PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Concussions, a prevalent public health concern in the United States, often result from mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI), notably in sports such as American football. There is limited exploration of smart-textile-based sensors for measuring the head impacts associated with concussions in sports and recreational activities. In this paper, we describe the development and construction of a smart textile impact sensor (STIS) and validate STIS functionality under high magnitude impacts. This STIS can be inserted into helmet cushioning to determine head impact force. The designed 2 × 2 STIS matrix is composed of a number of material layered structures, with a sensing surface made of semiconducting polymer composite (SPC). The SPC dimension was modified in the design iteration to increase sensor range, responsiveness, and linearity. This was to be applicable in high impact situations. A microcontroller board with a biasing circuit was used to interface the STIS and read the sensor\'s response. A pendulum test setup was constructed to evaluate various STISs with impact forces. A camera and Tracker software were used to monitor the pendulum swing. The impact forces were calculated by measuring the pendulum bob\'s velocity and acceleration. The performance of the various STISs was measured in terms of voltage due to impact force, with forces varying from 180 to 722 N. Through data analysis, the threshold impact forces in the linear range were determined. Through an analysis of linear regression, the sensors\' sensitivity was assessed. Also, a simplified model was developed to measure the force distribution in the 2 × 2 STIS areas from the measured voltages. The results showed that improving the SPC thickness could obtain improved sensor behavior. However, for impacts that exceeded the threshold, the suggested sensor did not respond by reflecting the actual impact forces, but it gave helpful information about the impact distribution on the sensor regardless of the accurate expected linear response. Results showed that the proposed STIS performs satisfactorily within a range and has the potential to be used in the development of an e-helmet with a large STIS matrix that could cover the whole head within the e-helmet. This work also encourages future research, especially on the structure of the sensor that could withstand impacts which in turn could improve the overall range and performance and would accurately measure the impact in concussion-causing impact ranges.
摘要：
脑震荡,在美国普遍存在的公共卫生问题，通常由轻度创伤性脑损伤（mTBI）引起，尤其是在像美式足球这样的运动中。用于测量与运动和娱乐活动中的脑震荡相关的头部撞击的基于智能纺织品的传感器的探索有限。在本文中,我们描述了智能纺织品冲击传感器（STIS）的开发和构建，并在大冲击下验证STIS功能。该STIS可以插入头盔缓冲中以确定头部冲击力。设计的2×2STIS矩阵由许多材料分层结构组成，具有由半导体聚合物复合材料(SPC)制成的传感表面。在设计迭代中修改了SPC尺寸，以增加传感器范围，响应性、响应性和线性。这适用于高影响情况。带有偏置电路的微控制器板用于连接STIS并读取传感器的响应。构造了摆锤测试装置，以评估各种带有冲击力的STIS。使用相机和跟踪器软件来监视摆锤摆动。通过测量摆锤的速度和加速度来计算冲击力。各种STIS的性能是根据冲击力引起的电压来测量的，力从180到722N不等。通过数据分析，确定了线性范围内的阈值冲击力。通过线性回归分析,对传感器的灵敏度进行了评估。此外，建立了一个简化模型，以根据测得的电压测量2×2STIS区域的力分布。结果表明，改善SPC厚度可以获得改善的传感器行为。然而,对于超过阈值的影响，建议的传感器没有反映实际的冲击力，但是它提供了有关传感器上的影响分布的有用信息，而与准确的预期线性响应无关。结果表明，拟议的STIS在一定范围内表现令人满意，并有可能用于开发具有大型STIS矩阵的电子头盔，该矩阵可以覆盖电子头盔内的整个头部。这项工作也鼓励未来的研究，特别是在传感器的结构上，可以承受冲击，这反过来可以提高整体范围和性能，并将准确地测量在引起脑震荡的冲击范围内的冲击。
