METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PLANAR, MULTI-FUNCTION, MULTI-POWER SOURCED, LONG BATTERY LIFE RADIO COMMUNICATION APPLIANCE

• US 20160100368A1
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Secureall Corporation
• Original Assignee: Secureall Corporation
• Inventors: SHARMA, Arun Kumar, Wurm, Michael, Schaffzin, Richard, Setty, Prajakta
• Granted Patent: US 9,642,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level

Abstract

Some embodiments provide multifunctional device that provides two or more of the following functions: a) EKey; b) Ecall capability; c) Body Electric Field measurement; d) Body proximity measurement; e) External Electric Field measurement; f) One or two way voice announcement; g) Motion sensor. Some embodiments provide an Ekey that operates from battery energy and energy harvested by one or more of the following transducers: a) Photo voltaic cell; b) Radio Frequency antenna; c) Mechanical vibration, flexing; c) thermo-electric transducer. Some embodiments provide a planar Ekey encapsulated in an insulator matrix and comprising: a) antenna realized on a flat substrate; b) Electronic circuits realized on a flat substrate that provided interconnection to electronic components and is parallel to antenna plane; b) A conformal shaped ES device that conforms above the electronic components. Other features are also provided.

Claims

1. A multifunctional device that provides two or more of the following functions in the groups (all combinations except af, afg, ag)

a) EKey

b) Ecall capability

c) Body Electric Field measurement

d) Body proximity measurement

e) External Electric Field measurement

f) One or two way voice announcement

g) Motion sensor

11. A device of claim 9 with multiple E-field sensor probes, such that a first E-field is measured between probes on the same side of planar device, and a second E-field is measured between probes located on the opposite sides of the planar device.

x. A device of claim 1, that generated an inactivity alarm based on signal pattern from one or more sensors from a group comprising

a) Accelerometers

b) E-field sensor

x+1 A device of claim X that also factors in user'"'"'s usual daily activity pattern.

X+2 A device of claim X that generates an alarm if the device senses that it is not worn for a period exceeding a system administrator defined period.

Y A device of claim 2 wherein Mechanical Vibration transducer is a Piezo electric and/or electrostrictive transducer

Y+1 A device of claim Y wherein the mechanical transducer is pre-stressed along the length (where length is greater than width) of the planar device.

Y+2 A device of claim Y where wherein the Ekey has a means to clip to an apparel, where the weight of the Ekey is supported via a mechanical vibration transducer.

Y+3 A device of claim Y where PZT transducer is mechanically connected in series with electrostrictive transducer.

Y+4 A device of claim Y+3 where PZT transducer energy is used to DC bias the electrostrictive transducer.

Z A device of claim 2 wherein the RF antenna is connected to the radio transceiver as well a RF power harvester.

Z+1 A device of claim Z wherein the RF power harvester has a narrow band filter to reject power from transceiver'"'"'s in-band signal

Z+2 A device of claim Z wherein the RF power harvester is disconnected from antenna when transceiver needs to transmit.

Z+3 A device of claim Z wherein the transceiver is connected to a first antenna feed point and RF power harvester is connected to a second antenna feed point.

Z+4 A device of claim Z wherein the antenna is chosen whose bandwidth is much wider than the transceiver'"'"'s operating frequency band.

Z+5 A device of claim Z wherein the antenna is chosen to be multi band where one of the band is the transceiver'"'"'s operating frequency band, and the other band(s) are dedicated for RF power harvesting.

Z+6 A device of claim Z wherein the RF power harvesting system periodically sweeps the RF energy harvesting band to seek out best operating frequency for energy harvesting and thereafter operating the harvester at the best operating frequency.

Z+7 A device of claim Z+6 wherein the RF power harvesting system periodically sweeps the RF energy harvesting band to seek out best operating frequency for energy harvesting using a back-off algorithm that also considers instantaneous energy from other harvested energy sources.

M a device of claim 1 wherein the Ecall is generated only when user presses the Ecall switch a first user-configured number of times, within a second user configured time period.

N A device of claim 1 where the user is required to authenticate herself to the Ekey based on expiration of an authentication validity period or initiation of a privileged operation using the device.

N+1 a device of claim N wherein the authentication is done by one or more from a group of methods comprising:

a) Putting in proximity another personal device carried by the user.

b) Putting in proximity a smart phone equipped with Bluetooth and/or BLE wireless interface.

c) Entering a secret passcode on the device'"'"'s touchpad

d) Entering a secret tapping sequence by softly tapping the device against a hard surface.

e) Performing a hand gesture while holding the card in hand in a certain orientation.

d) Speaking a password to the device

2. An Ekey that operates from battery energy and energy harvested by one or more of the following transducers:

a) Photo voltaic cell

b) Radio Frequency antenna

c) Mechanical vibration, flexing

c) thermo-electric transducer

3. A planar Ekey encapsulated in an insulator matrix and comprising:

a) antenna realized on a flat substrate

b) Electronic circuits realized on a flat substrate that provided interconnection to electronic components and is parallel to antenna plane

b) A conformal shaped ES device that conforms above the electronic components. Optionally the other surface of ES that is away from electronic components is flat.

4. A device of claim 3 wherein antenna is realized on the same plane as the substrate the electronic components are mounted on.

5. A device of claim 4 wherein the substrate realizing by a FPC or PCB.

6. A device of claim 5 where the FPC is anchored to the insulator matrix on only one or two opposite ends.

7. A device of claim 4 above where the FPC plane is located approximately in the middle of the planar device.

8. A device of claim 3, wherein an energy harvesting PV cell is located on exterior surface(s) of the insulator matrix.

9. A device of claim 3 where the E-field sensor is located near the exterior surface of the insulator matrix.

10. A device of claim 9 where one or both electrodes of PZT transducer also serves as E field sensor probe.