Modular Sensor Platform

• US 20150157220A1
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Schuessler, James, Penders, Julien, Brown, Lindsay, Phillips, Sheldon George, Torfs, Tom, Fish, Ram, Nuovo, Frank Settemo
• Granted Patent: US 10,278,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• 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 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02141 Details of apparatus construction, e.g. pump units or housings therefor, cuff pressurising systems, arrangements of fluid conduits or circuits A61B5/02233, A61B5/0235 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/33 specially adapted for cooperation with other devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments for reconfiguring a storage system comprise a modular sensor platform, comprising: a base module comprising, a display, a processor, a memory and a communication interface; a band removably coupled to the base module such that the band is replaceable with different types of bands; and a sensor module that collects data from a user, the sensor module in communication with the base module and removably coupled to the band such that the sensor module is replaceable with different types of sensor modules, the sensor module further comprising a plurality of sensor units that are removably coupled to the sensor module such that individual sensor units are replaceable with different types of sensor units.

Claims

1. A device for measuring data indicative of a physiological activity of a user and being wearable on a body part of the user, the device comprising:

a band configurable to be fitted over the body part, and having an interior surface contacting the body part when worn by the user;

modular sensing circuitry removably disposed on the interior surface, being configurable to be in contact with the body part; and

a plurality of light sources disposed on the interior surface adjacent the modular sensing circuitry, and configured to emit lights onto the body part, the modular sensing circuitry configured to receive data indicative of a photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal of the user.

2. A device of claim 1, wherein the light sources have different spectral wavelengths.

3. A device of claim 2, wherein the wavelength of one of the light sources is greater than the wavelength of another of the light sources.

4. A device of claim 1, wherein the light sources have different spectral bandwidths.

5. A device of claim 1, wherein the light sources are uniformly distributed with respect to the modular sensing circuitry.

6. A device of claim 1, wherein the light sources are configured to be lit simultaneously.

7. A device of claim 1, wherein the light sources are configured to be individually addressable.

8. A device of claim 1, wherein brightness and duration of the light sources are configured to be individually addressable.

9. A device of claim 1, wherein the light sources include one or more lasers.

10. A device of claim 1, wherein the modular sensing circuitry further includes a color filter configured to measure a predefined color.

11. A device of claim 1, wherein the modular sensing circuitry further includes a plurality of sensors configured to measure data indicative of one or more of the physiological activities.

12. A device of claim 11, wherein the sensors have different sensor sizes.

13. A device of claim 1, wherein the modular sensing circuitry is replaceable with a different type of modular sensing circuitry.

14. A device of claim 1, wherein the modular sensing circuitry comprises any combination of optical sensor array, a thermometer, a galvanic skin response (GSR) sensor array, a bioimpedance (BioZ) sensor array, and an electrocardiography sensor (ECG) sensor.

15. A device of claim 14, wherein the optical sensor array includes an array of discrete optical sensors, where each discrete optical sensor is a combination of at least one image sensor and at least two matching light sources located adjacent to the image sensor.

16. A device of claim 14, wherein the optical sensor array is arranged on the band so that the optical sensor array straddles a blood vessel.

17. A device of claim 14, wherein the bioimpedance (BioZ) sensor array is arranged on the band so that the optical sensor array straddles a blood vessel.

18. A device of claim 1, wherein the modular sensing circuitry further includes a sensor and a sensor computing unit coupled to the sensor.

19. A device of claim 18, wherein the sensor computing unit further comprises an ECG and bioimpedance (BIOZ) analog front end (AFE), a GSR AFE, an optical sensor AFE, a processor, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a memory 312, a three-axis accelerometer, a pressure sensor and a battery.

20. A device of claim 19, wherein the processor executes a calibration and data acquisition component that performs sensor calibration and data acquisition functions.

21. A device of claim 20, further comprising a base module, wherein the base module further includes a base computing unit that includes a processor, a memory, a communication interface and a set of sensors including an accelerometer and thermometer.

22. A device of claim 21, wherein the band is integrated with the base module.

23. A device for measuring a physiological activity of a user and being wearable on a body part of the user, the device comprising:

a band configurable to be fitted over the body part, and having an interior surface contacting the body part when worn by the user;

modular sensing circuitry removably disposed on the interior surface, and being configurable to be in contact with the body part;

a sensor disposed on the exterior surface, and configured to receive data indicative of an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal of the user with the modular sensing circuitry;

a plurality of multi-spectral light sources disposed on the interior surface adjacent the modular sensing circuitry, and configured to emit multi-spectral lights onto the body part, the modular sensing circuitry also configured to receive data indicative of a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal of the user; and

a processor disposed on the band, and configured to derive data indicative of blood pressure of the user from the ECG signal and the PPG signal.

