Wearable devices and wearable systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wearable device and a wearable system. The wearable device includes a skin-attachable device, an electronic device, and a connection device. The skin-attachable device is attached to the user's skin to obtain user data; the electronic device supplies power to the skin-attachable device; and the connection device includes a first connection line connected to the skin-attachable device and a second connection line connected to the first connection line and detachably attached to the electronic device.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0069631 filed on Jun. 9, 2020, the entire contents of which application is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a wearable device and a wearable device system. Background Art

[0004] With the development of wearable device technology and ergonomics, wearable devices have been developed that include various patch-type sensors or elements that are attached to the human body to perform functions. Specifically, wearable devices that include elements that can be attached to the skin have the characteristics of being easily attached to the human body by being able to bend or stretch well according to the flexibility and bending characteristics of the human body, and are being developed in the form of thin films.

[0005] These skin-attachable elements perform functions themselves, but they only function properly when electrically connected to electronic devices, including electronic devices (measuring devices, portable terminals). Therefore, there is a need to develop a wearable device that can safely and electrically connect the skin-attachable element to an external device without affecting the human body.

[0006] The information included in this background section of the present invention is only intended to deepen understanding of the general background of the present invention and should not be regarded as an admission or any form of suggestion that the information constitutes prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a wearable device and a wearable system configured to be easily electrically connected to an electronic device.

[0008] The technical problems to be solved by the present inventive concept are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and any other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which various exemplary embodiments of the present invention pertain from the following description.

[0009] According to various aspects of the present invention, a wearable device includes: a skin-adhesive device, an electronic device and a connecting device, wherein the skin-adhesive device is attached to the user's skin to obtain user data; the electronic device supplies power to the skin-adhesive device; the connecting device includes a first connecting wire connected to the skin-adhesive device and a second connecting wire connected to the first connecting wire and detachably attached to the electronic device.

[0010] The first connection line may include an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) connection line.

[0011] The second connection line may include a flexible printed circuit (FPC) connection line.

[0012] The second connection line may be connected to the FPCB connector.

[0013] The wearable device may further include a surface mount device (SMD) connector detachably attached to the FPCB connector.

[0014] An electronic device may include a printed circuit board (PCB) provided with an SMD connector.

[0015] The electronic device may perform wireless communication with an external device to transmit user data to the external device.

[0016] User data may include brain waves.

[0017] According to various aspects of the present invention, a wearable system may include a wearable device and a vehicle, wherein the wearable device includes a skin-attachable device for acquiring user data and an electronic device connected to the skin-attachable device; the vehicle receives user data from the wearable device and controls a vehicle terminal based on the user data.

[0018] The wearable device may include a first connection line connected to the skin-adhesive device and a second connection line connected to the first connection line and detachably attached to the electronic device.

[0019] The first connection line may include an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) connection line.

[0020] The second connection line may include a flexible printed circuit (FPC) connection line.

[0021] The methods and apparatus of the present invention have other features and advantages that will be apparent from or will be described in detail in the accompanying drawings and subsequent detailed descriptions incorporated herein, which together serve to explain the specific principles of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a wearable device according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 Schematic diagrams illustrating configurations of connection devices for skin-adhesive devices according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a skin-applicable device according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 Schematic diagrams schematically illustrating wearable devices according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating separation of a connection device from a skin-applicable device and attachment of the connection device to the skin-applicable device according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an attachment state of a wearable device according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a wearable system according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0029] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but rather present a suitably simplified representation of various features illustrating the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as included herein (including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes) will be determined in part by the specific intended application and use environment.

[0030] In the figures, like reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are presented in the accompanying drawings and described below. Although the present invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that this specification is not intended to limit the present invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the other hand, the present invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but also various alternative embodiments, modified embodiments, equivalent embodiments or other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0032] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying exemplary drawings. When reference numerals are assigned to components in each drawing, it should be noted that even if identical or equivalent components are shown in other drawings, they are designated by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, when describing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, detailed descriptions of well-known features or functions will be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

[0033] When describing the components of the exemplary embodiments according to the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, "A", "B", (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are intended only to distinguish one component from another, and these terms do not limit the nature, order or sequence of the constituent components. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical or scientific terms) have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention belong. These terms defined in general dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meaning as the contextual meaning of the relevant field, and unless expressly defined in this application as having an ideal or overly formal meaning, these terms should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning.

[0034] Figure 1 Schematic diagrams illustrating configurations of wearable devices according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, a wearable device 100 according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may include: a skin-adhesive device 110 , a connection device 120 , and an electronic device 130 .

