Description:FIELD OF INVENTION:
[001] The present invention relates to the field of headgear. The present invention in particular relates to an IoT based smart, compact, and low-cost head kinematics monitoring device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART:
[002] Most of the available inventions generally use linear accelerometers and single-axis gyroscopes with a low measurement range that may not be able to give sufficient information on linear and angular acceleration. A very few inventions use a 3-axis accelerometer, and 3-axis gyroscope simultaneously to measure linear and angular kinematics. The available devices generally consist of bulky and expensive transmitter/receiver units for the wireless communication of data.
[003] Reference may be made to the following:
[004] IN Publication No. 201921000815 relates to a smart helmet that has integrated electronics which actively monitors a user's environment and provides various kinds of information to the user this device will be able to capture the accidental status of the rider through shock waves reported on the shock-analyzer plate. If an accident of the rider is done, then this device will measure the impact and analyses itself that the accident is actually done and in just a few seconds of time it will automatically inform all the registered (on the mobile phone of rider) mobile number that the person has got accident via SMS and whats app. Also more importantly at this device will report the Hospital ambulance system (no: 102) using the upcoming Google Duplex system using Al-based robotic calling system and will also send them the location via voice system. This device will be connected to the mobile phone as follows: Via Bluetooth 5 (range up to 120 meters, up to 2Mbps data transfer rate, more battery life]. Via NFC tap/touch (Near Field Communication) with the mobile phone having NFC feature. Any other network connection. Can be activated via application software also.
[005] IN Publication No. 202117004143 relates to a system and method for inserting secondary content, e.g., advertisement content, graphics, images, etc. in a 360-degree immersive video environment. When a request is received from a client device for playing a video asset, a plurality of video tiles of the video asset are selected to be assembled as a video frame for delivery to the client device. A portion of the video tiles are identified that can be replaced with a corresponding set of advertisement content tiles, e.g., based on gaze vector information and/or a tile metadata specification containing advertisement insertion availability timing information with respect to each of the tiles of the video frame. After replacing the portion of the identified video tiles, the corresponding set of advertisement content tiles and remaining video tiles are assembled into the video frame including the advertisement content tiles at select locations, which is transmitted to the client device.
[006] Publication No. US2012075096 relates to a handheld communication device for monitoring protective headgear includes a device interface that receives event data that includes power data that represents power of impact to the protective headgear. A processing device executes an event simulation module that processes the event data to generate simulation display data that animates the impact to the protective headgear. A user interface includes a display device that displays the simulation display data.
[007] Patent No. US8860570 relates to a system for sensing, analyzing and reporting a collision event experienced by a person or object sensor module designed to a person or object, module angular velocities over time and a processor for analyzing the sensed velocities, calculating properties of angular velocities, such as jerk and jolt, comparing these properties with threshold values selected to correlate to predicted severities of injury to the person or object, transmitting information regarding these properties to communication device user-designated persons. Also provided are group tracking and communication devices for use by monitors to manage multiple persons equipped with sensor modules. The sensor modules and group tracking and communication devices are designed to be portable, attachable and detachable so that they can be attached to different types of gear used by persons engaging in different activities.
[008] Publication No. WO9921477 relates to an apparatus and method for using head gear to sense the motion of the wearer's head, and output a signal indicative of the motion. Sensors are used to detect head motion about two mutually perpendicular axes. The sensor signal is fed into a microprocessor to compute a feedback signal indicative of the deviation of the motion from a desired, preprogrammed path. The feedback signal is delivered to an indicator to alert the wearer of the head motion. The device is adaptable to monitor head motions for various athletic, sporting, and safety applications.
[009] Publication No. US2016302050 relates to a mobile personal emergency response system includes a security fob configured to be manually activated, and wirelessly transmit an emergency alert signal when activated. A mobile device contains an emergency application, which is responsive to the emergency alert signal. Upon receipt of the emergency alert signal, the emergency application obtains user profile data corresponding to the mobile device, obtains GPS location coordinates of the mobile device, and wirelessly transmits the user profile data and GPS location coordinates to a dispatch center. A location database is accessed by the dispatch center and provides an identity of a selected public service answering point corresponding to the received GPS location coordinates. A dispatcher of the dispatch center contacts the selected public service answering point and provides the user profile data and a location of the mobile device.
