Patent ID: 12249851

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Referring toFIGS.1through5, there is shown a user wearing wearable articles11,13,15,17. The wearable articles11,13,15,17include a first wearable article11the form of a t-shirt11, a second wearable article13in the form of a pair of trousers13, a third wearable article15in the form of footwear15, and a fourth wearable article17in the form of a hat17. The first wearable article11is arranged to transfer power from the power source111to the power sources131,151,171of the second, third and fourth wearable articles13,15, and17. The wearable articles11,13,15,17comprise electronics arrangements. Electronics arrangement refer to a collection of electronics components that may be able to interact with one another. Some or all of the electronics components may be provided together in an electronics module.

The first wearable article11comprises a first power source111, a processor112, power transmitter113, interface element114, power receiver115, sensor116and communicator117. A power bus (not shown) extends from the power source111to the power transmitter113, interface element114, and power receiver115to enable power to be transferred from the first power source111to power sources of other wearable articles13,15,17and vice versa. The power source111, power transmitter113, interface element114, and power receiver115are communicatively connected to the processor112which is arranged to selectively control these elements.

The first wearable article11is arranged to form a communicative coupling with the wearable articles13,15,17so as to transfer power from the first power source111to second power sources of the wearable articles13,15,17. The communicative coupling is formed via one or a combination of the power transmitter113and the interface element114. Generally, the power transmitter113is used to transfer power wirelessly such as inductively or over an air interface, and the interface element114is used to transfer power over a wired interface by forming a conductive pathway between the power source111of the wearable article11and a power source of another wearable article13,15,17.

In some examples, the power transmitter113is arranged to inductively transfer power. In these examples the power transmitter113comprises one or more transmitter elements such as transmitter coils and the power receiver of the other wearable article13,15,17comprises one or more receiver elements such as receiver coils. The transmitter elements may be located at different positions in the wearable article11or may be arranged together.

The power receiver115of the first wearable article11is arranged to form a communicative coupling with the wearable articles13,15,17or another article (not shown) so as to receive power for charging the first power source111. In one example, the power receiver115may receive power from the footwear15as footwear15generally have sufficient space for the storage of a relatively large power source. The power receiver115may receive power from a backpack or other device for example.

The sensor119is arranged to sense data and the communicator121is arranged to transmit or receive data from an external device such as the wearable articles13,15,17. The sensor119and the communicator121are controlled by the processor113. The power transmitter113and the power receiver115may be provided as a single unit which may be referred to as a power transceiver113,115.

The second wearable article13comprises a power source131, processor132, interface element133, sensor135, and communicator136.

The first wearable article11is conductively connected to the second wearable article13to enable power to be transferred from the first wearable article11to the second wearable article13. The interface element114of the first wearable article11forms a conductive and mechanical connection with the interface element133of the second wearable article13so as to enable power to be transferred from the first power source111to the second power source131of the second wearable article13. The interface element114forms a physical coupling with the second wearable article13such that a conductive connection is formed between the first wearable article11and the second wearable article13. In effect, a wired connection is formed between the first wearable article11and the second wearable article13.

The interface element114is provided in the form of a magnetic material provided on an inside lower surface of the first wearable article11(e.g. the skin facing surface of the t-shirt11). A conductive pathway extends from the first power source111to the interface element114of the first wearable article11.

The second wearable article13comprises an interface element133which is arranged to connect with the interface element114of the first wearable article11. A conductive pathway extends from the second power source131to the interface element133of the second wearable article13. Thus, when the interface element114of the first wearable article11is connected to the interface element133of the second wearable article13, the first power source111is in conductive connection with the second power source131. The interface element133is provided in the form of a magnetic material provided on an outer upper surface of the second wearable article13(e.g. the outside facing surface of the trousers13). In this way, when the user wears t-shirt11, the t-shirt11drapes over the trousers13which results in the interface elements114,133being magnetically attracted towards one another to form a conductive and mechanical coupling. It will be appreciated that the interface element114may be provided on an outside surface of the first wearable article11and the interface element133may be provided on an inside surface of the second wearable article13if, for example, the t-shirt11is desired to be tucked into the trousers13. The use of a magnetic material for the interface element114,133is beneficial as it helps ensure that a conductive coupling is formed with minimal effort from the user. The magnetic material may also enhance alignment when wireless (e.g. inductive) charging is performed. For example, magnetic material such as permanent magnets may be placed in the vicinity of the power transmitter113of the wearable article11and corresponding ferromagnetic material may be placed within or near the power receiver of the other wearable article13,15,17. Other forms of interface element such as fasteners may help temporarily align the power transmitter of the wearable article11with the power receiver of the other wearable article13,15,17to facilitate charging.

