Patent ID: 8896457

Claim:
A system for monitoring protective headgear, the system comprising: a first wireless device that includes: a first sensor module, coupled to the protective headgear that generates first sensor data in response to an impact to the protective headgear; a first device processing module, coupled to the first sensor module, that generates first event data in response to the first sensor data, wherein the first device processing module includes a first event detection module that analyzes the first sensor data and triggers the generating of the first event data in response to detection of a first event in the first sensor data, wherein the first event detection module analyzes the first sensor data by: generating aggregate acceleration data from the first sensor data; comparing the aggregate acceleration data to an acceleration threshold; and determining an event window that indicates an event time period based on a time that the aggregate acceleration data exceeds the acceleration threshold, wherein the first event detection module triggers the generating of the first event data based on the event window; and detecting a fault condition associated with the generating of the first event data using an internal error detection routine; wherein the first event data includes an analysis of the first sensor data in absence of the fault condition, and wherein the first event data excludes the analysis of the first sensor data and includes an alarm indication when the fault condition is detected; and a first short-range wireless transmitter, coupled to the first sensor module and the first device processing module, that transmits a first wireless signal that includes the first event data; and an adjunct device that includes: an adjunct housing that is coupleable to a handheld communication device via a communication port of the handheld communication device to form a single integrated unit; an adjunct short-range wireless receiver, coupled to the adjunct housing, that receives the first wireless signal and recovers the first event data; and an adjunct processing module that transfers the first event data to the handheld communication device via the communication port of the handheld communication device.