Sensors for a portable device

• US 10,182,738 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2015
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vayyar Imaging Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Vayyar Imaging Ltd.
• Inventors: Melamed, Raviv
• Primary Examiner(s): Koval, Melissa
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRUNG Q
• Application Number:
  US15/114,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20170238835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 324329-348, 324323, 324447, 324425, 324200, 324206, 324256-259, 324600, 324637, 324639, 324658, 343788, 343867, 343728, 343893, 343894, 343712
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0228 Microwave sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0033 Features or image-related aspects of imaging apparatus classified in A61B5/00, e.g. for MRI, optical tomography or impedance tomography apparatus; arrangements of imaging apparatus in a room image data processing or generation G06T
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/004 adapted for image acquisition of a particular organ or body part A61B5/0082 takes precedence; arrangements for optical scanning A61B5/0062
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0507 using microwaves or terahertz waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4312 Breast evaluation or disorder diagnosis A61B5/0091 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4872 Body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/02 of systems according to group G01S13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/032 Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems

Abstract

A portable sensing system device and method for providing microwave or RF (radio-frequency) sensing functionality for a portable device, the device comprising: a portable device housing configured to be carried by a user; and a sensing unit within said housing configured to characterize an object located in proximity to the portable system, said sensing unit comprising: a wideband electromagnetic transducer array said array comprising a plurality of electromagnetic transducers; a transmitter unit for applying RF signals to said electromagnetic transducer array; and a receiver unit for receiving coupled RF signals from said electromagnetic transducers array.

Claims

1. A portable sensing device comprising:

a portable device housing configured to be carried by a user; and

a sensing unit within said housing configured to characterize an object located in proximity to the portable device, said sensing unit comprising;

a capacitive array said capacitive array comprising a plurality of electromagnetic antennas;

a transmitter unit for applying RF (radio-frequency) signals to said capacitive array; and

a receiver unit for receiving coupled RF signals from said capacitive array,

wherein said capacitive array comprises a plurality of feed lines and a plurality of receive lines wherein the plurality of feed lines are coupled to the plurality of receive lines through an electromagnetic field formed between at least two capacitive sensor antennas said capacitive sensor antennas are connected to said plurality of feed and receive lines, wherein the capacitive sensor antennas are configured to identify or quantitatively characterize the object, wherein the sensing unit comprises a plurality of layers and wherein the plurality of feed lines are placed in separate layers and are connected to the capacitive sensor antennas through vertical holes said holes interconnecting the layers and wherein a plurality of ground layers are located between or around the layers.

2. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of electromagnetic antennas are selected from a group consisting of:

flat spiral antennas, printed log periodic antennas, sinuous antennas, patch antennas, multilayer antennas, waveguide antennas, dipole antennas, slot antennas, Vivaldi broadband antennas.

3. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of electromagnetic antennas are capacitive sensor plates.

4. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein said object is located within a formed electromagnetic field.

5. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein a sensing area is formed between two adjacent capacitive sensor antennas.

6. The portable sensing device according to claim 5, wherein the capacitive sensor array is formed as a grid structure.

7. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, comprising a data acquisition unit for collecting and digitizing said coupled RF signals.

8. The portable sensing device according to claim 7, wherein the data acquisition unit is configured to tag the coupled RF signals according to the electromagnetic transducer array combination and the time at which the coupled RF signals were collected.

9. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, comprising a processing unit said processing unit is configured to convert the RF signals into a set of responses said responses are configured to characterize the object, and convert the set of responses into data.

10. The portable sensing device according to claim 9, wherein said date is image data.

11. The portable sensing device according to claim 10, wherein said image date is a three dimensional image data said image data and wherein said three dimensional image data comprises an external and internal structure of the object.

12. The portable sensing device according to claim 9, wherein the data is displayed at said portable device display.

13. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is releasable from the portable device.

14. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is configured to scan the object.

15. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is movable with respect to the object.

16. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is linearly movable or rotationally movable with respect to the object.

17. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the object is movable with respect to the sensing unit.

18. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the portable device is a portable cellular telephone.

19. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the RF signals are selected from the group consisting of pulse signals, stepped-frequency signals and chirp signals.

20. The portable sensing device according to claim 1, wherein said wideband electromagnetic transducer array comprises a layer of matching material for improved coupling of the electromagnetic transducers radiation to said object.