AU2021100553A4

AU2021100553A4 - Smart socks for monitoring body parameters

Info

Publication number: AU2021100553A4
Application number: AU2021100553A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Arvind Dhingra; Parag Nijhawan; Parminder Singh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-01-28
Filing date: 2021-01-28
Publication date: 2021-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 2029-01-28

Abstract

The present invention discloses smart socks that monitors the body parameters of the user along with the basic functionalities. The smart socks comprise of a temperature sensor (105), an oximeter sensor (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e), a pulse rate sensor (103), cadence sensor (207), inertial sensor (205), accelerometer sensor (201) and the gyroscope sensor (203). The sensors are made up of nanofiber materials. The measurement readings from these sensors are transmitted to the application software over the mobile device which is located at a remote location for processing and display of the measurement readings. The smart socks are equipped with Bluetooth technology and/or ANT+ for the transmission of the measurement readings to other devices like mobile, laptop, PC etc., which enables a user to self-monitor his health conditions. The smart socks are also used in hospitals to assess health condition of patients of Covid-19 and/or during any other disorder. 1/2 100 105 103 F O 10i1 101a 101b 101c 101d Fig. 1

Description

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TITLE: SMART SOCKS FOR MONITORING BODY PARAMETERS FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to smart socks for aiding a user involved in sport or adventure activities, more specifically related to the medical practices of measuring the body parameters of the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Socks are one of the most important personal pieces of clothing that one can wear on the job. Typically, they help protect the feet against scrapes and scratches that one gets, while walking barefooted on the ground. But socks are much more than that: they, help us walk or run faster .0 and better, thanks to the amazing new designs and materials. A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some type of shoe or boot is typically worn over socks. The socks can be created from a wide variety of materials such as cotton, wool, nylon, acrylic, polyester, olefins (such as polypropylene), or spandex.

The socks are the first thing that comes in the mind while one is thinking of the bike riding. .5 Socks protect the feet from cold, vibrations and blisters. One of the biggest benefits of wearing socks are the added grip and control one achieves when walking or running. Sweat can make your feet slippery and without socks, you are much more likely to make an avoidable mistake while walking, running or riding like by accidentally getting slipped by one's own sweat. By wearing socks one also gets more protection from the constant friction between the feet and the shoe. This rubbing can cause blisters or chafing that will quickly make your cycling a much less pleasurable experience. The two most popular types of biking, mountain and road, require different bike apparel, and therefore, safety socks, to protect your feet in various conditions.

The socks that are presently used does not possess any means to measure the health condition of the user, while the user is exposed to the hazardous environmental conditions. During cycling, running or any kind of adventure sports, the oxygen saturation levels in the blood, cadence, vertical oscillation, heart rate/pulse, ground contact time, stride length and vertical ratio need to be monitored. This may be helpful to a user who is suffering from some medical health condition and requires serious attention. Also, during the present time, newly discovered corona virus (Covid-19) is at its peak. The corona virus is spreading at the fastest pace and this has put almost every person in a danger zone. The symptoms of COVID-19 are so common that almost every individual is wondering whether he is suffering from the virus. The symptoms are very common to distinguish from any normal fever and cold conditions. Therefore, you need to be capable enough to monitoring your condition so that the right decision can be made at right time. This can be done with the help of two common devices, a thermometer and an oximeter. These devices will assist in determining whether the patient is suffering from the corona virus. Hence, there is a need for smart socks that is associated in a close contact with the user as the user is wearing the smart socks, while the user is exposed to the external environment, for the continuous monitoring of the health conditions of the user.

.0 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides smart socks that can continuously monitor the body parameters of the user along with its basic functionalities. The smart socks of the present invention are a sensor-based socks that continuously monitors not only the body temperature and the oxygen saturation level in the blood of the user, but also assess the physical health condition of an .5 individual in terms of parameters like cadence, vertical oscillation, pulse rate, ground contact time, stride length and vertical ratio both at rest and during workouts. The smart socks are provided with sensors for measuring the different body parameters of the user. The sensors are coupled at the inner side of the smart socks at different locations. The sensors are made up of nanofiber materials. The sensors continuously monitor the body parameters of the user. The toe o tips of the smart socks are having five oximeter sensors (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e) coupled at the inner side, in order to touch the skin of the user while the user is wearing the smart socks. The function of all the oximeter sensors (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e) is to continuously monitor the oxygen saturation level in the blood of the user. The dorsum of the smart socks is coupled with a pulse rate sensor (103) at the inner side. The function of the pulse rate sensor (103) is to continuously monitor the pulse rate or the heart rate of the user. A temperature sensor (105) is coupled at the inside portion of the smart socks over the ankle. The temperature sensor (105) functions by continuously monitoring the body temperature of the user. A cadence sensor (207), an inertial sensor (205), an accelerometer sensor (201) and a gyroscope sensor (203) are coupled at the inside of the smart socks at the planum. The cadence sensor (207), accelerometer sensor (201), gyroscope sensor (203) and the inertial sensor (205) continuously monitors the movement of the user and calculate their individual readings of the measurement. The smart socks are also equipped with the Bluetooth technology and/or ANT+ for transferring the measurement readings of the sensors to the other devices like mobile, PC, laptop etc. The output of the measurement taken by the different sensors are further transmitted to an application software, over a mobile device, which is located at a remote location. The application software, then, processes the measurement outputs and further display them on the display screen of the mobile device. Also, the value of the oxygen saturation level monitored by each of the oximeter sensor (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e) at the smart socks is processed by the application software by averaging out the measurement readings of the five oximeter sensors (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, .0 101e) to produce the averaged output as the single measurement reading.

