferably based on the biometric data and/or user motion. The forces preferably include active compression and/or augmenting forces.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the air channel step, the air channel module may preferably, but need not necessarily, use equivalent hydraulic resistance and/or induce passive delays in pressurization and/or depressurization of the balloon actuators in the balloon actuation step.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the balloon actuation step, said passive delays in said pressurization and/or depressurization, via the small-scale air channels, may preferably, but need not necessarily, enable digital soft fluidic actuation of the balloon actuators.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the air channel step, a first selected air microfluidics chip may preferably, but need not necessarily, be provided in an air microfluidics socket in selectively removable relation. The air microfluidics socket may preferably, but need not necessarily, be adapted to alternately receive a second selected air microfluidics chip, in fluid communication with the small-scale air channels.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the air channel step, the first selected air microfluidics chip and the second selected air microfluidics chip may preferably, but need not necessarily, block off different sets of the small-scale air channels in fluid communication with the balloon actuators.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the control step, the control module may preferably, but need not necessarily, operatively execute an actuation subroutine that, in selectively activating the pneumatic module as aforesaid, preferably controls a mini/micro air pump and one or more mini/micro valves of the pneumatic module that are preferably integrated with the garments, in fluid communication with the small-scale air channels.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the control step, one or more software components may preferably (but need not necessarily) be, at least partially, operatively executed on a portable computing device that is off-board the garments. The software components may preferably, but need not necessarily, enable the user, at least partially, to manually control selective activation of the pneumatic module as aforesaid, to input predetermined settings for automated control of the pneumatic module and/or the balloon actuators, to track performance and information regarding the pneumatic module and/or the balloon actuators, and/or to update the software components.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the balloon actuation step, each of the balloon actuators may preferably, but need not necessarily, be positioned between outer garment layers of the garments, and an inner garment layer that contacts the user's skin.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, prior to the balloon actuation step, the outer garment layers may preferably, but need not necessarily, be overlaid on top of each other, be selectively attached at predetermined locations on the inner garment layer, and/or be selectively detached from said predetermined locations on the inner garment layer.
According to an aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the balloon actuation step, the outer garment layers may preferably, but need not necessarily, limit an inflatable size of the balloon actuators and/or direct the predetermined forces towards the user's body.
According to the invention, there is also disclosed an exemplary air microfluidics and/or air minifluidics enabled active compression garment. Some of its system integration, fabrication, and/or applications may be described and/or illustrated below. Preferred embodiments, as well as various alternative embodiments of the systems, may also be described and/or illustrated below.
Perhaps at least part of this invention may lie in the junction point of soft wearable robotics, compression apparel, and/or microfluidics and/or minifluidics technology. One central and/or key distinguishing factor between this invention/improvement and prior arts may be in the use, methodology, and/or implementation of this air microfluidics and/or air minifluidics system's concept of equivalent hydraulic resistance to induce delay in flow, allowing for passive programming of the system using fluidic channels' resistance, perhaps instead of the thickness of the channel walls and/or material properties and/or valves. Also, the method of system integration of air microfluidics and/or air minifluidics channels within garments to achieve ultra formfitting, ultra lightweight, fully untethered, and/or increased efficiency may be among novel features disclosed and/or taught according to the present invention. Due to a low amount of mechanical moving parts, the system may be very robust, sturdy, and/or reliable. Also, the use of digital soft fluidic actuation methods may allow for minimal use of pressure sensors. Digital soft fluidic actuation may use the concept of paths of the least resistance, as the pressure in one balloon actuator reaches the predefined pressure, the fluidic flow is forced into other balloon actuators connected in parallel. When used in conjunction with the air microfluidics and air minifluidics system, the amount of compression can be controlled without the need of knowing each individual chamber's pressure.
Some advantages of this system, as compared to passive compression garments may include its abilities to tailor the level and/or location of compression on demand. Compared to active compression devices, the air microfluidics and/or air minifluidics implementations may allow for better aesthetics, better quality of compression, lowered fabrication cost, and/or complete washability. Compared to soft wearable robots, this system differs in its usage and actuation implementation. Another distinguishing factor is that the systems described herein are primarily used for actively compressing an anatomical portion of the human body instead of directly augmenting its movements. This compression can be used for massaging, minimizing the risk of injury, better proprioception, rehabilitation, as well as everyday comfort.
