DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of monitoring of physiological signals, and more particularly to a device for measuring electrodermal activity integrated with electrostatic discharge mechanism.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] As known in the art, electrostatic discharge (ESD) phenomena is a serious issue concerning the longevity and durability of integrated circuits (ICs). The electrostatic discharge may occur if a user/object comes in contact with one of the entrance ports of the integrated circuits. Particularly, such cases arise in consumer electronics applications where electrostatic discharge may lead to a pulse of a high voltage going to the integrated circuit. If this is not led away to ground adequately, it may damage the integrated circuit. Conventionally, integrated circuits are protected against ESD with specific protection circuits that are part of the integrated circuits. In an example, electrically conductive wrist bands are used by users/operators at work stations. These electrically conductive wrist bands are connected to a ground to direct the pulse of the high voltage to the ground, thereby providing a discharge path of the pulse of high voltage. Thus, the electrically conductive wrist bands protect the integrated circuits from being damaged.
[0004] However, in case when a ground connection fails and electrostatic discharge occurs, a semiconductor device sensitive to electrostatic energy can be damaged. Therefore, the integrity of the ESD wrist strap is to be monitored continuously using wrist strap integrity testers to alert the wearer in event of intermittent or open ground. Once an ESD protected area is set up, there is a need to monitor the integrity of all ESD devices either periodically or on a continuous basis.
[0005] There is a need for human assist technologies on the work station to improve human work conditions and quality of throughput. The users that are physically fatigued or mentally stressed should take timely breaks to avoid operational errors. However, for monitoring fatigue/stress levels of operators, separate wearable devices are required to be worn by the operators. It may cause discomfort to the operators and make the monitoring environment more complex.
[0006] There is therefore a need in the art to provide a device, which overcomes above-mentioned and other limitations of existing approaches.
[0007] All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are as listed herein below.
[0009] It is a general object of the present disclosure to provide a device that measures fatigue/stress as well as provides electrostatic discharge mechanism.
[00010] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a device that monitors a connection between the device and ground; and generates an alert signal in case of failure of the ground connection i.e. open or intermittent of the ground connection.
[00011] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a device that determines the operator’s electrodermal activity which is an indicator of operator’s stress/fatigue level.
[00012] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a device that is economical and reliable.

SUMMARY
[00013] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of monitoring of physiological signals, and more particularly to a device for measuring electrodermal activity integrated with electrostatic discharge mechanism.
[00014] An aspect of the present disclosure pertains to a device for electronic discharge and measuring electrodermal activity, the device comprising: at least two contact pads electrically configured with a user; a first branch and a second branch connected parallelly between the at least two contact pads, wherein the first branch includes a first resistive element and a second resistive element electrically connected, and wherein a node terminal between the first and second resistive elements are grounded to provide a discharge path between the user and ground, wherein the second branch includes a third resistive element, a fourth resistive element, and an excitation voltage source, all are connected in series, wherein the excitation voltage source is electrically connected between the third resistive element and the fourth resistive element; and a control unit electrically configured with the first branch and the second branch, wherein the control circuitry is configured to: measure a voltage across the second branch; and perform one or more actions pertaining to electronic discharge and measuring electrodermal activity based on the measured voltage.
[00015] According to an embodiment, upon measurement of the voltage across the second branch, the control unit is configured to filter the voltage associated with a predefined range of frequency.
[00016] According to an embodiment, the device comprises a buffer circuit electrically connected to the second branch to reduce loading effect on measurement of voltage across the second branch.
[00017] According to an embodiment, the one or more actions comprise: determining a conductance of the object based on the measured voltage, the conductance being indicative of an extent to an electrodermal activity; determining whether the conductance exceeds a predetermined threshold; and transmitting an alert signal when the conductance exceeds the predetermined threshold.
[00018] According to an embodiment, the one or more actions comprise: determining a change in the voltage across the second branch based on the measurement of the voltage over a predefined period of time; detecting that a connection between the user and ground is disconnected; in response to the detection, transmitting an alert signal to a computing device, the alert signal indicates that the connection between the user and ground is disconnected.
[00019] According to an embodiment, the step of detecting comprises: comparing the change in the voltage across the second branch with a predefined threshold; and detecting that a connection between the user and ground is disconnected when the change in the voltage across the second branch is greater than with a predefined threshold.
[00020] According to an embodiment, the value of the third resistive element is equal to the value of the fourth resistive element.
