System, devices, and method for on-body data and power transmission

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10567152-B2
Application number	US-201816157920-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2018
Priority date	Feb 22, 2016
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

An on-body sensor system includes a hub configured to be attached to a surface of a user. The hub being further configured to transmit electrical power and/or data signals into the surface and to receive response data signals from the surface. The system further including at least one sensor node configured to be attached to the surface. The sensor node being further configured to receive the electrical power and data signals from the hub through the surface and to transmit the response data signals into the surface. The electrical power from the hub can power the sensor node and cause or enable the at least one sensor node to generate sensor information that is transmitted back to the hub within the response data signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An on-body sensor system comprising:
a hub configured to be attached to a surface of a user, the hub being further configured to transmit electrical power and data signals into the surface and to receive response data signals from the surface; and
at least one sensor node configured to be attached to the surface, the at least one sensor node being further configured to receive the electrical power and data signals from the hub through the surface and to transmit the response data signals into the surface,
wherein the at least one sensor node is powered by the electrical power received from the hub to generate sensor information that is transmitted back to the hub within the response data signals,
wherein the hub is further configured to determine a location of the at least one sensor node based on time required to transmit an electrical power and data signal into the surface and to receive a response data signal from the at least one sensor node.

2. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the hub is further configured to modulate the electrical power with the data signals prior to transmitting the electrical power and data signals into the surface.

3. The sensor system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one sensor node is further configured to demodulate the electrical power to obtain the data signals.

4. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the time is determined based on a change of phase of the response data signal compared to the transmitted power and data signal.

5. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor node comprises a plurality of sensor nodes, and each sensor node of the plurality of sensor nodes is configured to determine a location of other sensor nodes of the plurality of sensor nodes based on the plurality of sensor nodes transmitting location-related data.

6. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the hub further includes one or more power sources that store electrical energy, and the hub is configured to transmit the electrical energy to the at least one sensor node as the electrical power.

7. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor node does not include a chemical energy power source.

8. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor node comprises a plurality of sensor nodes, each sensor node of the plurality of sensor nodes including an application-specific sensor having a different sensing modality among the plurality of application-specific sensors.

9. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor node is a heat flux sensor, an accelerometer, an electrocardiogram sensor, a pressure sensor, a heart rate monitor, a galvanic skin response sensor, a sweat sensor, a non-invasive blood pressure sensor, or a blood oxygen saturation monitor.

10. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor node includes a processor configured to process the data signals for executing one or more application-specific algorithms.

11. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the hub includes memory configured to aggregate sensor information from the at least one sensor node.

12. The sensor system of claim 11 , wherein the hub is further configured to communicate with an off-body computer device for processing and/or storing of the sensor information.

13. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the hub includes at least one electrical contact for transmitting the electrical power and data signals into the surface.

14. The sensor system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one electrical contact is in direct contact with the surface.

15. The sensor system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one electrical contact is off of the surface.

16. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the surface is skin of the user.

17. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor node further includes a phase lock loop, and the at least one sensor node synchronizes with the hub based on the phase lock loop.

18. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor node is a smart sensor node.

19. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor node is a dumb sensor node.

20. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the hub and the at least one sensor node each includes an adhesive element to attach the hub and the at least one sensor node to the surface of the user.

21. The sensor system of claim 20 , wherein the adhesive element is an adhesive tape that is removable from the hub and the at least one sensor node.

Assignees

• Mc10 Inc

Inventors

• Raj Milan
• Mcgrane Bryan
• Model Jeffrey
• Sun Hoi-Cheong Steve
• Aranyosi Alexander J
• Hanson Valerie Susan

Classifications

• H04Q1/28 Primary

  Current-supply circuits or arrangements for selection equipment at exchanges · CPC title

• H04L7/033 Primary

  using the transitions of the received signal to control the phase of the synchronising-signal-generating means, e.g. using a phase-locked loop · CPC title

• H04Q9/00

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• H04Q2209/43

  using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth® or Zigbee® · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title