CAPACITIVE SENSING AND COMMUNICATING

• US 20100312071A1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Schenk, Tim Corneel Wilhelmus
• Granted Patent: US 9,011,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0214 Capacitive electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2671 Arrangements for Wireless Time-Division Multiple Access [TDMA] System Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0891 for synchronized access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A device (100) which is placeable on or close to a human or animal body has at least a sensing unit (105) configured to capacitively sense a physiological signal from the human or animal body and capacitively communicate a body coupled communication signal. As sensing and body coupled communication capabilities can be provided by a single sensing unit, disadvantages of previous solutions for sensing and communicating like e.g. clutter of wires or increased costs and power consumption due to extra communication hardware can be alleviated.

Claims

1. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) being placeable on or close to a human or animal body and comprising;

a sensing unit (105;

205;

315, 345) configured to capacitively sense a physiological signal from said human or animal body and to capacitively communicate a body coupled communication signal.

2. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a first filtering unit (230) configured to low-pass filter or band-pass filter said physiological signal.

3. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a processing unit (235) configured to process a signal based on said physiological signal.

4. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a second filtering unit (250) configured to high-pass filter or band-pass filter a received body coupled communication signal.

5. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a detecting unit (255) configured to detect data conveyed by a received body coupled communication signal.

6. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a storing unit (240) configured to store at least one of data based on said physiological signal, data conveyed by a received body coupled communication signal and data conveyed by another communication signal.

7. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a combining unit (245) configured to combine at least one of a plurality of data generated by said device (100;

200;

305, 310) at different points in time and a plurality of data generated by different devices (305, 310).

8. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a transmit data generating unit (260) configured to generate transmit data from at least one of stored data and combined data, and other data.

9. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a modulating unit (265) configured to modulate transmit data to obtain a body coupled communication signal to be transmitted.

10. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a third filtering unit (270) configured to high-pass filter a body coupled communication signal to be transmitted.

11. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, further comprising a communicating unit (280) configured to communicate a communication signal to a device separated from said human or animal body.

12. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, wherein said device (100;

200;

305, 310) is configured to simultaneously sense said physiological signal and communicate said body coupled communication signal.

13. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) to claim 1, wherein said device (100;

200;

305, 310) is configured to simultaneously sense multiple physiological signals.

14. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, wherein said device (100;

200;

305, 310) is integrateable into at least one of textile, shoes and sports equipment.

15. Device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1, wherein said device (100;

200;

305, 310) is at least one of a capacitive contactless sensor, a body area network sensor and a medical on-body sensor.

16. System comprising:

a plurality of devices (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1,

wherein at least two devices of said plurality of devices (100;

200;

305, 310) are configured to communicate with each other.

17. System according to claim 16, wherein each of said plurality of devices (100;

200;

305, 310) is configured to communicate in a synchronous manner, such that no device communicates during a sensing period.

18. System according to claim 16, wherein said system is at least one of a body area network and a medical on-body sensor network.

19. Use of a device (100;

200;

305, 310) according to claim 1 for patient monitoring, sports performance coaching or wellness applications.

20. Method comprising:

a) capacitively sensing (S400) a physiological signal from a human or animal body; and

b) capacitively communicating (S405) a body coupled communication signal,

wherein the steps a) and b) are performed by a sensing unit (105;

205;

315, 345) of a device (100;

200;

305, 310) being placeable on or close to a human or animal body.

21. Computer program comprising program code means for causing a computer to carry out the steps of a method according to claim 20 when said computer program is carried out on a computer.