Wearable Devices

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application discloses a wearable device including a wearing body having a plurality of inductance sensors distributed on the wearing body, the plurality of inductance sensors including an inductance sensor that crosses a joint circumference, each inductance sensor including an inductance structure surrounded by a conductive wire, each inductance sensor attached to a portion of the wearing body corresponding to a joint portion and generating an inductance that changes with deformation of the joint portion.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present specification relates to the field of wearable devices, and more particularly to wearable devices.

[0002] [Incorporated by reference] This application claims priority to an international application with application number PCT / CN2023 / 080488, filed on March 9, 2023, and a Chinese application with application number 202210873140.4, filed on July 22, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] Motion capture technology is an important human-computer interaction method and is widely applied in fields such as AR / VR interaction, wearable electronic devices, sports training, video entertainment, and health and medicine. There are mechanical, acoustic, electromagnetic, optical, and inertial navigation methods for motion capture technology. Currently, motion capture devices are realized using multi-axis inertial sensors to read the direction and speed of human limb movement by accelerometers and gyroscopes, but complex motion capture devices have problems such as high cost, low comfort for users when worn, large error, complex algorithm, and serious drift, which requires frequent calibration and high cost. In addition, conventional motion capture devices have low reliability and consistency, and are easily interfered with by various external factors such as temperature, sweat, and pressure, and their application scenarios are very limited.

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a wearable device that has a simple structure, is comfortable to wear, has small errors, and is highly resistant to interference in order to capture motion accurately and stably. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present specification includes a wearing body having a plurality of inductance sensors distributed on the wearing body, the plurality of inductance sensors including a plurality of inductance sensors crossing a joint circumference, each of the plurality of inductance sensors including an inductance structure surrounded by a conductive wire, each of the plurality of inductance sensors being attached to a portion of the wearing body corresponding to a joint portion and generating an inductance that changes with deformation of the joint portion.

[0006] In some embodiments, the inductance structure has a major axis and a minor axis, and the joint loop passes through a central third of the inductance structure in the major axis direction.

[0007] In some embodiments, the plurality of inductance sensors includes a plurality of inductance sensors across an arm base circumference, each of the plurality of inductance sensors across the arm base circumference including a first inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line, the first inductance structure configured to generate an inductance that varies in response to a user's shoulder joint movement.

[0008] In some embodiments, the plurality of inductance sensors across the armpit circumference includes an inductance sensor located at a front shoulder, an inductance sensor located at a back shoulder, and an inductance sensor located under an arm.

[0009] In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the arm circumference is greater than 3 cm.

[0010] In some embodiments, the wearing body further includes capacitive or resistive sensors distributed near the shoulder joint, the capacitive sensors configured to generate a capacitance that changes with the user's shoulder joint movement, and the resistive sensors configured to generate a resistance that changes with the user's shoulder joint movement.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first inductance structure has a major axis and a minor axis, and the arm base enclosure line passes through a central ⅓ region of the first inductance structure in the major axis direction.

[0012] In some embodiments, the plurality of inductance sensors includes a plurality of inductance sensors across an elbow circumference, each inductance sensor across the elbow circumference including a second inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line, and the plurality of inductance sensors across the elbow circumference configured to generate an inductance that varies with elbow joint movement of the user.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second inductance structure has a major axis and a minor axis, and the elbow circumference passes through a central third of the second inductance structure in the major axis direction.

[0014] In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the elbow circumference is greater than 3 cm.

[0015] In some embodiments, the plurality of inductance sensors includes a plurality of inductance sensors across a waist line, each of the plurality of inductance sensors across the waist line including a third inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line, and the plurality of inductance sensors across the waist line are configured, when worn, to be symmetrically distributed about a central sagittal plane of the user and to generate an inductance that changes with waist movement of the user.

[0016] In some embodiments, the third inductance structure has a major axis and a minor axis, and the waist circumference passes through a central third region of the third inductance structure in the major axis direction.

[0017] In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the waist circumference is greater than 3 cm.

[0018] In some embodiments, the plurality of inductance sensors includes a plurality of inductance sensors across a knee circumference, the plurality of inductance sensors across the knee circumference being configured, when worn, to be located on the inside or outside of a user's knee joint and to generate an inductance that changes with knee joint movement of the user.

[0019] In some embodiments, each of the multiple inductance sensors crossing the knee circumference includes a fourth inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line, the fourth inductance structure having a major axis and a minor axis, and the knee circumference passes through a central 1 / 3 region of the fourth inductance structure in the major axis direction.

[0020] In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the knee circumference is greater than 3 cm.

[0021] In some embodiments, the mounting body further comprises a plurality of inductance sensors distributed in a hipbone region, the plurality of inductance sensors in the hipbone region configured to generate an inductance that varies with hip joint movement of the user.

[0022] In some embodiments, the plurality of inductance sensors at the hip bone region include a left hip bone sensor and a right hip bone sensor, and in a worn state, a line connecting the highest point of the user's left hip bone and the highest point of the user's right hip bone passes through the left hip bone sensor and the right hip bone sensor, respectively.

[0023] In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors at the hip bone region is greater than 3 cm.

[0024] In some embodiments, the mounting body further includes a crotch sensor located at the crotch, a left front hip bone sensor located at the left front portion of the hip bone, and a right front hip bone sensor located at the right front portion of the hip bone.

[0025] In some embodiments, the intersections of a line connecting the highest point of the user's left hipbone and the highest point of the user's right hipbone with the outer edge of the mounting body are a first intersection and a second intersection, respectively, a line connecting the first intersection and a crotch center point passes through a central 1 / 3 area in the longitudinal direction of the left front hipbone sensor, and a line connecting the second intersection and a crotch center point passes through a central 1 / 3 area in the longitudinal direction of the right front hipbone sensor.

[0026] In some embodiments, the joint joint further comprises a processing circuit, the processing circuit configured to generate a parameter reflective of joint motion, and each of the inductance sensors is connected to the processing circuit via a conductor.

[0027] In some embodiments, the system further includes a processing circuit and a distributed readout subsystem, the distributed readout subsystem configured to read data from at least some of the plurality of inductance sensors, the processing circuit configured to generate a parameter reflecting joint motion based on the data, and at least some of the plurality of inductance sensors transmitting data to a particular one of the distributed readout subsystems, the distributed readout subsystem connected to and in communication with the processing circuit.

[0028] In some embodiments, the conductive lines include stretchable elastic conductive threads, the elastic conductive threads being secured by weaving.

[0029] In some embodiments, the conductive lines form a spiral inductance structure.

[0030] In some embodiments, the spiral inductance structure has more than one turn of the conductive wire.

[0031] In some embodiments, the thickness of the conductive line in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the inductance pattern is 3 mm or less.

[0032] In some embodiments, the surface of the conductive line is coated with at least one layer of insulating material.

[0033] In some embodiments, the resistance of the inductance structure is less than 100Ω.

[0034] In some embodiments, at least one inductance sensor of the plurality of inductance sensors further includes a substrate configured to support the spiral inductance structure, the spiral inductance structure including at least a first layer of coils and a second layer of coils, the first layer of coils and the second layer of coils being stacked in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, and the current direction of the coils of the first layer and the current direction of the coils of the second layer being the same.

[0035] In some embodiments, the first layer coil and the second layer coil are disposed on opposite sides of the substrate, respectively.

[0036] In some embodiments, a through hole is provided in the substrate, and the coil of the first layer and the coil of the second layer are each formed by the same conductor passing through the through hole.

[0037] In some embodiments, at least one inductance sensor of the plurality of inductance sensors further comprises a protective layer configured to encapsulate the spiral inductance coil.

[0038] An inductance sensor according to some embodiments of the present specification includes a spiral inductance structure surrounded by a conductive wire and a substrate configured to support the spiral inductance structure, the spiral inductance structure including at least a first layer of coils and a second layer of coils, the first layer of coils and the second layer of coils are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, and the current direction of the first layer of coils and the current direction of the second layer of coils are the same.

[0039] The present specification will be further illustrated by exemplary embodiments, which are not limiting and will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which like numbers refer to like structures. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wearable device according to some embodiments of the present specification. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a front view of an exemplary mounting body according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a rear view of an exemplary mounting body according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of a front view of an exemplary mounting body according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of a rear view of an exemplary mounting body according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of a front view of an exemplary mounting body according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of a rear view of an exemplary mounting body according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example wearable device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example readout unit in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example inductance sensor in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of an example inductance sensor according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary wearable device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary wearable device worn by a user, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] A schematic diagram of a curve showing the inductance value of an exemplary inductance structure having a spiral inductance pattern according to some embodiments of the present specification when the inductance value changes depending on the bending angle of the inductance structure in an unmounted state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] In order to more clearly describe the technical means of the embodiments of the present specification, the drawings necessary for the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some of the examples or embodiments of the present specification, and those skilled in the art can apply the present specification to other similar scenarios based on these drawings without creative efforts. Unless otherwise clear from the language environment or otherwise described, the same symbols in the drawings represent the same structures or operations.

[0042] It should be understood that the terms "system," "device," "unit," and / or "module" used herein are ways of distinguishing between different levels of assemblies, elements, components, parts, or structures, however, other terms may be used in place of the above terms if they can achieve the same purpose.

[0043] As used in this specification and claims, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, terms such as "a," "one," "one kind," and / or "the" do not specifically refer to the singular but may include the plural. In general, the terms "comprise" and "containing" are merely intended to indicate the inclusion of explicitly identified steps and elements, and these steps and elements are not intended to be an exclusive listing, and a method or apparatus may include other steps or elements.

[0044] Flowcharts are used herein to describe operations performed by the system according to the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the preceding and subsequent operations are not necessarily performed in exact order. Instead, the steps may be processed in reverse order or simultaneously. Also, other operations may be added to these processes, or one or more operations may be removed from these processes.

[0045] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wearable device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0046] In some embodiments, the wearable device 100 may include a wearing body 110, a readout system 120, and a processing circuit 130.

