Patent Application
20240172963
The present disclosure is generally related to flexible circuits and, more particularly, is directed to flexible circuits that can be either integrated into wearable articles for the purposes of generating simulated motions in a virtual environment that correspond to physical motions in a real environment.
The following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the aspects disclosed herein and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, and abstract as a whole.
In various aspects, a system configured to monitor and characterize motions of a user is disclosed. The system can include a wearable article including a tubular body including a resilient material; a flexible circuit including a fluid-phase conductor configured to generate a first signal; and an inertial measurement unit (“IMU”) coupled to the resilient material, wherein the IMU is configured to generate a second signal; and a processor communicably coupled to the flexible circuit and the IMU.
In various aspects, a wearable article configured to monitor motions of a user is disclosed. The wearable article can include a tubular body including a resilient material; a flexible circuit including a fluid-phase conductor configured to generate a first signal; and an inertial measurement unit (“IMU”) coupled to the resilient material, wherein the IMU is configured to generate a second signal; and wherein the flexible circuit and the IMU are communicably coupled to a processor via a plurality of conductive traces including the fluid-phase conductor.
In various aspects, a method of generating a virtual representation of a physical motion performed by a user of a wearable article including a plurality of flexible circuits is disclosed. The method can include: performing a first motion while wearing the wearable article; generating, via a first flexible circuit of the plurality of flexible circuits, a first electrical parameter associated with the first motion; generating via a camera, motion capture data associated with the performance of the first motion; correlating, via a processor communicably coupled to the wearable article, the generated motion capture data to the generated first electrical parameter; storing, via a memory communicably coupled to the processor, the correlation; repeating the first motion while wearing the wearable article; and generating, via the processor, a virtual replication of the first motion based on exclusively on the stored correlation of the generated motion capture data to the generated first electrical parameter.
These and other features and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
Various features of the aspects described herein are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The various aspects, however, both as to organization and methods of operation, together with advantages thereof, may be understood in accordance with the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate various aspects of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
Numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the aspects as described in the disclosure and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Well-known operations. components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the aspects described in the specification. The reader will understand that the aspects described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and illustrative. Variations and changes thereto may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward”, “rearward”, “left”, “right”, “upwardly”, “downwardly”, and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms. Furthermore, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward”, “rearward”, “left”, “right”, “upwardly”, “downwardly”, and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/947,744, titled DEFORMABLE CONDUCTORS AND RELATED SENSORS, ANTENNAS AND MULTIPLEXED SYSTEMS, filed Apr. 6, 2018, and published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0247727 on Aug. 30, 2018, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/157,102, titled SENSORS WITH DEFORMABLE CONDUCTORS AND SELECTIVE DEFORMATION, filed Oct. 11, 2018, and published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0056277 on Feb. 21, 2019, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/885,854, titled CONTINUOUS INTERCONNECTS BETWEEN HETEROGENEOUS MATERIALS, filed May 28, 2020, and published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0381349 on Dec. 3, 2020, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/893,427, titled DEFORMABLE SENSORS WITH SELECTIVE RESTRAINT, filed Jun. 4, 2020, and published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0386630 on Dec. 3, 2020, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/192,725, titled DEFORMABLE INDUCTORS, filed Mar. 4, 2021, and published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0280482 on Sep. 9, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/263,112, titled TWO DIMENSIONAL MOTION CAPTURE STRAIN GAUGE SENSOR, filed Oct. 10, 2021, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. Also in the following description, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward”, “rearward”, “left”, “right”, “upwardly”, “downwardly”, and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves any and all copyrights disclosed herein.
There is a growing need for the accurate integration of physical and virtual environments. Indeed, augmented and virtual realities—including the metaverse—are becoming increasingly prevalent and promise to reinvent the way people work, play, relax, and rehabilitate. Conventional “smart” apparel (e.g., sleeves, braces, gloves, tight-fitting clothing, etc.), however, generally utilize sensors, such as inertial measurement units (“IMUs”), that can be expensive and experience “drift” over time, resulting in an insufficient value proposition. As such, conventional devices can lack the accuracy required for certain applications where precision is important. For example, range of motion during joint (e.g., knee, elbow, etc.) flexion can be a key indicator of knee joint health. It would be beneficial for a doctor to simulate, with a high-degree of accuracy, the full range of motion of a patient's body part (e.g., leg, arm, shoulder, neck, back, hand, wrist, finger, ankle, foot, toe, etc.), such that rehabilitation can be tracked and remotely reviewed. If the user's motion is tracked with sufficient accuracy, the doctor can benefit from an increased amount of oversight and the patient could benefit from the convenience of virtual appointments and consultations.
According to another example, the metaverse promises to provide a gamut of virtual products and services to consumers. As previously mentioned, conventional devices can lack the accuracy necessary to enable this unprecedented market. For example, many conventional devices rely on relative point-to-point data for a limited approximation of the user's motions (e.g., position of a user's knee relative their hip). However, if the user wanted to play a virtual game of soccer in the metaverse with their friends, more accurate representations of the user's motions would enhance the experience. Accordingly, there is a need for devices, systems, and methods, to accurately simulate a user's motions in a virtual environment. According to some non-limiting aspects, such devices, systems, and methods may utilize flexible circuits and, particularly, a deformable conductor that can promote stretchability as well as flexibility while preserving electrical conductivity. As such, electrical parameters measured across those circuits can be correlated to a user's physical motions and can inform accurate simulations.
While certain electronic components typically have some inherent flexibility, that flexibility is typically constrained both in the amount the components can flex, their resilience in flexing, and the number of times the electronic components can flex before the electronic components deteriorate or break. Moreover, electronics that have the ability to stretch, such as those comprising silver or other conductive inks, have insufficient durability and typically do not recover fully when subjected to elongation, resulting in ever-changing electrical characteristics until they fail completely. Consequently, the utility of such electronic components in various environments may be limited, either by reliability or longevity or by the ability to function at all.
The use of conductive gel for traces in the circuit, however, provides for electronic components that are flexible, extensible and deformable while maintaining resiliency. Moreover, the operational flexing, stretching, deforming, or other physical manipulation of a conductive trace formed from conductive gel may produce predictable, measurable changes in the electrical characteristics of the trace with little to no hysteresis upon returning to a relaxed state. By measuring the change in resistance or impedance of such a trace the change in length of the trace may be inferred. By combining the changes in lengths of multiple traces, the relative movement of points on a two-dimensional surface may be calculated. The relative movement of points in a three-dimensional space may be calculated and determined using two-dimensional displacement information if the points are disposed on a body that has constrained motion, for example, points located on limbs of a body that are interconnected by a joint.
According to some non-limiting aspects, a flexible circuit can be constructed as disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/154,665, titled HIGHLY SUSTAINABLE CIRCUITS AND METHODS FOR MAKING THEM, filed Feb. 26, 2021, and/or International Patent Application No. PCT/US2019/047731 titled STRUCTURES WITH DEFORMABLE CONDUCTORS, filed Aug. 22, 2019, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Additionally, the traces of a flexible circuit can be constructed from a fluid-phase conductor. As used herein, the term “fluid-phase conductor” shall include any of the flexible, deformable conductors described herein and/or any of the flexible, deformable conductors described in any document incorporated by reference. Specifically, “fluid-phase conductors” are described in International Patent Application No. PCT/US2017/019762 titled LIQUID WIRE, which was filed on Feb. 27, 2017 and published on Sep. 8, 2017 as International Patent Publication No. WO2017/151523A1, and/or International Patent Application No. PCT/US2019/047731 titled STRUCTURES WITH DEFORMABLE CONDUCTORS, filed Aug. 22, 2019, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
For example, according to some non-limiting aspects, each trace can include a variety of forms, such as a liquid, a paste, a gel, and/or a powder, amongst others that would enable the traces to have a deformable (e.g., soft, flexible, stretchable, bendable, elastic, flowable viscoelastic, Newtonian, non-Newtonian, etc.) quality. According to some non-limiting aspects, the deformable, conductive materials can include an electroactive material, such as deformable conductors produced from a conductive gel (e.g., a gallium indium alloy). The conductive gel can have a shear thinning composition and, according to some non-limiting aspects, can include a mixture of materials in a desired ratio. For example, according to one preferable non-limiting aspect, the conductive gel can include a weight percentage of a eutectic gallium alloy between 59.9% and 99.9% and a weight percentage of a gallium oxide between 0.1% and about 2.0%. Of course, the present disclosure contemplates other non-limiting aspects, featuring traces of varying forms and/or compositions to achieve the benefits disclosed herein.
The electrically conductive compositions can be characterized as conducting shear thinning gel compositions. The electrically conductive compositions described herein can also be characterized as compositions having the properties of a Bingham plastic. For example, the electrically conductive compositions can be viscoplastics, such that they are rigid and capable of forming and maintaining three-dimensional features characterized by height and width at low stresses but flow as viscous fluids at high stress. According to other non-limiting aspects, the low-shear viscosity of useful metal gel can be 106 to 4×107 Pa*s (1,000,000-40,000,000 Pascal seconds), wherein “low-shear” viscosity refers to a viscosity at rest (or sedimentation) conditions. The micro/nanostructure comprises oxide sheets that form a cross-linked structure, which may be achieved e.g. by mixing in a way that entrains air into the mixture, or by sonication that induces cavitation at the surface drawing in air to the mixture such that oxide formation in the cross-linked structures can be achieved.
It shall be appreciated that, by using flexible circuits and deformable conductors, various sensors can be constructed that, when integrated into a wearable article (e.g., sleeves, braces, etc.) worn by a user, can generate varying electrical parameters (e.g., an inductance, a resistance, a voltage drop, a capacitance, and an electromagnetic field, etc.) that can be correlated to physical parameters (e.g., a strain, a stress, a pressure, a dimension, etc.) and thus, used to generate highly accurate simulations of the user's motions while wearing the article. For example, a wearable article (e.g., a knee brace, an elbow sleeve, etc.) can utilize flexible circuits and deformable conductors configured to function as sensors (e.g., a strain sensor, etc.). Enabled by the deformable conductor, which is configured to move with the joint, a wearable article can actively and accurately monitor joint flexibility without substantial electrical or physical degradation over thousands of strain cycles. Accordingly, continuous calibration is unnecessary and conversely, the flexible circuits can be used to calibrate conventional sensors (e.g., IMUs, etc.). In addition, parts of the circuit can be specifically configured and positioned to measure strain and thus, swelling in a particular location of the patient's appendage (e.g., shin, etc.).
For example, the aforementioned circuits can be implemented to form a two-dimensional strain sensor that utilizes a network of conductive gel traces, the individual electrical characteristics of which translates to a relative length or other orientation of the trace. By combining the electrical characteristics (e.g., by triangulating or other mathematical process, etc.) the relative location of various points on a two-dimensional surface may be determined. By measuring such electrical characteristics repeatedly over time, the motion of the points may be determined, providing for the capacity for real-time motion capture of the points on the strain sensor. By scaling the network of traces and/or increasing the number of strain sensors and placing the strain sensors on an object, motion capture the object may be obtained in real-time.
Referring now to
The medium 106 specifically and the strain sensor 102 generally may be formed according to the techniques described herein or according to any other mechanism that exists or may be developed, including but not limited to injection molding, 3D printing, thermoforming, laser etching, die-cutting, and the like. The medium 106 may be formed of one of: a B-stage resin film, a C-stage resin film, an adhesive, a thermoset epoxy-based film, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and/or silicone, among other suitable compounds or materials. In an example, the medium 106 has tensile elongation of 550%; tensile modulus of 5.0 megapascals; recovery rate of 95%; thickness of 100 micrometers; a peel strength at 90 degrees of at least 1.0 kilonewtons per meter; a dielectric constant of 2.3 at 10 gigahertz; a dielectric dissipation factor of 0.0030 at 10 gigahertz; a breakdown voltage of 7.0 kilovolts at a thickness of 80 micrometers; a heat resistance that produces no change in an environment of 260 degrees Celsius for 10 cycles in a nitrogen atmosphere; and chemical resistance producing no change to the medium 106 after 24 hours immersion in any of NaOH, Na2CO3, or copper etchant.
Details of an example medium 106 are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0381349, “CONTINUOUS INTERCONNECTS BETWEEN HETEROGENEOUS MATERIALS”, Ronay et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The strain sensor 102 is configured to identify changes in the relative positions of the reference points 108a, 108b based on a change in impedance/resistance of one or more of the traces 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d. In particular, the strain sensor 102 is configured to determine the relative position according to the Cartesian system (x, y) on a plane defined by the medium 106 of a given reference point 108a, 108b in relation to the two anchor points 110a, 110b to which the reference point 108a, 108b is coupled via an associated trace 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d. Thus, for instance, the relative position of the reference point 108a may be determined by one or, inferentially, both of: determining the length at any given time of the trace 104a and the trace 104b and/or by determining the relative position (x, y) of the anchor points 110a, 110b.
The length of the traces 104a, 104b may be determined as a function of resistance and/or impedance of the given trace 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d as measured between the reference point 108a, 108b and the anchor point 110a, 110b that is coupled by the trace 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d. In the illustrated example, the strain sensor system 100 includes an electronic parameter sensor 112 operatively coupled to a processor 114. The electronic parameter sensor 112 may be any device that is configured to detect or otherwise measure an electronic property, such as resistance, capacitance, inductance, etc. As such, in various examples, the electronic parameter sensor 112 may be an ohm meter or a resistance signal reader. Further, the electronic parameter sensor 112 and the processor 114 may be separate components or integrated together. In such an example, the processor 114 may be part of a chipset or package that incorporates resistance signal reading and recording capabilities. In still yet other examples, an analog to digital signal processor may be utilized to convert an analog resistance signal to a digital signal, which may be received by the processor 114. In examples where a remote processor is configured to receive signals from the strain sensor 102, a wireless communication component integrated to the sensor may be configured to provide signals to the processor 114.
While the strain sensor system 100 as illustrated includes the electronic parameter sensor 112 and the processor 114, it is to be recognized and understood that one or both of the electronic parameter sensor 112 and the processor 114 may be remote to the rest of the strain sensor system 100 and/or cloud computing assets, etc. Moreover, in various examples the electronic parameter sensor 112 and/or the processor 114 may be integrated into the strain sensor 102 itself or may be components to which the strain sensor 102 is operatively coupled, as illustrated. In examples where the processor 114 and/or the electronic parameter sensor 112 are remote to the strain sensor 102, a wireless communication module may be incorporated into the strain sensor 102 to provide data to the electronic parameter sensor 112 and/or processor 114.
In various examples, the processor 114 does not require a calibrated or predetermined relationship of impedance of a given trace 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d to determine the relative position of a reference point 108a, 108b and/or a relative position of an anchor point 110a, 110b. In such an example, the processor 114 may determine the relative location (x, y) on the medium 106 of the reference point 108a by determining location of the reference point 108a relative to the determined location (x, y) of each of the anchor points 110a, 110b to which the traces 104a, 104b are coupled. In such an example, the location variables x and y of the reference point 108a may be determined by the processor 114 according to the following equations:
In the above equations, r is the impedance for a given trace 104a, 104b as measured by the electronic parameter sensor 112 and provided to the processor 114. By applying the same equations in the same manner for the reference point 108b, but for the traces 104c, 104d, the position of each of the reference points 108a, 108b may be determined. By performing the calculations at a relatively high frequency, e.g., at least once per second, or at least fifteen (15) times per second, or at least twenty-four times per second, etc., the strain sensor system 100 may obtain a real-time determination of the relative positions of the reference points 108a, 108b and, therefore, the amount and rate of movement of the reference points 108a, 108b.
While the strain sensor system 100 is described with respect the measurement of resistance or impedance, it is to be recognized and understood that any electrical measurement may be applied on a similar basis. Thus, for instance, the traces 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d may have or may be configured to have an inductance, a capacitance, or other measureable electronic property that may be changed based on a deformation of the trace. Consequently, while an electronic parameter sensor 112 is described and illustrated, it is to be recognized and understood that any electronic meter configured to sense and measure the relevant electronic property may be utilized in addition to or instead of the electronic parameter sensor 112 in a manner consistent with this disclosure. Parameter sensor 112 can include an analog to digital signal converter, operable for communicating with processor 114, which may process signals digtially.