[010] Patent No. US10520378 relates to a system for monitoring injuries comprising a plurality of wearable user input devices and a wireless transceiver. Each of the plurality of wearable user input devices may be configured to detect motion patterns of a user. Each of the plurality of wearable user input devices may be configured as performance equipment. The wireless transceiver may be configured to communicate the motion patterns to a user device. The user device may be configured to develop and store reference patterns related to impacts, compare the detected motion patterns with the reference patterns, estimate a location and direction of an impact based on the comparison, accumulate data from the estimated impact with previously suffered impact data aggregate results based on the accumulated impact data and context information and generate feedback for the user based on the aggregated results.
[011] Publication No. US2012210498 relates to a protective headgear position and impact sensor is described for use with hard hats, helmets, or other headgear. Proximity sensors are used to detect whether the headgear is being worn by the user. In some versions of the invention, additional features determine the nature of a head impact and store data related to wear of the headgear by the user. Yet other features may allow the headgear to serve as a security device, allowing entry into a facility only if the headgear is in position and if it is properly associated with an authorized individual who is wearing the headgear.
[012] Publication No. CN105953839 relates to a wearable type impact detection device a control method and a system. The impact detection device comprises a sensor, a processor, a memory and an alarm apparatus, wherein the processor is in bidirectional communication connection with the sensor, the alarm apparatus and the memory; the sensor is used for acquiring parameters of an environment where a user is located and sending the parameters to the processor; the processor is used for storing the parameters of the environment and obtaining a damage grade of the user after processing the parameters according to a preset algorithm; the alarm apparatus is used for receiving the damage degree from the processor and giving a prompt to the user; and the sensor comprises a pressure sensor and an acceleration transducer. The control method and the system which are provided by the invention are realized based on the impact detection device. The accuracy of the determination result of the damage degree is improved.
[013] Publication No. US2015100141 relates to a device and a system for detecting and scoring exercises, including maintaining, by a mobile device, a library of motion signatures in which a motion signature for an exercise is a sequence of characteristic features and a characteristic feature is a movement in the exercise receiving by a mobile device a time series of data from a sensor device the sensor device attached to the head or torso of a user, the data comprising accelerometer data from an accelerometer included in the sensor device, detecting a single repetition of a designated exercise performed by the user and calculating a motion score for the single repetition of the detected exercise.
[014] Publication No. US2012309300 relates to a bridge device includes a first radio frequency (RF) transceiver that receives event data via an incoming RF signal from protective headgear in response to an impact event at the protective headgear wherein the incoming RF signal is formatted in accordance with a first wireless protocol. A second RF transceiver transmits the event data in accordance with a second wireless protocol to a first monitoring device.
[015] Publication No. US2004171969 discloses a head gear to be worn when it is desirable to have an indication of the wearer's head motion or position. The head gear may be incorporated into an existing article of head wear. The incorporation may be permanent, or the head gear may be alternatively attached to various articles of head wear. Integral with the head gear are motion and/or position sensing devices to indicate the motion or position of the wearer's head. The data from the sensors may be fed into a digital processor to process the sensed data and derive a signal indicative of the wearer's head motion or position. Some embodiments employ a programmable processor to adapt the head gear to a variety of applications. The signal indicative of head motion or position may be fed into an indicator to provide the wearer with a recognizable feedback signal indicative of head motion or position.
[016] Publication No. US2014364772 relates to a sensor module generates sensor data in response to an impact to protective headgear, wherein the sensor module includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope and wherein the sensor data includes linear acceleration data and rotational velocity data. A device processing module generates event data in response to the sensor data. A device interface sends the event data to a monitoring device when the device interface is coupled to the monitoring device.
[017] Publication No. WO2014162228 relates to a headgear for capturing an immersive experience includes two cameras and two microphone pairs, each with a low volume microphone and a high volume microphone. A global positioning system (GPS) tracking device, accelerometer, and gyroscope are also provided. The data recorded from the cameras, microphones, GPS tracking device, accelerometer, and gyroscope are used to record several feeds and assemble said feeds into a single multimedia clip. Multimedia clips can be combined by time and/or region, forming an aggregate clip for a district or city. The component multimedia clips are linked to each other, allowing a user to experience the aggregate multimedia clip at their direction. Scenarios and advertisements can be embedded into the aggregate multimedia clip, allowing the immersive experience to be used for education, policy analysis, entertainment, and other similar tasks. Information from the GPS tracking device, accelerometer, and gyroscope are used to synchronize audio-video feeds and insert scenarios.