[0047] The wearing body 110 may be an assembly that covers a specific part of the user (e.g., a joint part, an organ part, skin, etc.). For example, the wearing body 110 may be sportswear, sports pants, a knee supporter, an arm supporter, an elbow supporter, an arm cover, etc. that fits closely to the user's body. In some embodiments, the wearing body 110 may include at least one of a jacket, pants, or a combination including a jacket and pants. It should be understood that the "jacket" in this specification includes not only clothing worn on the upper body but also a part of the combination corresponding to the upper body. In this specification, an example is described in which the wearing body 110 covers the user's joint part, but it should be understood that the wearing body 110 can cover any part that captures the user's motion. In some embodiments, the user's joint part may be a shoulder joint, an elbow joint, a wrist joint, a hip joint, a knee joint, an ankle joint, etc.

[0048] In some embodiments, a plurality of inductance sensors are distributed in the wearing body 110. The plurality of inductance sensors includes a plurality of inductance sensors that cross a joint circumference. In this specification, the "joint circumference" refers to a circumference that represents the location of a joint. In the field of clothing, the joint circumference can provide a basis for determining the main structural line of the clothing. For example, the joint may include a shoulder joint, an elbow joint, a hip joint, a knee joint, etc. Accordingly, the joint circumference of the shoulder joint may be an arm circumference, the joint circumference of the elbow joint may be an elbow circumference, the joint circumference of the hip joint may be a hip circumference, and the joint circumference of the knee joint may be a knee circumference. For the description of the arm circumference, the elbow circumference, the hip circumference, the knee circumference, etc., please refer to Figures 2 to 7 and their related descriptions.

[0049] Each inductance sensor includes an inductance structure surrounded by a conductive wire, and is attached to a portion of the wearing body 110 corresponding to a specific joint portion, and generates an inductance that changes with the deformation of the joint. For example, the multiple inductance sensors may include one or any combination of an inductance sensor at a shoulder joint portion, an inductance sensor at an elbow joint portion, an inductance sensor at a hip joint portion, an inductance sensor at a knee joint portion, an inductance sensor at a wrist joint portion, and an inductance sensor at an ankle joint portion. In some embodiments, the wearing body 110 may further include an inductance sensor located at a specific portion of the body and configured to generate an inductance that changes with the deformation of the body portion. For example, the waist of the wearing body 110 may further include a multiple inductance sensor configured to generate an inductance that changes with the waist movement of the user. In some embodiments, the wearing body 110 may further include another type of sensor (e.g., a capacitance type sensor or a resistance type sensor) to generate another parameter (e.g., capacitance or resistance) that changes with the deformation of the corresponding portion.

[0050] In some embodiments, the inductance structure may be a spiral inductance pattern. For example, a rectangular spiral inductance pattern, a circular spiral inductance pattern, an elliptical spiral inductance pattern, etc. Each inductance structure may have a major axis direction and a minor axis direction. In this specification, for a symmetric spiral inductance pattern, the major axis may refer to the longest symmetric axis of the spiral inductance pattern, and for an asymmetric spiral inductance pattern, the major axis may refer to a line connecting two points on the circumference of the spiral inductance pattern that are the greatest distance apart. For a symmetric spiral inductance pattern, the minor axis may refer to the shortest symmetric axis of the spiral inductance pattern, and for an asymmetric spiral inductance pattern, the minor axis may refer to a line connecting two points on the circumference of the spiral inductance pattern that are the smallest distance apart. In some embodiments, the major axis direction may be perpendicular to the minor axis direction. In some embodiments, the major axis direction and the minor axis direction of the rectangular spiral inductance pattern of the inductance sensor may be as shown in FIG. 10.

[0051] In some embodiments, the joint enclosure passes through a central 1 / 2 region of each inductance structure in the longitudinal direction to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the joints. The central 1 / 2 region of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction may be divided into four equal parts along the longitudinal direction, and the intermediate half region may be the central 1 / 2 region of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction. In some embodiments, the joint enclosure passes through a central 1 / 3 region of each inductance structure in the longitudinal direction to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the joints. In some embodiments, the joint enclosure passes through a central 1 / 4 region of each inductance structure in the longitudinal direction to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the joints.

[0052] The inductance sensor may be an assembly that changes inductance based on deformation. The inductance sensor may deform based on deformation of a specific part of the user and convert the deformation into an electrical signal. In some embodiments, the inductance sensor may be fixed to a part of the mounting body corresponding to the joint part by sewing, spinning, crimping, gluing, fastening, etc. The inductance structure may be surrounded by a conductive wire. For a specific description of the inductance sensor and the inductance structure, please refer to FIG. 10, FIG. 11 and their related descriptions.

[0053] In some embodiments, the mounting body 110 may carry other assemblies of the wearable device. For example, the readout system 120 and the processing circuit 130 may be attached to the mounting body 110. In some embodiments, the mounting body 110 may be made of a soft fabric to fit snugly around the user's joints. Exemplary fabrics may include silk, woven, synthetic, and the like. In some embodiments, the mounting body 110 may deform correspondingly based on changes in the motion of the human body. For example, when a user squats, the mounting body (e.g., the knee of a sports pant) may deform to extend and bend along the outside of the knee joint and contract and bend along the inside of the knee joint with the user's knee bending motion.

[0054] The readout system 120 may be an assembly that outputs an electrical signal detected by a sensor (e.g., an inductance sensor). Depending on the different types of electrical signals generated by the sensor, the readout system 120 may include any instrument or combination, such as an inductance meter, a voltage ammeter, an oscilloscope, a multimeter, etc. In some embodiments, the readout system 120 may be connected to the inductance structure of the sensor by a readout lead. In some embodiments, the readout system 120 may transmit the read electrical signal of the sensor to a processing circuit 130.

[0055] In some embodiments, the wearable device may further include a processing circuit 130 attached to the mounting body. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 130 may receive and process the inductance value or other parameters that may represent the inductance change measured by the readout system 120. For example, the processing circuit 130 may be an assembly that converts the electrical signal generated by the sensor into a parameter reflecting the joint movement. In some embodiments, the parameter reflecting the joint movement may include a flexion angle of the joint, a flexion / extension state of the joint, and the like. The flexion angle of the joint in this specification may be an included angle formed by the skin surfaces on both sides of the joint during deformation of the joint. In some embodiments, there may be a correspondence between the electrical signal generated by the sensor and the joint movement information. The processing circuit 130 may determine what kind of motion the corresponding joint part has performed based on the change in the electrical signal generated by the sensor. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 130 may be connected to a terminal device. For example, the processing circuit 130 may be connected to a terminal device via a network, a data line (data interface), and the like. The processing circuit 130 can process the electrical signals (e.g., inductance values, circuit impedances, etc.) generated by the sensors to generate parameters reflecting joint motion and transmit them to a terminal device, which may be a mobile phone, computer, or other smart device.

[0056] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 130 may be configured to generate a parameter reflective of the joint motion. In some embodiments, each inductance sensor may be connected to the processing circuitry 130 via a wire. In some embodiments, each inductance sensor and the processing circuitry 130 may be connected wirelessly (e.g., Bluetooth, WIFI, etc.).

[0057] The above description of the wearable device 100 and its components is for convenience of explanation and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments described herein. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that after understanding the principle of the wearable device 100, the components can be arbitrarily combined or connected to other components to form a subsystem without departing from the principle. For example, the readout system 120 and / or the processing circuit 130 may be independent entities or may be part of a terminal device. Any such modifications are within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0058] The wearable device 100 described in some embodiments of the present specification can accurately capture the user's motion by converting the user's joint motion into a changing electrical signal to generate parameters reflecting the joint motion. In addition, since the inductance sensor is directly integrated into the wearing body 110, the wearable device 100 is comfortable, breathable, and has low manufacturing costs. In addition, since the sensor composed of the inductance structure responds only to shape changes, the motion capture process is not interfered with by other factors such as temperature, pressure, and sweating, which improves the accuracy, reliability, and reusability of the motion capture and the wearable device 100.

[0059] In some embodiments, in order to accurately capture and restore the motion of the shoulder joint, the wearing body 110 has a plurality of inductance sensors distributed across the arm base circumference. Each inductance sensor across the arm base circumference includes a first inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line, and the first inductance structure is configured to generate an inductance that changes with the user's shoulder joint movement. For an explanation of the first inductance structure, please refer to Figures 10 and 11 of this specification.

[0060] The arm base circumference may be a reference for determining the boundary between the body and sleeves of the wearing body 110 (e.g., jacket) and the armhole line of the garment. In the wearing body 110, the arm base circumference may be embodied as the boundary between the body and sleeves. In the wearing state, the arm base circumference may be embodied as a line around the bottom of the arm base of the human body. In some embodiments, the arm base circumference may be surrounded by at least two points. For example, the arm base circumference may be surrounded by a front armpit point, a rear armpit point, and a shoulder end point. Alternatively, the arm base circumference may be surrounded by an underarm point, a front shoulder end point, and a rear shoulder end point.

[0061] In some embodiments, to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring shoulder joint motion, for one shoulder joint (e.g., left shoulder joint), the multiple inductance sensors across the arm base circumference may include at least two inductance sensors. For example, the multiple inductance sensors across the arm base circumference may include a front shoulder inductance sensor and a back shoulder inductance sensor. Also, for example, the multiple inductance sensors across the arm base circumference may include a front shoulder inductance sensor and an underarm inductance sensor. Also, for example, the multiple inductance sensors across the arm base circumference may include a back shoulder inductance sensor and an underarm inductance sensor. In this specification, when the shoulder midline (the center line of the shoulder from the neck-shoulder point to the shoulder end point) or the central coronal plane of the human body is taken as the boundary line, the "front shoulder" refers to the part of the shoulder that faces the person's face, and the "back shoulder" refers to the part of the shoulder that faces away from the person's face.

[0062] In some embodiments, to further improve the accuracy of capturing and recovering shoulder joint motion, for one shoulder joint (e.g., a left shoulder joint), the multiple inductance sensors across the arm circumference may include at least three inductance sensors. For example, the multiple inductance sensors across the arm circumference may include a front shoulder inductance sensor, a back shoulder inductance sensor, and an underarm inductance sensor.

