Device for determining effects of aging of a wearable device

Abstract

A wearable device comprises first and second transmitting loops coupled with the wearable device. The first and second transmitting loops being further coupled with a data processing unit. Additionally, the second transmitting loop may be coupled with a sensor outputting a measuring signal. The first and second transmitting loops have a property with a readable value dependent on an aging of the object of a wearable device. In addition, the data processing unit is configured to measure the value of the property of the first and second transmitting loops and determine the effects or amount of aging.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wearable device comprising:
 a data processing unit;   a first transmitting loop coupled with the wearable device, the first transmitting loop having a first measurable property dependent on an age of an object associated with the wearable device; and   a second transmitting loop coupled with at least the wearable device, the second transmitting loop having a second measurable property dependent on the age of the object,   wherein the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop are coupled with the data processing unit,   wherein the data processing unit is configured to measure a value of the first measureable property of the first transmitting loop and a value of the second measureable property of the second transmitting loop; and   wherein the data processing unit is configured to determine effects or amount of aging based on measured values of the first measureable property and the second measurable property.   
     
     
         2 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop are physically a same transmitting loop, wherein measurements are made sequentially. 
     
     
         3 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop are separate transmitting loops. 
     
     
         4 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop are coupled at least one of galvanically and optically with the data processing unit; and   the first measureable property and the second measureable property are at least one an electrical and optical property.   
     
     
         5 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop are physically one loop, wherein a baseline value of the first measureable property and the second measureable property are known at a first time and the data processing unit is configured to determine the effects or amount of aging by comparing the currently read value of the first measureable property and the second measureable property at a second time to the baseline, and wherein the trend of the first measureable property and the second measureable property as a function of time is known. 
     
     
         6 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop are separate transmitting loops and the first measureable property and the second measureable property are a mutual property of at least two physically separate loops, wherein the mutual property is at least one of capacitance and resistance between said the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop. 
     
     
         7 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop are separate transmitting loops and the first transmitting loop comprises a first material and the second transmitting loop comprises a second material, wherein the first material and the second material have different aging properties. 
     
     
         8 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop are separate transmitting loops and the first transmitting loop comprises a first physical structure and the second transmitting loop comprises a second physical structure, wherein the first physical structure is configured to depend on aging differently than the second physical structure. 
     
     
         9 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop are separate transmitting loops and the first transmitting loop is arranged in a first location of the wearable device and the second transmitting loop is arranged in a second location of the wearable device, wherein the first location and the second location are selected so that aging has a different effect on the first location as applicable to the first loop than on the second location as applicable to the second loop. 
     
     
         10 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein aging of the object comprises at least one of aging of the first transmitting loop, aging of the second transmitting loop, aging of the wearable device, and aging of a portion of the wearable device, and wherein the aging of the object causes changes to a measurable value of at least one of an electrical and optical property of at least one of the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop. 
     
     
         11 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the wearable device is configured to compensate or correct measured signals read via the second transmitting loop based on the value of the first measurable property of the first transmitting loop. 
     
     
         12 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the wearable device is configured to manipulate power to the second transmitting loop which is coupled with an end device. 
     
     
         13 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the wearable device is configured to perform active impedance matching to the second transmitting loop functioning as a transmission line to keep an impedance of the transmission line as desired based on the value of the first measureable property of the first transmitting loop. 
     
     
         14 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the wearable device is a garment or a structure portion of the garment selected from a group comprising: a strap, a belt, a heart rate sensor strap, a shirt, a sleeve, a portion of a shirt, leg, pocket, brand label, elastic portion of the garment, hat, bra, underwear, jacket, trousers, swimming suit, band, shoe, sock and glove. 
     
     
         15 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the second transmitting loop is coupled to an end device and wherein the end device is a sensor for detecting at least one of biosignals, heart rate, respiration rate, posture of the user, temperature, humidity, conductivity, or acceleration. 
     
     
         16 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein an electrical property of the first transmitting loop and second transmitting loop is at least one of resistance, conductance, capacitance and inductance and an optical property is at least one of intensity, polarization or wavelength. 
     
     
         17 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of at least one of the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loops is a printed conductive conductor. 
     
     
         18 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the value of the first measureable property of the first transmitting loop is known at a first moment, and wherein the data processing unit is configured to measure a value of one of the first measureable property of the first transmitting loop and the second measureable property of the second transmitting loop when it is the same as the first transmitting loop at a second moment, the second moment being later than the first moment and to compare the measured values and determine effect of aging. 
     
     
         19 . The wearable device of  claim 1 , wherein the wearable device is configured to provide notification of at least one of aging level of the object, notification that the object is over aged based on the determined effect or amount of aging, wherein the notification is provided to at least one of an indication device of the wearable device and an external device. 
     
     
         20 . A method for manufacturing a wearable device for determining effects of aging of an object of the wearable device, the method comprising:
 providing the wearable device with a data processing unit;   coupling a first transmitting loop with the wearable device, the first transmitting loop having a first measurable property dependent on an age of an object associated with the wearable device;   coupling a second transmitting loop with at least the wearable device, the second transmitting loop having a second measurable property dependent on the age of the object;   coupling the first transmitting loop and the second transmitting loop with the data processing unit;   measuring, with the data processing unit, a value of the first measureable property of the first transmitting loop and the second measureable property of the second transmitting loop; and   determining, with the data processing unit, effects or amount of aging based on measured values of the first measureable property and the second measurable property.