The third wearable article15comprises a power source151, processor152, power receiver153, sensor155and communicator156. The fourth wearable article17comprises a power source171, processor172, power transmitter173, power receiver174, sensor175and communicator176.

The first wearable article11is communicatively connected to the third and fourth wearable articles15,17so as to enable power to be transferred from the first wearable article11to the third and fourth wearable articles15,17over a wireless network. In particular, the power transmitter113of the first wearable article11is arranged to wirelessly transmit power from the first power source111to the power sources151,171of the third wearable article15and the fourth wearable article17. The third wearable article15and the fourth wearable article17comprise power receivers153,174arranged to receive power transmitted by the first wearable article11.

The first wearable article11is therefore able to transfer power to the third and fourth wearable articles15,17wirelessly without a physical conductive connection between the articles15,17. The power transmitter113of the first wearable article11is driven by electric power from the first power source111. The power transmitter113generates a time-varying electromagnetic field, which transmits power wirelessly to the power receiver153,154of the third or fourth wearable article15,17.

In this example, the third and fourth wearable articles15,17are physically separated from the wearable article11by a relatively large air gap which generally means that inductive charging is not feasible. To charge the third and further wearable articles15,17, the power transmitter113of the first wearable article11beams the electromagnetic energy from the wearable articles15,17.

The beaming of energy may be performed using microwaves and in particular focused microwaves. In these examples, the first wearable article11may comprise a transducer (not shown) which is arranged to convert electrical energy from the power source11into a focused beam of microwave energy that is transmitted by the power transmitter113. The power transmitter113may comprise one or a plurality of antennas for the purpose of transmitting the microwave energy. The first wearable article11may have information relating to the location of the wearable articles15,17so that the beamed energy is directed towards the wearable articles15,17. This information may be obtained through RF communication between the wearable article11and the wearable articles15,17or by other means. The wearable article11may be pre-programmed to determine the locations of the wearable articles15,17based on factors such as the type of wearable articles15,17. For example, if the wearable article11is able to determine that the wearable article15is an item of footwear, the wearable article11may be able to determine to beam energy in a downwards direction. Another example of the beaming of energy involves the use of ultrasonic waves rather than microwaves.

The beaming of energy may be performed over a wireless network. In this arrangement, the power transmitter113may be arranged to transmit power over a first wireless network which may, for example, be a short-range wireless network such as a wireless personal area network (PAN). The power transmitter113may be part of or may be the communicator117. That is, the transmitter of the communicator117may be the power transmitter113. The power transmitter113may be a mobile transmitter113arranged to transmit power over a wireless network such as a cellular network. Beneficially, the same mobile transmitter113used to transfer power may be arranged to transmit and/or receive data to the wearable articles15,17or other external devices. Power may be transferred over a first wireless network and data may be transferred over a second wireless network which may be different to the first wireless network. The second wireless network may be a cellular network. In preferred implementations, the mobile transmitter113is a mobile transceiver113,115arranged to transmit and receive data and power over the wireless networks. The mobile transceiver113may transmit and/or receive data over a cellular network and may transmit and/or receive power over a personal area network. The power may be transmitted in the form of pulsed RF energy, continuous RF energy, intermittent RF energy, and/or multiband RF energy.

In some implementations, the wearable article11is arranged to transfer power whenever the wearable article11is brought into communication with another of the wearable articles13,15,17. In preferred implementations, however, the wearable article11performs an additional determination step before transferring power. This determination step is beneficial as it ensures that power is transferred only when certain conditions are met. This helps reduce unnecessary power drain for the wearable article11and helps avoid the transfer of power to apparatuses without the user's authorisation.

In some examples, the processor112of the wearable article11is arranged to determine whether a power transfer condition is satisfied. In response to determining that the power transfer condition is satisfied, the processor112is arranged to control the wearable article11to transfer power from the power source111to one of the other wearable articles13,15,17. The power transfer condition may relate to information received from the wearable article13,15,17. The information may relate to the identity of the wearable article13,15,17, the identity of a user wearing the wearable article13,15,17, and/or an available charge level of the wearable article13,15,17. The processor112of the wearable article11may determine whether the power transfer condition is satisfied based on information received from the wearable article13,15,17.