In any of the embodiments described herein, the pneumatic power may be provided by at least one mini air pump or pneumatic compressor.
In certain embodiments described herein, an air filter may be incorporated into the pneumatic power source to filter out dust, moisture, and any unwanted elements that could damage the internals of the systems.
In any of the embodiments described herein, at least one balloon actuator of any shape made out of plastic membrane or elastomer membrane or both is sandwiched between one or multiple outer strain limiting fabrics and an inner human skin contact fabric. These fabrics can be made out of any knitting pattern and material.
In any of the embodiments described herein, at least one mini or micro solenoid valve may be used to control the pneumatic power source.
In any of the embodiments described herein, at least one minifluidics channel, tubing, or channel network may be embedded in garment.
In certain embodiments described herein, at least one air microfluidics channel may be embedded in garment.
In certain embodiments described herein, at least one air microfluidics channel may be embedded within at least one detachable air microfluidics chip that may be attached to the garment via an air microfluidics socket embedded in garment.
In any of the embodiments described herein, the kinematics information of the human joints, limbs, and any body parts or the whole body may be captured by IMU (inertial measurements units) sensors or any appropriate sensors.
In some embodiments described herein, the electromyography information of human muscles may be measured and used in actuating the balloon actuators.
In any of the embodiments described herein, the signals from the sensors may be processed through a software algorithm to increase the signal to noise ratio and to determine the movement of the anatomical portion of the human body and activities of the human body in real time. Afterwards, the signals from the sensors are passed through an actuation algorithm to control the members within the pneumatic control container.
In some embodiments described herein, the user may calibrate and input the desired actuation levels through an application software on a mobile computing device.
In some embodiments described herein, the software algorithm may calibrate the actuation levels based on a deep artificial neural network.
In some embodiments described herein, sensor fusion algorithms may be used to combine and process the information from multiple sensors.
In some embodiments described herein, the pneumatic control container comprises at least one mini valve, at least one mini air pump, at least one mini tubing integrated with garment, at least one fluid reservoir and at least one air filter.
In some embodiments described herein, the sensors may transmit signals to the control center via physical wires or wireless transmission methods.
In an exemplary application, the systems described herein are used to actively increase knee stabilization, proprioception, bodily fluid circulation through tailored compression, ease pain caused by musculoskeletal injuries through tailored active compressional massages and mechanotherapy. The said tailored active compressional effect can also be used to minimize the injuries at and around the knees.
In a preferred embodiment of the proposed system, the pneumatic control container is attached to the apparel by mechanical or magnetic means and can be detached. The air minifluidics channel network conduit is fully integrated with the apparel. The air microfluidics chip is attached to the air microfluidics socket, which is integrated with the apparel, via mechanical or magnetic means and can be detached. The air microfluidics chip passively induces programmed delays in the pressurization of balloon actuators via the concept of equivalent hydraulic resistance, and the air microfluidics chip is also a selection manifold, allowing only certain balloon actuators to pressurize while fully blocking others. A single pressure sensor is used within the pneumatic control container to provide pressure feedback of the entire system. A set of IMU sensors measure the kinematics of the anatomical portion of the human body where the balloon actuators are intended for. A set of electromyography sensors measure the electrical signals of the muscles associated with the anatomical portion of the human body where the balloon actuators are intended for. The signals of the IMU and EMG sensors are sent to the control center, which is integrated with the apparel. The IMU and EMG sensors are first processed to improve the signal to noise ratio, then passed through sensor fusion algorithm and deep artificial neural network, and formed into control signals for the actuation algorithm that actuates the mini pumps and mini solenoid valves within the pneumatic control container. The control algorithms are tailored for each user through user-based calibration or inputs via an application software on a mobile computing device.