[00021] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00022] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
[00023] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary representation of a device as a wrist strap, in accordance with embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00024] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary representation of a configuration of the cable of the device with the user, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00025] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary configuration of the cable with an external control circuitry and a ground connecting device, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00026] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary representation of an electrical circuit of the device, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00027] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary graph showing variation in voltage (VA) over a period of time, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00028] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary system for implementation of the proposed device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00029] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details.
[00030] Embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a computer program product, which may include a machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer (or other electronic devices) to perform a process. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, fixed (hard) drives, magnetic tape, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, such as ROMs, PROMs, random access memories (RAMs), programmable read-only memories (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), electrically erasable PROMs (EEPROMs), flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions (e.g., computer programming code, such as software or firmware).
[00031] Various methods described herein may be practiced by combining one or more machine-readable storage media containing the code according to the present invention with appropriate standard computer hardware to execute the code contained therein. An apparatus for practicing various embodiments of the present invention may involve one or more computers (or one or more processors within a single computer) and storage systems containing or having network access to computer program(s) coded in accordance with various methods described herein, and the method steps of the invention could be accomplished by modules, routines, subroutines, or subparts of a computer program product.
[00032] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure).
[00033] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a device for measuring electrodermal activity with an electrostatic discharge mechanism, where the electrodermal activity is an indicator of stress/fatigue level of the user. Particularly, the device includes contact pads through which the device is connected to the user. The device includes a circuitry connected with the contact pads, which measures a voltage level, which is measure of skin conductance i.e. electrodermal activity as well as measure of any discontinuity of the path being provided electrostatic discharge, which can also be referred to monitoring integrity of device with the user.
[00034] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary representation of a device as a wrist strap, in accordance with embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 100 may be configured as wrist strap device as shown in FIG. 1A. In this example, the device 100 may include a cable coupled with at least two contact pads to electrically connect with the user. The at least two contact pads may be electrically connected to an internal control circuitry 104-1 through the cable. It would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the implementation of the device is not limited to an ESD wrist strap and can also be incorporated in other ESD protection gear/ Anti-static garments like ESD jackets, ESD gloves, ESD shoes etc.
[00035] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary representation of a configuration of the cable of the device with the user, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The device can be configured with one or more body parts of the user such as wrist, finger, leg, chest, and so on. The device 100 may be configured to collect data associated with the user through contact pads 106a and 106b. In an example, the contact pads 106a and 106b may be sensory components configured to gather one or more physiological data associated with the user. In another example, the device may include one or more sensors besides EDA for measuring and monitoring various physiological data of the user. In an embodiment, to collect the data, the internal control circuitry may include one or more electrical components such as but not limited to voltage source, resistive elements and so in a particular configuration. The particular configuration of the electrical components may allow an electrostatic discharge path to the ground. The device may include an external control circuitry that may process the data to determine when the path is interrupted. The control circuitry may also measure electrodermal activity associated with the user based on the collected data.
[00036] In an embodiment, the device may be grounded through a cable 110 to provide an electrostatic discharge path to earth from the user. In an embodiment, the device 100 may include a first connector 108 at one end of the cable which may be connected to a ground connecting device. The device may also include a second connector to connect the device with the external control circuitry for providing gathered data to an external system for analysis.
[00037] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary configuration of the cable 110 with an external control circuitry 104-2 and ground connecting device 113. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a connector 108 of the cable 110 may be electrically coupled with the ground connecting device 113. In an embodiment, the cable may have another connector to allow coupling between the cable 110 and the external control circuitry 104-2. The external control circuitry 104-2 may be configured for receiving gathered data directly from the contact pads or through the internal control circuitry device 104-1 for analysis for measurement and monitoring of integrity of electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection and EDA data of the user.
[00038] In some embodiments, external circuitry may not be required, the internal circuitry may perform the functions of external circuitry as well. In some other embodiments, internal circuitry may not be required, the external circuitry may perform the functions of the internal circuitry as well. Therefore, in such embodiments, the device may include either of the internal circuitry and the external circuitry, when all the functions are implemented into one circuitry. The internal control circuitry and the external control circuitry may be collectively referred to as a control circuitry.