In some examples, the communicator117of the wearable article11receives identification information from the wearable article13,15,17. The processor112determines from the identification information whether the power transfer condition is satisfied.

In some examples, the power transfer condition is satisfied if the identification information identifies that the wearable article13,15,17is authorised to receive power from the wearable article11. This may mean that the wearable article13,15,17is associated with the user wearing the wearable article11or with another user that is authorised by the user wearing the wearable article11. For example, the user wearing the wearable article11may authorise family members or friends to be able to receive power from the wearable article11. The identification information may be biometric information identifying a user associated with the wearable article13,15,17. The biometric information may be sensed by a sensor of the wearable article13,15,17. The processor112is arranged to determine from the biometric information whether the user associated with the wearable article13,15,17is authorised to receive power from the wearable article11. The processor112may make the determination by comparing the biometric information identifying the user wearing the wearable article11to the biometric information identifying the user associated with the wearable article13,15,17to determine whether the user associated with the wearable article13,15,17is the same as a user wearing the wearable article11.

Before power is transferred, the wearable article11may first determine how much (if any) power it may transfer. This determination may be based on several metrics. One example metric is whether the power source111has a remaining charge that is greater than a predetermined threshold. This means that the processor112determines whether the power source111has sufficient spare power to be transferred to the wearable article13,15,17. Another example metric is whether the power source111has a remaining charge that is sufficient to power the wearable article11for a time that is greater than a predetermined threshold. This may mean that the processor112estimates the remaining battery life of the wearable article11and determines whether to transfer power based on this estimate. For example, if the wearable article11has less than one hour of battery life remaining, the processor112may determine not to transfer power to the wearable article13,15,17. Of course, other time durations are within the scope of the present disclosure. Another example metric is whether the wearable article11has received an authorisation command from the user to transfer power to the wearable article13,15,17. The user may be prompted by a user electronic device in communication with the wearable article11or the wearable article11itself to authorise the transfer of power. The user may be presented with information indicating amongst other things the remaining batter life of the wearable article11. The user may authorise the transfer of power via a user input, gesture, or voice command amongst others. Another example metric is whether a remaining charge of the wearable article13,15,17is less than a predetermined threshold. This may mean that the wearable article11receives power status level information from the wearable article13,15,17which indicates the remaining charge for the wearable article13,15,17. If the wearable article13,15,17has sufficient remaining charge then the wearable article11may determine not to transfer power.

In some implementations, the wearable article13,15,17is arranged to transfer data to the wearable article11based on a determined power status level information of the wearable article13,15,17. In these examples, the processor132,152,172of the wearable article13,15,17determines power status level information for the power source131,151,171. The processor132,152,172then determines, from the power status level information, whether to transfer data to the wearable article11. In response to determining to transfer data, the processor132,152,172controls the communicator136,156,176to transfer data to the wearable article11. The power status level information may relate to the remaining charge for the power source131,151,171. The processor132,152,172may determine to transfer data if the remaining charge is less than a predetermined threshold or if the remaining charge is only sufficient to power the wearable article13,15,17for a time that is less than a predetermined threshold.

In example implementations, the data comprises sensor data sensed by one or more sensors135,155,175of the wearable article13,15,17. The sensor data may be raw or processed sensor data. Transferring sensor data to the wearable article11provides the wearable article13,15,17with a mechanism to offload and backup sensor data. This protects against the data being lost if, for example, the wearable article13,15,17runs out of power and is shut down. The data may further comprise instructions for handling the sensor data. The instructions may relate to how to process the sensor data. This may enable the wearable article13,15,17to offload some of the processing tasks to the wearable article11so as to help conserve the battery life of the wearable article13,15,17. The data may additionally or separately comprise the power status level information and/or identification information for the apparatus and/or a user associated with the wearable article13,15,17.

Referring toFIG.6, there is shown an example garment19according to aspects of the present disclosure. The garment19is in the form of a T-shirt. The garment19comprises an electronics module191comprising a processor and a first power source. The electronics module191may be the same as or similar to the electronics arrangements described above in relation to wearable articles11,13,15,17. The garment further comprises a mounting arrangement193which, in this example, is in the form of a pocket positioned193on the outside surface of the garment19. The pocket193has an opening at the top. The garment19further comprises an electrically conductive pathway195which extends from the first power source of the electronics module191to the mounting arrangement193. The electrically conductive pathway195may be hidden in the garment19and may not be visible from an outside surface of the garment19.