Other advantages, features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of this detailed description with reference to the figures which accompany this application.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, and related systems and methods according to the present invention, as to their structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be better understood from figures which accompany this application, in which presently preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is expressly understood, however, that any such figures are for the purpose of illustration and description only, and not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. In the accompanying figures:
It is to be understood that the accompanying drawings are used for illustrating the principles of the embodiments and exemplifications of the invention discussed below. Hence the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and clarity, and not necessarily drawn to scale and are not intended to be limiting in scope. Reference characters/numbers are used to depict the elements of the invention discussed that are also shown in the drawings. The same corresponding reference number is given to a corresponding component or components of the same or similar nature, which may be depicted in multiple drawings for clarity. Text may also be included in the drawings to further clarify certain principles or elements of the invention. It should be noted that features depicted by one drawing may be used in conjunction with or within other drawings or substitute features of other drawings. It should further be noted that common and well-understood elements for creating a commercially viable version of the embodiments of the invention discussed below are often not depicted to facilitate a better view of the principles and elements of the invention discussed below
In the following discussion, the accompanying figures pertain to the preferred embodiments, and the description is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention as described by the claims. The description enclosed herein aims to provide any person skilled in the art the necessary information for the implementation of the preferred embodiments of the invention described herein.
Below is some clarification for certain terminologies; it must be noted that the clarifications do not limit the scope of the meaning of the terminologies in the context of the relevant art, and the invention described herein.
“Anatomical portion” comprises the meaning of any part of the human body including but not limited to body joints and limbs.
“Pathways” comprises the meaning of any component that transports a fluidic or electrical current or both including but not limited to tubing, channels, wiring, and traces.
“Fluidic resistance algorithm” comprises the meaning of any principle that can affect the flow rate and pressure of a fluid.
“Mini channel” have cross-sectional characteristic lengths from and including 3 mm down to 200 μm; “micro channel” have cross-sectional characteristic lengths from and including 200 μm down to 1 μm. It must be noted that the fluidic channel classification scheme is arbitrary and is used for clarity while not limiting the scope of any embodiments of the invention disclosed herein.
“Balloon” comprises the meaning of any device of any size that can inflate and deflate via fluidic pressurization and depressurization.
Although air is used to describe the principle, operation and function of the invention described herein, any fluid can be used with or replace air to achieve the desired goal of the invention described herein.
Miniaturized components including but not limited to mini air pumps, mini valves, mini tubing and mini channels may be used with or replaced by even smaller components on the microscale for certain embodiments of the invention described herein.
Additionally, singular forms including but not limited to “a” and “an”, may also comprise the meaning of plural forms as well, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Air microfluidics and air minifluidics enabled active compression apparel involves many hardware components and software components. It differentiates from the traditional pneumatic system and pneumatic microfluidics logic circuit by its scale, system integration, implementation, components, control, operational principles and fabrications.
The pneumatic module 100 is mainly used to generate the airflow and air pressure by using miniature versions of traditional industrial or macro-sized pneumatic components; the pneumatic module 100 comprises mini air pumps 101, mini valves 102, pressure sensors 103, mini tubing integrated with garment 104, fluidic reservoirs 106, and air filters 105.
The air microfluidics channel networks module 200 is the most important aspect of the present invention which induces fluidic pressurization/depressurization delays from the principle of equivalent hydraulic resistance and acts as an airflow selection manifold; the air microfluidics channel networks module 200 comprises of at least one air microfluidics chip 201, at least one air microfluidics socket integrated with garment 202, and at least one elastic mini channel network fully integrated with garment 203. The importance of the air microfluidics channel networks module 200 cannot be understated; it allows for robust, reliable and mechanically simple, yet functionally complex actuation of the balloon actuators, without adding any bulk to either the hardware system or the balloon actuators. Hence, it allows for ultra formfitting, ultra lightweight, and aesthetically pleasing active compression apparel, and more generally soft wearable robots. Furthermore, it can be hot water washed with detergent, and heat tumble dried using conventional washing and drying machines. For certain embodiments of the invention described herein, modules and components including but not limited to air microfluidic chip 201, pneumatic module 100, control center 300, and electrical power module 600, may be detached from garments to facilitate cleaning of the garment and prolonging the life of the components of the system 000. Fabrication wise, air microfluidics channel networks module 200 may be customized and/or mass produced using any of the traditional plastic moulding techniques, any of the 3D printing techniques, via softlithrography, or any reduction and addition manufacturing procedures or combinations thereof. Integration of the air microfluidics channel network module 200 with garment can be achieved through any appropriate textile lamination techniques and sewing techniques.
