Sensor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11428627-B2
Application number	US-201917279514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2019
Priority date	Sep 25, 2018
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

In an embodiment a sensor device includes a first optoelectronic emitter configured to irradiate a spot with electromagnetic rays, a second optoelectronic emitter configured to irradiate the spot with electromagnetic rays, a detector configured to detect electromagnetic rays from the first and second emitters reflected at or transmitted through the spot, wherein the electromagnetic rays of the first emitter have a wavelength in a range of 1400-1500 nm, wherein the electromagnetic rays of the second emitter have a wavelength in a range of 900-1100 nm, and wherein the second emitter is configured to emit at least one further electromagnetic signal, the one further electromagnetic signal not being used for measuring a humidity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor device comprising:
a first optoelectronic emitter configured to irradiate a spot with electromagnetic rays;
a second optoelectronic emitter configured to irradiate the spot with electromagnetic rays; and
a housing having a first cavity open to a bottom side of the housing and a second cavity open to the bottom side,
wherein the two cavities are separated from each other,
wherein the first emitter is arranged in the first cavity and the second emitter is arranged in the second cavity,
wherein the first optoelectronic emitter is configured to detect at least a portion of the electromagnetic rays from the second emitter that have been reflected at or transmitted through the spot,
wherein the second optoelectronic emitter is configured to detect at least a portion of electromagnetic rays from the first emitter that have been reflected at or transmitted through the spot,
wherein the electromagnetic rays of the first emitter have a wavelength in a range above 1450 nm,
wherein the electromagnetic rays of the second emitter have a wavelength in a range below 1450 nm,
wherein the second emitter is configured to detect at least a portion of a spectrum emitted by the first emitter, and
wherein the sensor device is configured to measure humidity.

2. The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the two emitters are configured to be operated as emitter and detector in a time-shifted manner so that each of the two emitters is configured to temporarily detect at least a portion of the electromagnetic rays emitted by the other emitter.

3. The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the two emitters are LEDs comprising an indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) layer on an indium phosphide (InP) layer.

4. The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor device is configured to measure skin moisture, wherein the housing of the sensor device is applicable to a skin surface of a user such that the emitted electromagnetic rays are irradiatable into or onto a skin spot of the user and electromagnetic rays reflected from the skin spot are detectable.

5. A wearable electronic device comprising:
the sensor device according to claim 1 ; and
an attachment means for attaching the sensor device to a body part of a user,
wherein the attachment means is connected to the sensor device.

6. A method for operating the sensor device according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
contacting the housing of the sensor device with a skin spot of a user;
irradiating the skin spot with the electromagnetic rays from the two emitters;
detecting the electromagnetic rays reflected from the skin spot by the two emitters; and
determining a moisture level as a function of the detected electromagnetic rays.

7. The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic rays of the second emitter have a wavelength in a range of 900-1100 nm.

8. A sensor device for measuring humidity, the sensor device comprising:
a first optoelectronic emitter configured to irradiate a spot with electromagnetic rays;
a second optoelectronic emitter configured to irradiate the spot with electromagnetic rays;
a detector configured to detect electromagnetic rays from the first and second emitters reflected at or transmitted through the spot; and
a housing having a first cavity open to a bottom side of the housing and a second cavity open to the bottom side,
wherein the electromagnetic rays of the first emitter have a wavelength in a range of 1400-1500 nm,
wherein the electromagnetic rays of the second emitter have a wavelength in a range of 900-1100 nm,
wherein the second emitter is configured to emit at least one further electromagnetic signal, the one further electromagnetic signal not being used for measuring the humidity,
wherein the two cavities are separated from each other,
wherein the two emitters are arranged next to each other in the first cavity, and
wherein the detector is arranged in the second cavity.

9. The sensor device according to claim 8 , wherein the two emitters are configured to emit the electromagnetic rays in a time-shifted manner so that the detector is able to detect only electromagnetic rays of one emitter at a time.

10. The sensor device according to claim 8 , wherein the first emitter is an LED comprising an indium gallium arsenide layer (InGaAs layer) on an indium phosphide layer (InP layer).

11. The sensor device according to claim 8 , wherein the second emitter is an LED comprising an indium gallium arsenide layer (InGaAs layer) on an aluminum gallium arsenide layer (AlGaAs layer) or on a gallium arsenide layer (GaAs layer).

12. The sensor device according to claim 8 , wherein the detector is a photodiode.

13. The sensor device according to claim 12 , wherein the photodiode comprises an indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) layer on an indium phosphide (InP) layer.

14. The sensor device according to claim 8 , wherein the bottom side comprises a cover which is at least partially transparent to the electromagnetic rays of the two emitters.

15. The sensor device according to claim 8 , further comprising an evaluation device configured to determine the humidity at the spot as a function of the detected electromagnetic rays of the two emitters.

16. The sensor device according to claim 8 , wherein the sensor device is configured to measure skin moisture, and wherein the housing of the sensor device is applicable to a skin surface of a user such that the emitted electromagnetic rays are irradiatable into or onto a skin spot of the user and electromagnetic rays reflected from the skin spot are detectable.

17. A wearable electronic device comprising:
the sensor device according to claim 8 ; and
an attachment means for attaching the sensor device to a body part of a user,
wherein the attachment means is connected to the sensor device.

18. A method for operating the sensor device according to claim 8 , the method comprising:
contacting the housing of the sensor device with a skin spot of a user;
irradiating the skin spot with electromagnetic rays from the two emitters;
detecting the electromagnetic rays reflected from the skin spot by the two emitters; and
determining a moisture level as a function of the detected electromagnetic rays.

Assignees

• Osram Opto Semiconductors Gmbh

Inventors

• Plechinger Gerd
• Boescke Tim
• Zinkl Wolfgang

Classifications

• G01N21/3554 Primary

  for determining moisture content · CPC title

• A61B2562/06

  Arrangements of multiple sensors of different types · CPC title

• A61B5/443

  Evaluating skin constituents, e.g. elastin, melanin, water · CPC title

• G01N2201/062

  LED's · CPC title

• G01N21/3151

  using two sources of radiation of different wavelengths (G01N21/33 - G01N21/39 take precedence) · CPC title