The mounting arrangement193is arranged to releasably retain a second power source (not shown). This may mean that the second power source is able to be positioned within the pocket193. The second power source may be a user electronic device such as a mobile phone or a power bank. When the second power source is retained by the mounting arrangement193, the first power source and the second power source are brought into electrical communication via the electrically conductive pathway. This enables the electronics module191to receive power from the second power source via the electrically conductive pathway195or vice versa. In this way, the second power source may be used to charge the power source of the electronics module191.

Referring toFIG.7, there is shown a sectional view of the garment19inFIG.6. The sectional view shows that a power receiver197comprising one or more coils is provided within the garment19in the vicinity of the mounting arrangement. The electrically conductive pathway195terminates in the power receiver197which means that the electrically conductive pathway195electrically connects the electronics module191to the power receiver197. The second power source comprises a power transmitter comprising one or more coils. When the second power source is retained by the mounting arrangement193, an inductive coupling is formed between the power receiver197and the power transmitter which enables the second power source to inductively transfer power to the first power source of the electronics module191.

In some examples, the mounting arrangement193comprises an interface element arranged to form a mechanical and/or electrical connection with the second power source. The interface element may provide a mechanical connection to help hold the second power source in a fixed position relative to the power receiver197. This may enhance the transfer of power from the second power source to the first power source by helping to ensure that that an inductive coupling is formed and maintained. The interface element may form an electrical connection with the second power source so as to enable power to be transferred from the first power source to the second power source. The electrical connection may be separate to or in addition to the inductive coupling. That is, rather than just inductively charging the second power source, the interface element may form a physical conductive connection between the first and second power source so as to enable the transfer of power.

In some implementations, the interface element comprises a magnetic material. The magnetic material is arranged to couple with magnetic material of the second power source to form the mechanical and/or conductive connection with the second power source.

In some implementations, the interface element comprises a fastener element. The fastener element is arranged to couple with a corresponding fastener element of the second power source to form the mechanical and/or conductive connection with the second power source.

In some implementations, the electronics module191is removable from the garment19. In these implementations, the garment may comprise a second mounting arrangement (not shown). The second mounting arrangement may be arranged to releasably retain the electronics module.

Referring toFIG.8, there is shown an example method of transferring power from a wearable article to an external apparatus according to aspects of the present disclosure. Step S101of the method comprises determining, by the wearable article, whether a power transfer condition is satisfied. In response to determining that the power transfer condition is satisfied, step S102of the method comprises transferring, by the wearable article, power from the power source to an electrical load of the external apparatus.

Referring toFIG.9, there is shown an example method of transferring power from a wearable article to an external apparatus. Step S201of the method comprises providing a wearable article comprising: a power source; and an interface element comprising magnetic material, wherein the magnetic material is arranged to form an electrical connection with an external apparatus so as to enable power to be transferred from the power source to an electrical load of the external apparatus. Step S202of the method comprises forming, by the wearable article, an electrical connection between the interface element of the wearable article and the external apparatus. Step S203of the method comprises transferring, by the wearable article, power from a first power source of the wearable article to an electrical load of the external apparatus via the electrical connection.

Referring toFIG.10, there is shown an example method of transferring power from a wearable article to an external apparatus. The method comprises providing the wearable article. The method comprises using a power transmitter of the wearable article to beam electromagnetic energy from the power source to a power receiver of the external apparatus.

At least some of the example embodiments described herein may be constructed, partially or wholly, using dedicated special-purpose hardware. Terms such as ‘component’, ‘module’ or ‘unit’ used herein may include, but are not limited to, a hardware device, such as circuitry in the form of discrete or integrated components, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which performs certain tasks or provides the associated functionality. In some embodiments, the described elements may be configured to reside on a tangible, persistent, addressable storage medium and may be configured to execute on one or more processors. These functional elements may in some embodiments include, by way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Although the example embodiments have been described with reference to the components, modules and units discussed herein, such functional elements may be combined into fewer elements or separated into additional elements. Various combinations of optional features have been described herein, and it will be appreciated that described features may be combined in any suitable combination. In particular, the features of any one example embodiment may be combined with features of any other embodiment, as appropriate, except where such combinations are mutually exclusive. Throughout this specification, the term “comprising” or “comprises” means including the component(s) specified but not to the exclusion of the presence of others.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.