Modular wearable sensor

Inventors

McCalmont, Stephen A • MacEachern, Stuart P. • Lake, Sharon

Assignees

Braveheart Wireless Inc

Abstract

A modular wearable health monitor having a substantially flexible attachment means connected to a housing comprising a power source and at least one processor through a relatively rigid and narrow spine disposed substantially centrally thereon having a variety of clinical and non-clinical uses that provides more comfortable and durable attachment of biometric sensors to a user by allowing the attachment means to contour to the user's body without the housing also being forced to do so along its entire width.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a modular wearable health monitor that includes a housing comprising a power source, at least one processor configured to process biometric data, and at least one housing coupling feature. The monitor also includes a flexible mount configured to be affixed to a user's body with an adhesive portion, and a substantially rigid spine disposed substantially centrally on the flexible mount. The spine includes at least one spine coupling feature configured to allow connection to the housing via the housing coupling feature disposed in the housing.

A central aspect is the relative geometry of the spine, flexible mount, and housing. The spine is substantially narrower than the mount, and the housing is substantially wider than the substantially rigid spine. This geometry supports mounting behavior in which a skirt disposed on the housing extends down to the user's body during use, forming a cavity between the housing and the user's body that envelops at least a portion of the flexible mount. Outer edges of the housing are configured to lift away from the flexible mount as the user's body flexes, while the skirt remains in contact with the user's body and/or the flexible mount over a limited range of flex.

The invention further restrains movement between the housing and spine after attachment. The housing and substantially rigid spine are restrained from movement relative to one another once attached. In dependent refinements as described in the document, coupling can be implemented with magnets and snap-fit features, including complementary coupling features and orientation restriction, and the housing can include an aperture aligned with coupling features to allow disconnection of snap-fit features through the use of a tool. The skirt is also described as optionally being made of a compliant polymer for conformity and, where removably attached, enabling cleaning.

Claims Coverage

The provided independent claims are clm-00001, clm-00017, and clm-00019. Across these claims, the main inventive coverage comprises a modular wearable health monitor with a rigid central spine, a body-affixed flexible mount using adhesive, a housing secured to the spine, and a skirt that forms a cavity and maintains limited-contact behavior during user flex. Additional inventive features include specific coupling mechanisms, orientation restriction, and tool-assisted disconnection using apertures.

Across clm-00001, clm-00017, and clm-00019, the claims focus on a modular wearable health monitor that uses a substantially rigid central spine coupled to a housing, a flexible adhesive-mounted body interface, and a skirt that creates a cavity and maintains limited contact while allowing the housing outer edges to lift away during user flex. Additional coverage includes restraint after connection and snap-fit coupling with tool-assisted disconnection through aligned apertures.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications