Patent Publication Number: US-2022239336-A1

Title: System for providing power to and communication capabilities with a rotating circuit board

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The subject matter described herein relates, in general, to a system for providing communication and power capabilities to a rotating circuit board from a fixed circuit board. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The background description provided is to present the context of the disclosure generally. Work of the inventor, to the extent it may be described in this background section, and aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present technology. 
     Sensors may be mounted on one or more structures that are configured to rotate. In some cases, the structure may be a movable element of an exercise machine, such as foot pedals or handlebars. Sensors can be incorporated within these movable elements to collect information regarding a user&#39;s interaction with these movable elements. 
     However, sensors attached to these movable elements must be provided power and need to communicate data they have collected to another system so that the data can be evaluated. Due to the rotational nature of the structure that the sensor is attached to, it may not be possible to provide a wired connection with power and communication capabilities. For example, because the structure may be rotating, wires connected to the sensors to provide power and/or communication capabilities may become tangled, crimped, severed, or may otherwise impact the freedom of movement of the structure. 
     As a solution, some sensors may be powered by batteries mounted near the sensor. Additionally, with regards to providing data to another system, some sensors utilize a wireless transmitter to transmit data they have collected. This type of solution avoids any issues with using a wired connection mentioned above. However, this type of solution has drawbacks in that batteries become depleted over time and need to be recharged and/or replaced. Additionally, these batteries add bulk to the structure, potentially negatively impacting the movement of the structure. Further still, wireless transmitters may be subject to interference and may not consistently transmit data collected from a sensor. 
     SUMMARY 
     This section generally summarizes the disclosure and is not a comprehensive explanation of its full scope or all its features. 
     In one example, a system for providing communication and power capabilities to a rotating circuit board from a fixed circuit board may include a fixed circuit board having a primary coil, a rotatable circuit board having a secondary coil, and an axle extending through the fixed circuit board and the rotatable circuit board. The axle may be connected to the rotatable circuit board, which rotates about an axis defined by the axle when the axle rotates. The system may further include a sensor in communication with the secondary coil of the rotatable circuit board. The fixed circuit board&#39;s primary coil may be inductively coupled to the secondary coil and may provide power and receive data from the sensor when inductively coupled to the secondary coil. 
     In another example, a system for providing communication and power capabilities to a rotating circuit board from a fixed circuit board may include a fixed circuit board having a primary coil and a rotatable circuit board having a secondary coil. The rotatable circuit board may have a circular perimeter, wherein a portion of the secondary coil is embedded within the rotatable circuit board and is adjacent to the circular perimeter. The system may further include a sensor in communication with the secondary coil of the rotatable circuit board. The fixed circuit board&#39;s primary coil may be inductively coupled to the secondary coil and may provide power to and receive data from the sensor when inductively coupled to the secondary coil, even when the rotating circuit board is rotating. As such, power can be provided to electronics that are located on or electrically connected to the rotating circuit board without batteries or wiring from a power source. 
     Further areas of applicability and various methods of enhancing the disclosed technology will become apparent from the description provided. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various systems, methods, and other embodiments of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one embodiment of the boundaries. In some embodiments, one element may be designed as multiple elements, or multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some embodiments, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an upper body ergometer that utilizes a system for providing communication and power capabilities to a rotating circuit board. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a more detailed view of the system for providing communication and power capabilities to the rotating circuit board. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a view of an axle extending through both a rotating circuit board and a fixed circuit board that forms the system for providing communication and power capabilities to the rotating circuit board. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a more detailed view of the rotating circuit board. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a more detailed view of the fixed circuit board. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a circuit diagram illustrating the primary components forming the inductive link between the fixed circuit board and the rotating circuit board. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In one example, a system for providing communication and power capabilities to a rotating circuit board may be implemented within an upper body ergometer. The upper body ergometer may utilize one or more assemblies that are actuated by a user. These assemblies may rotate about an axis that is defined by an axle. The system for providing communication and power capabilities to a rotating circuit board may include a rotating circuit board and a fixed circuit board. The axle may extend through the rotating circuit board and the fixed circuit board. The rotating circuit board may be connected to the axle so that it rotates when the axle rotates. However, the fixed circuit board is not connected to the axle and stays in a fixed position when the rotating circuit board rotates. 
