Tunable, flexible and stretchable adhesive-integrated antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11154231-B2
Application number	US-201716083868-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2017
Priority date	Mar 11, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed are flexible and stretchable antenna devices, systems and methods of use and manufacture. In some aspects, a flexible and stretchable antenna device includes an adhesive substrate having flexible and stretchable material properties and capable of adhering to a surface of an object; and an antenna attached on or at least partially embedded within the adhesive substrate, the antenna including a radiating element and a ground element, in which one or both of the radiating element and the ground element include a mesh structure allowing the antenna device to transmit or receive wireless communication signals at a predetermined operating frequency while being stretched.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible and stretchable antenna device, comprising:
an adhesive substrate having flexible and stretchable material properties and structured to adhere to a surface of an object; and
an antenna coupled to the adhesive substrate, the antenna including a radiating antenna part and an antenna ground part that are configured to operate to transmit or receive a wireless communication signal, wherein at least a part of the antenna ground part is structured as a mesh structure allowing the antenna to transmit or receive the wireless communication signal at a predetermined operating frequency while being stretched,
wherein the mesh structure of the antenna ground part includes electrodes each of which is configured to: collect signals from the object and, at the same time, operate as a part of the antenna device for simultaneous collection of the signals and transmission of the collected signals in the wireless communication signal at the predetermined operating frequency.

2. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna includes a structural layout configured as an inverted F antenna (IFA).

3. The antenna device of claim 2 , wherein the IFA is structured to include the radiating antenna part having a terminal end that aligns with one end side of the antenna ground part, and the antenna ground part having a substantially rectangular geometry.

4. The antenna device of claim 2 , wherein the IFA includes an antenna feed part that extends from proximate the radiating antenna part into a void region of the antenna ground part without making contact with the antenna ground part to interface with an electrical circuit or electronic device on the adhesive substrate.

5. The antenna device of claim 2 , wherein the IFA includes a mark on one or both of the antenna and the adhesive substrate indicating a line to cut the antenna device to remove a portion of the antenna device and thereby modify the antenna device such that a user can define an operating frequency of the modified antenna device.

6. The antenna device of claim 5 , wherein the mark is oriented on the antenna device based on a second predetermined operating frequency different than the first predetermined operating frequency associated with the object.

7. The antenna device of claim 2 , wherein the IFA is electrically connected to one or more sensors to measure at least one of electromyography (EMG) signals, electrocardiography (EKG), electroencephalography (EEG) signals, electrogastrography (EGG), electrooculography (EOG), electrochemical signals, temperature measurements, humidity measurements, pressure measurements, motion, or location.

8. The antenna device of claim 2 , wherein the antenna ground part of the IFA includes an array of electrodes formed by elements of the mesh structure.

9. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the electrodes in the mesh structure are configured to collect physiological signals from a living subject.

10. The antenna device of claim 9 , wherein the collected physiological signals include one or more of electromyography (EMG) signals, electrocardiography (EKG), electroencephalography (EEG) signals, electrogastrography (EGG), electrooculography (EOG), electrochemical signals, temperature measurements, or humidity measurements.

11. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the electrodes in the mesh structure are configured to collect data pertaining to use of a medical treatment container.

12. The antenna device of claim 11 , wherein the collected data includes a detection of an external contact with or motion of the surface to which the antenna device is adhered.

13. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the object is a living subject, and the surface to adhere the flexible and stretchable antenna device is skin of the living subject.

14. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the object is a non-animate object.

15. The antenna device of claim 14 , wherein the surface of the non-animate object to adhere the flexible and stretchable antenna device includes one or more of a plastic or a glass.

16. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive substrate includes a medical-grade adhesive material.

17. The antenna device of claim 16 , wherein the medical grade adhesive material includes tegaderm.

18. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive substrate includes a heat and moisture resistant material.

19. The antenna device of claim 18 , wherein the heat and moisture resistant material includes a polyamide film.

20. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna includes a metal film including at least one of gold or chromium.

21. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna device is configured to be stretchable of at least 50% in multiple directions.

22. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the mesh structure includes an array of features interleaved with openings, the features having a size smaller than the wavelength associated with the wireless communication signal at the predetermined operating frequency.

23. The antenna device of claim 1 , wherein the radiating antenna part includes the mesh structure.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Coleman Todd Prentice
• Haj-Omar Amr
• Kim Yun Soung

Classifications

• A61B5/389

  Electromyography [EMG] · CPC title

• A61B5/257 Primary

  using adhesive means, e.g. adhesive pads or tapes · CPC title

• A61B5/288

  for foetal cardiography, e.g. scalp electrodes · CPC title

• A61B5/11

  Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor or mobility of a limb {(A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721)} · CPC title

• A61B5/6833 Primary

  Adhesive patches · CPC title