[00039] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary representation of an electrical circuit of the device, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the device 100 may establish two-point contact with body through the contact pads 106a and 106b. The device may include a first branch and a second branch connected parallelly between the at least two contact pads, between node terminal 1 and node terminal 3. In an embodiment, the first branch may have a first resistive element R1 and a second resistive element R2. The second resistive element R2 may be electrically connected in series with the first resistive element R1, where a node terminal 2 between the first and second resistive elements R1 and R2 are grounded. The second branch may include a third resistive element R3, a fourth resistive element R4, and an excitation voltage source VE. The third resistive element R3, a fourth resistive element R4, and an excitation voltage source VE may be connected in series. In an exemplary embodiment, the excitation voltage source VE may be direct current (DC) source having a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The positive terminal may be connected to the third resistive element and the negative terminal may be connected to fourth resistive element. The excitation voltage source may be electrically connected between the third resistive element and the fourth resistive element. Each of the first, second, third, and fourth resistive elements may offer resistance in order of Mega Ohm. To achieve better noise immunity and efficiency, the value of the third resistive element is equal to the value of the fourth resistive element. The device 100 may include a control unit 301 electrically configured with the first branch and the second branch. The control unit may be part of the control circuitry. The control unit may implemented either as hardware components such as analog to digital converter 305 to convert analog to digital signals (ADC), gain amplifier, high bandpass filter (HPF), and so on, or a set of instructions executed on processing elements such as and microcontroller, microprocessor or a combination of both.
[00040] In an embodiment, the control unit 301 may be configured to measure a voltage across the second branch i.e. voltage between node terminals 1 and 3. The voltage may not be directly measured between terminals 1 and 3 as the voltage measurement may vary with the current. Therefore, a buffer circuit 303 may be connected at node terminal 3 through a fifth resistive element R5 and capacitor C1. There may be negligible voltage difference between terminal 3, terminal 4, and terminal 5. Therefore, the voltage at the terminal may approximately be the same as voltage terminal at 4 and voltage terminal 5. R5 and C1 form an anti-aliasing filter while the buffer prevents loading of the measurement circuit by offering a very high input impedance for measurement of voltage at terminal 5. The load current may be referred to as current through Rbody, where Rbody is the equivalent resistance offered by the human body between two contact pads 106a and 106b. Based on the measured voltage, the control circuitry may be configured to perform one or more actions pertaining to electronic discharge and measuring electrodermal activity based on the measured voltage. Assuming the voltage drop across buffer circuit and fifth resistive element is zero, the voltage (VA) at terminal 3 or 4 or 5 may be expressed as
VA = (VE x RP)/(RP + R3 + R4), (1)
Where RP can be expressed as RP = [Rbody (R1 + R2)]/[Rbody + R1 + R2]
The above relation clearly indicates an importance of the excitation voltage. If the excitation voltage is not provided, the voltage VA becomes zero irrespective of any value of resistive elements.
[00041] In an embodiment, when a connection between the ground and the user though the device fails, then the voltage across terminal 3 may be expressed as:
VA = (VE x Rbody)/(Rbody + R3 + R4) (2)
The electrostatic discharge path may be provided through R1 and R2. The discharge current flows through Rbody, R1 and R2.
[00042] In an embodiment, the control circuitry may be configured to determine whether a discharge path between the user and the ground is interrupted or not. Specifically, the control circuitry may determine the change in measured voltage for a predetermined period. When the determined change in measured voltage is less than the threshold, the control unit may generate an alert signal, which is transmitted to a computing device. The alert signal may indicate that the connection between the user and ground is disconnected. The computing device may alert the same user or another user. Upon receipt of signals, the user may take an appropriate action to ensure that the discharge path between the user and the ground is not interrupted. In this manner, the device acts as an electronic discharge protection device, which not only provides an effective discharge path but also ensures that the discharge path is uninterrupted.
[00043] In an embodiment, the voltage (VA) is also a measure of the electrodermal activity (EDA). In an embodiment, based on the measured voltage, body resistance Rbody of the user can be determined based on equation (1). Based on the determined body resistance Rbody, skin conductance can be determined, where the conductance is indicative of an extent to an electrodermal activity. The skin conductance is inversely proportional to body resistance Rbody. The Rbody is an indicator of user’s / wearer’s stress level. Rbody decreases as stress level increases. This is because the induced stress leads to sweating that increases the conductivity of the body between the contact pads 106a and 106b. The skin conductance response is the phenomenon that the skin momentarily becomes a better conductor of electricity when perspiration increases. A subject who has been exposed to a physiologically arousing situation will therefore display a sudden drop in resistance between two areas of the skin.