     The rotating circuit board may include a secondary coil located near the perimeter of the rotating circuit board. The fixed circuit board may include a primary coil located near a perimeter of the primary circuit board. Generally, the perimeters of the rotating circuit board and the fixed circuit board may be substantially circular in shape and have a similar curvature. The rotating circuit board and the fixed circuit board may be located adjacent to each other such that the primary coil of the fixed circuit board and the secondary coil of the rotating circuit board can be inductively coupled to each other. As such, the rotating circuit board can receive power from the fixed circuit board and communicate with the fixed circuit board using inductive coupling, without the need for a wired connection between the two. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , illustrated is an upper body ergometer  10  being utilized by a user  12 . The upper body ergometer  10  includes a body structure  14  that is attached to a base  16 . The body structure  14  may be coupled to the base  16  by a rotatable docking mechanism  18  that operates in two modes. In a first mode, the rotatable docking mechanism  18  allows the body structure  14  to rotate about an axis  19  that generally extends along the length of the body structure  14 . In a second mode, the rotatable docking mechanism  18  locks the body structure  14  into place and prevents the rotation about the axis  19 . As will be explained later in this specification, the rotatable docking mechanism  18  allows the body structure  14  to rotate away from a seat  40  so that users that do not wish to use the seat  40  or are utilizing another type of seat, such as a wheelchair, can utilize the upper body ergometer  10 . 
     The upper body ergometer  10  includes a control assembly  20  that extends away from the body structure  14  and towards the user  12 . The control assembly  20  may be pivotally connected to the body structure  14  and can selectively pivot upwards or downwards based on the preference of the user  12 . Located at an end  21  of the control assembly  20 , opposite of the body structure  14 , is an upper-body assembly  24 . The upper-body assembly  24  includes a first crank arm assembly  26 A and a second crank arm assembly  26 B. The first crank arm assembly  26 A and the second crank arm assembly  26 B generally rotate about an axis  23 . Here, the arms  28 A and  28 B of the user  12  engage the first crank arm assembly  26 A and the second crank arm assembly  26 B, respectively. The first crank arm assembly  26 A and the second crank arm assembly  26 B may rotate in either direction depending on how the user  12  engages the first crank arm assembly  26 A and the second crank arm assembly  26 B. 
     As the user  12  actuates the first crank arm assembly  26 A and the second crank arm assembly  26 B, a chain  50  is moved. The chain  50  is generally located within the control assembly  20 . The chain  50  is in mechanical communication with one or more flywheels  52  that may be in mechanical communication with transmission mechanisms  54 . The transmission mechanisms  54  may be in turn in mechanical communication with a resistance mechanism  56 . The resistance mechanism  56  may be an eddy current brake that includes an eddy current disc  58  and a magnet  59 . The resistance mechanism  56  may be adjusted by the user  12  by interacting with a touchscreen  32  that can adjust the resistance mechanism  56  to increase or decrease the resistance experienced by the user  12  when engaging the first crank arm assembly  26 A and the second crank arm assembly  26 B. 
     It should be understood that the mechanism for providing resistance to the user  12  when engaging the first crank arm assembly  26 A and the second crank arm assembly  26 B can take any one of several different forms and do not necessarily need to include all the mechanical components and resistance mechanisms described in the paragraph above. In some cases, the resistance mechanism and associated powertrain may be more complex as described. However, more simplistic resistance mechanisms may also be utilized. Additionally, for example, instead of utilizing a chain, a belt or some other mechanical connection methodology may be utilized. The same is also true for the resistance mechanism  56 . Instead of using an eddy current brake, some other type of resistance mechanism could be utilized. 
     In this example, the user  12  is seated on a seat  40  that includes a base  42 . A track  44 , which may be connected to the base  16 , may be configured such that the base  42  may slidably engage the track  44 . The base  42  may include a locking device that allows the base  42 , and therefore the seat  40 , to selectively slide/lock along the length of the track  44 . Additionally, it should be understood that the base  42 , and therefore the seat  40 , may be removed from the track  44  to allow a user to engage the first crank arm assembly  26 A and the second crank arm assembly  26 B while standing or if the user  12  is utilizing another type of chair, such as a wheelchair. 
