Biometric Sensor

• US 20080287767A1
• Filed: 11/21/2006
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ouwerkerk, Martin, Pasveer, Willem Franke, Oostveen, Jim T.
• Application Number:
  US12/094,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20080287767A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/182 Electrical shielding, e.g. using a Faraday cage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/25 Bioelectric electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/277 Capacitive electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/302 for capacitive or ionised electrodes, e.g. metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal

Abstract

A bio metric sensor device (1) comprises: —a thin, flexible, layered sensor body (2); —a conductive sense plate (21); —a first non-conductive layer (41) between the sense plate and an outer surface (7); —a conductive shield plate (53) having a passage opening (54), overlaying the sense plate; —a second non-conductive layer (51) between the sense plate and the shield plate; —conductive circuit lines (73) on an inner surface (6); —a non-conductive separation layer (61, 71) between the shield plate and the circuit lines; —a signal processing circuit (100) mounted on the inner surface (6), the circuit (100) comprising a differential amplifier (110) having an input (111); —a conductive interconnector (82) crossing the second non-conductive layer (51) and the separation layer (61, 71), extending through the passage opening (54) of the shield plate (53), coupling the sense plate (21) and said input (111) of said amplifier (110).

Claims

1. Biometric sensor device (1), suitable for capacitively sensing bio-electrical signals, the device comprising:

a thin, flexible, layered sensor body (2) having an inner surface (6) and an outer surface (7) opposite the outer surface, the body (2) comprising a first body part (3) which comprises;

an electrically conductive sense plate (21) in a first conductive layer (42);

a first non-conductive layer (41) between the sense plate (21) and the outer surface (7);

an electrically conductive shield plate (53) in a second conductive layer (52), overlaying the sense plate (21) at the side opposite the outer surface, and having a size at least corresponding to the size of the sense plate and preferably projecting beyond the contours of the sense plate;

the shield plate (53) having a passage opening (54);

a second non-conductive layer (51) between the sense plate (21) and the shield plate (53);

electrically conductive circuit lines (73, 74, 75, 125) in a conductive circuit layer (72) on the inner surface (6);

a non-conductive separation layer (61, 71) between the shield plate (53) and the electrically conductive circuit lines (73, 74, 75);

the device further comprising;

an electronic signal processing circuit (100) having circuit components (17) mounted on the inner surface (6), the circuit (100) comprising at least one differential amplifier (110) having a first input (111) and an output (114);

a first electrically conductive interconnector (82) crossing the second non-conductive layer (51) and the separation layer (61, 71), extending through the passage opening (54) of the shield plate (53), for coupling the sense plate (21) to the first input (111) of said amplifier (110).

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein each non-conductive layer is made of capton.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor body (2) is implemented as a stack of flexfoil layers (40;

50;

60;

70) attached to each other, each flexfoil layer comprising the combination of at least one conductive layer (42;

52;

62;

72) and at least one non-conductive layer (41;

51;

61;

71).

4. Device according to claim 1, further comprising an electrically conductive shield ring (22) around the sense plate (21) in the first conductive layer (42), the shield ring (22) being electrically connected to the shield plate (53).

5. Device according to claim 4, further comprising a series of second electrically conductive interconnectors (81) crossing the second non-conductive layer (51), each second interconnector (81) contacting the shield ring (22) and the shield plate (53).

7. Device according to claim 1, wherein the shield plate (53) is electrically connected to the output (114) of the amplifier (110).

8. Device according to claim 7, wherein the amplifier'"'"'s output (114) is connected to the amplifier'"'"'s inverting input (112), and wherein the sense plate (21) is connected to the amplifier'"'"'s non-inverting input (111).

9. Device according to claim 7, further comprising a third electrically conductive interconnector (83) crossing the separation layer (61, 71), for coupling the shield plate (53) to the amplifier'"'"'s output (114).

10. Device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electrically conductive ground plate (13;

63) in a third conductive layer (62) between the shield plate (53) and the circuit lines (73, 74, 75), overlaying the shield plate (53) and the processing circuit (100);

a third non-conductive layer (61) between the shield plate (53) and the ground plate (13;

63);

a fourth non-conductive layer (71) between the ground plate (13;

63) and the circuit lines (73, 74, 75).