[00044] Generally, EDA measuring systems are based on measurements obtained from two electrodes/contact pads, including a combination of active and inactive electrodes, which typically are positioned either on two fingers of the (same) hand, on the hand-palm or on the foot in the case of neonates. The distance between the active and inactive electrodes influences the EDA measurements. As the distance between the active and inactive electrodes is enlarged, the resistance to current flow between the electrodes increases, but the sensitivity to changes in the measurements are increased. Oppositely, as the distance between the active and inactive electrodes is reduced, the resistance to current flow between the electrodes is also reduced, but the sensitivity to changes in the measurements is impaired. Furthermore, differences in skin dryness between individuals also influence the EDA readings in that subjects with dry skin have lower skin conductivity than subjects whose skin is damp. In fact, subjects with dry skin may have conductivity so low that the changes in EDA measurements that are related to physiological arousal (e.g. stress, fatigue) are difficult to obtain whereas others have conductivity so high that the signal obtained is saturated, and changes in the conductivity of the skin go undetected.
[00045] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary graph showing variation in voltage (VA) over a period of time, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 shows three regions - region 1, region 2, region 3. When the connection between the user and the ground fails for electrostatic discharge i.e. a discharge path between the user and the ground is interrupted, voltage (VA) may suddenly jump to a higher value as shown in region 1. The ESD wrist strap device 100 was momentarily disconnected at the ~400 sample mark. The voltage is seen to jump to 1.5V. In this case, change in voltage may be greater than the predefined threshold. In such cases, the control unit may transmit an alert signal to inform the user that the connection fails or the discharge path is interrupted.
[00046] A stressful task begins at time 2500 sample mark and ends at time 3500 sample mark. The region 3 indicates that voltage (VA) is less than a predetermined threshold, which clearly indicates that the body resistance Rbody decreases and skin conductance increases which may be due to an increase in stress level. The region 2 is a normal operating region where the stress level is within the limit and there is no sudden increase in voltage (VA).
[00047] Based upon the foregoing description, a single excitation signal VE has been used to monitor both the integrity of electrostatic discharge path and electrodermal activity (EDA). As users are used to wear ESD wrist straps, this is a non-intrusive approach for detecting operator’s stress/fatigue levels. Further, the device 100 finds application in all electronic product assembly lines (SMT assembly line, manual soldering line, system integration line) where workers are mandated to wear ESD wrist strap.
[00048] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary system for implementation of the proposed device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00049] In an aspect, the system may comprise one or more hardware processor(s) 202. The one or more hardware processor(s) 202 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more hardware processor(s) 202 are configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory 204 of the system. The memory 204 may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units over a network service. The memory 204 may comprise any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.
[00050] In an embodiment, the system also includes an interface(s) 206. The interface(s) 206 may comprise a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) 206 may facilitate communication of the system with various devices coupled to the system. In an embodiment, the system may be communicably coupled to the server over a network. In an example, the network may be any wired or wireless network known to a person having ordinary skill in the art. The interface(s) 206 may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of system. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing engine(s) 208 and data 210.
[00051] The processing engine(s) 208 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing engine(s) 208. In examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine(s) 208 may be processor executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processing engine(s) 208 may comprise a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine(s) 208. In such examples, the system may comprise the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to system and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) 208 may be implemented by electronic circuitry.
[00052] The data 210 may comprise data that is either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the components of the processing engine(s) 208.
[00053] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing engine(s) 208 may comprise a sensor module 212, an electrostatic discharge (ESD) module 214, an electrodermal activity (EDA) module 216, an analysis module 218, and other module 220.
[00054] It would be appreciated that modules being described are only exemplary modules and any other module or sub-module may be included as part of the system. These modules too may be merged or divided into super-modules or sub-modules as may be configured.
[00055] Functionalities of various modules as mentioned above will now be described in detail in the foregoing description in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the various modules mentioned above enable the system for measuring and monitoring ESD protection and EDA data in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00056] In an embodiment, the sensor module 212 is configured with the contact pads 106a and 106b, and other sensory components of the wrist strap device 100. The sensor module 212 is configured to gather ESD and EDA data associated with the user based upon an operation of the wrist strap device 100. Further in an embodiment, the ESD module 214 and the EDA module 216 applies a DC test excitation signal VE to measure the impedance RBody. The voltage VA is a measure of the EDA. In the event the wrist strap device 100 disconnects from ground, the measured voltage VA will instantly step up. This will be flagged as an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap “ground open” event and the user / wearer will be alerted. Further in an embodiment, the analysis module 218 samples the VA through time series analysis.