     Additionally, as stated previously, in situations where the user  12  wishes to stand or is utilizing a wheelchair, the body structure  14  may be rotated away from the seat  40  using the rotatable docking mechanism  18 . For example, the user  12  can simply rotate the body structure  14  such that the first crank arm assembly  26 A and the second crank arm assembly  26 B are more conveniently located for engagement when standing or using a different type of chair, such as a wheelchair. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a more detailed view of the first crank arm assembly  26 A is shown. It should be understood that any description provided regarding the first crank arm assembly  26 A is equally applicable to the second crank arm assembly  26 B. In this example, the first crank arm assembly  26 A is shown relative to a support beam  25  that may be housing within the control assembly  20  of  FIG. 1 . The first crank arm assembly  26 A includes a grip  60 . The grip  60  may be coupled to an arched member  62  that has a terminal end  64 . The terminal end  64  of the arched member  62  may be rotatably coupled to a first member  66 . As such, the grip  60  and the arched member  62  can rotate freely about an axis  67  defined by the length of the first member  66 . 
     One end  69  of the first member  66 , generally located opposite the terminal end  64 , may be connected to a second member  68 . The second member  68  includes an end  71  attached to an axle  70  that rotates about and defines the axis  23 . The axle  70  may be in mechanical communication with the chain  50  of  FIG. 1 , which, via one or more flywheels  52  and transmission mechanisms  54 , is in mechanical communication with the resistance mechanism  56 . As the user  12  engages the grip  60  of the first crank arm assembly  26 A and causes the first crank arm assembly  26 A to rotate about the axis  23 , resistance is provided to the first crank arm assembly  26 A from the resistance mechanism  46  via the axle  70  and other components, such as the one or more flywheels  52  and transmission mechanisms  54 . 
     A fixed circuit board  100  and a rotating circuit board  200  are located adjacent to the support beam  25 . In this example, the fixed circuit board  100  is connected to the support beam  25 . However, the rotating circuit board  200  is connected to the axle  70 . When the axle  70  rotates about the axis  23 , the rotating circuit board  200  also rotates about the axis  23 , while the fixed circuit board  100  remains stationary. 
     In one example, the axle  70  may be a tube that allows sensor cables to run from both ends of the axle  70  past the bearings and framework to connect with the rotating circuit board  200  without interference. This arrangement enables a single wireless link to manage sensors on either end of the axle  70  in addition to sensors potentially located on the rotating board itself, such as gyroscopes, accelerometers and/or inertial measurement units. 
     Generally, the fixed circuit board  100  and/or the rotating circuit board  200  are circuit boards that allow the mounting and/or embedding of one or more electrical components. As such, the fixed circuit board  100  and/or the rotating circuit board  200  may mechanically support and electrically connect electrical or electronic components using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from one or more sheet layers of copper laminated onto and/or between sheet layers of a non-conductive substrate. The fixed circuit board  100  and/or the rotating circuit board  200  may be single-sided (single conductive layer), double-sided (two conductive layers on both sides of one substrate layer), or multi-layer (outer and inner layers of copper, alternating with layers of the substrate). 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a side view detailing the fixed circuit board  100 , the rotating circuit board  200 , and the axle  70 . Here, the axle  70  extends through both the fixed circuit board  100  and the rotating circuit board  200 . However, as stated previously, the rotating circuit board  200  is connected to the axle  70 , while the fixed circuit board  100  is not. In one example, the fixed circuit board  100  may be connected to the support beam  25 . As such, when the axle  70  rotates about the axis  23 , the rotating circuit board  200  also rotates, while the fixed circuit board  100  stays stationary. 
     Generally, the fixed circuit board  100  and the rotating circuit board  200  each have surfaces  102  and  202 , respectively, which substantially define planes. The planes defined by the surfaces  102  and  202  of the fixed circuit board  100  and the rotating circuit board  200  are generally arranged such that they are parallel to each other and may be perpendicular to the axis  23  of the axle  70 . The fixed circuit board  100  and the rotating circuit board  200  are generally located close to each other, separated only by a few millimeters—generally less than 5 mm. As will be explained later, power and communication capabilities are provided from the fixed circuit board  100  to the rotating circuit board  200  by inductive coupling. As such, the fixed circuit board  100  can power any components that are electrically connected to the rotating circuit board  200  and communicate with any of these components as well. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , located within the arched member  62  may be a sensor  80 . The sensor  80  may measure anyone of several different forces acting upon the grip  60 . As such, the sensor  80  may be any one of a number of different sensors, such as a strain sensor, accelerometer, deformation sensor, and the like. Additionally, the sensor  80  may also be a sensor that measures other variables and not just forces acting upon the grip  60 . For example, the sensor  80 , if located within and/or adjacent to the grip  60 , could measure the biometrics of a user when a hand of the user engages the grip  60 . As such, the sensor  80  could be a heart rate sensor, blood oxygen sensor, temperature sensor, and the like. 
