US-12619308-B2 - Wearable device for electro-quasistatic human body communication and a method thereof

US12619308B2US 12619308 B2US12619308 B2US 12619308B2US-12619308-B2

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a wearable device for electro-quasistatic human body communication and a method thereof. The wearable device includes sensors, a first set of conductors, and a second set of conductors. The wearable device includes a processor to generate a data packet for transmission to at least one computing device of a user. The processor applies an excitation voltage between the first set of conductors and the second set of conductors. As a result, the first set of conductors generates electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals and the second set of conductors applies the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals to the user's body, thereby enabling human-body communication (HBC) for transmission of the data packet between the wearable device and the at least one computing device. Furthermore, the processor triggers a feedback module to generate a notification in response to the successful transmission of the data packet to the at least one computing device.

Inventors

David Yang
Shovan Maity
Shreyas Sen

Assignees

Quasistatics Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240611

Claims (16)

1 . A wearable device, comprising: a plurality of sensors configured to generate sensory data for transmission to at least one computing device associated with a user; a first set of conductors mounted to at least a portion of a first support frame of the wearable device, wherein the first set of conductors is in contact with a portion of a user's body during the operation of the wearable device; wherein the first set of conductors is mounted to an inner surface of at least the portion of the first support frame and is in contact with at least a head anatomy of the user during the operation of the wearable device, and wherein the first set of conductors mounted to an inner surface enables at least one first position vector associated with the first set of conductors to be oriented towards the user's body, and wherein the at least one first position vector associated with the first set of conductors enables human-body communication (HBC) by applying the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals to the user's body; a second set of conductors mounted to at least a portion of a second support frame of the wearable device, wherein the second set of conductors is positioned in proximity to the user's body during the operation of the wearable device; and a processor communicably coupled to the plurality of sensors, the first set of conductors, and the second set of conductors, the processor configured to at least: generate a data packet for transmission to the at least one computing device of the user, wherein the data packet is generated based at least on processing the sensory data captured by the plurality of sensors, apply an excitation voltage between the first set of conductors and the second set of conductors for enabling at least the transmission of the data packet from the wearable device to the at least one computing device via electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals at a predefined frequency range, wherein, upon applying the excitation voltage, the first set of conductors generates the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals and the second set of conductors applies the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals to the user's body, for transmitting the data packet from the wearable device to the at least one computing device via human-body communication (HBC), and trigger a feedback module associated with the wearable device to generate a notification in response to the successful transmission of the data packet to the at least one computing device.
2 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of conductors is configured with a slender profile of a predetermined width range relative to the dimensions of the wearable device to at least maintain a maximum signal coupling for data transmission and to obtain a variable form factor.
3 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of conductors is mounted to one or more components of the wearable device and positioned in proximity to the user's body, and wherein the first set of conductors in the wearable device positioned in proximity to the user's body operates the wearable device in a sub-optimal mode through the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals.
4 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the second set of conductors is mounted to at least the portion of a connecting member, a mounting means, a set of support structures of the second support frame, and wherein the second set of conductors mounted to at least the portion of the connecting member, the mounting means, the set of support structures of the second support frame is positioned in proximity to the user's body by a predefined distance for transmitting the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals on and around the user's body.
5 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the second set of conductors mounted to the second support frame enables at least one second position vector associated with the second set of conductors to be oriented away from the user's body for operating the wearable device in a sub-optimal mode.
6 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the second set of conductors mounted to at least the portion of the second support frame is operated in contact mode with the user's body during the operation of the wearable device, and wherein the second set of conductors operating in the contact mode with the user's body triggers galvanic-based electro-quasistatic (EQS) signal communication.
7 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the predefined frequency range is about 0.1 MHz to 100 MHz.
8 . A method, comprising: generating, by a plurality of sensors, sensory data for transmission between a wearable device and at least one computing device associated with a user; generating, by a processor, a data packet for transmission to the at least one computing device of the user, wherein the data packet is generated based at least on processing the sensory data captured by the plurality of sensors; applying, by the processor, an excitation voltage between a first set of conductors and a second set of conductors for enabling at least the transmission of the data packet from the wearable device to the at least one computing device via electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals at a predefined frequency range, wherein, upon applying the excitation voltage, the first set of conductors generates the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals and the second set of conductors applies the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals to a user's body, for transmitting the data packet from the wearable device to the at least one computing device via human-body communication (HBC), and wherein the first set of conductors is mounted to an inner surface of at least a portion of a first support frame and is in contact with at least a head anatomy of the user during the operation of the wearable device, and wherein the first set of conductors mounted to an inner surface enables at least one first position vector associated with the first set of conductors to be oriented towards the user's body, and wherein the at least one first position vector associated with the first set of conductors enables human-body communication (HBC) by applying the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals to the user's body; and triggering, by the processor, a feedback module associated with the wearable device to generate a notification in response to the successful transmission of the data packet to the at least one computing device.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first set of conductors is configured with a slender profile of a predetermined width range relative to the dimensions of the wearable device to at least maintain a maximum signal coupling for data transmission and to obtain a variable form factor.