According to the non-limiting aspect of
The various layers are presented for illustration and not limitation and it is to be recognized and understood that any of a variety of additional or alternative layers may be incorporated into the laminate structure as desired. The laminate structure may incorporate at least one substrate layer onto which conductive gel is positioned, at least one patterned layer that forms at least one trace, and at least one encapsulation layer that seals the trace or other component of the laminate structure. The laminate structure may further include: a stencil layer, e.g., for when a stencil-in-place manufacturing process is utilized; a conductive layer for, e.g., a relatively high-powered bus, sensor, ground plane, shielding, etc.; an insulation layer, e.g., between a substrate layer, a conductive layer, a stencil layer, and/or an encapsulation layer, that primarily insulates traces or conductive layers from one another; an electronic component not necessarily formed according to the processes disclosed herein, e.g., a surface mount capacitor, resistor, processor, etc.; vias for connectivity between layers; and contact pads.
The collection of layers of the laminate structure may be referred to as a “stack”. A final or intermediate structure may include at least one stack (or multiple stacks, e.g., using modular construction techniques) that has been unitized. Additionally or alternatively, the structure could comprise one or more unitized stacks with at least one electronic component. A laminate assembly may comprise multiple laminate structures, e.g., in a modular construction. The assembly may utilize island architecture including a first laminate structure (the “island”), which may typically but not exclusively be itself a laminate structure populated with electric components, or a laminate structure that is, e.g., a discrete sensor, with the first laminate structure adhered to a second laminate structure including, e.g., traces and vias configured like a traditional printed circuit board (“PCB”), e.g., acting as the pathways for signals, currents or potentials to travel between the island(s) and other auxiliary structures, e.g., sensors.
In the illustrated example, in the relaxed configuration the traces 104a, 104d are of substantially equal length, e.g., within five (5) percent, and, as a result, of approximately equal resistance or impedance. Similarly, the traces 104b, 104c are similarly of substantially equal length and, as a result, of approximately equal distance. In such a circumstance, the processor 114 would determine that the relative (x, y) location of the reference points 108a, 108b are in their relaxed state.
In the deformed configuration, an outside force causes the reference point 108a to move relative to the reference point 108b. In the illustrated example, the length, and consequently, resistance of the traces 104c, 104d have not substantially changed, resulting in the processor 114 being configured to determine that, at least on a relative basis, strain has not been placed on the strain sensor 102 proximate the reference point 108b. However, the length, and consequently, the resistance of the traces 104a, 104b have changed, in the case of trace 104a to shorten and in the case of trace 104b to lengthen relative to the length of those traces 104a, 104b in the relaxed state. Consequently, the processor 114 would be configured to determine that a strain has been placed on the strain sensor 102 proximate the reference point 108a.
Strain placed on the strain sensor 102 at different locations would result in different deformation of the strain sensor 102 and, consequently, different lengthening or shortening of the traces 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d than illustrated here. Moreover, while the length of two traces is shown as being constant, any or all of the traces 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d may change length and, consequently, measured resistance. Moreover, the strain sensor 102 may be sensitive to multiple forces placed on the strain sensor 102 to the extent that those different forces manifest at different locations on the strain sensor 102.
The relative position of each reference point 404a, 404b, 404c, 404d are each determined by two of the traces 406. For the sake of clarity, the traces 406 associated with each reference point 404a, 404b, 404c, 404d are denoted by a particular dashed line. Thus, the relative position (x, y) of the reference point 404a is determined based on the resistance of the traces 406a, 406b, the relative position of the reference point 404c is based on the resistance of the traces 406e, 406f, and so forth. The principles disclosed herein are readily expandable to any number of reference points over any given area. The number of inputs on the electronic parameter sensor 112 or ohm meters may be expanded proportionally along with the processing resources of the processor 114.
Moreover, it is to be recognized and understood that number of traces associated with a given reference point may expand based on the available traces. In various examples, the relative position of a reference point may be determined based on three or more traces rather than only two, with the equations described above expanded to incorporate the additional traces. However, in further examples the additional traces beyond two for each reference point 404 may be treated as redundant traces. Thus, the processor 114 may only utilize two traces to determine the relative position of a given reference point, but if a trace to a reference point 404 breaks then the processor 114 may utilize a different, unbroken trace to determine the relative position of the reference point 404.
The inclusion of multiple reference points 404 in a strain sensor and/or multiple strain sensor may provide for the creation of a real-time three dimensional model of a larger object. Thus, for instance, a wearable article may have traces extending throughout the wearable article, with the traces coupled to many reference points distributed throughout the wearable article. By regularly determining the relative position of each reference point, the processor 114 may readily create a three-dimensional model of the wearable article based on the change in relative position of each reference point to neighboring reference points. According to some non-limiting aspects, two-dimensional movement can be monitored via the strain sensor system 100 and correlated to a three-dimensional representation. This is done by correlating a constrained motion system to known two-dimensional displacement data, and by calculating three-dimensional displacements from the two-dimensional outputs of the strain sensor system 100.
Adaptation of the strain sensors disclosed herein to various use cases may result in the length of traces being optimized for the conditions of the wearable article or other article to which the strain sensor is attached. Thus, for instance, some traces may be relatively longer and the reference points spaced apart in certain locations that would not be expected to have strain placed thereon (e.g., along a forearm portion of a sleeve, across a thigh portion of a knee brace, etc.) while other traces may be relatively shorter and reference points spaced closer together in locations that may be expected to have strain placed thereon (e.g., at an elbow of a sleeve, a knee joint of a knee brace, etc.).
Although the sensors of
According to some non-limiting aspects, various sensors, including a variety of flexible circuits (e.g., sensors 102, 402 of
Still referring to
In further reference to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The present disclosure contemplates alternatives to the “leaf spring” electrode 800 configuration of
The circular shape of
The present disclosure further contemplates non-limiting aspects wherein an electrode biasing effect is provided not only by the electrode structure (e.g., structure of electrodes 800, 900), but by the wearable article itself. For example, an fluid-fillable circuit can be integrated into the wearable article and filled with varying quantities of fluid, thereby expanding a thickness of the wearable article in certain predetermined portions and thus, increasing the pressure with which any electrode (e.g., electrodes 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 of
The electrodes 700, 800, 900 of
The various protruding (e.g., concave, convex, etc.) features depicted via the electrodes 700, 800, 900 of
In further reference to
The electrodes 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 of
According to some non-limiting aspects, it shall be appreciated that the electrodes 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 (
Any of the electrodes 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 (
Moreover, it shall be appreciated that any of the electrodes 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 (
Regardless, it shall be appreciated the aforementioned electrodes 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 of
According to non-limiting aspects where the electrodes 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 (
According to some non-limiting aspects, a wearable article (e.g., wearable articles 1000, 1100, 1200 of
Referring now to
In further reference to the non-limiting aspect of
For example, range of motion during flexion of a joint or appendage can be a key indicator of health, especially as a patient is rehabilitating. The joint monitoring sleeves 1000, 1100, 1200 of
According to some non-limiting aspects, the joint monitoring sleeves 1000, 1100, 1200 can further include a pressure sensor positioned at a location of interest (e.g., the front of a patient's shin, etc.), such that the joint monitoring sleeves 1000, 1100, 1200 can measure swelling at the location of interest. According to some non-limiting aspects, the pressure sensor can be configured similar to the strain sensors 102, 402 of
In still other non-limiting aspects, the joint monitoring sleeves 1000, 1100, 1200 can include a temperature sensor constructed from the aforementioned deformable conductors. Such conductors can undergo deformations when exposed to temperature gradients, which can result in a differential between electrical parameters generated across the circuit. For example, as temperature at a monitored location changes, the deformable conductor or the encapsulation structure can either expand or contract and a change in the measured resistance across the deformable conductor can be correlated to a change in temperature. Such differentials can be processed by a connected processor 114 (
Referring now to
Still referring to
For example, according to the non-limiting aspect wherein a wearable article is configured as a joint monitoring sleeve to be worn about a user's knee, at least two or more IMUs 1308 can be positioned on either side of the patella and the strain gauge 1312 can be configured to traverse the patella of the knee, across a portion of the joint monitoring sleeve between each IMU 1308. Accordingly, as the user bends their leg while wearing the joint monitoring sleeve on their knee, the strain gauge 1312 can measure strain across the patella of the user's knee, as the flexible circuit 1300 expands and contracts from the motion of the user's leg across a variety of angles. This data can be correlated to the angular relationship between calibration points, by assuming linear strain, which can be measured by the traces 1302 formed of the deformable conductor and accurately correlated to the motion of the body part adorning the joint monitoring sleeve. Additionally, the IMUs 1308 can add a symbiotic measure of angle and can supplement strain data by monitoring the rotation of a joint and/or hyper expansion beyond set points of the strain gauge 1312. According to some non-limiting aspects the IMUs 1308, themselves, can include flexible circuitry interconnects that are configured to supplement and/or act in lieu of the strain gauge 1312 and thus, fluid-phase conductors can imbue the IMUs 1308 with enhanced accuracy relative to conventional IMUs.