[00057] Although the proposed system has been elaborated as above to include all the main parts, it is completely possible that actual implementations may include only a part of the proposed modules/engines or a combination of those or a division of those in various combinations across multiple devices that can be operatively coupled with each other, including in the cloud. Further the modules/engines can be configured in any sequence to achieve objectives elaborated. Also, it can be appreciated that proposed system can be configured in a computing device or across a plurality of computing devices operatively connected with each other, wherein the computing devices can be any of a computer, a laptop, a smart phone, an Internet enabled mobile device and the like. All such modifications and embodiments are completely within the scope of the present disclosure.
[00058] In an implementation, the proposed system, discussed above, can be embedded with/incorporated with one or more Internet of Things (IoT) devices. In a typical network architecture of the present disclosure can include a plurality of network devices such as transmitter, receivers, and/or transceivers that may include one or more IoT devices. An IOT device consisting of a Gateway (any Wi-Fi SOC). Each such device has a LED display and QR code (or NFC, RFID) associated with it.
[00059] As used herein, the IoT devices can be a device that includes sensing and/or control functionality as well as a WiFi™ transceiver radio or interface, a Bluetooth™ transceiver radio or interface, a Zigbee™ transceiver radio or interface, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) transceiver radio or interface, a Wi-Fi-Direct transceiver radio or interface, a Bluetooth™ Low Energy (BLE) transceiver radio or interface, and/or any other wireless network transceiver radio or interface that allows the IoT device to communicate with a wide area network and with one or more other devices. In some embodiments, an IoT device does not include a cellular network transceiver radio or interface, and thus may not be configured to directly communicate with a cellular network. In some embodiments, an IoT device may include a cellular transceiver radio, and may be configured to communicate with a cellular network using the cellular network transceiver radio.
[00060] A user may communicate with the network devices using an access device that may include any human-to-machine interface with network connection capability that allows access to a network. For example, the access device may include a stand-alone interface (e.g., a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a home computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computing device, a wearable device such as a smart watch, a wall panel, a keypad, or the like), an interface that is built into an appliance or other device e.g., a television, a refrigerator, a security system, a game console, a browser, or the like), a speech or gesture interface (e.g., a Kinect™ sensor, a Wiimote™, or the like), an IoT device interface (e.g., an Internet enabled device such as a wall switch, a control interface, or other suitable interface), or the like. In some embodiments, the access device may include a cellular or other broadband network transceiver radio or interface, and may be configured to communicate with a cellular or other broadband network using the cellular or broadband network transceiver radio. In some embodiments, the access device may not include a cellular network transceiver radio or interface.
[00061] User may interact with the network devices using an application, a web browser, a proprietary program, or any other program executed and operated by the access device. In some embodiments, the access device may communicate directly with the network devices (e.g., communication signal). For example, the access device may communicate directly with network devices using Zigbee™ signals, Bluetooth™ signals, WiFi™ signals, infrared (IR) signals, UWB signals, WiFi-Direct signals, BLE signals, sound frequency signals, or the like. In some embodiments, the access device may communicate with the network devices via the gateways and/or a cloud network.
[00062] Local area network may include a wireless network, a wired network, or a combination of a wired and wireless network. A wireless network may include any wireless interface or combination of wireless interfaces (e.g., Zigbee™, Bluetooth™, WiFi™, IR, UWB, WiFi-Direct, BLE, cellular, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax™, or the like). A wired network may include any wired interface (e.g., fiber, Ethernet, powerline, Ethernet over coaxial cable, digital signal line (DSL), or the like). The wired and/or wireless networks may be implemented using various routers, access points, bridges, gateways, or the like, to connect devices in the local area network. For example, the local area network may include gateway and gateway. Gateway can provide communication capabilities to network devices and/or access devices via radio signals in order to provide communication, location, and/or other services to the devices. The gateway is directly connected to the external network and may provide other gateways and devices in the local area network with access to the external network. The gateway may be designated as a primary gateway.
[00063] The network access provided by gateway may be of any type of network familiar to those skilled in the art that can support data communications using any of a variety of commercially-available protocols. For example, gateways may provide wireless communication capabilities for the local area network using particular communications protocols, such as WiFi™ (e.g., IEEE 802.11 family standards, or other wireless communication technologies, or any combination thereof). Using the communications protocol(s), the gateways may provide radio frequencies on which wireless enabled devices in the local area network can communicate. A gateway may also be referred to as a base station, an access point, Node B, Evolved Node B (eNodeB), access point base station, a Femtocell, home base station, home Node B, home eNodeB, or the like.