[018] Publication No. US2012077439 relates to a wireless device includes a sensor module that generates sensor data in response to an impact to the protective headgear. The sensor module includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope and wherein the sensor data includes linear acceleration data and rotational velocity data. A device processing module generates event data in response to the sensor data. A short-range wireless transmitter transmits a wireless signal that includes the event data.
[019] Publication No. US2015059494 relates to a system for monitoring and measuring impact forces imparted to an individual using force sensors, electronics for real-time transmission of sensed data to a remote server, software algorithms to calculate effects of the sensed forces and to determine whether to send an alert notification to at least one remote recipient. Embodiments further include individual body protection devices using multi-layer composite materials that are sized and shaped to an individual, and incorporating at least one force sensor, and electronics for real-time transmission of sensed data to a remote server having software algorithms to calculate effects of sensed forces and to determine whether to send an alert notification to at least one remote recipient, as disclosed in the specification of this application.
[020] Publication No. US2015109129 relates to a system for detecting head impacts comprises a sensor for detecting acceleration and providing a signal representative of applied impacts, a display, and a processor. The processor is configured to receive data from the acceleration sensor and determine whether a magnitude of an impact exceeds a threshold. In response to a magnitude of an impact exceeding the threshold, the system displays a cumulative report of impacts exceeding the threshold.
[021] Publication No. US2016067547 relates to a method according to a set of instructions stored on the memory of a computing device can include receiving first motion sensor data of a motion sensor associated with a sporting good. The method may further include activating an activity monitoring application logic. The activity monitoring application logic may include receiving a second motion sensor data of the motion sensor after the activity monitoring application logic is activated. The activity monitoring application logic may further include processing the second motion sensor data to identify a pattern of motion indicative of active usage of the sporting good. The activity monitoring application logic may further include activating adverse event detection logic. The adverse event detection logic may include receiving third motion sensor data of the motion sensor. The adverse event detection logic may further include monitoring the third motion sensor data to detect a potential adverse event experienced by the sporting good.
[022] IN Publication No. 202011037889 relates to a novel gyro sensor or virtual joystick controlled smart helmet. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel gyro sensor or virtual joystick controlled smart helmet having a motorized and hands-free live stream video stabilization multi-camera system which can be remotely operated over a network. The novel gyro sensor or virtual joystick controlled smart helmet having a motorized moveable camera, a two way display communication unit via a OLED screen and 360 degree camera combination to enable augmented reality, a video and audio transmission system, a reflector for visibility in low light, a rechargeable battery, a carbon fiber plate for protection against battery malfunction, a headphone connection jack, a SIM card slot, a helmet power on/off switch, a power connector, a micro-gimbal camera module, a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi module, 6 way live stream stabilization using a combination of motors which double up to ensure that the smart helmet can be remotely controlled over a network using a custom application interface.
[023] IN Publication No. 201741046325 relates to an integrated smart helmet system, comprising: a control unit-PCB is wirelessly connected to a computing device over network , computing device303 is configured to enable a user to use different functionalities without having to remove helmet and access the computing device and the control unit-PCB is configured to detect crashes while wearing the helmet by the user and notify crash detected information to computing device over network, buttons are positioned at the rear or side of helmet and control unit-PCB is electrically coupled to buttons are configured to initiate prompts to direct the user to put away the computing device while driving and disable certain dangerous functions.
[024] Publication No. DE102016215870 relates to a method and a device by means of which the position of a two-wheeler and in particular a fall or an early warning system for a fall can be determined. For this purpose, sensor variables of a sensor are recorded, which allows the movement in the room to be derived from the comparison of two sensor variables. A 3-axis acceleration or inertial sensor is typically used for this purpose. Alternatively, several sensors can also be used together, each of which only detects one or two axes. In order to detect the location or the position in space, in particular the upright/vertical position of the two-wheeler, it is provided that this one or these several sensors are attached to the two-wheeler. To derive the position of the two-wheeler, a first sensor variable is then recorded as a reference value at a first point in time. After this first sensor variable, a second sensor variable is recorded, preferably with the same sensor that is subsequently used as a comparison value. By comparing the reference value with the comparison value, the position of the two-wheeler can then be inferred.
