Vehicle operating element and method for noninvasively measuring biomolecules

• US 10,292,659 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hirzmann, Guido, Seyffert, Martin, Glocker, Raymond, Chen, Chunnan, Dietrich, Hendrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Mirza F
• Application Number:
  US15/514,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20180228440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/22 Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/02 Details of sensors specially adapted for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1477 non-invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4845 Toxicology, e.g. by detection of alcohol, drug or toxic products A61B5/4848 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/026 Dielectric impedance spectroscopy electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for measuring corrosion G01N17/02
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3291 mounted in or on other locations inside the vehicle or vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle operating element (12) comprising a sensor (14) for non-invasive measurement of biomolecules in the blood of an operator of a vehicle operating element (12) by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, comprising at least one antenna (16) which includes at least a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer and an insulating layer being sandwiched between the two conductive layers. By means of the second conductive layer an excitation signal can be coupled out and an off-resonance excitation signal can be coupled into the antenna (16). Furthermore, a method of non-invasive measurement of biomolecules and a method of operating a vehicle are described.

Claims

1. A vehicle operating element (12) comprising at least one sensor (14) for non-invasive measurement of biomolecules in the blood of an operator of the vehicle operating element (12) by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, comprising at least one antenna (16) which includes at least a first conductive layer (52), a second conductive layer (36), an insulating layer (40b, 48a) being sandwiched between the second and first conductive layers (36, 52), and a third conductive layer (42) electrically coupled to the first or second conductive layer (52, 36) and forming a connecting layer (53) with the electrically coupled first or second conductive layer (52, 36),

wherein the conductive layers of the connecting layer (53) are spaced apart from each other and the second or first conductive layer (36, 52) is sandwiched between the conductive layers of the connecting layer (53), and

wherein by means of the first conductive layer (52) and/or the second conductive layer (36) an excitation signal is coupled out and an off-resonance excitation signal is coupled into the antenna (16).

2. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1, wherein the first or second conductive layer (36, 52) is configured to have an edge-side structuring to exhibit a polygonal edge.

3. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer (52) and the second conductive layer (36) are arranged in parallel to each other.

4. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive layers (36, 42, 52) are flexible.

5. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1, wherein a cover layer (54) to be contacted by the operator is provided which is the outermost layer of the antenna (16) and is made from an electrically insulating material.

6. The vehicle operating element (12) according claim 1, wherein the antenna (16) is a dipolar antenna or a multi-polar antenna.

7. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1, wherein the antenna (16) comprises a dielectric insert (58) for improving the sensitivity of the antenna (16) in the low frequency range.

8. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1, wherein a control and evaluating unit (22) for controlling the at least one antenna (16) and for evaluating the off-resonance excitation signals received by the at least one antenna (16) is provided.

9. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 8, wherein the control and evaluating unit (22) is configured to generate different excitation frequencies for the antenna (16).

10. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 8, wherein the control and evaluating unit (22) is configured to evaluate wave functions of off-resonance excitation signals and, on the basis of the off-resonance, establish the presence of biomolecules.

11. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle operating element (12) is part of a vehicle steering wheel (10), actuating lever or shift lever of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1, wherein plural antennas (16) are arranged and spread over the vehicle operating element (12).

13. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1, wherein there is provided a heating layer (56) which is adjacent to or integrated in an insulating layer (40a, 40b, 46a, 46b, 48a, 48b).

14. A method of non-invasive measurement of biomolecules in the blood of an operator of a vehicle by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using a vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 1.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein plural biomolecules having different excitation frequencies are measured.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the measurement of the biomolecules in the operator'"'"'s blood is carried out contact-less.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein a control and evaluating unit (22) evaluates the complex impedance between the excitation signal and the off-resonance excitation signal for quantifying the concentration of the biomolecules in the operator'"'"'s blood.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the real part of the complex impedance for determining the sample volume and the imaginary part of the complex impedance is evaluated for quantifying the biomolecules to calculate the concentration of the biomolecules.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein, on the basis of the complex impedance, the control and evaluating unit (22) determines the measuring surface and/or the measuring points and/or the number of operators underlying the measurement.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein a control and evaluating unit (22) controls the at least one antenna (16) in a synchronized manner, wherein, if plural antennas (16) are provided, the control and evaluating unit (22) sequentially controls the antennas (16).

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein a memory (24) is provided in which the established values can be stored, wherein a control and evaluating unit (22) calculates trends for establishing forecasts about the development of the values on the basis of the stored values.

25. A method of operating a vehicle, wherein a method of non-invasive measurement of biomolecules according to claim 14 is carried out, wherein at least one vehicle system (28) is operated depending on the result of the method of non-invasive measurement of biomolecules.

27. The vehicle operating element (12) according to claim 7, wherein the dielectric insert (58) is made from fine ceramics.

28. The method according to claim 14, wherein the biomolecules to be measured are lactate, alcohol, and/or urea.

22. A measuring instrument for non-invasive measurement of biomolecules in the blood of an operator of a vehicle by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, comprising at least one antenna (16) which includes at least a first conductive layer (52), a second conductive layer (36), and a third conductive layer (42) electrically coupled to the first or second conductive layer (36, 52) and forming a connecting layer (53) with the electrically coupled first or second conductive layer (52, 36),

wherein the conductive layers of the connecting layer (53) are spaced apart from each other and the second or first conductive layer (36, 52) is sandwiched between the conductive layers of the connecting layer (53), and

wherein the measuring instrument is coupled to a control and evaluating unit (22) of the vehicle.

23. The measuring instrument according to claim 22, wherein the at least one antenna (16) further comprises an insulating layer (40b, 48a) sandwiched between the two conductive layers (36, 52), and wherein by means of the first conductive layer (52) and/or the second conductive layer (36) an excitation signal is coupled out and an off-resonance excitation signal is coupled into the antenna (16).

24. A method of non-invasive measurement of biomolecules in the blood of an operator of a vehicle by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using a measuring instrument according to claim 22.

26. A method of operating a vehicle, wherein a method of non-invasive measurement of biomolecules according to claim 24 is carried out, wherein at least one vehicle system (28) is operated depending on the result of the method of non-invasive measurement of biomolecules.

29. The measuring instrument according to claim 22, wherein the biomolecules to be measured are lactate, alcohol, and/or urea.

30. The method according to claim 24, wherein the biomolecules to be measured are lactate, alcohol, and/or urea.