24. A device of claim 23, wherein the light sources have different spectral wavelengths.

25. A device of claim 23, wherein the wavelength of one of the light sources is greater than the wavelength of another of the light sources.

26. A device of claim 23, wherein the light sources have different spectral bandwidths.

27. A device of claim 23, wherein the multi-spectral light sources are uniformly distributed with respect to the modular sensing circuitry.

28. A device of claim 23, wherein the multi-spectral light sources are configured to be lit simultaneously.

29. A device of claim 23, wherein the multi-spectral light sources include one or more lasers.

30. A device of claim 23, wherein the modular sensing circuitry further includes a color filter configured to measure a predefined color.

31. A device of claim 23, wherein the modular sensing circuitry is replaceable with a different type of modular sensing circuitry.

32. A device of claim 23, wherein the modular sensing circuitry is arranged on the band so that the modular sensing circuitry straddles a blood vessel.

33. A device of claim 23, wherein the modular sensing circuitry further includes a sensor and a sensor computing unit coupled to the sensor.

34. A device of claim 33, wherein the sensor computing unit further comprises an ECG and bioimpedance (BIOZ) analog front end (AFE), a GSR AFE, an optical sensor AFE, a processor, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a memory, a three-axis accelerometer, a pressure sensor and a battery.

35. A device of claim 34, wherein the processor executes a calibration and data acquisition component that performs sensor calibration and data acquisition functions.

36. A device of claim 35, further comprising a base module, wherein the base module further includes a base computing unit that includes a processor, a memory, a communication interface and a set of sensors including an accelerometer and thermometer.

37. A device of claim 36, wherein the band is integrated with the base module.

38. A device for measuring a physiological activity of a user and being wearable on a body part of a user, the device comprising:

a band configurable to be fitted over the wrist, and having an interior surface contacting the body part when worn by the user;

modular sensing circuitry removably disposed on the interior surface, configured to measure the physiological activity of the user, and having a plurality of individual sensors configured to measure the physiological activity, the plurality of individual sensors being generally contoured to the shape of the body part.

39. A device of claim 38, wherein the modular sensing circuitry has a predefined sensing surface, wherein the individual sensors is configured to have a sum of individual sensor surfaces matching the predefined sensing surface.

40. A device of claim 39, wherein data indicative of the physiological activity measured by the individual sensors matches data measured with the predefined sensing surface.

41. A device of claim 38, wherein at least one of the individual sensors is configured to be spaced apart from another one of the individual sensors.

42. A device of claim 38, wherein the modular sensing circuitry further includes a sensor computing unit coupled to the individual sensors and configured to process data received from the individual sensors.

43. A device of claim 38, wherein the sensor computing unit further comprises an ECG and bioimpedance (BIOZ) analog front end (AFE), a GSR AFE, an optical sensor AFE, a processor, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a memory 312, a three-axis accelerometer, a pressure sensor and a battery.

44. A device of claim 38, further comprising a base module, wherein the base module further includes a base computing unit that includes a processor, a memory, a communication interface and a set of sensors including an accelerometer and thermometer.

45. A system for measuring a physiological activity of a user and being wearable on a body part of a user, the device comprising:

a band configurable to be fitted over the body part, and having an interior surface contacting the body part when worn by the user;

an interface disposed in the interior surface; and

a plurality of sensor modules, each of the sensor modules being configured to receive data indicative of a physiological activity of the user, being removably disposed on the interior surface, and being detachably engagable with the interface.

46. A system of claim 45, wherein the interface is configured to be in electrical communication with the sensor modules.

47. A system of claim 45, further comprising a sensor plate having the sensor modules thereon, and wherein the sensor plate is detachable.

48. A system of claim 45, further comprising a base module, wherein the base module further includes a base computing unit that includes a processor, a memory, a communication interface and a set of sensors including an accelerometer and thermometer.

49. A system of claim 48, wherein the interface is configured to be in electrical communication with the base module.

50. A system of claim 45, wherein the sensor modules comprise any combination of optical sensor array, a thermometer, a galvanic skin response (GSR) sensor array, a bioimpedance (BioZ) sensor array, and an electrocardiography sensor (ECG) sensor.