Protective Headgear Sensor Module for Impact Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for monitoring protective headgear lack comprehensive and accurate methods to assess impact events on the head, often relying solely on acceleration data, which can lead to false positives and fail to account for energy dissipation rates, potentially missing severe impacts.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a handheld communication device and a wireless device mounted on protective headgear, utilizing a sensor module with both accelerometers and gyroscopes to generate and transmit detailed impact data, including power data calculated from velocity and acceleration, to a processing module for real-time analysis and visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If only acceleration data is used to assess impact events, then the system complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision and reliability of impact assessment deteriorates due to false positives and inability to account for energy dissipation rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensor types (accelerometers and gyroscopes) into a unified monitoring system. The accelerometer measures linear acceleration while the gyroscope measures rotational acceleration, and both data streams are integrated and processed together to compute comprehensive impact metrics including power (energy dissipation rate). This merging of sensors resolves the contradiction by improving measurement precision through multi-parameter sensing while maintaining manageable system complexity through integrated processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting linear acceleration, detecting rotational acceleration, calculating power (energy dissipation rate), and assessing overall impact severity. By making the system multi-functional, it can accurately assess impact events without requiring separate specialized systems, thus improving measurement precision while keeping the overall system architecture cohesive and manageable.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes) are used to generate detailed impact data, then the measurement precision and reliability of impact assessment improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs on-device processing where the mobile device itself processes the sensor data from both accelerometers and gyroscopes to compute impact metrics including power calculation. The system performs self-service by integrating sensor data, calculating velocity and acceleration, determining power (energy dissipation rate), and generating impact assessments without requiring external processing equipment. This self-service approach improves measurement precision through comprehensive sensing while managing device complexity through integrated software processing on the mobile device.
3Reliability
If power data (energy dissipation rate) is calculated and transmitted in real-time, then the reliability of impact assessment improves, but the use of energy by the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system processes and transmits impact data periodically or event-driven rather than continuously. The accelerometer and gyroscope generate data, the system calculates power and impact metrics, and transmits results to a remote server or healthcare provider. By using periodic or event-based transmission rather than continuous real-time streaming, the system maintains reliable impact assessment capability while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
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
This system provides a more accurate assessment of impact severity by considering both linear and rotational acceleration, reducing false positives and offering real-time visualization of impact data, aiding in concussion diagnosis and treatment.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor module that generates sensor data in response to motion of the protective headgear, the sensor module including an accelerometer and a gyroscope
Implementation Method 2
the sensor module including an accelerometer and a gyroscope
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor module generates sensor data in response to an impact to protective headgear, wherein the sensor module includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope and wherein the sensor data includes linear acceleration data and rotational velocity data. A device processing module generates event data in response to the sensor data. A device interface sends the event data to a monitoring device when the device interface is coupled to the monitoring device.