Wireless drink container for monitoring hydration
A wireless drink container can monitor a person's hydration and prompt him or her to drink more if appropriate. The drink containers as described herein can monitor liquid levels and communicate with external devices about the liquid levels and rate of consumption. One or more sensors in the drink container monitor the liquid level within the container. A processor coupled to the sensor(s) estimates how much liquid has been removed from the container from changes in the liquid level and transmits a signal representing the change in liquid level to a smartphone or other external device. It also triggers an audio or visual indicator, such as an LED, that prompts the user to drink more based on the user's estimated liquid consumption and on the user's liquid consumption goals, which may be based on the user's physiology, activity level, and location.
1 . A container assembly comprising:
a container defining a cavity to hold a liquid;
a removable cap configured to be coupled to the container to form a watertight seal that prevents the liquid from leaking out of the cavity and defining a watertight enclosure such that liquid in the cavity is prevented from flowing into the watertight enclosure;
a liquid flow sensor coupled to the removable cap and configured to measure a flow of the liquid out of the cavity;
an accelerometer, mechanically coupled to the removable cap, to measure an orientation of the container;
a processor, operably coupled to the liquid flow sensor and the accelerometer and disposed within the watertight enclosure, to estimate a change in an amount of the liquid in the cavity based on the flow of the liquid out of the cavity and the orientation of the container;
a cap sensor, operably coupled to the processor, to sense a status of the removable cap; and
a visual indicator, operably coupled to the processor, configured to provide a visual indication prompting a user to drink from the container.
2 . The container assembly of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to estimate the change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity based on data from the liquid flow sensor and the accelerometer.
3 . The container assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
an antenna, operably coupled to the processor, to transmit an indication of the change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity to a wireless device.
4 . The container assembly of claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the visual indicator to provide the visual indication in response to a command received from the wireless device via the antenna.
5 . The container assembly of claim 4 , wherein the command received from the wireless device via the antenna is based in part on a time since a last visual indication provided by the visual indicator.
6 . The container assembly of claim 3 , wherein:
the antenna is configured to receive an indication of a target change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity from the wireless device, and
the processor is configured to compare the change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity to the target change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity and to cause the visual indicator to provide the visual indication if the change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity is less than the target change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity.
7 . The container assembly of claim 6 , wherein the target change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity is based on at least one of an age of a user, a height of the user, a weight of the user, an activity level of the user, a location of the user, an ambient temperature, and an ambient humidity.
8 . The container assembly of claim 3 , further comprising a display operably coupled to the processor and antenna and configured to provide a text indication prompting the user to drink from the container.
9 . The container assembly of claim 8 , wherein the display is on the wireless device.
10 . The container assembly of claim 8 , wherein the display is on the removable cap.
11 . The container assembly of claim 1 , wherein the visual indicator comprises at least one light-emitting diode (LED) disposed within the removable cap.
12 . The container assembly of claim 11 , wherein the at least one LED is configured to provide the visual indication by emitting light on a periodic basis.
13 . The container assembly of claim 1 , wherein the visual indicator is disposed within the watertight enclosure and is configured to provide the visual indication through the removable cap.
14 . The container assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a speaker operably coupled to the processor and configured to provide an audio indication prompting the user to drink from the container.
15 . The container assembly of claim 1 , wherein the accelerometer is further configured to measure an acceleration of the container.
16 . The container assembly of claim 1 , wherein the accelerometer is operably coupled to the liquid flow sensor.
17 . The container assembly of claim 1 , wherein the liquid flow sensor comprises a capacitive sensor.
18 . A method of tracking consumption, by a user, of a liquid disposed within a container assembly, the container assembly comprising:
a container defining a cavity to hold a liquid;
a removable cap configured to be coupled to the container to form a watertight seal that prevents liquid from leaking out of the cavity, the removable cap defining a watertight enclosure such that liquid in the cavity is prevented from flowing into the watertight enclosure;
a liquid flow sensor coupled to the removable cap and configured to measure a flow of the liquid out of the cavity;
an accelerometer, mechanically coupled to the removable cap, to measure an orientation of the container;
a processor, operably coupled to the liquid flow sensor and the accelerometer and disposed within the watertight enclosure, to estimate a change in an amount of the liquid in the cavity based on the flow of the liquid out of the cavity and the orientation of the container;
a cap sensor, operably coupled to the processor, to sense a status of the removable cap; and
a light source, operably coupled to the processor, to provide a visual indication prompting a user to drink from the container;
the method comprising:
(A) measuring, with the liquid flow sensor, the flow of the liquid out of the cavity;
(B) measuring, with the accelerometer, the orientation of the container; and
(C) estimating a change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity based on the flow of the liquid out of the cavity measured in (A) and the orientation of the container measured in (B)
(D) emitting light from the light source operably coupled to the processor and disposed in the removable cap, the light prompting the user to drink the liquid in the container.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
performing steps (A) through (C) at periodic intervals.
20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
sensing, with the cap sensor operably coupled to the processor, the status of the removable cap.
21 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
transmitting, via an antenna operably coupled to the processor, an indication of the change in the amount of the liquid in the container to a wireless device.
22 . The method of claim 18 , wherein emitting the light from the light source comprises emitting the light at periodic intervals.
23 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:
receiving a command, via an antenna operably coupled to the processor, to emit light from the light source,
wherein the command is based on a comparison of the change estimated in (C) to a target change in the amount of the liquid.
24 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
receiving, via an antenna operably coupled to the processor, an indication of a target change in the amount of the liquid, and
comparing, with the processor, the change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity to the target change in the amount of the liquid.
25 . The method of claim 24 , further comprising:
providing the visual indication to the user, with the light source, if the change in the amount of the liquid is less than the target change in the amount of the liquid.
26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the target change in the amount of the liquid in the cavity is based on at least one of an age of a user, a height of the user, a weight of the user, an activity level of the user, a location of the user, an ambient temperature, and an ambient humidity.
27 . The method of claim 24 , further comprising:
the container assembly further comprising a speaker operably coupled to the processor and configured to provide an audio indication prompting the user to drink from the container; and
providing an audio indication to the user, with the speaker, if the change in the amount of the liquid is less than the target change in the amount of the liquid.
28 . The method of claim 24 , further comprising:
providing a text indication to the user, with a display, if the change in the amount of the liquid is less than the target change in the amount of the liquid.
29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the display is on a wireless device.
30 . The method of claim 24 , further comprising:
measuring with the accelerometer an acceleration of the container.
31 . A container assembly comprising:
a container defining a cavity to hold a liquid;
a removable cap configured to be coupled to the container to form a watertight seal that prevents the liquid from leaking out of the cavity and defining a watertight enclosure such that liquid in the cavity is prevented from flowing into the watertight enclosure;
a liquid sensor coupled to the removable cap and configured to measure a flow of the liquid out of the cavity;
an accelerometer, mechanically coupled to the removable cap, to measure an orientation of the container;
a processor, operably coupled to the liquid sensor and the accelerometer and disposed within the watertight enclosure, to estimate a change in an amount of the liquid in the cavity based on the flow of the liquid out of the cavity and the orientation of the container;
a visual indicator array, operably coupled to the processor and disposed in the removable cap, configured to emit a glow through at least a portion of the container prompting a user to drink from the container; and
a display, operably coupled to the processor and disposed on the removable cap, to provide a text indication to the user.
32 . The container assembly of claim 31 , wherein the visual indicator array is mounted to a substrate.
33 . The container assembly of claim 32 , wherein the substrate comprises a printed circuit board.