Flexible Impact Sensor Internal Helmet Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing impact sensors for headpieces, such as helmets, are typically designed for external mounting and face challenges in being adapted for internal use due to space restrictions and safety concerns, limiting their effectiveness in detecting impact forces that may cause head injuries.
Innovation Solution
A flexible impact sensor with an acceleration sensor, microcontroller, and communication module is designed to be mounted internally within the headpiece, featuring a flexible printed circuit board, over-molded components, and a user interface, allowing it to conform to the helmet's geometry and detect impacts along multiple axes while preventing unwanted activation from resonating energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If impact sensors are designed for external mounting on helmets, then they can detect impact forces, but they cannot be easily adapted for internal use due to space restrictions and safety concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) to replace rigid PCBs, allowing the sensor assembly to conform to the curved interior surfaces of helmets. This flexibility enables the sensor to be mounted internally without compromising the helmet's structural integrity or wearer safety, while maintaining electrical connectivity and impact detection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates multiple components (accelerometer, FPC, housing) into a compact nested assembly that fits within the limited internal space of helmets. The FPC is routed through and connected to existing helmet features, creating a space-efficient configuration that enables internal mounting without requiring additional external space.
2Measurement precision
If sensors are positioned internally within the helmet, then they can better detect impact forces, but space restrictions and safety concerns limit their implementation
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible printed circuit board allows the sensor to be positioned internally where impact forces are most effectively detected, while the flexibility ensures it can conform to the helmet's interior geometry without creating safety hazards or interfering with the helmet's protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The FPC acts as an intermediary element that bridges the gap between the internal sensor location and the external helmet structure. It enables the sensor to be positioned optimally for measurement while maintaining safe and secure mounting through its flexible nature and ability to be routed through existing helmet features.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid printed circuit board is used for the sensor, then it provides structural stability, but it cannot conform to the helmet's geometry for internal mounting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid PCBs with flexible printed circuit boards that can bend and conform to the curved interior surfaces of helmets. These FPCs maintain electrical connectivity and signal integrity while adapting to the helmet's unique geometry, enabling internal mounting that would be impossible with rigid boards.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible printed circuit board transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure that can adapt its shape to match the helmet's interior geometry. This dynamic capability allows the sensor assembly to conform to various helmet designs and impact orientations while maintaining structural integrity for stable signal transmission.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sensor effectively measures and characterizes impact forces, generating alerts and severity indications when forces exceed predetermined thresholds, enhancing the ability to identify potentially injurious impacts and providing timely medical attention, even in remote situations.
Implementation Method 1
an acceleration sensor provided on the flexible base and configured to generate impact data
Data Source
AI summary
An impact sensor for characterizing impact at a headpiece comprises: a flexible base; an acceleration sensor provided on the flexible base and configured to generate impact data; a control unit provided on the flexible base and configured to receive the impact data from the acceleration sensor; a power source provided on the flexible base and in communication with the acceleration sensor and the microcontroller; a communication module provided on the flexible base and configured to send impact data for processing; and a housing enclosing the flexible base, the acceleration sensor, the microcontroller and the power source, the housing shaped and constructed for mounting an interior surface of the headpiece such that it is flush with internal geometry of the headpiece.