[025] Our device and its use cases are considerably different from the above listed prior art. The current innovation stands apart from prior inventions due to its small size and enhanced performance characteristics as listed below.
[026] Prior inventions (including 201921000815, US2016067547 A1, W02014162228, US20150100141A1, US20120210498) only detect and inform about adverse events. Simply informing emergency medical services personnel about the adverse event is not sufficient to save the life of an injured person. The novelty of the present invention lies in providing prompt medical care to the user by quickly evaluating the severity of impact and identifying the potential of concussion. This is achieved by recording and sending the linear and angular time history kinematics pattern and risk of concussion of the injured person, which helps make real-time decisions on the severity of the injury before the injured person reaches the hospital. Additionally, it allows medical professionals to prepare diagnostic procedures in advance. Unlike prior inventions (including 201921000815, W09921477, US20150100141A1, US20150109129), which are limited to measuring only linear acceleration or motion, the present invention claims to measure angular kinematics as well. This is important because angular motions have been shown to be more detrimental in causing diffuse axonal injury. Furthermore, none of the prior inventions (including 201921000815, US20120075096A1, US10520378B1, US20120210498) specifically address the sampling rate of recorded kinematics patterns, which is an important parameter for capturing information. There is a high chance of losing information on the kinematics pattern at a low sampling rate. The present invention claims to simultaneously record the linear and angular kinematics at a sampling rate of approximately 1KHz, which is sufficient to retrieve information on the severity of the injury from the kinematics.
[027] The prior inventions (including US20120075096A1, US20120210498, US10520378B, US20130075096A1, US20150100141A1, US20120309300A1, US20151019129A1) devices are not able to track the location of the injured person, and therefore are not capable of providing emergency services to the injured person in a timely manner. In contrast, the present invention sends the geographic location of the injured person to the email address of the emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. Prior inventions (including US2015109129A1, US20150100141A1, US20120210498, US2016302050) are limited due to their specific applications, such as sports, exercise tracking. The device of the present invention can be easily utilized for various applications including road traffic accidents, contact sports, industrial applications such as construction, mining, manufacturing, and healthcare centres, as well as recreational activities such as horse riding, snowboarding, and professional motorsports.
[028] In prior inventions (US20150109129A1, US20120309300A1, US20150100141A1, US20120210498), the transceiver unit was configured to the device where the transmitter was connected to the sensor module and the receiving unit was connected to computing devices such as computers, laptops, or smartphones. However, these accessories made the device expensive and bulky. In contrast, the microcontroller of the present invention has built-in Wi-Fi functionality, which can be activated using specific libraries. Therefore, the present invention's device can easily send information to the email address of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel without the need for an external transceiver/wireless unit. This eliminates the additional power consumption requirements for the device, making it low-cost and energy-efficient. The novelty of the present invention lies in the wireless transmission of information, such as geographic location, linear and angular kinematics time history patterns, date and time of the impact event, and vehicle speed, without the use of a transceiver unit. Moreover, while prior inventions (US20120075096A1, US20120210498, US20150109129A1) had limited storage space for data, the present invention overcomes this limitation by storing the linear and angular kinematics time history patterns on an SD card.
[029] Thus, the existing concussion detection devices embedded externally with transceiver unit for the wireless communication of the data which make the device bulky. The microcontroller of our device has Wi-Fi facility which is used for wireless communication.
[030] Among the existing devices, very few are able to track the location of an injured person. Our impact detection device, efficiently tracks the geographic location of user wearing the device and send an email to the intended recipients (e.g., emergency authorities) along with kinematics data, as well as the date and time of impact as an alert signal.
[031] In order to overcome above listed prior art, the present invention aims to provide IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring. The entire electronics of the device is a single compact and portable device.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[032] The principal object of the present invention is to provide an IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring.
[033] Another object of the present invention is to provide low cost, portable and compact wireless headgear device which is used to provide the real-time, immediate alert and preliminary diagnosis of the impact event to the emergency agencies whenever user experiences an impact of magnitude above certain threshold.