Referring now to
According to some non-limiting aspects, the flexible circuit 1400 of
In reference of
According to the non-limiting aspect of
It shall be appreciated that, due to the flexible nature of the deformable conductors 1402 and medium 1403, the flexible circuits 1400, 1420, 1430 can be imbued with a tremendous amount of flexibility relative to conventional circuits. For example, according to the non-limiting aspect of
According to the non-limiting aspects where alternate conductors (e.g., silver ink, etc.) are used to form strain-sensing, flexible circuits, such circuits may experience no hysteresis and thus, may experience measurable changes in electrical characteristics upon returning to a relaxed state after undergoing a number of deformation cycles. This is known as “strain creep,” or a degradation in performance as the number of deformation cycles increases. According to such aspects, the performance of a strain sensing flexible circuit 1300 that utilizes such alternate conductors can be enhanced via the calibration methods 2200 (
According to the non-limiting aspect of
Referring now to
Still referring to
In further reference to
As mentioned in reference to
Additionally and/or alternatively, according to some non-limiting aspects, the joint portion 1508 of the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 can be reinforced, as described below, such that the one or more portions 1422 of the flexible circuit 1420 configured as an inductive pressure sensor is not adversely affected by flexions of the knee and more exclusively responsive to swelling of the joint itself. As such, according to some preferable aspects, it might be advantageous to reinforce the one or more portions 1422 of the flexible circuit at the center of the joint portion 1508 of the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 such that the one or more portions 1422 of the flexible circuit 1420 is “locked out,” or reinforced from flexions of the joint that could effect the distance between the coil and conductive layer and adversely (and inaccurately) affect the monitored pressure. Of course, the one or more portions 1422 can be positioned anywhere on the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 in accordance with anatomic need, user preference, and/or intended application.
In other words, the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 can have a different structural construction and or features (e.g., joint portion 1508) that can either mitigate or facilitate deformation of the flexible circuits at certain locations on the joint monitoring sleeve 1500. For example, textile properties can be attenuated (e.g., thicker, thinner, less flexible, more pliable, more cushioned, etc.) at certain locations of the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 relative to the position of certain flexible circuits 1400, 1420, 1501, 1502, 1504, which can affect deformation and thus, attenuate electrical parameters generated by those circuits 1400, 1420, 1501, 1502, 1504. Accordingly, such features can de-activate strain sensing capabilities in some regions where a strain sensor is present (e.g., could “lock out” regions of a strain sensor at either side of a joint, leaving only the portion extending over the joint free to stretch).
According to some non-limiting aspects, similar features can be utilized to promote comfort in portions of the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 where flexible circuit structures are mounted. For example, flexible circuits can be mounted to more rigid or flexible portions 1506, 1508 of the joint monitoring sleeve 1500, such that the structural features of the flexible circuits will not be as noticeable to the user while the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 is in use, thereby reducing user discomfort. For example, such features can be introduced via the methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,898,932, titled ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR INCORPORATING A KNITTED COMPONENT, and filed May 9, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 8,898,932 provides an exemplary of knitting an article and re-enforcing portions of the textile. However, according to the present disclosure, in conjunction with promoting user comfort, one could use similar techniques to reinforce and/or enhance the deformation of certain portions 1506, 1508 of the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 to promote desired electrical responses from the flexible circuits 1400, 1420, 1501, 1502, 1504.
According to the non-limiting aspect of
In further reference to
Although it is not visibly apparent in
Additionally and/or alternatively, any and/or all of the flexible circuits 1400, 1420, 1502, 1504 of the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 of
In still other non-limiting aspects, the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 can wirelessly communicate with a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, a smart phone, a smart watch, smart glasses, etc.) including a transceiver and one such remote processor configured to provide real-time feedback to the user (e.g., visual indicia, audible alerts, haptic feedback, etc.). According to such aspects, the mobile computing device can further include a memory configured to store an application that, when executed by the remote processor, causes the remote processor to generate a simulation of the users motions based on signals received from the joint monitoring sleeve 1500 and display the simulation via display of the mobile computing device. According to still other non-limiting aspects, the application can be configured to guide the user through predefined exercises and provide real-time feedback associated with those exercises, either via alerts (e.g., audible, visual, haptic, etc.) provided via components (e.g., speakers, displays, haptic activators, etc.) on board the sleeve 1500 or remotely on the mobile computing device. According to other non-limiting aspects, the application, when executed by the remote processor, can further cause the remote processor of the mobile computing device to transmit, via the transceiver of the mobile computing device, real-time feedback via the onboard indicator (e.g., indicator 1608 of
Referring now to
Referring now to
According to some non-limiting aspects, calibration of data generated by any combination of electrodes, sensors, flexible circuits, and/or IMUs can be performed in accordance with the method 2200 of
Referring now to
According to the non-limiting aspect of
In further reference to the non-limiting aspect of
Referring now to
According to the non-limiting aspect of
Still referring to
Additionally, the joint monitoring sleeve can include an indicator including one or more LEDs and/or a plurality of buttons 1910, which can be coupled to an internal, flexible, strain-sensing circuit integrated within the joint monitoring sleeve 1900. As such, the LEDs 1910 can be illuminated in response to electrical parameters generated by the electrically coupled internal, flexible, strain-sensing circuit. As will be discussed in further detail in reference to
In further reference to
Referring now to
Additionally,
Referring now to
According to
Referring now to
For example, according to the non-limiting aspect of
Referring now to
It shall be appreciated that the steps of logging 2206 strain data and logging 2208 IMU data can be interchangeable and that, according to some non-limiting aspects, the method 2200 can be used to calibrate strain data to IMU data as opposed to IMU data being calibrated to strain data. In other words, the method 2200 of calibration is bidirectional. This can be particularly useful in non-limiting aspects where alternate conductors (e.g., silver ink, etc.) are used to form strain-sensing, flexible circuits. Since circuits that use alternate conductors may experience hysteresis and thus, may experience measurable changes in electrical characteristics upon returning to a relaxed state after undergoing a number of deformation cycles, strain data may need to be calibrated to IMU data to account for “strain creep.”
Once the desired sample sizes are logged, the method 2200 includes correlating 2210 the logged strain data to the logged IMU data and calculating 2212 a drift based on a spatial position of the IMU inferred based, at least in part, on the correlation. Accordingly, the method 2200 includes outputting 2216 corrected IMU-dependent information based, at least in part, on the calculated drift. However, according to some non-limiting aspects, the method 2200 can further include outputting 2214 strain-dependent information based on strain data logged from the flexible circuit, alone.
In other words, the measured strain may have a calibration for a plurality of angles and may infer the angles between the calibration points (e.g., by assuming linear strain), which may be generally accurate for both metal gel conductor-based strain sensors and the bio-mechanics of the motion of body members covered by a wearable article. The addition of IMUs adds a symbiotic measure of angle. The strain sensor can be used via the method 2200 of
Additionally, as previously discussed, the use of two IMUs positioned on different limbs opposite a joint can be implemented for inferencing joint movement and angular position of the limbs, but has been found to lack reliability over extended periods of use due to “drift” in the data provided by the IMU's. Over extended periods of time, the drift can result in datasets that are not trustworthy, since the inferred position and spatial relationship between the IMUs is no longer within an acceptable tolerance of their actual position on the wearer's body. Attempting to understand limb and joint movements or rely on the data being provided by the IMU pair, for example, to remotely monitor the health of the joint or remotely perform physical therapy and training to rehabilitate the joint, is therefore not possible.
However via the addition of the strain sensor and the method 2200 of
Typically calibration of an IMU would not be possible with a strain sensor since strain sensors are traditionally capable of measuring very small strains only, in the order of micrometers. Strains of such a small magnitude may be less than the drift in the spatial coordinates inferred by an IMU. However, a strain sensor made from a deformable conductor (e.g., metal gel) can Measure strains in the order of centimeters and decimeters, and even greater magnitudes depending on the size of the sensor and the resilience of the substrate used to make the sensor. Thus, the use of a strain sensor to determine a correction factor to the drift in spatial position inferred by an IMU has considerable value to wearable electronics where translations of the IMU's as a result of relative motion of body parts results in substantial stretching of the wearable device by the user's body. Substantial stretching may be defined as linear stretch of 3 or more millimeters. In some applications, it may be defined as little as about 1 millimeter. In other examples, it may be defined as 5 or 10 millimeters, or even more, depending on the use case of the sleeve.