10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first set of conductors is mounted to one or more components of the wearable device and positioned in proximity to the user's body, and wherein the first set of conductors in the wearable device positioned in proximity to the user's body operates the wearable device in a sub-optimal mode through the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals.
11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the second set of conductors is mounted to at least a portion of a connecting member, a mounting means, a set of support structures of a second support frame, and wherein the second set of conductors mounted to at least the portion of the connecting member, the mounting means, the set of support structures of the second support frame is positioned in proximity to the user's body by a predefined distance for transmitting the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals on and around the user's body.
12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the second set of conductors mounted to a second support frame enables at least one second position vector associated with the second set of conductors to be oriented away from the user's body for operating the wearable device in a sub-optimal mode.
13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the second set of conductors mounted to at least a portion of a second support frame is operated in contact mode with the user's body during the operation of the wearable device, and wherein the second set of conductors operating in the contact mode with the user's body triggers galvanic-based electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals communication.
14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the predefined frequency range is about 0.1 MHz to 100 MHz.
15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a processor-executable instructions that cause a processor to: generate a data packet for transmission to the at least one computing device of the user, wherein the data packet is generated based at least on pre-processing the sensory data captured by the plurality of sensors; apply an excitation voltage between a first set of conductors and a second set of conductors for enabling at least the transmission of the data packet from the wearable device to the at least one computing device via electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals at a predefined frequency range, wherein, upon applying the excitation voltage, the first set of conductors generates the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals and the second set of conductors applies the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals to a user's body, for transmitting the data packet from the wearable device to the at least one computing device via human-body communication (HBC), wherein the first set of conductors is mounted to an inner surface of at least a portion of a first support frame and is in contact with at least a head anatomy of the user during the operation of the wearable device, and wherein the first set of conductors mounted to an inner surface enables at least one first position vector associated with the first set of conductors to be oriented towards the user's body, and wherein the at least one first position vector associated with the first set of conductors enables human-body communication (HBC) by applying the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals to the user's body; and trigger a feedback device associated with the wearable device to generate a notification in response to the successful transmission of the data packet to the at least one computing device.
16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the predefined frequency range is about 0.1 MHz to 100 MHz.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE This Application is based upon and derives the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/608,259 filed on Dec. 10, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to communication interfaces, and more particularly relates to a wearable device (such as an augmented reality (AR) headset) for enabling Electro-quasistatic Human Body Communication (HBC) and a method thereof. BACKGROUND In recent times, there are numerous wireless devices available in markets for capturing various sensory signals of a user's body. Some examples of wireless devices may include wireless earbuds, smartwatches, smartphones, and virtual reality headsets. The wireless devices usually record sensor data (such as audio-visual data and biophysical signals) related to the user to at least one computing device for at least visualization of the sensor data or provide any sensory feedback to the user. The existing wearable device (e.g., augmented reality (AR) headset) utilizes a wired setup or a radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic (EM) wireless setup for transmitting sensory data around the body with the use of wired or wireless communication protocol. However, the wired communication protocol possesses form factor issues, hence the implementation of the wired communication protocol is not feasible for most of the applications. Further, the wireless communication protocols (e.g., RF EM techniques) are widely used for the wireless transmission of data/signals between the wearable device and other computing devices. However, the RF EM techniques involve significant power losses, when used around the human body. Furthermore, the wireless communication protocols involve the risk of security and vulnerability as the signal is detectable between a transmitting point and a reception point. Therefore, there is a need for a wearable device to enable Electro-quasistatic Human Body Communication (HBC) for efficiently transmitting data between the wearable device and a computing device to overcome the aforementioned limitation, in addition to providing other technical advantages. SUMMARY This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter. In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a wearable device. The wearable device includes a plurality of sensors configured to generate sensory data for transmission to at least one computing device associated with a user. Further, the wearable device includes a first set of conductors mounted to at least a portion of a first support frame of the wearable device. The first set of conductors is in contact with a portion of a user's body during the operation of the wearable device. The wearable device includes a second set of conductors mounted to at least a portion of a second support frame of the wearable device. The second set of conductors is positioned in proximity to the user's body during the operation of the wearable device. The wearable device further includes a processor communicably coupled to the plurality of sensors, the first set of conductors, and the second set of conductors. The processor is configured to at least generate a data packet for transmission to the at least one computing device of the user. The data packet is generated based at least on processing the sensory data captured by the plurality of sensors. The processor is configured to apply an excitation voltage between the first set of conductors and the second set of conductors for enabling at least the transmission of the data packet from the wearable device to the at least one computing device via electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals at a predefined frequency range. Further, upon applying the excitation voltage, the first set of conductors generates the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals and the second set of conductors applies the electro-quasistatic (EQS) signals to the user's body, for transmitting the data packet from the wearable device to the at least one computing device via human-body communication (HBC). Furthermore, the processor is configured to trigger a feedback module associated with the wearable device to generate a notification in response to the successful transmission of the data packet to the at least one computing device. In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method performed by a wearable device. The method includes generating, by a plurality of sensors, sensory data for transmission between a wearable device and at least one computing device associated with a user. The method includes generating, by a processor, a data packet for transmission to the at least one computing device of the user. The data packet is generated based at least on processing the sensory data captured by the plurality of se