[034] Yet another object of the present invention is to IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring which records the linear and angular kinematics in x, y and z directions.
[035] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a low cost, portable wireless device which can be easily mounted on the headgear to measure the head kinematics with correct information on location of the user as well as date and time of impact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[036] The present invention relates to an IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring. This is a low cost, portable wireless device which can be easily mounted on the headgear to measure the head kinematics with correct information on location of the user as well as date and time of impact. The device is rigid and compact device consist of the microcontroller, impact detection circuit, a location detection module, data storage unit, power supply circuit, and rechargeable battery. The impact detection unit contains the digital 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope to record the linear and angular kinematics of the head. The location detection module contains the global positioning system (GPS) module to detect the geographic location of user wearing the device. The data storage unit contains the secure digital (SD) card, which interfaces with the microcontroller to store the head kinematics in real-time. The facility of wireless transmission of data is provided to the device using inbuilt wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) feature of the microcontroller. The alert message and kinematics information on the presence of concussion can be sent via WhatsApp message and email address or app, respectively to the emergency services or authorities by processing the recorded sensors values using the microcontroller. The developed device is designed in such a way that it can be easily used for different types of headgears and numerous applications.
BREIF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[037] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
[038] Figure 1 is a block diagram depicting a wireless, portable, low-cost device that can be used to monitor the head kinematics during impact.
[039] Figure 2 is a flow chart depicting the various instructions programmed into the microcontroller of device to determine whether a prospective event has occurred.
[040] Figure 3 illustrates the signal path from the user's sensor module to a remote device for emergency service.
[041] Figure 4 A-B are schematic views of integrated circuits for a battery charger and voltage regulator of the designed PCB.
[042] Figure 5 A-C are schematic views of integrated circuits for universal serial bus (USB) to transistor-transistor logic (TTL) part, interface of memory storage unit with microcontroller, and microcontroller with enable switch, respectively.
[043] Figure 6 A-B are schematic views of integrated circuits for 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope configured with microcontroller in designed PCB to record linear and angular kinematics.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
[044] The present invention provides an IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring. The present invention is to provide low cost, portable and compact wireless headgear device which is used to provide the real-time, immediate alert and preliminary diagnosis of the impact event to the emergency agencies whenever user experiences an impact of magnitude above certain threshold.
[045] When the head experiences an impact force, it is transmitted to the brain through linear and angular motion of the head. The linear and angular acceleration introduce a transient pressure gradient and strain field within the soft sub-structures of the brain. If the intracranial pressure and strain in the brain exceed the tolerable limits, then injury occurs. Unfortunately, it is not possible to directly quantify an injury to the brain as a result impact to head. Hence, linear and angular accelerations are used as alternate parameters to characterize the transient pressure gradient and strain of head. The linear and angular acceleration of the skull are correlated to the pressure and strain responses of the brain. Therefore, the present invention deals with development of IoT based smart, wireless concussion monitoring device.
[046] The portable wireless impact monitoring device comprises 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, microcontroller having a wireless communication feature, power button, indictor, SD card, GPS module, power regulator circuit, trigger button, USB connector, power protection circuit, and rechargeable battery. The device is designed to store the data in memory unit for analysis, which is integrated with microcontroller. The present wireless portable concussion monitoring device can be easily installed in variety of helmets due to its compact size. Therefore, the device can be used for the variety of applications (13) as shown in Figure 3, to monitor the concussion. The concussion monitoring device measures the linear acceleration and angular velocity in x, y and z directions using 3-axis accelerometer (2) and 3-axis gyroscope (3), respectively.
[047] The microcontroller (1) interfaces with accelerometer and gyroscope to read the data and to store it in the memory card (SD) (10) for analysis. The text file (16) of same data along with geographic location (17) of the user and date, time of collision is sent on the email address or app of the concerned emergency service authorities (15) over the Wi-Fi. The geographic location of the user is tracked using a GPS module (9) which is interfaced with the microcontroller (1) of the device. The power is provided to the device through rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (7). The integrated USB connector allows for easy and convenient recharging option of the device via USB cable.
[048] Figure. 2A shows a flow chart of the programmed instructions to determine whether the event is a concussion event. The output of both the sensors was together fed to the microcontroller in real time. The microcontroller is programmed to read and ignore the signals from sensors, below the user-selectable threshold value. Once the pre-defined threshold value is reached then the GPS module of device is activated and WhatsApp alert message is generated as well as the geographic location of injured person, time, date of the impact event and head kinematics are sent on the email address of emergency service authorities over the Wi-Fi.
[049] The device draws the power from Lithium-ion rechargeable battery (7) has power regulator (4) circuit to regulate the power supply from battery to device via battery protection circuit (6) as shown in Figure 4 A-B. The battery can be easily recharged using a USB cable via a USB connector (8). The protection circuit has two LEDs, Micro-USB connector, a switch, battery protection IC. Battery protection circuit has the ability to control the current during charging process of battery therefore the circuit protects the battery from damage caused by overcharging. The charging status of the device is indicated using red and green LEDs. Activation of the LED from red to green indicates complete charging of the device. The power regulator circuit boosts the voltage up to 5V and keeps it constant regardless of the voltage drop on the battery side. Further the 5V is converted to 3.3V for the device to operate. The device consists universal serial bus (USB) to Transistor-Transistor Logic (TTL) circuit interface with microcontroller to upload the firmware in the microcontroller via computer as shown in Figure 5 A-B. Hence the circuit creates serial communication between the microcontroller and the computer. The device provides the additional booting feature, so there is no need to press any button for the booting operation. The enable pin of the microcontroller is interfaced with the push button to trigger the process from the beginning. Figure 5C represents the interface of the SD card with the microcontroller to store the kinematics information.
[050] Figure 6 A-B shows the interface of 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope with microcontroller. This is the impact monitoring part is used to measure the linear acceleration and angular velocity in x, y and z directions. The accelerometer is used in the present invention, can measure linear acceleration in the range of ± 100 g/± 300g/± 400g, with temporal resolution of one millisecond accuracy. The critical features of linear accelerometer are: small size, light weight, operates at 3.3 V, and low-cost. The digital gyroscope is used in the present invention to measure angular velocity in the range of ± 250 deg/sec, ±1000 deg/sec and ±2000 deg/sec, with temporal resolution of one millisecond accuracy. The gyroscope is listed with specifications of small size, light weight, operates at 3.3 V, and having low-cost. The microcontroller (1) is connected to linear accelerometer (2) and gyroscope (3), respectively for fast communication.
[051] Figure 2B shows flow chart depicting the various instruction programmed into the microcontroller of device to determine whether a prospective event has occurred.
[052] The portable wireless impact monitoring device comprises a small size printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB includes 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, microcontroller having a wireless communication feature, power button, indictor, SD card, GPS module, power regulator circuit, trigger button, USB connector, power protection circuit, and rechargeable battery. The device is designed to store the data in memory unit (SD card) for scientific analysis, which is integrated with microcontroller into same PCB. An important feature of the present wireless portable concussion monitoring device is that device can be easily installed in variety of helmets due to its compact size. Therefore, the device can be used for the variety of applications such as road accident, contact sports, industries such as construction, mining, manufacturing, and healthcare centres, as well as recreational activities like cycling, motorcycling, horse riding, and snowboarding.
[053] The concussion monitoring device measures the linear acceleration and angular velocity in x, y and z directions using 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope, respectively. The microcontroller interfaces with accelerometer and gyroscope to read the data and to store it in the memory (SD) card for analysis. The text file of same data along with geographic location of the user and date, time of collision is sent on the email address of the emergency service authorities over the Wi-Fi. The geographic location of the user is tracked using a GPS module which is interfaced with the microcontroller of the device. The power is provided to the device through rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. All the accessories of the device are integrated into a stand-alone, compact printed circuit board (PCB). The integrated USB connector in the PCB allows for easy and convenient recharging option of the device via USB cable. Fig. A shows a flow chart of the programmed instructions to determine whether the event is a concussion event. The output of both the sensors was together fed to the microcontroller in real time. The microcontroller is programmed to read and ignore the signals from sensors, below the user-selectable threshold value. Once the pre-defined threshold value is reached then the GPS module of device is activated and geographic location of injured person, time, and date of the impact event, kinematics data are sent on the email address of emergency service authorities over the Wi-Fi as an alert signal.
