Assistive clothing

A device for allowing the user to interface with external or remote equipment using the mouth consisting of:

• battery means operatively connected to user input means through wires or ribbon cable and operatively connected, normally by wire(s), to transmission means;
• and
• user input means operatively connected to transmission means which can be any form of push-button, touch-sensitive pad, etc. located in the mouth and responsive to tongue or mouth contact;
• and
• transmission means, powered by battery means also operatively connected to input means by wire or mini-wireless transmission, which transmits, using radio or any other practical signal transmission means, the user inputs from user input means and, optionally, sufficient processing means can be included with transmission means to otherwise format data, thus transmitting data reflective of the user's input to receiving means;
• and
• receiving means, located as near transmission means as is practical to permit low-intensity transmissions, which are capable of receiving the signal sent by transmission means and forwarding to the interfacing means, by conventional means including wire or subsequent wireless transmission to a second receiving means in or associated with interfacing means, the received data;
• and
• interfacing means, operatively connected to the end receiver (the entity ultimately using the user input) with said interfacing means located in receiving means or separately for receiver size constraints, performing conversion, if any is required (if none is required the interfacing means is just a wire to the end receiver i.e. no interfacing means is required) and the data is thus sent to the end receiver;
• and
• binding means which can be the adhesive or more permanent affixation of the above means, except the receiving means, to the teeth, or the affixation of the same elements to a convenient frame, such as one similar to an orthodontist's retainer, that is easily secured in and removed from the mouth or, alternatively, a combination of all the elements into individual redundant elements such as touch, heat or other contact sensitive keys with embedded battery and transmission means in each key requiring only, at minimum, for transmission means the communication of a square wave or click with any required distinguishing between key signals provided by a tiny crystal or other frequency or other signal definitive means producing an unique signal, each unit of which can be affixed individually to the teeth or a frame;
• such that
• the user, including those completely disabled outside of the mouth, can control hands-free any equipment connected to and compatible with or modified to become compatible with the data passed on by receiving means including but by no means limited to typing data to run a computer, directing a PC mouse, dialing a telephone number through tone generation means, and controlling the operation of the assistive clothing.

A wearable display device positioned on the head much like regular eyeglasses and with no overhanging appendages in front of the glasses and thus the image is also not warped by the refraction of any glasses prescription, for allowing a user to see computer or other video display images and/or text with the ability to also obtain a full field of view of the non-video image at will (without moving a bulky prism or head mounted projector out of the way and then having to reposition it later) including full upper, lower and side periphery for safety and convenience and also to control, either programmatically or through a potentially hands-free user interface, the relative dominance of either image both as a means to select a view and to share a view of both video and the through the lens landscape in an environment also permitting a wide field of view of the video image consisting of:

• power supply means such as batteries operatively connected to projection means and receiving means;
• and
• receiving means operatively connected to projection means which, in the case of a video signal delivered by wire from a nearby video signal, is simply that wire which, in that case, carries only the power from power supply means to the projection means but, for embodiments and applications where a head-mounted video receiver is used, this includes the video receiver which then passes the received image to the projection means typically by wire;
• and
• projection means consisting of near-proximity projection display means being any form of projection means producing an image discernable at the close range afforded by a glasses-like arrangement such as relatively collimated light either pre-focused by the optional special optics of claim 14 or by more classical collimation or focusing means with said image being reflected off the inside surface of the normal (or non-prescription) glasses thus avoiding any image warping by passing through the lens or the image is reflected by special movable beam splitters (some embodiments stay permanently in position), either or both of which can be optionally coated with an aluminum vacuum coated or otherwise-manufactured partially reflective see-through-mirrored coating to balance relative reflectance and control visual noise, which, in either case, reflects the image to the eye;
• and optional program means which, when included in an embodiment, may allow the user, through any of the user interfaces in the current invention or any others compatible with the current invention, to select when a beam splitter should be placed in position or removed out of the way (where beam splitters are used and when the user chooses not to just leave the beam splitter in position at all times) and adjust that position for better image centering as well as adjust the brightness of the reflected image to determine which image is visible or most visible allowing a full landscape panorama through the glasses' lens or a bright, wide image video image, or, for example, a video image consisting only of text or small image in one corner while simultaneously viewing the full panorama of the through the lens image including behind the text;
• such that
• a non-bulky, compact, head-wearable video display with no through-the-lens distortion and no hardware in front of the glasses to obscure the view or amuse passerby is provided that allows, selectively, a wide angle view of both the through the lens image and the video image optionally simultaneously.

A lens-less focusing mechanism for more effective focusing and better handling of close-quarters optics comprising:

• collimating film from any of the currently available sources of collimating films, which may, depending on the film chosen, also be multiple layers of film with potentially different alignments for more effectiveness;
• and
• a concave mirror or, for other embodiments, a partially reflecting mirror (partially-reflecting/partially transmitting), optionally application-specifically warped to eliminate incident-angle distortion;
• and
• an assembly positioning the center of the light coming through the collimating film(s) to occur near the center of the mirror but at an oblique angle such that the collimated light strikes the curved mirror and is reflected such that the reflected light, instead of returning to intersect (beyond some minor possible diffraction) the collimating layer(s), continues in a slightly convergent form with said convergence determined by the effective focal length of the mirror;
• such that
• a light, inexpensive and exceptionally compact lens-less focusing assembly is effected which can also have an uncommonly short distance required for visibility (the eye can be very close to the assembly and still focus on it).

