Helmet Sensor Merging Accelerometer Gyroscope for Concussion Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
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 or 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, which uses a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes to generate and transmit detailed impact data, including power and rotational acceleration, to a processing module that analyzes the data to determine the severity of impacts and alert for potential concussions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional systems use only accelerometers to monitor impact, then the system complexity is low, but the measurement precision and reliability of impact assessment deteriorates due to false positives and inability to detect energy dissipation rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensor types (accelerometers and gyroscopes) into an integrated sensor system. The accelerometer measures linear acceleration while the gyroscope measures rotational acceleration, and both are processed together by a single processing module to provide comprehensive impact assessment. This merging of sensors resolves the contradiction by improving measurement precision through multi-parameter monitoring while managing device complexity through integrated processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing module serves multiple functions: it processes data from both accelerometers and gyroscopes, calculates linear and rotational acceleration metrics, determines impact severity, and generates alerts. This multi-functional approach improves impact assessment accuracy without proportionally increasing device complexity, as a single module handles diverse computational tasks.
2Reliability
If the system monitors only linear acceleration, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of concussion detection deteriorates due to false positives and missed severe impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges linear acceleration monitoring (via accelerometer) with rotational acceleration monitoring (via gyroscope) to provide comprehensive impact assessment. This combination improves reliability by capturing both translational and rotational aspects of head impacts, reducing false positives while managing complexity through integrated sensor processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds rotational acceleration monitoring as an additional dimension to the traditional linear acceleration monitoring. The gyroscope measures angular velocity and acceleration, providing a rotational dimension that complements the linear dimension from the accelerometer. This dimensional expansion improves concussion detection reliability by capturing impact characteristics that linear sensors alone cannot detect.
3Measurement precision
If the system uses multiple sensors and processing modules, then the measurement precision improves, but the ease of operation and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes) and processing functions into an integrated wireless device that attaches to the helmet. This integration improves measurement precision through multi-parameter sensing while simplifying manufacturing by reducing the number of separate components that need to be assembled and calibrated independently.
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 system provides a more accurate assessment of impact severity by considering both linear and rotational acceleration, reducing false alarms and improving the detection of potentially injurious impacts, thereby enhancing safety in sports and other applications.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor module that generates sensor data in response to motion of the protective headgear, wherein the sensor module includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope
Implementation Method 2
the sensor module includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope and wherein the sensor data includes linear acceleration data and rotational velocity data
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor includes a housing and a mass, suspended in the housing. The motion of the mass emulates dynamic behavior of a brain of the wearer along a plurality of axes. At least one sensing element is coupled to generate sensor data based on the motion of the mass, in response to an impact to a protective helmet.