     It should be understood the examples regarding the sensor  80  given above are just examples. Furthermore, the sensor  80  may not be a single sensor but may be multiple sensors. As such, the sensor  80  could include a strain sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, and a temperature sensor. The sensor  80  may be in electrical communication with the rotating circuit board  200 . In one example, the sensor  80  may have a wired connection from the sensor  80  to the rotating circuit board  200 . One or more wires or traces may be located between the sensor  80  and the rotating circuit board  200 . 
     Additionally, the sensor  80  may include sensors located on the rotating circuit board  200 . For example, the rotating circuit board may include a gyroscope, accelerometer, and/or inertial measurement unit that measures the movement and are forces acting upon the rotating circuit board  200 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , more detailed views of the rotating circuit board  200  and the fixed circuit board  100  are shown, respectively. Here, the rotating circuit board  200  may be circular in shape and have a circular outer perimeter  204  and a circular inner perimeter  206 . The circular inner perimeter  206  may be connected to the axle  70 , which may also extend through the rotating circuit board  200 . Located near the circular outer perimeter  204  may be a secondary coil  208 . The secondary coil  208  is a coil used to provide inductive coupling between the fixed circuit board  100  and the rotating circuit board  200 . Generally, the secondary coil  208  hugs the circular outer perimeter  204  and is therefore substantially circular as well. The secondary coil  208  may be embedded within the rotating circuit board  200  and connected to a receiver circuit  220 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the fixed circuit board  100  includes an outer perimeter  104 . The outer perimeter  104  includes a circular portion  104 A and a rectangular portion  104 B. The circular portion  104 A of the outer perimeter  104  generally has a curvature that matches the curvature of the circular outer perimeter  204  of the rotating circuit board  200 . Located within the circular portion  104 A of the outer perimeter  104  is a circular inner perimeter  106 . The circular inner perimeter  106  allows the axle  70  to pass through the fixed circuit board  100  and allows the axle  70  to rotate freely. As stated previously, the fixed circuit board  100  is not connected to the axle  70  and stays stationary as the axle  70  rotates. 
     The fixed circuit board  100  also includes a primary coil  108  that is generally located adjacent to the circular portion  104 A of the outer perimeter  104  and is embedded within the fixed circuit board  100 . The primary coil  108  generally has a curvature that matches the curvature of the secondary coil  208  of the rotating circuit board  200 . As such, when assembled, the rotating circuit board  200  is essentially laid on top of the circle defined by the circular portion  104 A of the outer perimeter  104 . By so doing, the primary coil  108  of the fixed circuit board  100  can be close enough to the secondary coil  208  of the rotating circuit board  200  such that they may be inductively coupled to one another. By so doing, power can be provided from the fixed circuit board  100  to the rotating circuit board  200  to power components that are electrically connected to the rotating circuit board  200 , such as the sensor  80 . In addition to providing power, communication capabilities can also be provided between the fixed circuit board  100  and the rotating circuit board  200  and any components connected to the rotating circuit board  200 , such as the sensor  80 . 
     The fixed circuit board  100  may include a control system  120  that includes a data filter  122  and a capacitor  124 . In one arrangement, the primary coil  108  may be connected in series to the data filter  122  and the capacitor  124 , with the data filter  122  being between the primary coil  108  in the capacitor  124 . 
     As stated previously, when properly arranged as described, the fixed circuit board  100  can provide power and communicate with the rotating circuit board  200  via inductive coupling. Regarding providing power from the fixed circuit board  100  to the rotating circuit board  200 , the control system  120  of the fixed circuit board  100  may generate a time-varying electromagnetic field, which transmits power across from the primary coil  108  to the secondary coil  208 . The receiver circuit  220  of the rotating circuit board  200  extracts power from the field and supplies it to an electrical load, such as the sensor  80  and associated signal conditioning circuitry. 