The main advantage of the smart socks is that it provides a platform for the user to continuously monitor his health conditions like body temperature, oxygen saturation level, cadence, vertical oscillation, pulse rate, vertical ratio, ground contact time and stride length, without any assistance. The user can self-monitor his heath conditions and further transmits the results of the .5 measurements to other devices which are coupled to the smart socks using Bluetooth technology, if needed. The measurement results can also be saved in other devices for a later assessment. Its other advantages come in the area of determining the health conditions for a person as per the Covid-19 protocol. The parameters like the body temperature and the oxygen saturation levels in the blood needs to be monitored for the prediction of the corona virus symptoms.

'0 The market potential for this device is very high, and this type of device is not only useful for the medical practitioners but also for people involved in adventure tours, cycling, athletics, etc. the original worth of the device is in saving human life by continuously keeping a watch on the general health condition of an individual through self-monitoring, and post analysis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention described herein are exemplary, and not restrictive.

Embodiments will now be described, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying

drawings. In these drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in

various figures is represented by a like reference character. For purposes of clarity, not every component is labeled in every drawing. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, with emphasis instead being placed on illustrating various aspects of the techniques and devices described herein.

The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages are better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the diagram 100 of the smart socks depicting oximeter sensors (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e), a pulse rate sensor (103) and a temperature sensor (105) of the present invention.

.0 FIG. 2 shows the planum of the smart socks 200 depicting an accelerometer sensor (201), a gyroscope sensor (203), an inertial sensor (205) and a cadence sensor (207) of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, .5 examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

With reference to FIG. 1, the front portion of the smart socks is shown. The oximeter sensors (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e) are coupled at the inside portion of the five toes of the smart socks. The pulse rate sensor (103) is coupled at the dorsum of the smart socks. The temperature sensor (105) is coupled at the inside portion of the smart socks over the ankle.

With reference to FIG. 2, the planum of the smart socks 200 is shown, depicting the accelerometer sensor (201), gyroscope sensor (203), inertial sensor (205) and the cadence sensor (207). These sensors are coupled to the smart socks at the inner side of the smart socks. The accelerometer sensor (201) and the gyroscope sensor (203) are coupled at the forefoot portion of the smart socks. The inertial sensor (205) is coupled at the midfoot portion of the smart socks. The cadence sensor (207) is coupled at the hindfoot portion of the smart socks.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the different sensors are coupled at the inner side of the smart sock. The sensors are made up of nanofiber materials. The oximeter sensors (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e) are coupled at the inside portion of all the toe of the smart socks in such a manner so as to touch the skin of the user while the user is wearing the smart socks. Each oximeter sensor (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e) continuously monitors the oxygen saturation levels in the blood of the user. The measurement readings from all the individual oximeter sensors (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e) are averaged out to have the final reading. This is done by an application software of a mobile device located at the remote location. The pulse rate sensor (103) is coupled at the dorsum of the smart socks at the inner side of the smart socks by touching the .0 skin of the user. The pulse rate sensor (103) continuously monitors the pulse rate of the user while the user is wearing the smart socks. The temperature sensor (105) is coupled at the inside portion of smart socks at the ankle. The temperature sensor (105) continuously monitors the body temperature of the user while the user is wearing the smart socks. The other sensors like the cadence sensor (207), accelerometer sensor (201), gyroscope sensor (203) and the inertial sensor .5 (205) are coupled at the planum of the smart socks at the inner side so as to touch the user's skin while the user is wearing it. These sensors continuously monitor the movement of the user and take their respective measurements. The smart socks are also equipped with a Bluetooth technology and/or ANT+. The measurement readings of all the sensors are further transmitted, using the Bluetooth technology, to an application software over a mobile device which is located .0 at a remote location. The application software, then, processes the measurement outputs and further display them on the display screen of the mobile device. The ANT+ is a wireless technology that allows the mobile devices to talk to each other. Hence, the measurement readings of different devices can be exchanged using the ANT+ technology. The measurement readings are transmitted to the remotely located mobile device for processing, displaying and storing the values of the measurements for further evaluation or for transmitting the value to any remote location for monitoring purposes.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the smart socks are made up of any of bamboo, wool, spandex, cashmere, nylon and polyester.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the system and method described herein. Accordingly, the specification is to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Many alterations and modifications of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art after having read the foregoing description. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. It is to be understood that the description above includes many specifications; these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the personally preferred embodiments of this invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A smart sock, enabled to determine oxygen saturation level, body temperature, pulse rate, cadence, vertical oscillation, ground contact time, stride length, and vertical ratio, the smart sock comprising:

a temperature sensor (105), coupled with a first surface of the smart sock, enabled to measure the body temperature from the ankle of the foot of the user;

at least one oximeter sensor (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e), coupled with at least one toe of the smart sock, enabled to measure the oxygen saturation level of the blood of the user;

a pulse rate sensor (103), coupled at the first surface at the dorsum of the smart sock, enabled to measure the pulse rate of the user;

a cadence sensor (207), coupled at a second surface at the planum of the smart sock;

an accelerometer sensor (201), coupled at the second surface at the planum of the smart sock;

a gyroscope sensor (203), coupled at the second surface at the planum of the smart sock;

an inertial sensor (205), coupled at the second surface at the planum of the smart sock;

a wireless communication module, coupled to the smart sock, enabled to transmit the output of all the sensors to an application software of a mobile device located at a remote location, for further processing and display of the measurement readings.

2. The smart sock of claim 1, wherein all the sensors that are coupled to the smart sock are made up of nanofiber materials.

3. The smart sock of claim 1, wherein the application software in the mobile device is enabled to compute average of inputs received from the at least one oximeter sensor (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e).

4. The smart sock of claim 1, further comprises ANT+ wireless technology module, wherein the ANT+ technology allows the mobile devices to talk to each other.