A lens-less focusing mechanism for more effective focusing and better handling of close-quarters optics comprising:

• a concave-shaped LCD or other display means (looking like a planar slice of a basketball with a display on the inside);
• and
• collimating film from any of the currently available sources of collimating films, which may, depending on the film chosen, also be multiple layers of film with potentially different alignments for more effectiveness in a concave shape, also shaped in a convex form and placed against the light-emitting side of the curved display;
• such that
• a light, inexpensive and exceptionally compact lens-less focusing assembly is effected which can also have an uncommonly short distance required for visibility (the eye can be very close to the assembly and still focus on it).

A user interface device consisting of:

• sensory means, operatively connected to processing means by wire or conventional wireless transmission, mounted anywhere on the head, including affixed to glasses, etc. measuring some or all of the following measures:
• pitch, roll, yaw, acceleration, GPS location, compass reading;
• and
• processing means operatively connected to execution means monitoring sensory means and assigning, from table-based, programmatic and/or formulaic means, a meaning for certain conditions or combinations of conditions and directing the appropriate action reflective of that meaning to execution means;
• and
• execution means capable of effecting the actions demanded by processing means including but in no way limited to the following general examples of directing the yaw path of a walking user of the assistive clothing of claim 20 and their related claims by changing it directly relative to changes in the yaw sensed in the attitude sensor, directing the pitch of a user wearing the above referenced assistive clothing, i.e. causing the user to lean more forward or backwards to allow the user to intuitively maintain balance, similarly controlling the user's roll (left, right lean) to further maintain balance based on the roll of the head attitude or directing a cursor on a computer screen, through a conventional interface with mouse or keyboard compatible inputs, with left-right movement of the cursor directly relative to the roll of the head attitude sensor and up and down movement directly relative to the pitch of the head attitude.

An enhancement to conventional actuators comprising:

• actuation means operatively connected to elastic means, which said actuation means can be any form of controlled motion actuation means with a few common examples being servo-motors, stepper motors, hydraulic actuators and hydraulically driven inflate-to-retract muscles;
• and
• elastic means with common examples being springs and flexible cable;
• and
• directing means, which is any device, smart or dumb including even a manual off/on or forwards/backwards switch or physical engagement lever, that makes use of the current invention disclosed in this clam, examples of which are computers, controller cards, switches, etc., operatively connected to actuating means;
• such that
• as the actuation means, as directed by directing means, rotates, pulls or pushes in one direction, the connected elastic means resists that motion increasing the burden of actuating means and increasing the stored potential energy of the elastic means and, when actuation means moves in the other direction, the elastic means releases potential energy increasing the effective thrust of actuator means in that current direction thus effecting a closed, two way actuating device with many applications;
• with
• one example of which being the ability to replace existing actuation means and operate identically as they currently do but with significantly more power in a preferred direction thus increasing potential payload from the same power supply and a potentially smaller actuator and thus smaller footprint one example application being robotics applications whose actuators are bearing a heavy load in flexion (such as raising a body up a stair) but a very light load in extension, the return stroke (or vice versa);
• and
• in new equipment and even more in older equipment where friction has increased actuator burden, the current invention extends the life and increases the power of equipment requiring more power in a preferred direction but having to operate off of the existing power supply and controlling means (such as a trash compactor motor replaced by the current invention using the same power supply and controller circuits, which, in the previously largely unburdened return cycle, when the compression arm is raised, elastic means now burdens that light cycle but, when in the compression phase, the elastic means provides a potentially almost double force from the same power source;
• and
• the current invention of this claim also can be used to provide a single device that can be easily adjusted to provide, at one time, an exceptionally energy efficient actuation means where the elastic contribution is, for example, essentially equal to the gravitational overhead of a lift operation with no extra “payback” energy required on the return stroke making the lift essentially effortless and the actuator device exceptionally efficient, and, with adjustment, the same device serves as a much more powerful actuation device in a preferred direction by setting the elastic means closer to its most distended position which, although a return-stroke payback is now required, potentially almost twice the force of actuation means can be delivered thus providing a device tunable to easily provide a wide range of efficiency and power ratings.