The control center 300 comprises signal processing components 301, a sensor fusion algorithm 302, artificial neural network 303, and actuation algorithm 304. The control center 300 may also comprise any common and well-understood elements that would be necessary to produce a commercially viable control center 300 for the system 000; these elements include but not limited to a motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), data storage in the form of solid state drives (SSD), wireless network systems, random access memory (RAM), various electrical subcomponents such as electrical resistors, capacitors, diodes, fuses, and various electronic subcomponents such as field-effective transistors and any other types of silicon transistors.
The sensors integrated with garment 400 provides the signals of information including but not limited to the user's biometric and kinematics for the control center to tailor the active compression to an anatomical portion of the user's body; the sensors integrated with garment 400 includes but not limited to a set of inertial measurement units (IMU) 401 and a set of electromyography sensors (EMG) 402. The IMU sensors 401 may comprise a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. The IMU sensors 401 can be of various degrees of freedom. The EMG sensors 402 can be of any type that uses electrodes of any type. The number, location, and type of sensors integrated with garment 400 depend on the application, the embodiment of the current invention, and the anatomical portion of the human body where the active compression is applied to or used for.
The balloon actuators integrated with garment 500 is another key component. It differentiates from other soft actuators within the family of soft fluidic actuators often used in soft wearable robots and haptic devices and other soft pneumatic wearable actuators such as but not limited to McKibben pneumatic artificial muscles regarding but not limited to implementation, functionality, materials and fabrication. The pneumatic balloon actuators integrated with garment 500 comprise a combination of at least one of spherical balloon actuators 501, elongated balloon actuators 502, donut-shaped balloon actuators 503, or irregular-shaped balloon actuators 504. It must be noted that the shapes described above are the preferred shapes, but balloon actuators integrated with garment 500 of any shape and size is within the scope of the invention described herein. Similar to the sensors integrated garment 400, the number, location, and type of balloon actuators integrated with garment 500 depends on the application, embodiment of the invention described herein, and the anatomical portion of the human body where the active compression is applied to or used for.
Looking at just the flow and transport of air for one embodiment of the invention described herein, where there is no recirculation of air, of the present invention as shown by
In another embodiment of the present invention, recirculation is incorporated into the pneumatic module, as seen in
It is well known that air is a compressible fluid; in the strictest sense, compressible fluid means that the density of the said fluid changes with changing volume given the same mass of the said fluid. The opposite of compressible fluid is, of course, incompressible fluid, which has constant density under all conditions. However, there is no true incompressible fluid, and even a liquid is slightly compressible under high pressure. Hence, an assumption can be made that any fluid that does not change too much in density during laminar flow with Mach number less than 0.3 can be considered an incompressible fluid. The flow and pressure change for air microfluidics and air minifluidics of the present invention precisely satisfies the above criteria to validate the assumption of air as an incompressible fluid. It must be noted that there would be errors with the assumption that the air is incompressible for this invention. However, the errors are tolerable and the equivalent hydraulic resistance is used as a design principle and engineering estimation instead of fundamental theory. Hence, the air microfluidics system and air minifluidics system can be modelled using equivalent hydraulic resistance and electrical circuit analogy. The reason that it is named equivalent hydraulic resistance because it is not a physical property of air, but a design parameter for air microfluidics and air minifluidics.
Hydraulic resistance denoted as Rhyd with the units
relates to pressure drop denoted as Δp with the units
and volume flow rate denoted as Q with the unit
through Hagen-Poiseuille law: Δp=Rhyd·Q, which is completely analogous to Ohm's law, hence the naming of electrical circuit analogy. When combined with the Darcy-Weisbach equation,
with the Fanning friction factor, denoted as fF, a dimensionless number, equivalent hydraulic resistance can be determined. Within the Darcy-Weisbach equation,
is the frictional pressure gradient with the unit
G is the mass flux with the unit
ρ is the density of the fluid with the unit
and Dh is the equivalent hydraulic diameter with unit [m], which is simply a characteristic cross-sectional length of fluidic channels. Fanning friction factor is related to Reynold's number denoted as Re by fF·Re=C, where C is a dimensionless empirical constant for various fluidic channel cross-sectional shape. Reynold's number is a dimensionless ratio of inertial forces and viscous forces with the following equation:
where μ is the fluid's dynamic viscosity with the units
Further rearranging and substitution of the above equations, the equivalent hydraulic resistance of various fluidic channel cross-sectional shape and length can be determined, Henrik Bruus has consolidated a list of hydraulic resistance formulas for commonly used fluidic channel cross-sectional shapes in his book Theoretical Microfluidics (ISBN: 978-0-19-9233508-7).