[0063] In some embodiments, other inductance sensors may be further installed across the arm base to capture the motion of the shoulder joint precisely. For example, for one shoulder joint (e.g., left shoulder joint), the multiple inductance sensors across the arm base may include a front shoulder inductance sensor, a back shoulder inductance sensor, an underarm inductance sensor, a latissimus dorsi region inductance sensor, a pectoralis major region inductance sensor, etc. By way of example only, the underarm inductance sensor may also be subdivided into a front armpit inductance sensor, a back armpit inductance sensor, etc. In some embodiments, the positions of the above inductance sensors may be changed and the number of inductance sensors may be increased or decreased according to the actual application scenario and conditions. For example, when the shoulder is loaded (e.g., carrying a backpack), the front shoulder inductance sensor and the back shoulder inductance sensor may be omitted, and for example, when the amount of sweating under the armpits is large, the number of underarm inductance sensors may be increased. All of the above changes are within the scope of the present application.

[0064] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the front side of an exemplary wearing body according to some embodiments of the present specification. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the rear side of an exemplary wearing body according to some embodiments of the present specification. Here, the "front side" and the "rear side" refer to the side of the wearing body 110 facing the human face and the side facing away from the human face, respectively, in the wearing state.

[0065] 2 and 3, the multiple inductance sensors crossing the arm base circumference include an inductance sensor located at the front shoulder (i.e., the front shoulder inductance sensor 221, the front shoulder inductance sensor 222), an inductance sensor located at the back shoulder (i.e., the back shoulder inductance sensor 231, the back shoulder inductance sensor 232), and an inductance sensor located under the arm (i.e., the underarm inductance sensor 241, the underarm inductance sensor 242). The front shoulder inductance sensor 221, the back shoulder inductance sensor 231, and the underarm inductance sensor 241 can cross the right arm base circumference of the wearing body 110, and the front shoulder inductance sensor 222, the back shoulder inductance sensor 232, and the underarm inductance sensor 242 can cross the left arm base circumference of the wearing body 110.

[0066] In some embodiments, the wearing body 110 may further include other types of sensors (e.g., capacitance type sensors or resistance type sensors) distributed near the shoulder joint. The capacitance type sensors are configured to generate a capacitance that changes with the user's shoulder joint movement. The resistance type sensors are configured to generate a resistance that changes with the user's shoulder joint movement. In some embodiments, the wearing body 110 may further include a stretchable flexible inductance sensor distributed near the shoulder joint. The stretchable flexible inductance sensor may be part of the fabric of the wearing body 110. The stretchable flexible inductance sensor may be configured to cause twisting of the sensor structure, material denaturation, change in electrical properties, etc., with the shoulder joint movement, and the shoulder joint motion is captured by monitoring the above changes. To improve accuracy, different types of sensors can capture and restore the motion of the same shoulder joint movement.

[0067] In some embodiments, the first inductance structure may be a spiral inductance pattern, such as a rectangular spiral inductance pattern, a circular spiral inductance pattern, an elliptical spiral inductance pattern, etc. Each first inductance structure may have a major axis direction and a minor axis direction. In this specification, for a symmetric spiral inductance pattern, the major axis may refer to the longest symmetric axis of the spiral inductance pattern, and for an asymmetric spiral inductance pattern, the major axis may refer to a line connecting two points on the circumference of the spiral inductance pattern that are the greatest distance apart. For a symmetric spiral inductance pattern, the minor axis may refer to the shortest symmetric axis of the spiral inductance pattern, and for an asymmetric spiral inductance pattern, the minor axis may refer to a line connecting two points on the circumference of the spiral inductance pattern that are the smallest distance apart. In some embodiments, the major axis direction may be perpendicular to the minor axis direction. In some embodiments, the major and minor axis directions of the rectangular spiral inductance pattern of the inductance sensor may be as shown in FIG.

[0068] In some embodiments, in order to optimize the sensitivity of the inductance sensor, the shape of the spiral inductance pattern may be designed to be symmetrical with respect to the major or minor axis, for example, the spiral inductance pattern may be rectangular, circular, elliptical, etc. with the major or minor axis as the axis of symmetry.

[0069] In some embodiments, in order to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the shoulder joint, the arm base encircling line passes through a central 1 / 2 region in the longitudinal direction of each first inductance structure. For the central 1 / 2 region in the longitudinal direction of the first inductance structure, the first inductance structure may be divided into four equal parts along the longitudinal direction, and the intermediate half region may be the central 1 / 2 region in the longitudinal direction of the first inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the shoulder joint, the arm base encircling line passes through a central 1 / 3 region in the longitudinal direction of each first inductance structure. For the central 1 / 3 region in the longitudinal direction of the first inductance structure, the first inductance structure may be divided into three equal parts along the longitudinal direction, and the intermediate half region may be the central 1 / 3 region in the longitudinal direction of the first inductance structure. In some embodiments, to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring shoulder joint motion, the arm base encirclement passes through a central 1 / 5 of each first inductance structure in the longitudinal direction. The central 1 / 5 of each first inductance structure in the longitudinal direction may be divided into 5 equal parts along the longitudinal direction of the first inductance structure, with the middle equal part being the central 1 / 5 of each first inductance structure in the longitudinal direction.

[0070] In some embodiments, to improve accuracy in capturing and recovering shoulder joint motion, the ratio of the distance between the center point of each first inductance structure and the arm base circumference to the length of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction is less than 1 / 4. The "center point of the first inductance structure" refers to the geometric center of the first inductance structure. In some embodiments, to further improve accuracy in capturing and recovering shoulder joint motion, the ratio of the distance between the center point of each first inductance structure and the arm base circumference to the length of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction is less than 1 / 6.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first inductance structure may be symmetrical with respect to the armpit circle to further improve the accuracy of capturing the motion of the shoulder joint. For example, the armpit circle may divide the entire first inductance structure equally to better capture the motion changes of the muscles on both sides of the shoulder joint. For example, for an underarm inductance sensor, the first inductance structure may be folded equally in half, and the half fold line is the short axis of the first inductance structure, which is also the flexion axis of the shoulder joint and the armpit circle.

[0072] In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors among the multiple inductance sensors crossing the arm base line is greater than 3 cm to prevent interference between adjacent sensors. Although the working principle of the inductance sensor is realized by the change in inductance, the inductance sensor itself forms a weak magnetic field, and the magnetic field of each of the multiple inductance sensors may affect other inductance sensors, so in order to avoid the above error, it is necessary to limit the distance between two inductance sensors among the multiple inductance sensors crossing the arm base line. In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors among the multiple inductance sensors crossing the arm base line is greater than 3.5 cm to further prevent interference between adjacent sensors. In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors among the multiple inductance sensors crossing the arm base line is greater than 4 cm to further prevent interference between adjacent sensors.

[0073] In some embodiments, in order to accurately capture and restore the motion of the elbow joint, the wearing body 110 further includes a plurality of inductance sensors across the elbow circumference. Each inductance sensor across the elbow circumference includes a second inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line. The second inductance structure is configured to generate an inductance that changes with the user's elbow joint movement. For an explanation of the second inductance structure, reference can be made to Figures 10 and 11 of this specification.

[0074] In some embodiments, in order to accurately capture and restore the motion of the elbow joint, as shown in Fig. 2, the multiple inductance sensors across the elbow circumference include an elbow inductance sensor 251 and an elbow inductance sensor 252. The elbow inductance sensor 251 may be located at the right elbow of the wearing body 110, and the elbow inductance sensor 252 may be located at the left elbow of the wearing body 110. The multiple inductance sensors across the elbow circumference can capture the motion of the elbow joint.

[0075] The elbow circumference may be the boundary between the upper and lower halves of the sleeve of the wearing body 110. The elbow circumference may reflect the elbow circumference line between the upper arm and the forearm of the human body. In some embodiments, the elbow circumference may be bounded by at least two points. For example, the elbow circumference may be bounded by a front elbow point and a rear elbow point.

[0076] In some embodiments, to further improve accuracy in capturing elbow joint motion, the multiple inductance sensors across the elbow circumference may include a front elbow inductance sensor and a rear elbow inductance sensor (not shown), which may be located on the inside of the elbow joint and the rear elbow inductance sensor may be located on the outside of the elbow joint.

[0077] In some embodiments, the shape, pattern, etc. of the second inductance structure may be the same as that of the first inductance structure, and description thereof will be omitted here. In some embodiments, similar to the first inductance structure, each second inductance structure has a major axis direction and a minor axis direction. In order to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the shoulder joint, the elbow encirclement line passes through a central 1 / 2 region in the major axis direction of each second inductance structure. For the central 1 / 2 region in the major axis direction of the second inductance structure, the second inductance structure may be divided into four equal parts along the major axis direction, and the intermediate half region may be the central 1 / 2 region in the major axis direction of the second inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the elbow joint, the elbow encirclement line passes through a central 1 / 3 region in the major axis direction of each second inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the elbow joint, the elbow encirclement line passes through a central 1 / 4 region in the major axis direction of each second inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the elbow joint motion, the elbow circumference passes through a central 1 / 5 area in the longitudinal direction of each second inductance structure. For the central area in the longitudinal direction of the second inductance structure, reference may be made to the description of the central area of ​​the first inductance structure.

[0078] In some embodiments, to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the elbow joint, the ratio of the distance between the center point of each second inductance structure and the elbow circumference to the length of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction is less than 1 / 4. The "center point of the second inductance structure" refers to the geometric center of the second inductance structure. In some embodiments, to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the elbow joint, the ratio of the distance between the center point of each second inductance structure and the elbow circumference to the length of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction is less than 1 / 6.

[0079] In some embodiments, the distance between two of the plurality of inductance sensors across the elbow circumference is greater than 3 cm to prevent interference between adjacent sensors. In some embodiments, the distance between two of the plurality of inductance sensors across the elbow circumference is greater than 3.5 cm to further prevent interference between adjacent sensors. In some embodiments, the distance between two of the plurality of inductance sensors across the elbow circumference is greater than 4 cm to further prevent interference between adjacent sensors.

[0080] In some embodiments, in order to accurately capture and restore the waist motion, the wearing body 110 further includes a plurality of inductance sensors across the waist circumference. Each inductance sensor across the waist circumference includes a third inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line. The plurality of inductance sensors across the waist circumference are configured to generate an inductance that is distributed symmetrically with respect to the central sagittal plane of the user in a worn state and changes with the waist motion of the user. As shown in FIG. 2, the wearing body 110 includes a waist inductance sensor 261, a waist inductance sensor 262, and an abdominal inductance sensor 270. The waist inductance sensor 261 may be located on the right waist of the wearing body 110, the waist inductance sensor 262 may be located on the left waist of the wearing body 110, and the abdominal inductance sensor 270 may be located on the front of the wearing body 110. The waist inductance sensor 261 and the waist inductance sensor 262 are distributed symmetrically with respect to the central sagittal plane of the user in a worn state. The abdominal inductance sensor 270 is symmetrical about the central sagittal plane of the user when worn.