An apparatus and method for communicating the sensation of touch in a comprehensible form consisting of:

• first transducing means operatively connected to communication means consisting of a logically mapped and located array of small transducers effective in the conversion of vibration to electrical signatures with a few examples being conventional micro-electret microphones, micro-machined silicon, silicon-nitride, carbon filament and printed carbon or advanced semiconducting dots, with the example chosen or other transducing means attached to a potentially curved shape in some manner with
• one example manner being the printing of the transducing means on a first non-conducting, semi-flexible medium which already has conducting micro-traces electrodeposited under each point that is so printed which is then covered, sandwiching the transducers, by a second medium layer also having, on the side contacting the transducer, conducting traces in a pattern or means such that the traces of the first layer do not overlap or short to the traces of the second layer, such that each transducer dot is contacted on one side by an unique micro-trace and on the other side an unique or shared end-point conductor common to all points on the second layer, thus establishing in this example manner one transducing array applicable to the current invention;
• and
• communications means operatively connected to second transducing means carrying and, optionally, amplifying the signal from first transducing means although some embodiments of the second transducing means may include transistor or other miniature or micro-machine amplification means thus performing amplification on their own;
• and
• second transducing means operatively connected to communications means and consisting of a logically mapped and located array of any small transducer technology effective in the conversion of electrical signatures to vibrations or skin stimulations with a couple of examples being miniature voice coils and simple contact electro-stimulation providing either a vibration produced by the conversion of the electronic signal to vibration or by the application of the optionally amplified signal by direct contact to the skin by in with either approach effected in a parallel manner with one example manner being an array of micro-voice coils or equivalent signal to vibration transducers effectively congruent to the pattern of the first transducing means such that a user wearing the second transducing array as applied to a potentially curved form, one example being to fit over a fingertip, receives vibrations at points on that fingertip specifically related to the points receiving vibrations on the first transducing means thus allowing the user to feel sensations through the second transducer array specifically relative to the vibrations sensed on the first transducing array;
• and
• another example manner being like the just previous manner except that the second transducing array is located in another area of the body so that the user, potentially unable to feel touch in an area congruent to the area in which it was sensed, can learn to associate data responsive to contact, for example, on a remote fingertip, with vibrations or stimulations on any other area of the user's body such as the back of the neck.

An apparatus and method as in claim 30 further comprising:

• extended video capture means operatively connected to video storage means for the purpose of capturing a time and context sensitive, user flexibly changeable view also sensitive to user chosen head position, consisting of additional video cameras arrayed around and secured by head gear to capture image areas beyond the peripheral vision of the action cataloger (at time of action cataloging, i.e. recording the script) placed such each captures a piece of the extra-peripheral view and such that each is pointed in a direction along a vector such that the vector, extended behind the video capture means and through the action cataloger's body passes through or essentially through the center of the effective axis of rotation of the neck, which in its simplest approximation form is an imaginary ball joint, with images captured and saved in video storage means;
• and
• user interface means which may optionally include a sensory means similar to the one in claim 16 or other practical user interface;
• and
• scrolling memory program in processing means responsive to user interface means and operatively connected to video display means for the purpose of selecting a segment or segments of video image from video storage means responsive to data from the user interface means thus returning a view, potentially seamed with images originally captured from more than one camera source with said image then displayed by video display means;
• such that
• an interactive image landscape that is time and context-sensitive but completely variable by user choice and synchronized with a currently executing event series reflecting a user head attitude in that action even when that attitude is substantially different than the anticipated head attitude providing many potential applications with only a few being;
• when using a worn video display, a training mechanism for any athletic or military skill to be learned, with a golf swing used here as an example, such that a right handed user can rotate the head to the left and see the pin and rotate the head to the right during the back-swing and see where the experts hands were and, if the beam-splitting visual display of claim 13 is used, see the expert's arms and body at that precise parallel and moving point of reference in the execution superimposed over the user's to easily spot and gauge an out of position condition;
• and
• in an environment where only the head is involved, which can be configured as an entirely passive actuation session, or one in which the entire body is actively, even roughly, experiencing the actions, impacts, etc., an improved set of military training or gaming glasses are created when using a worn video display allowing the user exceptional realism associated with a view that moves with the head and allows the player or military simulation trainer to look around and see what is behind thus effecting a form of interactive virtual reality training that requires no studio, set, props or computer environment and tensor, etc. creation or the massive memory and hardware requirements of traditional simulations and which naturally provides the “feel” of the elements held in the hand or bumped into as well as, with the optional addition of omni-directional sound such as the method described in claim 34, or other method, provides exceptional virtual depth, but requires only a person wearing the equipment to, without restriction to location or size of arena, create an immediately usable training tool in the time it takes to model the action which can even be an actual event to be relived and rehearsed later such as a battle;
• and

A lens-less imaging mechanism for better handling of close-quarters optics comprising:

• an image source;
• and
• collimating film from any of the currently available sources of collimating films, which may, depending on the film chosen, also be multiple layers of film with potentially different alignments for more effectiveness with said film(s) against or roughly perpendicular to the center of the desired viewing image;
• and
• a mirror or, for other embodiments, a partially reflecting mirror (partially-reflecting/partially transmitting), optionally application-specifically warped to eliminate incident-angle distortion;
• and
• an assembly positioning the center of the light coming through the collimating film(s) to occur near the center of the mirror but at an oblique angle such that the collimated light strikes the mirror and is reflected such that the reflected light, instead of returning to intersect (beyond some minor possible diffraction) the collimating layer(s), continues in another direction;
• such that
• a light, inexpensive, lens-less and exceptionally compact close-up viewing means is effected which can also have an uncommonly short distance required for visibility (the eye can be very close to the assembly and still focus on it).