Various embodiments of the invention described herein can use air microfluidic channels and air minifluidic channels of any cross-sectional shape, size, geometry, length and route. The preferred cross-sectional shapes of air microfluidics and air minifluidics channels are rectangles, circles, and squares.
The equations for the equivalent hydraulic resistance of the three preferred cross-sectional shapes of air microfluidic channels and air minifluidic channels are the following:
Circle:
Rectangle:
Square:
Where a is the radius of the circle for Eq. 1; h and w are respectively height and width of the rectangle for Eq. 2; w is the side length of the square for Eq. 3; μ and L are fluid dynamic viscosity and length of the fluidic channel for Eq. 1, Eq. 2, and Eq. 3. a, w, h and L all have the unit [m], where μ has the units
Similarly, equivalent hydraulic capacitance denoted Chyd can be determined to be
where dV is change in fluidic volume and dp is change in fluidic pressure. Hydraulic capacitance is due to the compliant nature of elastomers and soft walls and enclosures. For instance, a compliant bladder needs to allow the volume to be fully occupied by fluid first before pressure increases. Since Hagen-Poiseuille law and Ohm's law are analogous, electric circuit theory, including Kirchhoff's law, paths of least resistant for parallel pathways among others can be applied to air microfluidics and air minifluidics. Again, it must be stressed that there would be errors in this analogy, as it is only completely accurate as Reynold's number approaches zero, and for long narrow channels far apart, but it is considered to be acceptable for design principles and used as an engineering tool for air microfluidics and air minifluidics. The resistances of air microfluidic and air minifluidic channels add in series, (i.e. Rtotal=R1+R2), and the additive law for the resistances of air microfluidic and air minifluidic channels arranged in parallel is the following: Rtotal−1=R1−1+R2−1.
For all embodiments of the invention described herein, the paths of the least resistant analogy allow for a sequential delay in pressurization of at least one balloon actuator integrated with garment induced by parallel air microfluidic and air minifluidic channels. In other words, the balloon actuator(s) connected to the fluidic pathway of the least resistant will be pressurized first, then the balloon actuator(s) connected to the fluidic pathway of the second least resistant will be pressurized and so on. The reason that the paths of the least resistance analogy works very well with air microfluidics and air minifluidics is due to the fact that the characteristic lengths (i.e. equivalent hydraulic diameter) of the equivalent hydraulic resistance equations (Eq. 1, Eq. 2, Eq. 3) for the air microfluidic and air minifluidic channels are to the power of four. Hence, the cross-sectional size of the air microfluidic and air minifluidic channels induces the largest change in equivalent hydraulic resistance compared to other parameters in the said equations. Hence, as the fluidic channel cross-sectional size decreases, the equivalent hydraulic resistance increases exponentially.
For any embodiments of the invention described herein, fluidic channel classification scheme by Kandlikar and Grande (Heat Transfer Engineering 24(1):3-17 (2003)) will be employed and is described as follows. “Conventional channels” have cross-sectional characteristic lengths greater than 3 mm; “mini channels” have cross-sectional characteristic lengths from and including 3 mm down to 200 μm; “micro channels” have cross-sectional characteristic lengths from and including 200 μm down to 1 μm. It must be noted that the fluidic channel classification scheme is arbitrary and is used for clarity while not limiting the scope of any embodiments of the invention disclosed herein.
The number of independent parallel channels 210 that can be implemented in any embodiments of the invention described herein are determined by the applications and the anatomical portions of the human body where the active compression apparel is addressing. The mini channels for selection 211 may be part of the air microfluidics chip. As mentioned earlier, in certain embodiments of the present invention, the air microfluidics chip may be permanently integrated with a garment; hence, the mini channels for selection 211 do not exist. However, for certain embodiments of the present invention, where the air microfluidics chip is detachable from the air microfluidics socket integrated with garment, then the mini channels for selection 211 allows for a modular system, which the user can choose which balloon actuators 500 to inflate and which not to inflate by selecting and/or changing the air microfluidics chip.
Regarding equivalent hydraulic resistance, similar to previously mentioned mini tubing 104, mini channels for selection 211 has a very low equivalent hydraulic resistance compared to micro/mini channels to induce delay 221. The micro/mini channels to induce delay 221 have various channel cross-sectional characteristic length ranging from but not limited to 2 mm to 1 μm. Mini channels for fluidic transportation 212 are fluidic pathways for air to flow into the balloon actuators without introducing any significant equivalent hydraulic resistance. For each independent channels 210, the fluidic resistance of each element is added in series, and the compliance or fluidic capacitance of each element can be neglected as their values are negligible compared to the fluidic capacitance of the balloon actuators 500. The balloon actuators 500 are modeled as fluidic capacitance due to the compliant nature of the material making up its walls. These materials include but not limited to any polymers or elastomers or both.
As mentioned earlier, many components including but not limited to garment and electronics are not drawn in the figures to better show the principles of operations and for clarity of showing the components of the system(s) intended to be described by each drawing. Each drawing disclosed in this section (3. Active Compression Apparel with Example for the Knee Joint) can supplement for each other as well as drawings from any other sections.
Air microfluidics and air minifluidics enable the creation of various active compression apparel. This section shows various embodiments of the active compression apparel for the knee joint; this, however, does not limit the scope of the invention disclosed herein, rather for disclosing a person skilled in the art the principles of designing air microfluidics and air minifluidics enabled active compression apparel for any anatomical portion(s) of the human body. Furthermore, any modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments shown herein without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed herein. It must be noted that all the drawings described in this section are two-dimensional sketches/drawings depicting three-dimensional features, objects, and surfaces. Therefore, certain elements of the drawings are not to scale and are only intended to show various aspects of the invention disclosed herein so a person skilled in the art can faithfully recreate any embodiments of the invention disclosed herein.
In another embodiment of the invention described herein, a single electrical power module 600 is preferably located behind the user at the waist near the tail bone region as seen in
In another embodiment of the invention described herein as shown in
The balloon actuators inflate due to the increase of the volume of air from the air flow generated by the mini air pump(s). At certain points of the inflation process, the balloon actuators whether made from elastomers or plastics would start to increase in internal pressure due to the increase of air density as the walls of the balloon actuators become taut and forms hoop stress. However, the pressure increase in the balloon actuators is not efficiently translated into compressional force onto the anatomical portions of the human body due to the isotropic property of the balloon actuators, meaning that the balloon actuators alone lack directional compression force. Therefore, garment encapsulating the balloon actuators are necessary to direct the compressional force inward onto the anatomical portions of the human body.
In certain embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, the balloon actuators 500 and elastic mini tubing network 203 do not require to be fully anchored within garments but rather allowed partially or completely free movement within the gap created by the external actuation garment 800 and the skin contact garment 602. Furthermore, in certain embodiments of the invention described herein, part of or the entire external actuation garment 800, IMU sensors 401 and EMG sensor electrodes 402 may be removed from the active compression apparel.
Various embodiments of the external actuation garment may be applied to the active compression apparel with the knee joint as an exemplary application. The importance of the external actuation garment cannot be understated. As mentioned earlier, the external actuation garment significantly increases the efficiency of the system of the invention described herein by providing directional compression onto the anatomical portions of the human body. In certain embodiments of the invention, the external actuation garment may be made out of one piece of fabric of the same material. However, the preferred embodiments of the invention described herein have external actuation garment made out of multiple pieces of fabric and out of different materials. The different materials allow for tailored compressional effect for different locations of the anatomical portions of the human body; these materials include but not limited to any combinations and ratios of nylon, polyester, spandex, silicone, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and plastic. To further increase the directional compression efficiency, multiple independent and/or semi-independent external actuation garment may be used. Each independent and/or semi-independent external actuation garment is responsible for specific balloon actuators. Semi-independent external actuation garment means that the garments are detached at certain locations on the active compression apparel but are attached at other locations on the active compression apparel.