12. Device according to claim 10, wherein the ground plate (13;

63) has a first opening (64) through which the first interconnector (82) extends without making contact with the ground plate (13;

63), and wherein the ground plate (13;

63) has a second opening (65) through which the third interconnector (83) extends without making contact with the ground plate (13;

63).

13. Device according to claim 1, wherein said circuit components (17) comprise at least one mounted IC amplifier package.

14. Device according to claim 13, wherein said amplifier package has an input terminal lead (17a) aligned with said first interconnector (82).

15. Device according to claim 1, wherein said circuit components (17) comprise at least one bare IC semiconductor dye.

17. Device according to claim 1, further comprising a resistor (130) connected between the first input (111) of said amplifier (110) and a fixed voltage line, preferably a zero voltage line;

said resistor (130) having a resistance value in the order of about 1 GΩ

.

20. Device according to claim 1, wherein said circuit lines (73, 74, 75, 125) comprise a shield line (125) extending as a closed loop surrounding all printed circuit lines (73, 121) which are connected to the sense plate (21), said shield line (125) being connected to the amplifier'"'"'s output (114).

21. Device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor body (2) comprises two wing parts (3;

4) and a fold portion (5) connecting the two wing parts (3;

4) to each other in a foldable manner;

wherein said sense plate (21), shield plate (53), and processing circuit (100) are arranged in a first wing part (3);

and wherein a second wing part (4) comprises a second electrically conductive ground plate (14;

66).

23. Device according to claim 21, further comprising:

an electrically conductive first ground plate (13;

63) in a third conductive layer (62) between the shield plate (53) and the circuit lines (73, 74, 75), overlaying the shield plate (53) and the processing circuit (100);

a third non-conductive layer (61) between the shield plate (53) and the first ground plate (13;

63);

a fourth non-conductive layer (71) between the first ground plate (13;

63) and the circuit lines (73, 74, 75);

wherein the second ground plate (14;

66) is electrically connected to the first ground plate (13;

63).

24. Device according to claim 23, wherein the second ground plate (14;

66) and the first ground plate (13;

63) are implemented as portions of one and the same layer (62).

25. Device according to claim 24, further comprising at least one connecting line (15) in the fold portion (5), implemented as a portion of the same layer (62), connecting the second ground plate (14;

66) to the first ground plate (13;

63).

26. Device according to claim 23, further comprising:

in the first wing part (3), at least one first contact (11) implemented as a portion of the conductive circuit layer (72) on the inner surface (6), the first contact (11) being electrically connected to the first ground plate (13;

63);

in the second wing part (4), at least one second contact (12) implemented as a portion of the conductive circuit layer (72) on the inner surface (6), the second contact (12) being electrically connected to the second ground plate (14;

66);

wherein said first and second contacts (11;

12) are positioned such that, when the body (2) is folded at the fold portion (5), said first and second contacts (11;

12) are substantially aligned with each other.

28. Device according to claim 21, wherein said two wing parts (3, 4) are folded together and are attached to each other.

30. Device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor body (2) further comprises a second body part (4) overlying the first body part (3), the second body part (4) comprising:

an electrically conductive second ground plate (14;

66) overlying the processing circuit (100) at the side opposite to the shield plate (53);

at least one insulating layer (71) between the ground plate (14;

66) and the processing circuit (100);

at least one insulating layer (41, 51, 61) between the ground plate (14;

66) and the outer surface (7) of the second body part (4).

31. Device according to claim 30, further comprising:

an electrically conductive first ground plate (13;

63) in a third conductive layer (62) between the shield plate (53) and the circuit lines (73, 74, 75), overlaying the shield plate (53) and the processing circuit (100);

a third non-conductive layer (61) between the shield plate (53) and the first ground plate (13;

63);

a fourth non-conductive layer (71) between the first ground plate (13;

63) and the circuit lines (73, 74, 75);

wherein the second ground plate (14;

66) is electrically connected to the first ground plate (13;

63).

36. Device according to claim 1, incorporated in clothing.

37. Device according to claim 1, incorporated in surface material of an object to be contacted by a person, the object selected from consisting of a chair, a bed, an examination table, a saddle, a steering wheel, and a baby'"'"'s incubator.

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