The principles disclosed above may be applied to a sleeve fitted with a single IMU. which may provide substantially similar motion information for one limb, digit, or other body member on either side of a joint of the wearer. The position of the other limb may be inferred from strain data. It may be useful to pair the brace with a smartphone that may run a dedicated app to provide additionally functionality such as the ability to record a voice memo, e.g., when logging a discomfort position or painful activity which may be reviewed at a later time by a physiotherapist or other medical professional. Further, the data may be streamed wirelessly to cloud storage or monitored in real time by an individual in a remote location, for example, for providing therapeutic instructions or advice, exercises, training, or diagnosis of an injury.
Referring now to
However, the steps illustrated in
Since the inventive principles of this patent disclosure can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the inventive concepts, such changes and modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the following claims. The use of terms such as first and second are for purposes of differentiating different components and do not necessarily imply the presence of more than one component.
The electrically conductive compositions, such as conductive gels, comprised in the articles described herein can, for example, have a paste like or gel consistency that can be created by taking advantage of, among other things, the structure that gallium oxide can impart on the compositions when gallium oxide is mixed into a eutectic gallium alloy. When mixed into a eutectic gallium alloy, gallium oxide can form micro or nanostructures that are further described herein, which structures are capable of altering the bulk material properties of the eutectic gallium alloy.
As used herein, the term “eutectic” generally refers to a mixture of two or more phases of a composition that has the lowest melting point, and where the phases simultaneously crystallize from molten solution at this temperature. The ratio of phases to obtain a eutectic is identified by the eutectic point on a phase diagram. One of the features of eutectic alloys is their sharp melting point.
In some non-limiting aspects, the properties of the deformable conductive material and/or the properties of the layers surrounding the patterns of the deformable conductive material may be adjusted and/or optimized to ensure that the patterns of deformable conductive material heal upon unitization of the surrounding layers. For example, the deformable conductive material may be optimized to have a viscosity such that the deformable conductive material is able to heal upon unitization of the layers but not such that the deformable conductive material overly deforms and does not achieve the intended pattern. As another example, and adhesive characteristics and/or viscosity of the deformable conductive material may be optimized such that it remains on the substrate layer upon removal of the removable stencil 50 and but does not adhere to the channels 504, 506 of the stencil thereby lifting the deformable conductive material off of the substrate layer. In some aspects, a viscosity of the deformable conductive material may, when under high shear (e.g., in motion), be in a range of about 10 Pascal seconds (Pa*s) and 500 Pa*s, such as a range of 50 Pa*s and 300 Pa*s, and/or may be about 50 Pa*s, about 60 Pa*s, about 70 Pa*s, about 80 Pa*s, about 90 Pa*s, about 100 Pa*s, about 110 Pa*s, about 120 Pa*s, about 130 Pa*s, about 140 Pa*s, about 150 Pa*s, about 160 Pa*s, about 170 Pa*s, about 180 Pa*s, about 190 Pa*s, or about 200 Pa*s. In some aspects, a viscosity of the deformable conductive material may, when under low shear (e.g., at rest), be in a range of 1,000,000 Pa*s and 40,000,000 Pa*s and/or may be about 10,000,000 Pa*s, about 20,000,000 Pa*s, about 30,000,000 Pa*s, or about 40,000,000 Pa*s. According to some non-limiting aspects, the micro/nanostructure can include oxide sheets that form a cross-linked structure, which may be achieved by mixing in a way that entrains air into the mixture or by sonication that induces cavitation at the surface drawing in air to the mixture such that oxide formation in the cross-linked structures.
The electrically conductive compositions described herein can have any suitable conductivity, such as a conductivity of from about 2×105 S/m to about 8×105 S/m.
The electrically conductive compositions described herein can have ay suitable melting point, such as a melting point of from about −20° C. to about 10° C., about −10° C. to about 5° C., about −5° C. to about 5° C. or about −5° C. to about 0° C.
The electrically conductive compositions can comprise a mixture of a eutectic gallium alloy and gallium oxide, wherein the mixture of eutectic gallium alloy and gallium oxide has a weight percentage (wt %) of between about 59.9% and about 99.9% eutectic gallium alloy, such as between about 67% and about 90%, and a wt % of between about 0.1% and about 2.0% gallium oxide such as between about 0.2 and about 1%. For example, the electrically conductive compositions can have about 60%, about 61%, about 62%, about 63%, about 64%, about 65%, about 66%, about 67%, about 68%, about 69%, about 70%, about 71%, about 72%, about 73%, about 74%, about 75%, about 76%, about 77%, about 78%, about 79%, about 80%, about 81%, about 82%, about 83%, about 84%, about 85%, about 86%, about 87%, about 88%, about 89%, about 90%, about 91%, about 92%, about 93%, about 94%, about 95%, about 96%, about 97%, about 98%, about 99%, or greater, such as about 99.9% eutectic gallium alloy, and about 0.1%, about 0.2%, about 0.3%, about 0.4%, about 0.5%, about 0.6%, about 0.7%, about 0.8%, about 0.9%, about 1.0%, about 1.1%, about 1.2%, about 1.3%, about 1.4%, about 1.5%, about 1.6%, about 1.7%, about 1.8%, about 1.9%, and about 2.0% gallium oxide.
The eutectic gallium alloy can include gallium-indium or gallium-indium-tin in any ratio of elements. For example, a eutectic gallium alloy includes gallium and indium. The electrically conductive compositions can have any suitable percentage of gallium by weight in the gallium-indium alloy that is between about 40% and about 95%, such as about 40%, about 41%, about 42%, about 43%, about 44%, about 45%, about 46%, about 47%, about 48%, about 49%, about 50%, about 51%, about 52%, about 53%, about 54%, about 55%, about 56%, about 57%, about 58%, about 59%, about 60%, about 61%, about 62%, about 63%, about 64%, about 65%, about 66%, about 67%, about 68%, about 69%, about 70%, about 71%, about 72%, about 73%, about 74%, about 75%, about 76%, about 77%, about 78%, about 79%, about 80%, about 81%, about 82%, about 83%, about 84%, about 85%, about 86%, about 87%, about 88%, about 89%, about 90%, about 91%, about 92%, about 93%, about 94%, or about 95%.
The electrically conductive compositions can have a percentage of indium by weight in the gallium-indium alloy that is between about 5% and about 60%, such as about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9%, about 10%, about 11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14%, about 15%, about 16%, about 17%, about 18%, about 19%, about 20%, about 21%, about 22%, about 23%, about 24%, about 25%, about 26%, about 27%, about 28%, about 29%, about 30%, about 31%, about 32%, about 33%, about 34%, about 35%, about 36%, about 37%, about 38%, about 39%, about 40%, about 41%, about 42%, about 43%, about 44%, about 45%, about 46%, about 47%, about 48%, about 49%, about 50%, about 51%, about 52%, about 53%, about 54%, about 55%, about 56%, about 57%, about 58%, about 59%, or about 60%.
The eutectic gallium alloy can include gallium and tin. For example, the electrically conductive compositions can have a percentage of tin by weight in the alloy that is between about 0.001% and about 50%, such as about 0.001%, about 0.005%, about 0.01%, about 0.05%, about 0.1%, about 0.2%, about 0.3%, about 0.4%, about 0.5%, about 0.6%, about 0.7%, about 0.8%, about 0.9%, about 1%, about 1.5%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9%, about 10%, about 11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14%, about 15%, about 16%, about 17%, about 18%, about 19%, about 20%, about 21%, about 22%, about 23%, about 24%, about 25%, about 26%, about 27%, about 28%, about 29%, about 30%, about 31%, about 32%, about 33%, about 34%, about 35%, about 36%, about 37%, about 38%, about 39%, about 40%, about 41%, about 42%, about 43%, about 44%, about 45%, about 46%, about 47%, about 48%, about 49%, or about 50%.