In
In
Furthermore, the compression forces would be minimized if balloon actuators either do not exist or do not inflate underneath the overlapping sections 804. It must be noted, the external actuation garment 800 is only part of the system for the present invention and only functions appropriately in conjunction with the rest of the elements of the system for the present invention. Also, the shape, the location, and the number of actuation garment 800 depend on the application and anatomical portions of the human body the active compression apparel is addressing.
The balloon actuators and various garments and sensors are the frontend of the present invention, meaning that they are the elements of the active compression apparel that directly contact the human body and apply various augmenting effects onto the anatomical portions of the human body the active compression apparel(s) is/are addressing. The backend is the conglomerate of fluidic and electronic hardware that must exist within the system of the present invention for the frontend to function. The most important hardware for the backend is the air microfluidics and air minifluidics components. An air microfluidics and air minifluidics system is realized when multiple air microfluidics and air minifluidics components are connected and assembled together.
Traditional pneumatic systems for controlling soft wearable robotics and wearable fluidic actuation systems, in general, are bulky due to many mechanical valves as well as fluidic pressure and/or flow transducers for controlling the actuation and sequencing of the frontend (i.e. balloon actuators, fluidic elastomer actuators, and McKibben artificial pneumatic muscle). The bulkiness introduces cumbersome factors such as less than desirable weight, size and footprint as well as undesirable aesthetics to the backend; hence the desirability of the overall system of soft wearable robotics and wearable fluidic actuation systems in general diminishes.
The advantage of air microfluidics and air minifluidics systems also resides in its capability of creating digital soft fluidic actuation, where multiple smaller balloon actuators replace single large balloon actuators. In other words, the compressional area force generated by a single large balloon actuator can be effectively mimicked by an array of tightly packed smaller balloon actuators. Furthermore, during human motion, the sequence of balloon actuator inflation and deflation is also important. Although sequential balloon actuator inflation and deflation can be achieved by multiple active valves, which is a “one design fits all” approach at the expense of bulkiness, active mechanical system reliability and complexity. Air microfluidics and air minifluidics systems can solve this problem by providing tailored sequential balloon actuator inflation and deflation with tailored air microfluidics and air minifluidics chips which have unique channel designs via equivalent hydraulic analogy concept introduced earlier. Each air microfluidics and air minifluidics chip is unique and can only provide one set of inflation and deflation sequence, which might be considered a disadvantage. However, in practical usage of active compression apparel, the compression sequence is generally tailored for each person without the need of changing over a certain period of time. Furthermore, in certain embodiments of the invention described herein, the air microfluidics and air minifluidics chip is detachable from the active compression apparel, which means that the compressional sequence effect can be changed easily. The inflation and deflation sequence of course only applies to transient response and given enough time, the pressure in all balloon actuators will equalize at steady state.
Furthermore, to increase the permanent bonding strength between the back side of the elastic mini channel network fully integrated with garment 217 and the above mentioned air microfluidics components, adhesives and bonding material including but not limited to glue, silicone, and tape can be applied around the outer seam of the bonding surface in a welding fashion. Certain embodiments of the invention described herein can use a one-piece fabrication process via 3D printing, meaning that the entire air microfluidics channel network module is fabricated as one piece with no seams or connection points. The preferred 3D printing process is stereolithography; however, other 3D printing processes may be used in certain embodiments of the invention described herein.
In the above sections, the hardware, operating principles, and exemplary applications and preferred embodiments are shown and discussed in detail in ways that a person skilled in the art can faithfully reproduce any embodiments of the invention described herein. However, hardware alone without software cannot make the air microfluidics and air minifluidics enabled active compression garment function. This section shows and discusses various embodiments and examples of the software and control strategies required to enable the invention described herein function appropriately.