[0036] Skin-adhesive device 110 can be attached to a user's skin to obtain user data. According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, skin-adhesive device 110 can be implemented as a patch. The user data can include bio-signals, such as heart rate, electrocardiogram, body temperature, sleep information, blood sugar, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and brain waves.

[0037] The connection device 120 may include a first connection line connected to the skin-adhesive device 110, and may include a second connection line connected to the first connection line and detachably attached to the electronic device. The first connection line may include an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) connection line, and the second connection line may include a flexible printed circuit (FPC) connection line. The description of the connection device 120 will refer to Figure 2 Proceed in more detail.

[0038] Electronic device 130 may supply power to skin-adhesive device 110. In addition, electronic device 130 may include a communication device and perform wireless communication with an external device.

[0039] Figure 2 Schematic diagrams illustrating configurations of connection devices for skin-adhesive devices according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0040] like Figure 2As shown, the connection devices of the skin-adhesive device may include: ACF connection line 121, FPC connection line 122, FPCB connector 123 and surface-mounted device (SMD) connector 124.

[0041] The ACF connecting line 121 can be connected to the skin-applicable device 110. The ACF connecting line 121 can be connected to the skin-applicable device 110 at a temperature of 150 degrees Celsius with a pressure that is weak enough not to damage the polymer film. Anisotropic conductive film (ACF) can be realized as a film type by uniformly dispersing conductive particles in an adhesive organic material with insulating properties. The ACF can have conductivity in the thickness direction of the film and insulation in the surface direction of the film. That is, ACF refers to a polymer adhesive film that has electrical anisotropy (conductivity exists on one surface and insulation exists on the other surface) and at the same time has adhesive properties. Since the ACF connecting line 121 has a thickness of several microns to tens of microns, the ACF connecting line 121 can be connected to the skin-applicable device in a state that is harmless to the human body without increasing the overall thickness. According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when the skin-adhesive device 110 is connected to the electronic device 130, the skin-adhesive device 110 and the ACF connecting line 121 are connected. Since no high temperature or high pressure treatment is performed when forming the wearable device 100, it is convenient to form an electrical connection without damaging the skin-adhesive device 110.

[0042] One side of the FPC connection line 122 can be connected to the ACF connection line 121, and the other side can be connected to the SMD connector 124. To this end, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) connector 123 can be provided on the other side of the FPC connection line 122. The FPC connection line 122 can represent a circuit connection formed on an insulating film, and due to the flexibility of the insulating film, three-dimensional wiring can be performed, thereby reducing the size and weight of the wearable device 100. In addition, the FPCB connector 123 can be repeatedly attached to and detached from the SMD connector 124.

[0043] SMD connector 124 may represent a surface mount device and may be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) of electronic device 130. Since SMD connector 124 is configured to withstand high temperature and high pressure processing, SMD connector 124 may be mounted on a PCB surface in a conventional manner.

[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a skin-applicable device according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0045] Reference Figure 3 Skin-adhesive device 110 can be implemented by inserting circuit wiring into a stretchable material to be attached to the skin. According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, skin-adhesive device 110 can be attached to a user's finger (fingerprint surface) or neck. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and skin-adhesive device 110 can be attached to a location where user data can be easily obtained.

[0046] Figure 4 Schematic diagrams schematically illustrating wearable devices according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0047] Reference Figure 4 According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the wearable device 100 may include a skin-attachable device 110, an ACF connecting line 121, an FPC connecting line 122, an FPCB connector 123, an SMD connector 124, and an electronic device 130, wherein the ACF connecting line 121 is connected to the skin-attachable device 110; the FPC connecting line 122 is connected to the ACF connecting line 121; the FPCB connector 123 is provided on one side of the FPC connecting line 122 and is detachably attached to the SMD connector 124; the SMD connector 124 is connected to the FPCB connector 123; and the electronic device 130 includes a PCB on which the SMD connector 124 is mounted.

[0048] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating separation of a connection device from a skin-applicable device and attachment of the connection device to the skin-applicable device according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0049] Reference Figure 5 , the ACF connection line 121 and the FPC connection line 122 connected to the skin-adhesive device 110 can be separated from the SMD connector 124 mounted on the PCB of the electronic device 130 through the FPCB connector 123, or the ACF connection line 121 and the FPC connection line 122 connected to the skin-adhesive device 110 can be attached to the SMD connector 124 mounted on the PCB of the electronic device 130.

[0050] Figure 6 Schematic diagrams illustrating attachment states of a wearable device according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0051] Reference Figure 6Skin-adhesive device 110 can be attached to the user's forehead to obtain user data. Electronic device 130 can wirelessly communicate with an external device to transmit user data to the external device. Electronic device 130 is detachably attached to skin-adhesive device 110 via ACF cable 121, FPC cable 122, FPCB connector 123, and SMD connector 124. Here, the electronic device may include a Bluetooth headset, and the external device may include a user terminal, a vehicle, or the like.