[054] The digital sensors are used in the smart device, offer several advantages over analog sensors in concussion detection, such as precise capturing and processing of fast-changing events, high sampling rate, and noise immunity. In addition, the selected sensors can measure a user-selectable wide range of acceleration (±100g/±200g/±300g/±400g) and angular velocity (±250/±500/±1000/±2000 deg/sec), depending on the use case.
[055] The protection circuit in the device ensures the protection of the device from unnecessary current. The integrated circuit effectively controls excessive current during the battery charging process, safeguarding the battery from overcharging. Furthermore, the inventive step facilitates serial communication between the microcontroller and a computing device, this streamlined communication process enables easy firmware uploads into the microcontroller's memory which eliminating the need to press any boot button.
[056] (2) To come up with the strategic to store the real time data of concussion with fast communication and its wireless transmission along with the user location
[057] Obtaining the optimum sampling rate becomes challenging when accelerometer and gyroscope simultaneously interface with microcontroller. The desired sampling rate (every one milliseconds) was obtained via SPI and I2C communication protocol of the accelerometer and gyroscope, respectively. The kinematic patterns read from the device are associated to the user’s movements, and impacts are store in the SD card, once the threshold is reached. Moreover, the inventive step includes GPS functionality, enabling the device to provide the user's precise location alongside the kinematic data. To facilitate immediate access for emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in critical situations, the device integrates with a wireless transmission mechanism to send the data and geographic location in real time to an assigned email address. This functionality ensures that emergency personnel can promptly retrieve the user's location during an adverse event.
[058] Device operation phase
[059] To capture comprehensive motion data, devices often integrate both accelerometer and gyroscope. By combining the information from both sensors, a device can provide a more complete understanding of the object's motion in linear and rotational aspects, enabling a wide range of applications. The motion data from the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors are continuously captured at a specific sampling rate of approximately 1000 Hz. The digital sensor generates digital values that represent the motion data. The device's firmware reads these digital values from the sensors and writes them to the SD card at the defined sampling rate. The file includes timestamps for each data point, allowing for time-based analysis and synchronization with other data sources, if necessary, for comparison.
[060] In addition, the GPS module communicates with the microcontroller via serial communication, using transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) pins to track the user's location. The device is powered by a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, providing the necessary power supply.
[061] To send the recorded data file and tracked location of the user to a specified email address, the device needs to be connected to the internet using Wi-Fi. The specific implementation may involve establishing a network connection and authenticating with an email service provider. Once the connection is established, the device uses the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) to send an email containing the data file and the user's location as an attachment, but only if the recorded acceleration value exceeds the threshold value. The email address and network credentials details would be provided as input to the device via the device's firmware.
[062] Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
, Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. An IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring comprises-
a) Impact detection unit characterized in that with accelerometer (2) and gyroscope (3) to read the data and to store it in the memory card (SD) (10) for analysis and the text file (16) of same data along with geographic location (17) of the user and date, time of collision is sent on the email address or application of the concerned emergency service authorities (15) over the Wi-Fi.
b) microcontroller (1) controlling the impact detection circuit (2,3), location detection module (9), data storage unit (10), power supply circuit (7), and rechargeable battery.
c) geographic location of the user is tracked using a GPS module (9) interfaced with the microcontroller (1) of the device.
d) power is provided to the device through rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (7) with power regulator (4) circuit to regulate the power supply from battery to device via battery protection circuit (6)
e) integrated USB connector (8) allowing easy and convenient recharging option of the device via USB cable.
f) red and green LEDs to show the charging status of the device.
2. The IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the impact monitoring part is used to measure the linear acceleration and angular velocity in x, y and z directions.
3. The IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concussion monitoring device comprises an accelerometer that can measure linear acceleration in the range of ± 100 g, ± 300g, ± 400g with temporal resolution of millisecond accuracy.
4. The IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless headgear device also comprises 3-axis gyroscope that can measure angular velocity in the range of ± 250 deg/sec, ±1000 deg/sec, and ±2000 deg/sec with temporal resolution of millisecond accuracy.
5. The IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device having inbuilt wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) enables wireless transmission of data to the device.
6. The IoT based system and method for head kinematics monitoring, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information including: kinematics data, traced location, date, and time of impact are sent as an alert signal using Wi-Fi of the microcontroller to the email address of the intended recipients (e.g., emergency authorities).