[0081] The waist circumference may be the boundary between the upper and lower halves of the wearing body 110. The waist circumference may reflect the horizontal circumference of the narrow part of the waist. In some embodiments, the waist circumference may be bounded by at least two points. For example, the waist circumference may be bounded by the front waist midpoint, the waist side point, and the back waist midpoint.

[0082] In some embodiments, the shape, pattern, etc. of the third inductance structure may be the same as that of the first inductance structure, and the description is omitted here. For the description of the third inductance structure, please refer to Figures 10 and 11 of this specification.

[0083] In some embodiments, in addition to the multiple inductance sensors across the waist circumference, the sensor capturing the waist motion may include other sensors, such as stretch sensors, stress sensors, etc. Capturing the waist motion with multiple sensors can provide a higher motion capture effect. It should be understood that using one of the multiple sensors can simplify the structure and capture the waist motion.

[0084] In some embodiments, similar to the first inductance structure, each third inductance structure has a major axis and a minor axis. In order to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the waist motion, the waist circumference line passes through a central 1 / 2 region in the major axis direction of each third inductance structure. For the central 1 / 2 region in the major axis direction of the third inductance structure, the third inductance structure may be divided into four equal parts along the major axis direction, and the intermediate half region may be the central 1 / 2 region in the major axis direction of the third inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the waist motion, the waist circumference line passes through a central 1 / 3 region in the major axis direction of each third inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the waist motion, the waist circumference line passes through a central 1 / 4 region in the major axis direction of each third inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the waist motion, the waist circumference line passes through a central 1 / 5 region in the longitudinal direction of each third inductance structure. For the central region in the longitudinal direction of the third inductance structure, reference may be made to the description of the central region of the first inductance structure.

[0085] In some embodiments, to improve accuracy in capturing and restoring waist motion, the ratio of the distance between the center point of each third inductance structure and the waist circumference to the length of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction is less than 1 / 4. The "center point of the third inductance structure" refers to the geometric center of the third inductance structure. In some embodiments, to further improve accuracy in capturing and restoring waist motion, the ratio of the distance between the center point of each third inductance structure and the waist circumference to the length of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction is less than 1 / 6.

[0086] In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the waist line is greater than 3 cm to prevent interference between adjacent sensors. In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the waist line is greater than 3.5 cm to prevent interference between adjacent sensors. In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the waist line is greater than 4 cm to further prevent interference between adjacent sensors.

[0087] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the mounting body 110 may further include a main control circuit board 210. The main control circuit board 210 can control all the inductance sensors. For a detailed description of the main control circuit board 210, please refer to Figures 8 and 9 and their related descriptions.

[0088] 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams of a front and rear view of an exemplary mounting body according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0089] In some embodiments, in order to accurately capture and restore the motion of the knee joint, the wearing body 110 has a plurality of inductance sensors distributed across the knee circumference. The plurality of inductance sensors across the knee circumference are located on the inside or outside of the knee joint of the user in the wearing state, and are configured to generate an inductance that changes with the knee joint movement of the user. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the plurality of inductance sensors across the knee circumference may include a right knee inductance sensor 431 and a left knee inductance sensor 432.

[0090] The knee circumference may be the boundary between the lower leg and the upper leg of the pant leg portion of the wearing body 110. The knee circumference may reflect a horizontal circumference line of the knee part of the lower leg passing through the patella point. In some embodiments, the knee circumference may be surrounded by at least two points. For example, the knee circumference may be surrounded by the inner knee apex and the outer knee apex.

[0091] In some embodiments, each inductance sensor across the knee circumference includes a fourth inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line. In some embodiments, the shape, pattern, etc. of the fourth inductance structure may be the same as that of the first inductance structure, and will not be described here.

[0092] In some embodiments, similar to the first inductance structure, each fourth inductance structure has a major axis direction and a minor axis direction. In order to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the knee joint, the knee encirclement line passes through a central 1 / 2 region in the major axis direction of each fourth inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the knee joint, the knee encirclement line passes through a central 1 / 3 region in the major axis direction of each fourth inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the knee joint, the knee encirclement line passes through a central 1 / 4 region in the major axis direction of each fourth inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the knee joint, the knee encirclement line passes through a central 1 / 5 region in the major axis direction of each fourth inductance structure. For the central region in the major axis direction of the fourth inductance structure, reference may be made to the description of the central region of the first inductance structure.

[0093] In some embodiments, in order to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the knee joint, the ratio of the distance between the center point of each fourth inductance structure and the knee circumference to the length of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction is less than 1 / 4. The "center point of the fourth inductance structure" refers to the geometric center of the fourth inductance structure. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the motion of the knee joint, the ratio of the distance between the center point of each fourth inductance structure and the knee circumference to the length of the inductance structure in the longitudinal direction is less than 1 / 6.

[0094] In some embodiments, the distance between two of the plurality of inductance sensors across the knee circumference is greater than 3 cm to prevent interference between adjacent sensors. In some embodiments, the distance between two of the plurality of inductance sensors across the knee circumference is greater than 3.5 cm to further prevent interference between adjacent sensors. In some embodiments, the distance between two of the plurality of inductance sensors across the knee circumference is greater than 4 cm to further prevent interference between adjacent sensors.

[0095] In some embodiments, to accurately capture and reconstruct motion at the hip bone region, the mounting body 110 includes multiple inductance sensors distributed over the hip bone region, configured to generate an inductance that changes with the user's hip joint motion.

[0096] 4 and 5, the plurality of inductance sensors at the hip bone region includes a left hip bone sensor 412 and a right hip bone sensor 411. In some embodiments, the plurality of inductance sensors at the hip bone position may further include a left hip sensor, a right hip sensor, etc., to improve the accuracy of capturing the motion of the hip bone region.

[0097] In some embodiments, in order to improve the accuracy of capturing the motion of the hip bone position, in the worn state, a line connecting the highest point of the user's left hip bone and the highest point of the right hip bone passes through the left hip bone sensor 412 and the right hip bone sensor 411, respectively. As shown in Fig. 4, the intersection points of the line connecting the highest point of the left hip bone and the highest point of the right hip bone and the outer edge of the wearing body 110 are the first intersection point B and the second intersection point A, respectively. The line AB connecting the first intersection point B and the second intersection point A passes through the left hip bone sensor 412 and the right hip bone sensor 411, respectively.

[0098] In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors at the hipbone region is greater than 3 cm to prevent interference between adjacent sensors. In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors at the hipbone region is greater than 3.5 cm to prevent interference between adjacent sensors. In some embodiments, the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors at the hipbone region is greater than 4 cm to further prevent interference between adjacent sensors.

[0099] In some embodiments, due to the high degree of freedom of hip joint motion, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the hip joint motion, the wearing body 110 further includes a crotch inductance sensor 420 located under the crotch, a left anterior hip bone sensor 414 located at the left anterior part of the hip bone, and a right anterior hip bone sensor 413 located at the right anterior part of the hip bone, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The left anterior hip bone may be the pubic bone on the left side of the human body, and the right anterior hip bone may be the pubic bone on the right side of the human body.

[0100] In some embodiments, the intersection points of the line connecting the highest point of the user's left hipbone and the highest point of the right hipbone and the outer edge of the mounting body 110 are the first intersection point B and the second intersection point A, respectively. In some embodiments, in order to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the hip joint motion, the line BO connecting the first intersection point B and the crotch center point O passes through the central 1 / 3 area in the long axis direction of the left front hipbone sensor 414, and the line AO ​​connecting the second intersection point A and the crotch center point O passes through the central 1 / 3 area in the long axis direction of the right front hipbone sensor 413. As shown in Fig. 4, the line BO connecting the first intersection point B and the crotch center point O intersects with the left front hip bone sensor 414, and the intersection point is located within the central 1 / 3 region of the left front hip bone sensor 414 in the longitudinal direction, and similarly, the line AO ​​connecting the second intersection point A and the crotch center point O intersects with the right front hip bone sensor 413, and the intersection point is located within the central 1 / 3 region of the right front hip bone sensor 413 in the longitudinal direction. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the hip joint motion, the line BO connecting the first intersection point B and the crotch center point O passes through the central 1 / 4 region of the left front hip bone sensor 414 in the longitudinal direction, and the line AO ​​connecting the second intersection point A and the crotch center point O passes through the central 1 / 4 region of the right front hip bone sensor 413 in the longitudinal direction. For the central region in the longitudinal direction of the right front hip bone sensor 413 or the left front hip bone sensor 414, the description regarding the central region of the first inductance structure can be referred to.

[0101] In some embodiments, the wearable body 110 may further include left and right hip sensors (not shown) for capturing the movement of the user's hips.

[0102] In some embodiments, the mounting body 110 shown in Figures 4 and 5 may further include a main control circuit board (not shown). The main control circuit board can control all the inductance sensors. For a detailed description of the main control circuit board, please refer to Figures 8 and 9 and their related descriptions. In some embodiments, the mounting body 110 and the mounting body 110 may share the same main control circuit board 210, or each may have one main control circuit board 210.

[0103] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the front side of an exemplary wearing body according to some embodiments of the present specification. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the rear side of an exemplary wearing body according to some embodiments of the present specification. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the wearing body 110 may be a combination. The wearing body 110 may include a main control circuit board 210, a front shoulder inductance sensor 221, a front shoulder inductance sensor 222, a rear shoulder inductance sensor 231, a rear shoulder inductance sensor 232, an armpit inductance sensor 241, an armpit inductance sensor 242, an elbow inductance sensor 251, an elbow inductance sensor 252, a waist inductance sensor 261, a waist inductance sensor 262, a waist inductance sensor 663, an abdominal inductance sensor 270, a right hip sensor 411, a left hip sensor 412, a right front hip sensor 413, a left front hip sensor 414, a crotch inductance sensor 420, a right knee inductance sensor 431, and a left knee inductance sensor 432.