It must be noted, the digital soft fluidic actuation method via air microfluidics and air minifluidics allows for longevity of the active components such as the mini valve(s) and mini air pump(s). The reason is that the inflation and deflation of the balloon actuators can be timed and each balloon actuator can be considered to be either on or off. A higher area compression force is a result of having more balloon actuators turned on. Hence, knowing how long it takes to turn on a balloon actuator allows for precise control of the system. The pressure sensor(s) may be used for redundancy checks and safety.
Since most of inflation and deflation sequencing is controlled by the passive air microfluidics and air minifluidics modules, the control can be achieved by open-loop control strategies or closed-loop feedback control strategies such as on-off control, PI control, and PID control. However, other controllers including but not limited to feedforward control, adaptive control, and optimal control may still be implemented depending on the applications.
The software can be written in any programming language. The sensor fusion algorithm combines the data from EMG sensors and IMU sensors and outputs a reference signal of the pressure required in the balloon actuators and/or the amount of time the mini air pump(s) need to pump to achieve the desired pressure in the balloon actuators. The signal processing algorithm increases the signal to noise ratio of the sensor signals and converts the EMG sensors into the correct format (i.e. full wave rectified, average EMG, RMS EMG, integrated EMG, frequency domain EMG). The artificial neural network functions in conjunction with a sensor fusion algorithm to provide the actuation signal. For example, the artificial neural network can determine the movement, motion, and the lifestyle pattern of the user to tailor the active compression. Over time, the artificial neural network can become better through learning the movement patterns of the user.
For certain embodiments of the invention described herein, Sensor calibration would be required at the beginning of each use session. For instance, the IMU sensor must establish an initial frame of reference, preferably having the vertical axis aligned with the direction of gravitational pull or in an appropriate position depending on applications. Furthermore, The EMG sensor would also preferably be calibrated at the beginning of each use session. For instance, at least a two-point calibration would be required to determine the resting state and the maximum exertion state of the muscle groups surrounding the anatomical portion of the human body the active compression apparel is addressing. For certain embodiments of the invention described herein, recalibration during a use session may be required to reduce drift in sensors.
For certain embodiments of the invention described herein, mobile application(s) on a smartphone, smartwatch, and similar mobile computing devices may provide a graphical user interface which the user may manually control the air microfluidics and air minifluidics enabled active compression apparel or set parameters that allow automated control of the said active compression apparel. The mobile application(s) may also provide crucial system information including but not limited to battery life remaining, whether maintenance is required, parts to be replaced, and the pressure reading from the pressure sensor(s). Furthermore, the mobile application(s) may also download various software updates for the control center.
It must be noted that certain embodiments may have all of the software described here, whereas certain other embodiments may have only part of the software described herein. A person skilled in the art can faithfully reproduce the software and control strategies of any of the embodiments of the invention described herein.
The invention is contemplated for use in association with air microfluidics and air minifluidics enabled active compression devices, garments, and methods to afford increased advantageous utilities in association with same. The invention, however, is not so limited, and can be readily used with other items to afford various advantageous utilities within the scope of the invention. Other embodiments, which fall within the scope of the invention, may be provided.
The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed.
Naturally, in view of the teachings and disclosures herein, persons having ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that alternate designs and/or embodiments of the invention may be possible (e.g., with substitution of one or more components for others, with alternate configurations of components, etc). Although some of the components, relations, configurations, and/or steps according to the invention are not specifically referenced and/or depicted in association with one another, they may be used, and/or adapted for use, in association therewith. All of the aforementioned and various other structures, configurations, relationships, utilities, any which may be depicted and/or based hereon, and the like may be, but are not necessarily, incorporated into and/or achieved by the invention. Any one or more of the aforementioned and/or depicted structures, configurations, relationships, utilities and the like may be implemented in and/or by the invention, on their own, and/or without reference, regard or likewise implementation of any of the other aforementioned structures, configurations, relationships, utilities and the like, in various permutations and combinations, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the pith, marrow, and spirit of the disclosed invention.
Other modifications and alterations may be used in the design, manufacture, and/or implementation of other embodiments according to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is limited only by the claims of this patent application and any divisional and/or continuation applications stemming from this patent application.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3047880 | Jun 2019 | CA | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA2020/050874 | 6/24/2020 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62865565 | Jun 2019 | US |
