SYSTEM, DEVICES, AND METHOD FOR ON-BODY DATA AND POWER TRANSMISSION

• US 20170244543A1
• Filed: 02/21/2017
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medidata Solutions Incorporated (Dassault Systemes SA)
• Original Assignee: MC10, Inc.
• Inventors: Raj, Milan, McGrane, Bryan, Model, Jeffrey, Sun, Hoi-Cheong Steve, Aranyosi, Alexander J., Hanson, Valerie Susan
• Granted Patent: US 10,277,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/033 using the transitions of the received signal to control the phase of the synchronising-signal-generating means, e.g. using a phase-locked loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/00 Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes gain control in transmitters or power amplifiers H03G3/3042
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

An on-body sensor system includes a hub configured to be attached to a surface of a user. The hub being further configured to transmit electrical power and/or data signals into the surface and to receive response data signals from the surface. The system further including at least one sensor node configured to be attached to the surface. The sensor node being further configured to receive the electrical power and data signals from the hub through the surface and to transmit the response data signals into the surface. The electrical power from the hub can power the sensor node and cause or enable the at least one sensor node to generate sensor information that is transmitted back to the hub within the response data signals.

Claims

1. An on-body sensor system comprising:

a hub configured to be attached to a surface of a user, the hub being further configured to transmit electrical power and data signals into the surface and to receive response data signals from the surface; and

at least one sensor node configured to be attached to the surface, the at least one sensor node being further configured to receive the electrical power and data signals from the hub through the surface and to transmit the response data signals into the surface,

wherein the at least one sensor node is powered by the electrical power received from the hub to generate sensor information that is transmitted back to the hub within the response data signals.

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the hub is further configured to modulate the electrical power with the data signals prior to transmitting the electrical power and data signals into the surface.

3. The sensor system of claim 2, wherein with the electrical power is an alternating current.

4. The sensor system of claim 2, wherein the alternating current electrical power is about 1.5 milliwatts.

5. The sensor system of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor node is further configured to demodulate the electrical power to obtain the data signals.

6. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the hub further includes one or more power sources that store electrical energy, and the hub is configured to transmit the electrical energy to the at least one sensor node as the electrical power.

7. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor node does not include a chemical energy power source.

8. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor node comprises a plurality of sensor nodes, each sensor node of the plurality of sensor nodes including an application-specific sensor having a different sensing modality among the plurality of application-specific sensors.

9. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor node is a heat flux sensor, an accelerometer, an electrocardiogram sensor, a pressure sensor, a heart rate monitor, a galvanic skin response sensor, a sweat sensor, a non-invasive blood pressure sensor, or a blood oxygen saturation monitor.

10. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor node includes a processor configured to process the data signals for executing one or more application-specific algorithms.

11. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the hub includes memory configured to aggregate sensor information from the at least one sensor node.

12. The sensor system of claim 11, wherein the hub is further configured to communicate with an off-body computer device for processing and/or storing of the sensor information.

13. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the hub includes at least one electrical contact for transmitting the electrical power and data signals into the surface.

14. The sensor system of claim 13, wherein the at least one electrical contact is in direct contact with the surface.

15. The sensor system of claim 13, wherein the at least one electrical contact is off of the surface.

16. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the surface is skin of the user.

17. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor node further includes a phase lock loop, and the at least one sensor node synchronizes with the hub based on the phase lock loop.

18. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor node is a smart sensor node.

19. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor node is a dumb sensor node.

20. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the hub and the at least one sensor node each includes an adhesive element to attach the hub and the at least one sensor node to the surface of the user.

21. The sensor system of claim 20, wherein the adhesive element is an adhesive tape that is removable from the hub and the at least one sensor node.

22. A method of synchronizing nodes within an on-body sensor network, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a master hub located on a surface of a user, an initialization electrical current pulse into the surface;

receiving, by at least one sensor node located on the surface, the initialization electrical current pulse from the surface;

transmitting, by the at least one sensor node, an acknowledge electrical current pulse into the surface after a pre-determined delay and in response to receipt of the initialization electrical current pulse;

detecting, by the master hub, the acknowledge electrical current pulse;

transmitting, by the master hub, a triggering electrical current pulse into the surface, the triggering electrical current pulse including electrical power and data; and

receiving, by the at least one sensor node, the triggering electrical current pulse from the surface, the electrical power and data triggering the at least one sensor node to begin generating sensor information.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

transmitting, by the at least one sensor node, response data including the sensor information into the surface; and

receiving, by the master hub, the response data from the surface.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

transmitting, by the master hub, the response data including the sensor information to a computer device located off of the user.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the initialization electrical current pulse is of a fixed duration and a fixed amplitude, and at a dedicated initialization frequency.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the triggering electrical current pulse is of a fixed duration and a fixed amplitude, and at a dedicated triggering frequency, different than the dedicated initialization frequency.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the initialization electrical current pulse and the triggering electrical current pulse are about 1.5 milliwatts.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the master hub transmits the initialization electrical current pulse continuously, periodically, semi-periodically, or on-demand.