[0104] In some embodiments, the inductance sensor of the wearing body 110 may be omitted to simplify the structure of the wearing body 110. For example, since the sensitivity of the change in inductance value due to the movement of the waist and abdomen is small, the waist inductance sensor 261, the waist inductance sensor 262, the waist inductance sensor 663, and the abdomen inductance sensor 270 may be omitted. Also, for example, the waist inductance sensor may be integrated with the adjacent right hip sensor 411 and left hip sensor 412.

[0105] In some embodiments, the distance between two of the inductance sensors at different locations or joints is greater than 3 cm to prevent interference between adjacent sensors.In some embodiments, the distance between two of the inductance sensors at different locations or joints is greater than 4 cm to prevent interference between adjacent sensors.

[0106] 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary wearable device according to some embodiments of the present specification. As shown in FIG. 8, the wearable device 100 may include a main control circuit board 210 (main control circuit board 210 shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 6) and a plurality of sensors 830. The main control circuit board further includes a readout system 120 (e.g., a distributed readout system 120) and a processing circuit 130. The sensors 830 may be inductance sensors distributed in the wearing body 110 in FIG. 2 to FIG. 7, or may be other types of sensors (e.g., capacitance type sensors or resistance type sensors).

[0107] The distributed readout system 120 may be configured to read data from at least some of the sensors 830. In some embodiments, the distributed readout system 120 may include multiple readout units, each of which may be connected to at least one sensor 830 via electrical wires. In some embodiments, the distributed readout system 120 may include multiple subsystems, each of which may be connected to at least one sensor 830. For example, each subsystem may be connected to a set of related sensors 830 (e.g., a particular readout unit is connected to all inductance sensors across the waist circumference, i.e., connected to the waist inductance sensor 261, the waist inductance sensor 262, and the abdominal inductance sensor 270). Each subsystem may be connected to the processing circuit 130 of the main control board via electrical wires, Bluetooth, WIFI, etc. In some embodiments, each readout unit may obtain and transmit the electrical signal of the connected sensor 830 to the processing circuit 130. In some embodiments, the distributed readout system 120 may include at least two readout units. It should be understood that a set of related inductance sensors may be all inductance sensors surrounding the same joint / part simultaneously (e.g., all sensors surrounding the shoulder joint) or all sensors whose distance is less than a predetermined threshold (e.g., all sensors near the waist).

[0108] The processing circuit 130 may be configured to generate a parameter reflecting a joint movement based on the data. For example, the processing circuit 130 may receive the inductance change data transmitted from the distributed readout system 120 and convert it into a parameter reflecting a joint movement. Exemplary parameters reflecting a joint movement may be a flexion angle of a joint, a movement direction of a joint, a displacement distance of a joint, a flexion / extension state of a joint, etc. The flexion angle of a joint in this specification may be an included angle formed by the skin surfaces on both sides of a joint during deformation of the joint. In some embodiments, there may be a correspondence between the electrical signal generated by the sensor 830 and the joint movement information. The processing circuit 130 may determine what kind of motion the corresponding joint part has performed based on the change in the electrical signal generated by the sensor 830. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 130 may include a wireless transmission unit, a power supply module, and a data processing module.

[0109] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 130 may be connected to a terminal device. For example, the processing circuit 130 may be connected to the terminal device via a network, a data line (data interface), a wireless transmission unit, etc. The processing circuit 130 may process the electrical signal (e.g., inductance value, circuit impedance, etc.) generated by the sensor 830 to generate and transmit to the terminal device a parameter reflecting the joint movement. The terminal device may be a mobile phone, a computer, or other smart device.

[0110] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an example readout unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0111] As shown in Fig. 9, the readout system 120 may include a readout chip (e.g., FDC2214 chip) and a capacitor C0. The readout chip can send an excitation signal to the LC resonant system, read the resonant frequency of the LC resonant system, and estimate the inductance value of the inductance sensor. The capacitor C0 is a large fixed-value capacitor with a capacitance value of C0 connected in parallel to the inductance sensor. At this time, the resonant frequency of the LC resonant system is expressed by the following equation (1).

[0112]

number

[0113] In the formula, L s is the inductance of the inductance sensor, and C s is the capacitance of the inductance sensor.

[0114] In addition, in the resonant measurement method, the parallel connection capacitance value and the Q value of the LC resonant system (determined by the readout chip) need to be taken into consideration in order to improve the stability and accuracy of the results. The parallel connection capacitance value is inversely proportional to the Q value of the LC resonant system. The larger the parallel connection capacitance value, the smaller the capacitive interference (e.g., parasitic capacitance generated by touching the inductance sensor with a human hand) that the LC resonant system receives from the outside, and the higher the reliability of the inductance sensor. However, the smaller the Q value, the lower the accuracy of the measured resonant frequency. In some embodiments, the parallel connection capacitance value may be in the range of 100 pF to 10 nF, and the corresponding Q value of the LC resonant system may be in the range of 2 to 100.

[0115] The wearable device 100 described in some embodiments of this specification can reduce the effect of parasitic capacitance on the resonant frequency of the sensor 830 and improve interference resistance by connecting a large fixed-value capacitor in parallel to the sensor 830 and measuring the resonant frequency of the LC resonant system using a resonant measurement method, and can achieve both interference resistance and measurement accuracy of the resonant frequency of the wearable device by taking into account the parallel-connected capacitance value and the Q value of the LC resonant system.

[0116] 10 is a schematic diagram of an example inductance sensor according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 10, the inductance sensor 1000 may include an inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line 1010, a first readout lead 1021, and a second readout lead 1022. In some embodiments, the inductance sensor 1000 may be secured to a mounting body 1030 by sewing, weaving, crimping, gluing, fastening, or the like.

[0117] In some embodiments, depending on the material, the conductive wire 1010 can be elastically or plastically deformed under small stresses to ensure that the conductive wire 1010 deforms correspondingly with articulation. Exemplary conductive wire 1010 materials may include silver, copper, aluminum, alloy materials, composite materials, etc., or any combination thereof.

[0118] In some embodiments, the conductive wire 1010 may include a stretchable elastic conductive thread, and the conductive thread is fixed by weaving. For example, the conductive thread may be directly woven into the joint part of the wearing body. In some embodiments, the conductive thread may be woven inside and / or outside the joint part of the wearing body. By weaving and fixing the stretchable elastic conductive thread, the foreign body sensation of the user when wearing the sensor can be reduced, the user experience can be improved, and the sensor can be firmly fixed to prevent the sensor from falling off. It should be understood that the inductance sensor 1000 may be fixed to the wearing body in other ways, such as by sewing, crimping, gluing, fastening, etc., and this specification is not limited thereto.

[0119] In some embodiments, the surface of the conductive wire 1010 may be coated with at least one layer of insulating material to prevent external short circuit of the conductive wire 1010 and to protect the conductive wire 1010. Exemplary insulating materials may include materials such as polyvinyl chloride, cross-linked polyethylene, ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber, fluororesin, insulating fabric, insulating colloid, etc. The insulating material may be coated on the conductive wire 1010 by adhesion, coating, etc., or in other ways.

[0120] In some embodiments, the conductive line 1010 may form a spiral inductance pattern around the joint site. In some embodiments, the inductance pattern may be a planar spiral inductance pattern. For example, the shape of the inductance pattern may include, but is not limited to, a planar shape such as a square, a rectangle, a circle, a polygon, a semicircle, a circle, an ellipse, etc. The spiral winding direction may be clockwise or counterclockwise. In some embodiments, the inductance of the inductance structure may be calculated by the following equation (2):

[0121]

number

[0122] In the formula, L is inductance, φ is magnetic flux, μ is magnetic permeability, N is the number of coil turns (number of turns), S is the effective area of ​​the inductance pattern through which the magnetic field lines pass, and l is the length of the coil. As can be seen from the above formula, when the joint is stretched, the inductance pattern is in a fully expanded state (i.e., the inductance pattern is flatly spread on the wearing body), and the effective area S is the largest and the corresponding inductance L is also the largest; when the joint is bent, the inductance pattern is in a bent state (i.e., the inductance pattern is partially deformed), and the effective area S is reduced and the corresponding inductance L is also reduced. In some embodiments, when the inductance pattern is in a bent state, the inductance pattern may partially overlap, wrinkle, protrude, etc., so the change in the effective area is nonlinear, and if the wearing body does not fit the user snugly, this may cause a nonlinear change in the effective area. Therefore, when the user's joint is bent and deformed, the inductance changes nonlinearly with the change in the effective area S.

[0123] In some embodiments, the spiral inductance pattern has a number of turns greater than 1. For example, the spiral inductance pattern may have a number of turns greater than 2, 5, 10, 50, etc. Preferably, the spiral inductance pattern has a number of turns greater than 2.

[0124] In some embodiments, the included angle between the long axis direction of the spiral inductance pattern and the bending axis of the joint may be within a range of 90 degrees ±20 degrees, and the included angle between the short axis direction and the bending axis of the joint is within a range of ±20 degrees. For example, the included angle between the long axis direction of the spiral inductance pattern and the bending axis of the joint is within a range of 80 degrees to 100 degrees, and the included angle between the short axis direction and the bending axis of the joint is within a range of ±10 degrees. For example, the included angle between the long axis direction of the spiral inductance pattern and the bending axis of the joint is within a range of 85 degrees to 95 degrees, and the included angle between the short axis direction and the bending axis of the joint is within a range of ±5 degrees. For example, the long axis direction of the spiral inductance pattern is perpendicular to the bending axis of the joint, and the short axis direction is parallel to the bending axis of the joint. In some embodiments, the bending axis of the joint may refer to a straight line on which all fixed points are located during deformation of the joint.

[0125] In some embodiments, the shape of the spiral inductance pattern may be designed to be symmetrical with respect to the major or minor axis in order to optimize the sensitivity of the inductance sensor 1000. For example, the spiral inductance pattern may be rectangular, circular, elliptical, etc. with the major or minor axis as the axis of symmetry.

[0126] In some embodiments, the greater the thickness of the conductive thread in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the inductance pattern, the stronger the foreign body sensation when worn by the user, and the greater the thickness, the greater the stress required to deform the conductive thread, making it difficult for the conductive thread to deform correspondingly when small motions occur at the joints. In order to improve the comfort of the user when wearing the wearable device and to improve the sensitivity of the inductance sensor 1000, the thickness of the conductive thread in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the inductance pattern may be 3 mm or less. For example, the thickness of the conductive thread in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the inductance pattern may be 2.5 mm, 2 mm, 1.5 mm, 1 mm, etc. Preferably, the thickness of the conductive thread in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the inductance pattern is 2 mm.

[0127] In some embodiments, the inner and outer circumferences of the spiral inductance pattern may be provided with readout leads connecting the inductance structure to a readout unit. In some embodiments, the inner circumference of the spiral inductance pattern may be the portion of the conductive line connected to the second readout lead 1022, as shown in FIG. 10. The outer circumference of the spiral inductance pattern may be the portion of the conductive line connected to the first readout lead 1021.

[0128] The readout leads may be a part of a conductive line (e.g., an end of said conductive line). As shown in Fig. 2, the readout leads may include a first readout lead 1021 and a second readout lead 1022. In some embodiments, the readout leads may be connected to a readout unit. For example, the readout leads may be connected to the readout unit via a data interface.

[0129] In some embodiments, to improve the Q factor of the inductance and thus improve the accuracy of the measurement, the resistance of the inductance structure may be less than 100 Ω. For example, the resistance of the inductance structure may be less than 80 Ω. For example, the resistance of the inductance structure may be less than 50 Ω. For example, the resistance of the inductance structure may be less than 30 Ω. For example, the resistance of the inductance structure may be less than 10 Ω.

[0130] FIG. 11 is a schematic top view of an example inductance sensor according to certain embodiments herein.

[0131] The inductance sensor 1100 may include a spiral inductance coil 1121 and a substrate 1122. In some embodiments, the spiral inductance coil 1121 and the substrate 1122 may deform due to deformation of a user's joint, and may generate an electrical signal based on the deformation. Exemplary electrical signals may include inductance, circuit impedance, phase, resonant frequency, and the like, or any combination thereof. Exemplarily, the inductance sensor 1100 may determine the motion status of the joint corresponding to the inductance sensor 1100 by measuring a shape change of the inductance sensor 1100 (or the spiral inductance coil 1121) accompanying joint movement of the human body using a change in inductance value of the spiral inductance coil 1121. For example, when a user wears a wearable device, at least a portion of the inductance sensor 1100 may be located at the user's joint to collect a motion signal of the user to determine the motion. Specifically, when a user wearing a wearable device performs a specific joint motion, it can cause a change in shape of the inductance sensor 1100, which in turn causes the spiral inductance coil 1121 of the inductance sensor 1100 to have a corresponding change in inductance value, and the change in inductance value can further obtain information on the user's joint movement (e.g., the flexion angle of the joint, the flexion and extension status of the joint) and capture the user's joint motion.

[0132] The substrate 1122 can mount the spiral inductance coil 1121. In some embodiments, the material of the substrate 1122 may include, but is not limited to, flexible organic thin film materials such as PI, PET, silica gel, and rubber. In some embodiments, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) may be used as the substrate 1122. In some embodiments, a spun fabric may be directly used as the substrate 1122 to improve the comfort of the user when wearing the wearable device. The thickness of the substrate 1122 needs to consider the comfort and practicality of the user. If the substrate 1122 is too thick, the user may feel uncomfortable, and if the substrate 1122 is too thin, the substrate may wrinkle, which may affect the reading accuracy of the inductance value. In some embodiments, the thickness of the substrate 1122 may be 1 μm to 500 μm.

[0133] In some embodiments, the spiral inductance coil 1121 may include a single-layer coil. In this case, the number of coils of the conductor of the spiral inductance coil 1121 may be two or more. In some embodiments, in order to increase the total inductance value of the inductance sensor 1100, the spiral inductance coil 1121 may include multiple layers of coils with the same current direction. The multiple layers of coils with the same current direction may be stacked in a direction perpendicular to the substrate 1122. Preferably, the projections of the multiple layers of coils in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 1122 may overlap partially or completely. Furthermore, by increasing the degree of overlap of the projections of the multiple layers of coils in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 1122, the inductance value of the inductance sensor 1100 can be increased, thereby improving the reliability of the inductance sensor 1100. In some embodiments, the shape of the spiral inductance coil 1121 (i.e., the overall shape of the pattern (or called the inductance pattern) formed by winding the conductor) may be a regular geometric shape such as a rectangle, a circle, an ellipse, or other irregular shape. Preferably, the shape of the spiral inductor 1121 may be an axisymmetric geometric shape.

[0134] In some embodiments, the material of the conductor wound to form the spiral inductance coil 1121 may be metal / alloy, or may be conductive material such as silver paste, carbon paste, ITO, liquid metal, etc. The spiral winding direction of the conductor may be clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0135] The wearable device described in some embodiments of the present specification uses the inductance sensor 1100 to detect the motion of the user's hand, and is not easily affected by external factors such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and sweat. In addition, the inductance sensor 1100 can be manufactured by installing the spiral inductance coil 1121 on the substrate 1122, which is simple to manufacture, has low cost, and is suitable for industrial production. In addition, the inductance of the inductance sensor 1100 can be increased (higher inductance can be achieved with a smaller size) by increasing the number of coils of the spiral inductance coil 1121, thereby improving the sensitivity of the sensor, meeting the application needs of miniaturization of the sensor, and simplifying the design of the subsequent readout system.

[0136] FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary wearable device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0137] As shown in FIG. 12 , in some embodiments, the wearable device includes a fabric layer 1211 and a fabric layer 1212. The inductance sensor of the wearable device may include a spiral inductance coil 1221, a substrate 1122, a signal lead terminal 1123, and a protective layer 1124. In some embodiments, the spiral inductance coil 1221 may include multiple layers of coils to increase the total inductance of the inductance sensor and further improve the sensitivity of the inductance sensor. For example, the spiral inductance coil 1221 may include at least a first layer of coil A and a second layer of coil B. Also, for example, the spiral inductance coil 1221 may include three layers of inductance coils, four layers of inductance coils, or more layers of inductance coils.

[0138] For example, if the spiral inductance coil 1221 simply includes a coil A in a first layer and a coil B in a second layer, the current direction of the coil A in the first layer and the coil B in the second layer are the same. Preferably, the projections of the area surrounded by the coils in the multiple layers in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 1122 may overlap partially or completely. In some embodiments, the projections of the area surrounded by the coils in the multiple layers in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 1122 may not overlap. When the current flows in the opposite directions, the inductance of the coil A in the first layer and the inductance of the coil B in the second layer cancel each other out, thereby reducing the total inductance value of the inductance sensor. When the current flows in the same direction, the inductance of coil A in the first layer and the inductance of coil B in the second layer can be guaranteed that the total inductance L of the inductance sensor is the sum of the inductance L1 of coil A in the first layer, the inductance L2 of coil B in the second layer, and the mutual inductance value M of coil A in the first layer and coil B in the second layer, as shown in the following equation (3).

[0139] L=L1+L2+2M (3)

[0140] In some embodiments, in order to simplify the structure of the inductance sensor and reduce the number of lead terminals of the inductance sensor to save costs, the coil A of the first layer and the coil B of the second layer may be installed on both sides of the substrate. For example, a through hole C may be installed in the substrate 1122, and the coil A of the first layer may be connected to the coil B of the second layer through the through hole C. That is, the coil A of the first layer and the coil B of the second layer may be formed by winding the same conductor that passes through the through hole C. For example, the coil A of the first layer on the upper side of the substrate 1122 may be wound from its outside to its inside, and then passed through the through hole C and led to the lower side of the substrate 1122, and the coil B of the second layer on the lower side of the substrate 1122 may be wound from its inside to its outside, so that the current direction of the coil A of the first layer and the current direction of the coil B of the second layer are the same (for example, clockwise or counterclockwise) at the end.

[0141] In some embodiments, the coil A of the first layer and the coil B of the second layer may each be formed by winding one conductor wire. The current direction of the two conductor wires wound to form the coil A of the first layer and the coil B of the second layer is the same (e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise). For example, the substrate 1122 may not have a through hole C. The substrate 1122 may have four lead wire terminals. The coils of each layer may correspond to two lead wire terminals. The coil A of the first layer located on the upper side of the substrate 1122 may be wound from the outside to the inside starting from one corresponding lead wire terminal, and led from the inside through each winding coil to the other corresponding lead wire terminal of the coil A of the first layer. The coil B of the second layer located on the lower side of the substrate 1122 may also be wound from the outside to the inside starting from one corresponding lead wire terminal, and led from the inside through each winding coil to the other corresponding lead wire terminal of the coil B of the second layer. Alternatively, the second layer coil B located on the underside of the substrate 1122 may also start from one of its corresponding lead terminals, be led to the inside of the second layer coil B, and then be wound from the inside to the outside and led to the other corresponding lead terminal of the second layer coil B.

[0142] In some embodiments, signals at both ends of the same conductor that is wound to form coil A of the first layer and coil B of the second layer may be drawn out from both sides of the substrate 1122. In some embodiments, in order to flexibly set the position of the drawing terminal of the inductance sensor, a through hole D may be further provided in the substrate 1122, and the through hole D allows signals at both ends of the inductance conductor (the same conductor that is wound to form coil A of the first layer and coil B of the second layer) to be drawn out from the same side of the substrate 1122.

[0143] The protective layer 1124 may be configured to seal the spiral inductance coil. The protective layer 1124 may be made of a wear-resistant material, a corrosion-resistant material, and a waterproof material. The protective layer 1124 can provide a good electrical environment for the spiral inductance coil.

[0144] The inductance sensor described in some embodiments of the present specification can increase the total inductance of the inductance sensor by installing two or more layers of inductance coils on both the top and bottom sides of the substrate 1122, which can benefit the stability and accuracy of the subsequent readout system, improve the sensitivity of the inductance sensor, and make the process easier to implement.

[0145] 13 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary wearable device worn by a user according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 13, the inductance sensor (abbreviated as sensor) of the wearable device may be attached to the shoulder joint 1310, elbow joint 1320, and knee joint 1330 of the wearing body.