The electrically conductive compositions can comprise one or more micro-particles or sub-micron scale particles blended with the eutectic gallium alloy and gallium oxide. The particles can be suspended, either coated in eutectic gallium alloy or gallium and encapsulated in gallium oxide or not coated in the previous manner, within eutectic gallium alloy. The micro- or sub-micron scale particles can range in size from nanometer to micrometer and can be suspended in gallium, gallium-indium alloy, or gallium-indium-tin alloy. Particle to alloy ratio can vary and can change the flow properties of the electrically conductive compositions. The micro and nanostructures can be blended within the electrically conductive compositions through sonication or other suitable means. The electrically conductive compositions can include a colloidal suspension of micro and nanostructures within the eutectic gallium alloy/gallium oxide mixture.
The electrically conductive compositions can further include one or more micro-particles or sub-micron scale particles dispersed within the compositions. This can be achieved in any suitable way, including by suspending particles, either coated in eutectic gallium alloy or gallium and encapsulated in gallium oxide or not coated in the previous manner, within the electrically conductive compositions or, specifically, within the eutectic gallium alloy fluid. These particles can range in size from nanometer to micrometer and can be suspended in gallium, gallium-indium alloy, or gallium-indium-tin alloy. Particle to alloy ratio can vary, in order to, among other things, change fluid properties of at least one of the alloys and the electrically conductive compositions. In addition, the addition of any ancillary material to colloidal suspension or eutectic gallium alloy in order to, among other things, enhance or modify its physical, electrical or thermal properties. The distribution of micro and nanostructures within the at least one of the eutectic gallium alloy and the electrically conductive compositions can be achieved through any suitable means, including sonication or other mechanical means without the addition of particles. In certain aspects, the one or more micro-particles or sub-micron particles are blended with the at least one of the eutectic gallium alloy and the electrically conductive compositions with wt % of between about 0.001% and about 40.0% of micro-particles, for example about 0.001%, about 0.005%, about 0.01%, about 0.05%, about 0.1%, about 0.2%, about 0.3%, about 0.4%, about 0.5%, about 0.6%, about 0.7%, about 0.8%, about 0.9%, about 1%, about 1.5%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9%, about 10%, about 11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14%, about 15%, about 16%, about 17%, about 18%, about 19%, about 20%, about 21%, about 22%, about 23%, about 24%, about 25%, about 26%, about 27%, about 28%, about 29%, about 30%, about 31%, about 32%, about 33%, about 34%, about 35%, about 36%, about 37%, about 38%, about 39%, or about 40.
The one or more micro- or sub-micron particles can be made of any suitable material including soda glass, silica, borosilicate glass, quartz, oxidized copper, silver coated copper, non-oxidized copper, tungsten, super saturated tin granules, glass, graphite, silver coated copper, such as silver coated copper spheres, and silver coated copper flakes, copper flakes, or copper spheres, or a combination thereof, or any other material that can be wetted by the at least one of the eutectic gallium alloy and the electrically conductive compositions. The one or more micro-particles or sub-micron scale particles can have any suitable shape, including the shape of spheroids, rods, tubes, a flakes, plates, cubes, prismatic, pyramidal, cages, and dendrimers. The one or more micro-particles or sub-micron scale particles can have any suitable size, including a size range of about 0.5 microns to about 60 microns, as about 0.5 microns, about 0.6 microns, about 0.7 microns, about 0.8 microns, about 0.9 microns, about 1 microns, about 1.5 microns, about 2 microns, about 3 microns, about 4 microns, about 5 microns, about 6 microns, about 7 microns, about 8 microns, about 9 microns, about 10 microns, about 11 microns, about 12 microns, about 13 microns, about 14 microns, about 15 microns, about 16 microns, about 17 microns, about 18 microns, about 19 microns, about 20 microns, about 21 microns, about 22 microns, about 23 microns, about 24 microns, about 25 microns, about 26 microns, about 27 microns, about 28 microns, about 29 microns, about 30 microns, about 31 microns, about 32 microns, about 33 microns, about 34 microns, about 35 microns, about 36 microns, about 37 microns, about 38 microns, about 39 microns, about 40 microns, about 41 microns, about 42 microns, about 43 microns, about 44 microns, about 45 microns, about 46 microns, about 47 microns, about 48 microns, about 49 microns, about 50 microns, about 51 microns, about 52 microns, about 53 microns, about 54 microns, about 55 microns, about 56 microns, about 57 microns, about 58 microns, about 59 microns, or about 60 microns.
The electrically conductive compositions described herein can be made by any suitable method, including a method comprising blending surface oxides formed on a surface of a eutectic gallium alloy into the bulk of the eutectic gallium alloy by shear mixing of the surface oxide/alloy interface. Shear mixing of such compositions can induce a cross linked microstructure in the surface oxides; thereby forming a conducting shear thinning gel composition. A colloidal suspension of micro-structures can be formed within the eutectic gallium alloy/gallium oxide mixture, for example as, gallium oxide particles and/or sheets.
The surface oxides can be blended in any suitable ratio, such as at a ratio of between about 59.9% (by weight) and about 99.9% eutectic gallium alloy, to about 0.1% (by weight) and about 2.0% gallium oxide. For example percentage by weight of gallium alloy blended with gallium oxide is about 60%, 61%, about 62%, about 63%, about 64%, about 65%, about 66%, about 67%, about 68%, about 69%, about 70%, about 71%, about 72%, about 73%, about 74%, about 75%, about 76%, about 77%, about 78%, about 79%, about 80%, about 81%, about 82%, about 83%, about 84%, about 85%, about 86%, about 87%, about 88%, about 89%, about 90%, about 91%, about 92%, about 93%, about 94%, about 95%, about 96%, about 97%, about 98%, about 99%, or greater, such as about 99.9% eutectic gallium alloy while the weight percentage of gallium oxide is about 0.1%, about 0.2%, about 0.3%, about 0.4%, about 0.5%, about 0.6%, about 0.7%, about 0.8%, about 0.9%, about 1.0%, about 1.1%, about 1.2%, about 1.3%, about 1.4%, about 1.5%, about 1.6%, about 1.7%, about 1.8%, about 1.9%, and about 2.0% gallium oxide. In aspects, the eutectic gallium alloy can include gallium-indium or gallium-indium-tin in any ratio of the recited elements. For example, a eutectic gallium alloy can include gallium and indium.
The weight percentage of gallium in the gallium-indium alloy can be between about 40% and about 95%, such as about 40%, about 41%, about 42%, about 43%, about 44%, about 45%, about 46%, about 47%, about 48%, about 49%, about 50%, about 51%, about 52%, about 53%, about 54%, about 55%, about 56%, about 57%, about 58%, about 59%, about 60%, about 61%, about 62%, about 63%, about 64%, about 65%, about 66%, about 67%, about 68%, about 69%, about 70%, about 71%, about 72%, about 73%, about 74%, about 75%, about 76%, about 77%, about 78%, about 79%, about 80%, about 81%, about 82%, about 83%, about 84%, about 85%, about 86%, about 87%, about 88%, about 89%, about 90%, about 91%, about 92%, about 93%, about 94%, or about 95%.
Alternatively or in addition, the weight percentage of indium in the gallium-indium alloy can be between about 5% and about 60%, such as about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9%, about 10%, about 11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14%, about 15%, about 16%, about 17%, about 18%, about 19%, about 20%, about 21%, about 22%, about 23%, about 24%, about 25%, about 26%, about 27%, about 28%, about 29%, about 30%, about 31%, about 32%, about 33%, about 34%, about 35%, about 36%, about 37%, about 38%, about 39%, about 40%, about 41%, about 42%, about 43%, about 44%, about 45%, about 46%, about 47%, about 48%, about 49%, about 50%, about 51%, about 52%, about 53%, about 54%, about 55%, about 56%, about 57%, about 58%, about 59%, or about 60%.
A eutectic gallium alloy can include gallium, indium, and tin. The weight percentage of tin in the gallium-indium-tin alloy can be between about 0.001% and about 50%, such as about 0.001%, about 0.005%, about 0.01%, about 0.05%, about 0.1%, about 0.2%, about 0.3%, about 0.4%, about 0.5%, about 0.6%, about 0.7%, about 0.8%, about 0.9%, about 1%, about 1.4%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9%, about 10%, about 11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14%, about 15%, about 16%, about 17%, about 18%, about 19%, about 20%, about 21%, about 22%, about 23%, about 24%, about 25%, about 26%, about 27%, about 28%, about 29%, about 30%, about 31%, about 32%, about 33%, about 34%, about 35%, about 36%, about 37%, about 38%, about 39%, about 40%, about 41%, about 42%, about 43%, about 44%, about 45%, about 46%, about 47%, about 48%, about 49%, or about 50%.