[0052] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a wearable system according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0053] like Figure 7 As shown, a wearable system 300 according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may include a wearable device 100 and a vehicle 200 communicating with the wearable device 100 .

[0054] The wearable device 100 may include a skin-attachable device for acquiring user data and an electronic device connected to the skin-attachable device. The wearable device may include a first connection line connected to the skin-attachable device and a second connection line connected to the first connection line and detachably attached to the electronic device. The first connection line may include an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) connection line, and the second connection line may include a flexible printed circuit (FPC) connection line. Figures 1 to 6 The description provided can be applied to wearable devices.

[0055] The vehicle 200 can receive user data from the wearable device 100 and control the vehicle terminal based on the user data. Here, the vehicle terminal can refer to an electronic device installed in the vehicle. According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the vehicle terminal can include a driving assistance device, a multimedia device, an air conditioning device, and a lighting device.

[0056] The above description is merely illustrative of the technical concept of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention pertain may make various modifications and variations without departing from the basic characteristics of the present invention.

[0057] Therefore, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided to explain the spirit and scope of the present invention, rather than to limit them, and therefore the spirit and scope of the present invention are not limited by the embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention can be interpreted by the appended claims, and all technical concepts within the scope equivalent thereto can be interpreted as included within the scope of the present invention.

[0058] The wearable device and the wearable system according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention can safely connect the skin-adhesive device to the electronic device while being harmless to the human body, thereby facilitating the normal operation of the skin-adhesive device.

[0059] For ease of explanation and precise definition in the appended claims, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "above," "below," "upward," "downward," "front," "back," "backside," "inside," "outside," "inward," "outward," "inner," "outer," "forward," and "backward" are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be further understood that the term "connect" or its derivatives refers to both direct and indirect connections.

[0060] The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed, and it is apparent that various modifications and variations are possible in light of the foregoing teachings. The exemplary embodiments selected and described are intended to illustrate certain principles of the invention and their practical application, so as to enable others skilled in the art to make and use the various exemplary embodiments of the invention and various alternatives and modifications thereof. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising: a skin-attachable device that attaches to the user's skin to capture user data; an electronic device configured to provide power to the skin-applicable device; a connection device comprising a first connection line connected to the skin-adhesive device and a second connection line connected to the first connection line and detachably attached to the electronic device; as well as Surface mount device connectors, which are mounted on electronic equipment, wherein the second connecting line is connected to a surface mount device connector; The surface mount device connector can be detachably attached to the flexible printed circuit board connector, whereby the flexible printed circuit board connector separates the first and second connection lines connected to the skin-adhesive device from the surface mount device connector mounted on the electronic device, or attaches the first and second connection lines connected to the skin-adhesive device to the surface mount device connector mounted on the electronic device.

2. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein: The first connecting line includes an anisotropic conductive film connecting line.

3. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein: The second connection line includes a flexible printed circuit connection line.

4. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein: The second connecting line is connected to the flexible printed circuit board connector.

5. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic device includes a printed circuit board provided with the surface mount device connector.

6. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic device is configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device to transmit user data to the external device.

7. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein: The user data includes brain waves.

8. A wearable system comprising: A wearable device comprising a skin-adhesive device configured to acquire user data and an electronic device connected to the skin-adhesive device; a vehicle configured to receive user data from the wearable device and control a vehicle terminal according to the user data, The wearable device further includes a connection device and a surface mount device connector, wherein the connection device has a first connection line connected to the skin-attachable device and a second connection line connected to the first connection line and detachably attached to the electronic device, and the surface mount device connector is mounted on the electronic device. The second connecting wire is connected to a surface mount device connector, The surface mount device connector can be detachably attached to the flexible printed circuit board connector, whereby the flexible printed circuit board connector separates the first and second connection lines connected to the skin-adhesive device from the surface mount device connector mounted on the electronic device, or attaches the first and second connection lines connected to the skin-adhesive device to the surface mount device connector mounted on the electronic device.

9. The wearable system according to claim 8, wherein: The first connecting line includes an anisotropic conductive film connecting line.

10. The wearable system according to claim 8, wherein: The second connection line includes a flexible printed circuit connection line.

11. The wearable system according to claim 10, wherein: The second connecting line is connected to the flexible printed circuit board connector.

12. The wearable system according to claim 8, wherein: The electronic device includes a printed circuit board provided with the surface mount device connector.

13. The wearable system according to claim 8, wherein: The electronic device is configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device to transmit user data to the external device.

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