     With regards to providing communication capabilities, any one of a number of different methodologies may be utilized. For example, the inductive link created between the fixed circuit board  100  and the rotating circuit board  200  using the primary coil  108  and the secondary coil  208  for power transfer may also be utilized as an antenna for data transmission, where the data is directly modulated on the power carrier by frequency shifting keying in forward data transmission, and the load-shift keying technique is adopted to achieve backward data transmission. Examples of arrangements where both power and data are provided via inductive coupling are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,271,677 and 10,439,449, the contents of both are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     In one example of the inductive link between the fixed circuit board  100  and the rotating circuit board  200 , reference is made to  FIG. 6 , which illustrates a circuit diagram illustrating the primary components forming the inductive link. Moreover, as stated previously, the fixed circuit board  100  includes a primary coil  108 , a data filter  122 , and a capacitor  124  connected in series, wherein the data filter  122  is located between the primary coil  108  and the capacitor  124 . 
     In addition, the fixed circuit board  100  includes a resonant signal source  130  for generating a resonant signal. The fixed circuit board  100  may also include a microcontroller  140  that receives information from the data filter  122 . Information received from the data filter  122  may be amplified by an amplifier  144  and provided to the microcontroller via a data detector  146 . With regards to the rotating circuit board  200 , this rotating circuit board  200  may include the secondary coil  208 . The rotating circuit board  200  may also include power conditioning, a load modulation circuit  242  in one or more sensors  80 . 
     A modulation scheme can be employed that positions the data sent by the rotating circuit board  200  such that the window of valid data both sent and detected by the fixed circuit board  100  is a fixed constant phase in relation to the resonating waveform of magnetic flux and associated currents in the inductive loops. This position can be any phase from 0° to 359° but is in synchronous lock with the resonating loop current. The width of the window can be any pulse width contained in the period of the sinewave but is fixed in any application. This allows for a high data rate due to the unique way data is transferred across this link. The modulation scheme sends the serial data from the rotating circuit board  200  to the fixed circuit board  100  at a constant phase synchronous to the resonant frequency of the tuned LC circuit. 
     It should be appreciated that any of the systems described in this specification can be configured in various arrangements with separate integrated circuits and/or chips. The circuits are connected via connection paths to provide for communicating signals between the separate circuits. While separate integrated circuits are discussed, the circuits may be integrated into a common integrated circuit board in various embodiments. Additionally, the integrated circuits may be combined into fewer integrated circuits or divided into more integrated circuits. 
     Detailed embodiments are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are intended only as examples. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the aspects herein in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of possible implementations. 
     The systems, components, and/or processes described above can be realized in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and can be realized in a centralized fashion in one processing system or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected processing systems. Any kind of processing system or another apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A combination of hardware and software can be a processing system with computer-usable program code that, when being loaded and executed, controls the processing system such that it carries out the methods described herein. The systems, components, and/or processes also can be embedded in a computer-readable storage, such as a computer program product or other data programs storage device, readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform methods and processes described herein. These elements can also be embedded in an application product that comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein and, when loaded in a processing system, can carry out these methods. 
     Furthermore, arrangements described herein may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable media having computer-readable program code embodied, e.g., stored, thereon. Any combination of one or more computer-readable media may be utilized. The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The phrase “computer-readable storage medium” means a non-transitory storage medium. A computer-readable medium may take forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, and volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical disks, magnetic disks, and so on. Volatile media may include, for example, semiconductor memories, dynamic memory, and so on. Examples of such a computer-readable medium may include, but are not limited to, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, other magnetic medium, an ASIC, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a CD, other optical medium, a RAM, a ROM, a memory chip or card, a memory stick, and other media from which a computer, a processor or other electronic device can read. In the context of this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     The following includes definitions of selected terms employed herein. The definitions include various examples and/or forms of components that fall within the scope of a term and may be used for various implementations. The examples are not intended to be limiting. Both singular and plural forms of terms may be within the definitions. 
     References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one example,” “an example,” and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, though it may. 
     The terms “a” and “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The phrase “at least one of . . . and . . . .” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As an example, the phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” includes A only, B only, C only, or any combination thereof (e.g., AB, AC, BC, or ABC). 
     Aspects herein can be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope hereof.