The weight percentage of gallium in the gallium-indium-tin alloy can be between about 40% and about 95%, such as about 40%, about 41%, about 42%, about 43%, about 44%, about 45%, about 46%, about 47%, about 48%, about 49%, about 50%, about 51%, about 52%, about 53%, about 54%, about 55%, about 56%, about 57%, about 58%, about 59%, about 60%, about 61%, about 62%, about 63%, about 64%, about 65%, about 66%, about 67%, about 68%, about 69%, about 70%, about 71%, about 72%, about 73%, about 74%, about 75%, about 76%, about 77%, about 78%, about 79%, about 80%, about 81%, about 82%, about 83%, about 84%, about 85%, about 86%, about 87%, about 88%, about 89%, about 90%, about 91%, about 92%, about 93%, about 94%, or about 95%.
Alternatively or in addition, the weight percentage of indium in the gallium-indium-tin alloy can be between about 5% and about 60%, such as about 5%, about 6%, about 7%. about 8%, about 9%, about 10%, about 11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14%, about 15%, about 16%, about 17%, about 18%, about 19%, about 20%, about 21%, about 22%, about 23%, about 24%, about 25%, about 26%, about 27%, about 28%, about 29%, about 30%, about 31%, about 32%, about 33%, about 34%, about 35%, about 36%, about 37%, about 38%, about 39%, about 40%, about 41%, about 42%, about 43%, about 44%, about 45%, about 46%, about 47%, about 48%, about 49%, about 50%, about 51%, about 52%, about 53%, about 54%, about 55%, about 56%, about 57%, about 58%, about 59%, or about 60%.
One or more micro-particles or sub-micron scale particles can be blended with the eutectic gallium alloy and gallium oxide. For example, the one or more micro-particles or sub-micron particles can be blended with the mixture with wt % of between about 0.001% and about 40.0% of micro-particles in the composition, for example about 0.001%, about 0.005%, about 0.01%, about 0.05%, about 0.1%, about 0.2%, about 0.3%, about 0.4%, about 0.5%, about 0.6%, about 0.7%, about 0.8%, about 0.9%, about 1%, about 1.5%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9%, about 10%, about 11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14%, about 15%, about 16%, about 17%, about 18%, about 19%, about 20%, about 21%, about 22%, about 23%, about 24%, about 25%, about 26%, about 27%, about 28%, about 29%, about 30%, about 31%, about 32%, about 33%, about 34%, about 35%, about 36%, about 37%, about 38%, about 39%, or about 40. In aspects the particles can be soda glass, silica, borosilicate glass, quartz, oxidized copper, silver coated copper, non-oxidized copper, tungsten, super saturated tin granules, glass, graphite, silver coated copper, such as silver coated copper spheres, and silver coated copper flakes, copper flakes or copper spheres or a combination thereof, or any other material that can be wetted by gallium. In some aspects the one or more micro-particles or sub-micron scale particles are in the shape of spheroids, rods, tubes, a flakes, plates, cubes, prismatic, pyramidal, cages, and dendrimers. In certain aspects, the one or more micro-particles or sub-micron scale particles are in the size range of about 0.5 microns to about 60 microns, as about 0.5 microns, about 0.6 microns, about 0.7 microns, about 0.8 microns, about 0.9 microns, about 1 microns, about 1.5 microns, about 2 microns, about 3 microns, about 4 microns, about 5 microns, about 6 microns, about 7 microns, about 8 microns, about 9 microns, about 10 microns, about 11 microns, about 12 microns, about 13 microns, about 14 microns, about 15 microns, about 16 microns, about 17 microns, about 18 microns, about 19 microns, about 20 microns, about 21 microns, about 22 microns, about 23 microns, about 24 microns, about 25 microns, about 26 microns, about 27 microns, about 28 microns, about 29 microns, about 30 microns, about 31 microns, about 32 microns, about 33 microns, about 34 microns, about 35 microns, about 36 microns, about 37 microns, about 38 microns, about 39 microns, about 40 microns, about 41 microns, about 42 microns, about 43 microns, about 44 microns, about 45 microns, about 46 microns, about 47 microns, about 48 microns, about 49 microns, about 50 microns, about 51 microns, about 52 microns, about 53 microns, about 54 microns, about 55 microns, about 56 microns, about 57 microns, about 58 microns, about 59 microns, or about 60 microns.
Some portions of this specification are presented in terms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on data stored as bits or binary digital signals within a machine memory (e.g., a computer memory). These algorithms or symbolic representations are examples of techniques used by those of ordinary skill in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. As used herein, an “algorithm” is a self-consistent sequence of operations or similar processing leading to a desired result. In this context, algorithms and operations involve physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, but not necessarily, such quantities may take the form of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable of being stored, accessed, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwise manipulated by a machine. It is convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals using words such as “data,” “content,” “bits,” “values,” “elements,” “symbols,” “characters,” “terms,” “numbers,” “numerals,” or the like. These words, however, are merely convenient labels and are to be associated with appropriate physical quantities.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using words such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions or processes of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical) quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or any suitable combination thereof), registers, or other machine components that receive, store, transmit, or display information. Furthermore, unless specifically stated otherwise, the terms “a” or “an” are herein used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one instance. Finally, as used herein, the conjunction “or” refers to a non-exclusive “or,” unless specifically stated otherwise.
Various aspects of the subject matter described herein are set out in the following numbered clauses:
Clause 1: A system configured to monitor and characterize motions of a user, the system including: a wearable article including: a tubular body including a resilient material; a flexible circuit including a fluid-phase conductor configured to generate a first signal; and an inertial measurement unit (“IMU”) coupled to the resilient material, wherein the IMU is configured to generate a second signal; and a processor communicably coupled to the flexible circuit and the IMU.
Clause 2: The system according to clause 1, wherein the processor is configured to: receive the first signal from the flexible circuit and the second signal from the IMU; determine a first electrical parameter associated with the flexible circuit based on the first signal; determine a second electrical parameter associated with the IMU based on the second signal; correlate the first electrical parameter to a first physical parameter associated with the flexible circuit and the second electrical parameter to a second physical parameter associated with the IMU; and generate a model of the wearable article based on the correlation.
Clause 3: The system according to either of clauses 1 or 2, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive the first signal from the flexible circuit and the second signal from the IMU; determine a first electrical parameter associated with the flexible circuit based on the first signal; determine a second electrical parameter associated with the IMU based on the second signal; correlate the first electrical parameter associated with the flexible circuit to the second electrical parameter associated with the IMU; modify the second physical parameter associated with the IMU based on the correlation of the first electrical parameter associated with the flexible circuit to the second electrical parameter associated with the IMU; and update the model of the wearable article based on the modification.
Clause 4: The system according to any of clauses 1-3, wherein the processor is communicably coupled to the flexible circuit and the IMU via a plurality of conductive traces including the fluid-phase conductor.
Clause 5: The system according to any of clauses 1-4, wherein the wearable article further includes a wireless transmitter, and wherein the processor is communicably coupled to the flexible circuit and the IMU via the wireless transmitter
Clause 6: The system according to any of clauses 1-5, wherein the wearable article further includes a pressure sensor including a fluid-phase conductor.
Clause 7: The system according to any of clauses 1-6, wherein the fluid-phase conductor of the pressure sensor is configured as an inductive pressure sensor.
Clause 8. The system according to any of clauses 1-7, wherein the wearable article further includes a temperature sensor.
Clause 9: The system according to any of clauses 1-8, further including a second IMU coupled to the resilient material, and wherein the flexible circuit is dispositioned between the IMU and the second IMU.
Clause 10: The system according to any of clauses 1-9, wherein the wearable article is configured as a joint monitoring sleeve configured to be worn on a knee of the user.
Clause 11: The system according to any of clauses 1-10, wherein, when the joint monitoring sleeve is worn by the user, the IMU is positioned about the knee of the user, the second IMU is positioned below the knee of the user, and the flexible circuit is configured to traverse the knee of the user.
Clause 12: The system according to any of clauses 1-11, further including an indicator electrically coupled to the flexible circuit via a plurality of conductive traces including the fluid-phase conductor, wherein the indicator includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (“LEDs”), and wherein the indicator is configured to illuminate a number of LEDs of the plurality in response to a flexion of the flexible circuit.