[00064] Gateways may include a router, a modem, a range extending device, and/or any other device that provides network access among one or more computing devices and/or external networks. For example, gateway may include a router or access point or a range extending device. Examples of range extending devices may include a wireless range extender, a wireless repeater, or the like.
[00065] A router gateway may include access point and router functionality, and may further include an Ethernet switch and/or a modem. For example, a router gateway may receive and forward data packets among different networks. When a data packet is received, the router gateway may read identification information (e.g., a media access control (MAC) address) in the packet to determine the intended destination for the packet. The router gateway may then access information in a routing table or routing policy, and may direct the packet to the next network or device in the transmission path of the packet. The data packet may be forwarded from one gateway to another through the computer networks until the packet is received at the intended destination.
[00066] As in a typical network architecture of the present disclosure can include a plurality of network devices such as transmitter, receivers, and/or transceivers that may include one or more Internet of Things (IOT) devices. As used herein, an IOT devices can be a device that includes sensing and/or control functionality as well as a Wi-Fi transceiver radio or interface, a Bluetooth transceiver radio or interface, a Zigbee transceiver radio or interface, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) transceiver radio or interface, a Wi-Fi Direct transceiver radio or interface, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceiver radio or interface, and/or any other wireless network transceiver radio or interface that allows the IOT device to communicate with a wide area network and with one or more other devices. In some embodiments, an IOT device may include a cellular transceiver radio, and may be configured to communicate with a cellular network using the cellular network transceiver radio.
[00067] Thus, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the like represent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and methods embodying this invention. The functions of the various elements shown in the figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated software. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique being selectable by the entity implementing this invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware, software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems described herein are for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not intended to be limited to any particular named.
[00068] While embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as described in the claim.
[00069] In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, that the present disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, to avoid obscuring the present invention.
[00070] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the disclosure when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[00071] The present disclosure provides a device that measures fatigue/stress as well as provides electrostatic discharge mechanism.
[00072] The present disclosure provides a device that monitors a connection between the device and ground; and generates an alert signal in case of failure of the ground connection i.e. open or intermittent of the ground connection.
[00073] The present disclosure provides a device that determines the operator’s electrodermal activity which is an indicator of operator’s stress/fatigue level.
[00074] The present disclosure provides a device that act as an IoT system capable of employing multiple sensors such as accelerometer, temperature etc.
[00075] The present disclosure provides a device that is economical and reliable.
,CLAIMS:1. A device for electronic discharge and measuring electrodermal activity, the device comprising:
at least two contact pads electrically configured with a user;
a first branch and a second branch connected parallelly between the at least two contact pads,
wherein the first branch includes a first resistive element and a second resistive element electrically connected, and wherein a node terminal between the first and second resistive elements are grounded to provide a discharge path between the user and ground,
wherein the second branch includes a third resistive element, a fourth resistive element, and an excitation voltage source, all are connected in series, wherein the excitation voltage source is electrically connected between the third resistive element and the fourth resistive element; and
a control unit electrically configured with the first branch and the second branch, wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
measure a voltage across the second branch; and
perform one or more actions pertaining to electronic discharge and measuring electrodermal activity based on the measured voltage.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, upon measurement of the voltage across the second branch, the control unit is configured to filter the voltage associated with a predefined range of frequency.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device comprises a buffer circuit electrically connected to the second branch to reduce loading effect on measurement of voltage across the second branch.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more actions comprise:
determining a conductance of the object based on the measured voltage, the conductance being indicative of an extent to an electrodermal activity;
determining whether the conductance exceeds a predetermined threshold; and
transmitting an alert signal when the conductance exceeds the predetermined threshold.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more actions comprise:
determining a change in the voltage across the second branch based on the measurement of the voltage over a predefined period of time;
detecting that a connection between the user and ground is disconnected;
in response to the detection, transmitting an alert signal to a computing device, the alert signal indicates that the connection between the user and ground is disconnected.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting comprises:
comparing the change in the voltage across the second branch with a predefined threshold; and
detecting that a connection between the user and ground is disconnected when the change in the voltage across the second branch is greater than with a predefined threshold.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the value of the third resistive element is equal to the value of the fourth resistive element.