[0146] In some embodiments, the sensor may be removably attached to the wearing body 110. For example, the sensor may be attached to the wearing body 110 in other ways, such as by gluing, binding, fastening, or Velcro. In some embodiments, the size or shape of the inductance structure is adjustable. For example, the size of the inductance structure may be adaptively adjusted to cover all the movable parts of the joint part based on the size of the user's joint part, such as the arm width, shoulder width, or knee width. In some embodiments, the size of the inductance structure may be slightly smaller than the size of the joint part to avoid error effects on the inductance change due to deformation, such as pressing, twisting, or overlapping of the excess inductance structure part.

[0147] In some embodiments, the sensor may include two inductance structures located on both the inside and outside of the joint. For example, for the elbow joint 1320, the sensor may include an outer joint inductance structure and an inner joint inductance structure, both of which are attached to the outer side and inner side of the corresponding elbow joint of the mounting body, respectively. In some embodiments, the size of the inductance structure located on the outer side of the same joint may be slightly larger than the size of the inductance structure located on the inner side of the same joint to accommodate deformation due to the user's joint movement. In some embodiments, when the inductance value of the same joint is measured by at least two inductance structures, the final measurement result may be a calculated value (e.g., average value, weighted average value, etc.) based on the measurement results measured by the two inductance structures. For example, when bending the knee once, the outer inductance value is measured by the inductance structure located on the outer side of the knee, and the inner inductance value is measured by the inductance structure located on the inner side of the knee, and the final measurement result may be the average value or weighted average value of the outer inductance value and the inner inductance value. In some embodiments, multiple inductance structures may be installed on the same joint to improve the accuracy of the measurement. When the inductance value of the same joint is measured by at least two inductance structures, the output inductance values ​​can be processed by the readout system 120 and the processing circuit 130 to obtain a plurality of joint bending degrees, and an average or weighted average value can be obtained for the plurality of joint bending degrees, and the average or weighted average value can be used as a final measurement result. In some embodiments, the size, shape, bonding position, etc. of the inductance structure can be changed to calibrate or test the sensor in order to improve the measurement accuracy. For example, the same joint can be measured using an inductance structure with a rectangular spiral inductance pattern and an inductance structure with an elliptical spiral inductance pattern, respectively, and the measurement results can be calibrated at different joint bending angles.

[0148] For convenience of explanation, FIG. 13 is an exemplary schematic diagram of the wearing body 110 when it is sportswear or sports pants, and the wearing body 110 may also be other forms of assemblies such as arm supporters, elbow supporters, knee supporters, shoulder pads, etc., whose functions and principles are similar to those of sportswear and sports pants. Those skilled in the art can apply the technical means of this specification to any appropriate scenario on the premise of understanding the technical means of this specification.

[0149] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a curve showing the inductance value of an exemplary inductance structure having a spiral inductance pattern according to some embodiments of the present specification, when the inductance value varies with the bending angle of the inductance structure in an unwrapped state. The bending angle of the inductance structure in FIG. 14 refers to the included angle between two surfaces of the inductance structure when the inductance structure is folded along the minor axis direction (e.g., the minor axis direction in FIG. 10) in an unwrapped state. As shown in FIG. 14, when a voltage of 1V is applied to the inductance structure and an AC current of 1kHz is applied, the inductance value of the inductance structure having a spiral inductance pattern increases nonlinearly with the increase in the bending angle of the inductance structure. Furthermore, when the bending angle of the inductance structure is 30°, the inductance value is 3.99 μH. When the bending angle of the inductance structure is 60°, the inductance value is 4.52 μH. When the bending angle of the inductance structure is 90°, the inductance value is 4.79 μH. When the bending angle of the inductance structure is 120°, the inductance value is 4.94 μH. When the bending angle of the inductance structure is 150°, the inductance value is 5.02 μH. When the bending angle of the inductance structure is 180°, the inductance value is 5.05 μH. In some embodiments, the same inductance structure can be repeatedly measured multiple times (e.g., N times) to test the reusability of the inductance structure. As shown in FIG. 14, it can be seen from the multiple measurement results that the bending angle of the same inductance structure corresponds to the same inductance value in different measurement processes, and the relationship curve of the inductance value-bending angle after bending N times is always consistent. Therefore, the inductance value of the inductance structure does not drift due to factors such as multiple uses of the material or temperature, and has excellent reusability.

[0150] In some embodiments, the inductance value of the inductance structure having a spiral inductance pattern also has a one-to-one relationship with the flexion angle of the joint when worn. For example, when an elbow sensor is used for elbow joint movement, a voltage of 1V is applied to the inductance structure, and an AC current of 1kHz is applied, when the flexion angle of the joint is 180° (i.e., the hand is stretched flat), the inductance value is 3.91μH, when the flexion angle of the joint is 90°, the inductance value is 2.91μH, and when the flexion angle of the joint is 50°-60°, the inductance value is 2.03μH.

[0151] In some embodiments, due to deformation of the wearable device and the inductance pattern after wearing, the same bending angle (e.g., the bending angle of the inductance structure in the unworn state is equal to the bending angle of the joint in the worn state) may correspond to different inductance values ​​for the same inductance structure in the worn state and in the unworn state. Therefore, in order to more accurately measure the motion state, the inductance structure can be calibrated before the user measures the motion state to obtain a change curve of the joint bending degree-inductance value corresponding to the user. For example, the user is made to bend the joint at different bending angles, the corresponding inductance values ​​are measured, and curve fitting is performed to obtain a change curve of the joint bending degree-inductance value of the user. In some embodiments, due to different body types, when different users wear the same inductance structure, the bending angle of the same joint may correspond to different inductance values. Therefore, in order to more accurately measure the motion state of different people, the inductance structure can be calibrated before measuring the motion state of each user to obtain a change curve of the joint bending degree-inductance value corresponding to each user. For example, each user is caused to bend a joint at a different bending angle, the corresponding inductance value is measured, and curve fitting is performed to obtain a change curve of the joint bending degree-inductance value of the user, and in the subsequent measurement process of the user's motion state, the motion state can be accurately measured based on the change curve of the joint bending degree-inductance value.

[0152] In order to measure the motion states of different joints having different characteristics, in some embodiments, the corresponding relationship (i.e., nonlinear change relationship) between the bending angle and the corresponding inductance value of the inductance structure at different joints may be different. For example, in order to more accurately measure the motion state of the knee joint, the inductance structure at the knee joint may have a different number of turns, effective area, and / or coil length than the inductance structure at the elbow joint, so that the inductance structure at the knee joint generates a larger inductance value at the same joint bending angle than the inductance structure at the elbow joint.

[0153] In some alternative embodiments, in order to facilitate processing and reduce the processing load of the processing circuit or processing device, the inductance structures at different joints can generate equal or nearly equal inductance values ​​at the same joint flexion angle. For example, the inductance structure at the knee joint can be designed to have a large effective area and a small number of turns, and the inductance structure at the elbow joint can be designed to have a small effective area and a large number of turns, so that the flexion angles of the inductance structures at the knee joint and elbow joint and their corresponding inductance values ​​have the same or nearly the same nonlinear change relationship, which can facilitate subsequent processing of the processing circuit or processing device.

[0154] The wearable device described in some embodiments of the present specification provides the following beneficial effects, but is not limited to them: (1) The wearable device described in some embodiments of the present specification can convert the user's joint motion into a changing electrical signal, and further generate parameters reflecting the joint motion, thereby accurately capturing the user's motion. (2) The inductance sensor can be manufactured by winding it on a substrate to form a spiral inductance coil, and the wearable device can be manufactured easily and at low cost. (3) The use of flexible materials allows the manufacture of a flexible thin-film inductance sensor, which is comfortable to wear. (4) The inductance sensor responds only to shape changes (e.g., its detection result may be related only to its inductance value), which makes the wearable device highly resistant to interference from external factors such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and sweat, thereby improving the accuracy, reliability, and reusability of the motion capture and the wearable device. (5) The distance between the inductance sensors is controlled to prevent mutual influence between the inductance sensors. (6) The position of the inductance structure of the inductance sensor is controlled to improve the accuracy of capturing and restoring the joint motion.

[0155] Although the basic concept has been described above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the detailed disclosure above is merely presented as an example and does not limit the present specification. Although not explicitly described in this specification, those skilled in the art can make various changes, improvements and modifications to the present application. These changes, improvements and modifications are intended to be suggested by this specification and therefore are within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present specification.

[0156] Furthermore, certain terms are used herein to describe embodiments of the present specification. For example, "one embodiment," "one embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with at least one embodiment of the present specification. Thus, it is emphasized and understood that references to two or more of "one embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "one alternative embodiment" in various parts of the present specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Also, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present specification may be combined as appropriate.

[0157] Additionally, unless expressly stated in the claims, the order of enumeration of processing elements or sequences described herein, the use of alphanumeric characters, or the use of other designations, does not limit the order of steps and methods herein. While the above disclosure describes through various examples what are presently believed to be various useful embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that such details are merely illustrative and that the appended claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent combinations that are within the spirit and scope of the embodiments herein. For example, the system assembly described above may be implemented by a hardware device, but may also be implemented as a software-only solution, for example, by installing the described system on an existing server or mobile device.

[0158] Similarly, in the foregoing description of embodiments herein, it should be understood that various features may be grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description for the purpose of simplifying the description and facilitating understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention. This method of disclosure, however, should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are recited in each claim. In fact, an embodiment may include fewer than all features of a single embodiment disclosed above.

[0159] In some embodiments, numbers are used to describe the number of components and attributes, and it is understood that the numbers describing such embodiments are modified in some embodiments by the modifiers "about," "approximately," or "generally." Unless otherwise specified, "about," "approximately," or "generally" indicate that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Thus, in some embodiments, all numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending on the characteristics required for a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be applied with the stated number of significant digits and ordinary rounding techniques. In some embodiments, the numerical ranges and parameters for determining the ranges are approximations; however, in specific embodiments, such numerical values ​​are set as precisely as possible.

[0160] All patents, patent applications, published patent applications, and other materials, such as papers, books, specifications, publications, documents, etc., referenced herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, except for prosecution history documents that are inconsistent or inconsistent with the contents of this specification, and documents that may have a limiting effect on the broadest scope of the claims of this specification (now or later related to this specification). In addition, if the explanations, definitions, and / or use of terms in the accompanying documents of this specification are inconsistent or inconsistent with the contents described herein, the explanations, definitions, and / or use of terms in this specification shall control.

