Health monitoring system with a waveguide to guide a wave from a power source

• US 8,708,901 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Seoul Industry Cooperation Foundation (The University of Seoul)
• Original Assignee: University of Seoul Industry Cooperation Foundation (The University of Seoul)
• Inventors: Ahn, Doyeol
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): Archer, Marie
• Application Number:
  US12/650,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20110160542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/300
• 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 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02444 Details of sensor A61B5/02427 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/00 Waveguides; Transmission lines of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3233 particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/00 Devices for reflection, refraction, diffraction or polarisation of waves radiated from an antenna, e.g. quasi-optical devices variable for purpose of altering directivity H01Q3/00; arrangements of such devices for guiding waves H01P3/20; variable for purpose of modulation H03C7/02
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0086 said selective devices having materials with a synthesized negative refractive index, e.g. metamaterials or left-handed materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/02 Refracting or diffracting devices, e.g. lens, prism
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/04 comprising wave-guiding channel or channels bounded by effective conductive surfaces substantially perpendicular to the electric vector of the wave, e.g. parallel-plate waveguide lens
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/065 Microstrip dipole antennas patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas

Abstract

A health monitoring system includes a waveguide that receives a wave transmitted from an external power source and that guides the wave to reach within a width of a rectenna. The waveguide may include a negative refractive index medium and/or a surface plasmon medium.

Claims

1. A health monitoring system comprising:

a detection device configured to detect a health status of a creature;

a rectenna;

a waveguide configured to receive a wave transmitted from an external power source and to guide the wave to reach within a width of the rectenna, the waveguide having a width greater than the width of the rectenna, the external power source positioned on a first side of the waveguide;

wherein portions of the wave in the waveguide that are outside of the width of the rectenna are guided to reach the rectenna,

wherein the rectenna is positioned on a second side of the waveguide and configured to receive and to rectify the guided wave to generate an electric power to drive the detection device; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the detected health status to an external device.

2. The health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the detection device comprises at least one of a chemosensor and a biosensor to sense the health status.

3. The health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the health monitoring system is configured to be inserted into a body of the creature or configured to be attached on an outer surface of the creature.

4. The health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the external device comprises a monitor to display the detected health status.

5. The health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the waveguide includes a negative refractive index medium to refract the wave to reach the width of the rectenna.

6. The health monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the negative refractive index medium comprises a metamaterial.

7. The health monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the metamaterial comprises a two-dimensional array of repeated unit cells of copper strips and split ring resonators on interlocking strips of standard circuit board material.

8. The health monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the metamaterial comprises a quantum metamaterial having a manipulated chemical composition and/or a structure of a material.

9. The health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the waveguide comprises a surface plasmon medium to generate a surface plasmon resonance.

10. The health monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the surface plasmon medium comprises two or more components and one or more dielectric components interposed between the two or more components,

wherein each of the two or more components is composed of a surface plasmon material and each of the one or more dielectric components is composed of a dielectric material, and wherein a permittivity of the two or more components is greater than a permittivity of the one or more dielectric components.

11. The health monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the surface plasmon medium comprises a loop-wire structure, the loop-wire structure comprises a plurality of wire elements, and each wire element comprises at least one vertical wire with at least one planar loop wound at intervals.

12. The health monitoring system of claim 9,

wherein the surface plasmon medium comprises at least two components being spaced from one another, each component being composed of a surface plasmon material, and

wherein the rectenna comprises a rectifier part positioned under the waveguide and at least one antenna part protruding from a part of the rectifier part such that the antenna part is located between the at least two components, and

wherein the at least one antenna part is composed of a dielectric material.

13. The health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the waveguide comprises both a negative refractive index medium to refract the wave and a surface plasmon medium to generate a surface plasmon resonance.

14. The health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the rectenna is positioned adjacent to the waveguide.

15. The health monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the width of the rectenna is about 0.5 nm to 300 mm.

16. A health monitoring system comprising:

a detection device configured to detect a health status of a creature and that operates on electric power;

a rectenna having a width, the rectenna including an antenna part and a rectifier part;

a waveguide located between an external power source and the rectenna, the waveguide configured to receive waves transmitted from the external power source and to guide the waves to the rectenna, the waves including at least some waves outside the width of the rectenna, wherein the waveguide is configured to refract at least some waves outside the width of the rectenna such that the waves outside the width of the rectenna are received by the rectenna, wherein the rectenna is configured to receive and rectify the guided waves to generate the electric power to drive the detection device, wherein the waveguide is wirelessly coupled to the antenna part of the rectenna; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the health status detected by the detection device to an external device.

17. The health monitoring system of claim 16, wherein the waveguide has a width greater than the width of the rectenna, wherein the waveguide includes a negative refractive index medium to refract the waves to reach the width of the rectenna.

18. The health monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the negative refractive index medium comprises a metamaterial.

19. The health monitoring system of claim 16, wherein the waveguide comprises a surface plasmon medium to generate a surface plasmon resonance.

20. A method for detecting a health status of a creature, the method comprising:

receiving waves from an external power source at a waveguide, the external power source positioned on a first side of the waveguide;

guiding the waves to reach within a width of a rectenna with the waveguide, wherein the rectenna is positioned on a second side of the waveguide and wherein at least some of the guided waves received at the waveguide are outside of a width of the rectenna;

rectifying the waves guided to the rectenna to generate electric power;

supplying the electric power to a detection device configured to detect the health status of the creature,

wherein the electric power powers the detection device; and

transmitting the health status to an external device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the waveguide comprises a negative refractive index medium to guide the waves including the waves outside of the width of the rectenna to the rectenna.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the waveguide comprises a surface plasmon medium to generate a surface plasmon resonance to guide the waves to the rectenna.