MOUTH GUARD FORMATION METHODS
A method for producing a mouth guard having an encapsulated sensor module. The method includes vacuum forming a first sheet of thermoplastic material using a mold to produce a first mouth guard layer, attaching a sensor module to the first mouth guard layer with a hot melt adhesive, vacuum forming a second sheet of thermoplastic material over the sensor module to produce a second mouth guard layer, storing a default threshold level in the sensor module, and calibrating the sensor module to account for sensor alignment. In an example embodiment, the first and second layers are formed such that they define an open area that allows a user's tongue to touch their upper palate after the mouth guard has been inserted and such that the layers define a channel for accepting a plurality of teeth, including the incisors of a user.
1 . A method comprising:
forming a first mouth guard layer;
attaching a sensor module to the first mouth guard layer; and
encapsulating the sensor module between the first mouth guard layer and a second mouth guard layer.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mouth guard layer is formed from ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of attaching the sensor module to the first mouth guard layer is performed with an EVA based hot melt adhesive.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing a first default threshold level in the sensor module.
5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising storing a second default threshold level in the sensor module.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising calibrating the sensor module to account for sensor alignment after the sensor module is encapsulated.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the step of calibration comprises mounting the mouth guard on a turntable, rotating the turntable, and recording information from the sensor module.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching a battery to the first mouth guard layer, wherein the battery is also encapsulated between the first and second mouth guard layers.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second layers are formed such that they define an open area that allows a user's tongue to touch an upper palate of the user after the mouth guard has been inserted.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second layers are formed such that they define a channel for accepting a plurality of teeth, including the incisors of a user.
11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching a proximity sensor to the first mouth guard layer, the proximity sensor also being encapsulated between the first and second mouth guard layers.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is formed by injection molding.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of attaching the sensor module and the step of encapsulating the sensor module are performed substantially simultaneously with the step of forming the first layer by injection molding.