[0161] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the embodiments herein. Other variations are possible within the scope of the present specification. Thus, by way of example, and not of limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments herein may be considered consistent with the teachings of the present specification. Thus, the embodiments herein are not limited to the embodiments expressly introduced and described herein.

Claims

1. 1. A wearable device comprising: a wearing body; a plurality of inductance sensors distributed on the wearing body, the plurality of inductance sensors including a plurality of inductance sensors crossing a joint perimeter, each of the plurality of inductance sensors including an inductance structure surrounded by a conductive wire, each of the plurality of inductance sensors attached to a portion of the wearing body corresponding to a joint portion and generating an inductance that changes in accordance with deformation of the joint portion.

2. The wearable device of claim 1 , characterized in that the inductance structure has a major axis and a minor axis direction, and the joint surrounding line passes through a central ⅓ region of the inductance structure in the major axis direction.

3. 2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of inductance sensors includes a plurality of inductance sensors across an arm base circumference, each of the plurality of inductance sensors across the arm base circumference including a first inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line, the first inductance structure configured to generate an inductance that changes with a user's shoulder joint movement.

4. The plurality of inductance sensors crossing the arm base circumference include An inductance sensor located on the front shoulder, An inductance sensor located at the rear shoulder, and an inductance sensor located under the arm.

5. The wearable device of claim 4 , wherein a distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the arm circumference is greater than 3 cm.

6. The wearable device of claim 4, wherein the mounting body further includes a capacitive sensor or a resistive sensor distributed near the shoulder joint, the capacitive sensor configured to generate a capacitance that changes with the user's shoulder joint movement, and the resistive sensor configured to generate a resistance that changes with the user's shoulder joint movement.

7. The wearable device of claim 3, characterized in that the first inductance structure has a major axis direction and a minor axis direction, and the arm base surrounding line passes through a central 1 / 3 region of the first inductance structure in the major axis direction.

8. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of inductance sensors includes a plurality of inductance sensors across an elbow circumference line, each of the plurality of inductance sensors across the elbow circumference line including a second inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line, and the plurality of inductance sensors across the elbow circumference line are configured to generate an inductance that changes with a user's elbow joint movement.

9. The wearable device of claim 8, characterized in that the second inductance structure has a major axis direction and a minor axis direction, and the elbow circumference line passes through a central 1 / 3 region of the second inductance structure in the major axis direction.

10. 9. The wearable device of claim 8, wherein a distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the elbow circumference is greater than 3 cm.

11. The wearable device of claim 1, characterized in that the multiple inductance sensors include multiple inductance sensors crossing a waist line, each of the multiple inductance sensors crossing the waist line including a third inductance structure surrounded by a third conductive line, and the multiple inductance sensors crossing the waist line are configured, when worn, to be distributed symmetrically with respect to a central sagittal plane of the user and to generate an inductance that changes with waist movement of the user.

12. The wearable device of claim 11, characterized in that the third inductance structure has a major axis direction and a minor axis direction, and the waist circumference line passes through a central 1 / 3 region of the third inductance structure in the major axis direction.

13. 12. The wearable device of claim 11, wherein a distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the waist circumference is greater than 3 cm.

14. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the multiple inductance sensors include multiple inductance sensors that cross a knee circumference, and the multiple inductance sensors that cross the knee circumference are configured to be located on the inside or outside of the user's knee joint when worn, and to generate an inductance that changes with the user's knee joint movement.

15. The wearable device of claim 14, characterized in that each of the multiple inductance sensors crossing the knee circumference includes a fourth inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line, the fourth inductance structure having a major axis direction and a minor axis direction, and the knee circumference passes through a central 1 / 3 region of the fourth inductance structure in the major axis direction.

16. 15. The wearable device of claim 14, wherein a distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors across the knee circumference is greater than 3 cm.

17. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of inductance sensors distributed in the hipbone region on the mounting body, the plurality of inductance sensors in the hipbone region being configured to generate an inductance that changes with the user's hip joint movement.

18. The wearable device of claim 17, wherein the multiple inductance sensors in the hip bone area include a left hip bone sensor and a right hip bone sensor, and when worn, a line connecting the highest point of the user's left hip bone and the highest point of the right hip bone passes through the left hip bone sensor and the right hip bone sensor, respectively.

19. 18. The wearable device of claim 17, wherein the distance between two inductance sensors of the plurality of inductance sensors at the hipbone region is greater than 3 cm.

20. 18. The wearable device of claim 17, wherein the mounting body further includes a crotch sensor located under the crotch, a left anterior hip bone sensor located on the left front portion of the hip bone, and a right anterior hip bone sensor located on the right front portion of the hip bone.

21. The intersections of a line connecting the highest point of the left hipbone and the highest point of the right hipbone of the user with an outer edge of the mounting body are a first intersection and a second intersection, respectively; a line connecting the first intersection point and the crotch center point passes through a central 1 / 3 region in the long axis direction of the left front hip bone sensor; The wearable device of claim 20, wherein a line connecting the second intersection point and the crotch center point passes through a central 1 / 3 region of the right front hip bone sensor in the longitudinal direction.

22. The wearable device of any one of claims 1 to 21, further comprising a processing circuit configured to generate a parameter reflecting joint movement, and each of the plurality of inductance sensors is connected to the processing circuit via a conductor.

23. and a processing circuit and a distributed readout subsystem configured to read data from at least a portion of the plurality of inductance sensors, the processing circuit configured to generate a parameter reflective of joint motion based on the data. At least some of the plurality of inductance sensors transmit data to a particular one of the distributed readout subsystems; A wearable device according to any one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that the distributed readout subsystem is connected to and in communication with the processing circuitry.

24. The wearable device of any one of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the conductive wire comprises a stretchable elastic conductive thread, and the elastic conductive thread is fixed by spinning.

25. The wearable device according to any one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the conductive wire forms a spiral inductance structure.

26. The wearable device of claim 25 , wherein the spiral inductance structure has a number of turns of the conductive wire greater than one.

27. The wearable device of claim 25, wherein the thickness of the conductive line inductance pattern in a direction perpendicular to the surface is 3 mm or less.

28. A wearable device according to any one of claims 1 to 27, characterized in that the surface of the conductive wire is coated with at least one layer of insulating material.

29. A wearable device according to any one of claims 1 to 28, characterized in that the resistance of the inductance structure is less than 100Ω.

30. At least one inductance sensor of the plurality of inductance sensors further includes a substrate configured to mount the spiral inductance structure, the spiral inductance structure including at least a first layer of coils and a second layer of coils; the first layer coil and the second layer coil are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, The wearable device of claim 25 , characterized in that the direction of current in the coils of the first layer and the direction of current in the coils of the second layer are the same.

31. The wearable device of claim 30 , wherein the first layer of coils and the second layer of coils are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the substrate.

32. The wearable device of claim 31 , characterized in that a through hole is provided in the substrate, and the first layer coil and the second layer coil are each formed by the same conductive line passing through the through hole.

33. 26. The wearable device of claim 25, wherein at least one inductance sensor of the plurality of inductance sensors further includes a protective layer configured to encapsulate a spiral inductance coil.

34. a spiral inductance structure surrounded by a conductive line; a substrate configured to mount the spiral inductance structure; the spiral inductance structure includes at least a first layer of coils and a second layer of coils; the first layer coil and the second layer coil are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, An inductance sensor, wherein the current direction of the coil of the first layer and the current direction of the coil of the second layer are the same.

35. 35. The inductance sensor according to claim 34, wherein the conductive wire comprises a stretchable elastic conductive thread, and the elastic conductive thread is fixed by spinning.

36. 35. The inductance sensor according to claim 34, wherein the spiral inductance structure has a number of turns of conductive wire greater than one.

37. 35. The inductance sensor according to claim 34, wherein the thickness of the conductive wire in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the inductance pattern is 3 mm or less.

38. 35. The inductance sensor according to claim 34, wherein a surface of the conductive wire is covered with at least one layer of insulating material.

39. 35. The inductance sensor according to claim 34, wherein the resistance of the inductance structure is less than 100 ohms.

40. 35. The inductance sensor according to claim 34, wherein the first layer coil and the second layer coil are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the substrate.

41. 35. The inductance sensor according to claim 34, wherein a through hole is provided in the substrate, and the first layer coil and the second layer coil are each formed by the same conductor passing through the through hole.

42. 35. The inductance sensor of claim 34, further comprising a protective layer configured to encapsulate the spiral inductance structure.

43. The inductance sensor according to any one of claims 34 to 42, characterized in that the inductance sensor is attached to a portion of the mounting body corresponding to the joint portion, crosses a joint perimeter, and is configured to generate an inductance that changes with deformation of the joint portion.

44. 44. The inductance sensor of claim 43, wherein the inductance structure has a major axis and a minor axis, and the joint loop passes through a central 1 / 3 region of the inductance structure in the major axis direction.

45. 44. An inductance sensor as claimed in claim 43, configured to generate an inductance across an arm circumference that varies with shoulder joint movement of a user.

46. 46. ​​The inductance sensor according to claim 45, wherein the arm base surrounding line passes through a central ⅓ region in the major axis direction of the inductance structure.

47. 44. An inductance sensor as claimed in claim 43, configured to generate an inductance across an elbow circumference that varies with elbow joint movement of a user.

48. 48. The inductance sensor according to claim 47, wherein the elbow circumference line passes through a central ⅓ region in the major axis direction of the inductance structure.

49. 44. The inductance sensor of claim 43, configured to generate an inductance across a waist circumference that varies with waist movement of a user.

50. 50. The inductance sensor according to claim 49, wherein the waist circumference line passes through a central 1 / 3 region in the major axis direction of the inductance structure.

51. 44. An inductance sensor as claimed in claim 43, configured to generate an inductance across a knee circumference that varies with knee joint movement of a user.

52. 52. The inductance sensor according to claim 51, wherein the knee-circumference line passes through a central 1 / 3 region in the long axis direction of the inductance structure.

53. 44. The inductance sensor of claim 43, configured to be located at a hip bone region and to generate an inductance that varies with hip joint movement of a user.

Images