Clause 13: A wearable article configured to monitor motions of a user, the wearable article including: a tubular body including a resilient material; a flexible circuit including a fluid-phase conductor configured to generate a first signal; and an inertial measurement unit (“IMU”) coupled to the resilient material, wherein the IMU is configured to generate a second signal; and wherein the flexible circuit and the IMU are communicably coupled to a processor via a plurality of conductive traces including the fluid-phase conductor.
Clause 14: The wearable article according to clause 13, wherein the processor is coupled to resilient material, and wherein the flexible circuit and the IMU are communicably coupled to the processor via a plurality of conductive traces including the fluid-phase conductor.
Clause 15: The wearable article according to either of clauses 13 or 14, wherein the processor is configured to: receive the first signal from the flexible circuit and the second signal from the IMU; determine a first electrical parameter associated with the flexible circuit based on the first signal; determine a second electrical parameter associated with the IMU based on the second signal; correlate the first electrical parameter to a first physical parameter associated with the flexible circuit and the second electrical parameter to a second physical parameter associated with the IMU; and generate a model of the wearable article based on the correlation.
Clause 16: The wearable article according to any of clauses 13-15, wherein the wearable article further includes a pressure sensor including a fluid-phase conductor.
Clause 17: The wearable article according to any of clauses 13-16, wherein the fluid-phase conductor of the pressure sensor is configured as an inductive pressure sensor.
Clause 18: The wearable article according to any of clauses 13-17, wherein the wearable article further includes a temperature sensor including a fluid-phase conductor.
Clause 19: The wearable article according to any of clauses 13-18, further including an indicator electrically coupled to the flexible circuit via a plurality of conductive traces including the fluid-phase conductor, wherein the indicator includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (“LEDs”), and wherein the indicator is configured to illuminate a number of LEDs of the plurality in response to a flexion of the flexible circuit.
Clause 20: A method of generating a virtual representation of a physical motion performed by a user of a wearable article including a plurality of flexible circuits, the method including: performing a first motion while wearing the wearable article; generating, via a first flexible circuit of the plurality of flexible circuits, a first electrical parameter associated with the first motion; generating via a camera, motion capture data associated with the performance of the first motion; correlating, via a processor communicably coupled to the wearable article, the generated motion capture data to the generated first electrical parameter; storing, via a memory communicably coupled to the processor, the correlation; repeating the first motion while wearing the wearable article; and generating, via the processor, a virtual replication of the first motion based on exclusively on the stored correlation of the generated motion capture data to the generated first electrical parameter.
All patents, patent applications, publications, or other disclosure material mentioned herein, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if each individual reference was expressly incorporated by reference respectively. All references, and any material, or portion thereof, that are said to be incorporated by reference herein are incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated material does not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference and the disclosure expressly set forth in the present application controls.
The present invention has been described with reference to various exemplary and illustrative aspects. The aspects described herein are understood as providing illustrative features of varying detail of various aspects of the disclosed invention; and therefore, unless otherwise specified, it is to be understood that, to the extent possible, one or more features, elements, components, constituents, ingredients, structures, modules, and/or aspects of the disclosed aspects may be combined, separated, interchanged, and/or rearranged with or relative to one or more other features, elements, components, constituents, ingredients, structures, modules, and/or aspects of the disclosed aspects without departing from the scope of the disclosed invention. Accordingly, it will be recognized by persons having ordinary skill in the art that various substitutions, modifications or combinations of any of the exemplary aspects may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, persons skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the various aspects of the invention described herein upon review of this specification. Thus, the invention is not limited by the description of the various aspects, but rather by the claims.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.
In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms unless context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be typically understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will appreciate that recited operations therein may generally be performed in any order. Also, although claim recitations are presented in a sequence(s), it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in other orders than those which are described, or may be performed concurrently. Examples of such alternate orderings may include overlapping. interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental, simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless context dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms like “responsive to,” “related to,” or other past-tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictates otherwise.
It is worthy to note that any reference to “one aspect,” “an aspect,” “an exemplification,” “one exemplification,” and the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the aspect is included in at least one aspect. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one aspect,” “in an aspect,” “in an exemplification,” and “in one exemplification” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects.
As used herein, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include the plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Directional phrases used herein, such as, for example and without limitation, top, bottom, left, right, lower, upper, front, back, and variations thereof, shall relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the accompanying drawing and are not limiting upon the claims unless otherwise expressly stated.
The terms “about” or “approximately” as used in the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, means an acceptable error for a particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, which depends in part on how the value is measured or determined. In certain aspects, the term “about” or “approximately” means within 1, 2, 3, or 4 standard deviations. In certain aspects, the term “about” or “approximately” means within 50%, 200%, 105%, 100%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, or 0.05% of a given value or range.
In this specification, unless otherwise indicated, all numerical parameters are to be understood as being prefaced and modified in all instances by the term “about,” in which the numerical parameters possess the inherent variability characteristic of the underlying measurement techniques used to determine the numerical value of the parameter. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter described herein should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.
Any numerical range recited herein includes all sub-ranges subsumed within the recited range. For example, a range of “1 to 100” includes all sub-ranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1 and the recited maximum value of 100, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value equal to or less than 100. Also, all ranges recited herein are inclusive of the end points of the recited ranges. For example, a range of “1 to 100” includes the end points 1 and 100. Any maximum numerical limitation recited in this specification is intended to include all lower numerical limitations subsumed therein, and any minimum numerical limitation recited in this specification is intended to include all higher numerical limitations subsumed therein. Accordingly, Applicant reserves the right to amend this specification, including the claims, to expressly recite any sub-range subsumed within the ranges expressly recited. All such ranges are inherently described in this specification.
Any patent application, patent, non-patent publication, or other disclosure material referred to in this specification and/or listed in any Application Data Sheet is incorporated by reference herein, to the extent that the incorporated materials is not inconsistent herewith. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material.
The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”) and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a system that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Likewise, an element of a system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features.
Instructions used to program logic to perform various disclosed aspects can be stored within a memory in the system, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), cache, flash memory, or other storage. Furthermore, the instructions can be distributed via a network or by way of other computer readable media. Thus a machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer), but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disc. read-only memory (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (ROMs), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or a tangible, machine-readable storage used in the transmission of information over the Internet via electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). Accordingly, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes any type of tangible machine-readable medium suitable for storing or transmitting electronic instructions or information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer).
As used in any aspect herein, any reference to a processor or microprocessor can be substituted for any “control circuit,” which may refer to, for example, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry (e.g., a computer processor including one or more individual instruction processing cores, processing unit, processor, microcontroller, microcontroller unit, controller, digital signal processor (DSP), programmable logic device (PLD), programmable logic array (PLA), or field programmable gate array (FPGA)), state machine circuitry, firmware that stores instructions executed by programmable circuitry, and any combination thereof. The control circuit may, collectively or individually, be embodied as circuitry that forms part of a larger system, for example, an integrated circuit (IC), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on-chip (SoC), desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, servers, smart phones, etc. Accordingly, as used herein “control circuit” includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of random access memory), and/or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch, or optical-electrical equipment). Those having skill in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in an analog or digital fashion or some combination thereof.
As used in any aspect herein, the term “logic” may refer to an app, software, firmware and/or circuitry configured to perform any of the aforementioned operations. Software may be embodied as a software package, code, instructions, instruction sets and/or data recorded on non-transitory computer readable storage medium. Firmware may be embodied as code, instructions or instruction sets and/or data that are hard-coded (e.g., nonvolatile) in memory devices.
As used in any aspect herein, the terms “component,” “system,” “module” and the like can refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.
Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the foregoing disclosure, it is appreciated that, throughout the foregoing disclosure, discussions using terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “displaying,” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
One or more components may be referred to herein as “configured to,” “configurable to,” “operable/operative to,” “adapted/adaptable,” “able to,” “conformable/conformed to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize that “configured to” can generally encompass active-state components and/or inactive-state components and/or standby-state components, unless context requires otherwise.
The present application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/157,812, titled JOINT MONITORING SLEEVE, filed Mar. 7, 2021, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/235,937, titled BIASING ELECTRODES SLEEVES, filed Aug. 23, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/241,806, titled BRACE WITH INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNITS, filed Sep. 8, 2021, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US22/71012 | 3/7/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63157812 | Mar 2021 | US | |
| 63235937 | Aug 2021 | US | |
| 63241806 | Sep 2021 | US |
