Conformal, wearable, thin microwave antenna for sub-skin and skin surface monitoring

• US 9,653,784 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Converse, Mark C., Chang, John T., Duoss, Eric B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Graham
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maldonado, Noel
• Application Number:
  US13/787,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

A wearable antenna is operably positioned on a wearer'"'"'s skin and is operably connected the wearer'"'"'s tissue. A first antenna matched to the wearer'"'"'s tissue is operably positioned on the wearer'"'"'s skin. A second antenna matched to the air is operably positioned on the wearer'"'"'s skin. Transmission lines connect the first antenna and the second antenna.

Claims

1. An apparatus directly attached to a wearer'"'"'s skin and operably connected to the wearer'"'"'s tissue that receives a signal from an outside source wherein the signal is radiated into the wearer'"'"'s tissue, the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues, and organs and wherein a reflected signal is radiated and picked up by a remote antenna for sub-skin sensing and providing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and organs, wherein the wearer'"'"'s skin is exposed to air, comprising:

a flexible and biocompatible substrate directly attached to the wearer'"'"'s skin;

co-planer lines on said substrate,

a circulator port on said substrate connected to said co-planer lines;

a first antenna on said substrate connected to said co-planar lines and said circulator port that receives the signal from the outside source wherein said first antenna directs the signal to said co-planer lines and said circulator port;

a second antenna on said substrate connected to said co-planer lines and said circulator port wherein said second antenna receives the signal from said circulator port and wherein said second antenna transmits the signal into the wearer'"'"'s tissue to the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and organs and wherein the signal produces the reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and organs from the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and organs; and

a third antenna on said substrate connected to said co-planar lines and said circulator port that receives the reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and organs wherein said third antenna radiates the reflected signal into the air wherein it is picked up by the remote antenna.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flexible and biocompatible substrate is made of polydimethylsiloxane.

3. An apparatus directly attached to a wearer'"'"'s skin and operably connected to the wearer'"'"'s tissue, the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues, and the wearer'"'"'s organs for sub-skin sensing and providing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs, wherein the wearer'"'"'s skin is exposed to air, comprising:

an outside source;

a signal produced by said outside source;

a remote antenna;

a flexible and biocompatible substrate directly attached to the wearer'"'"'s skin;

a circulator port on said substrate;

transmission lines on said substrate, said transmission lines connected to said circulator port;

a first antenna on said substrate connected to said transmission lines and said circulator port that receives said signal from said outside source and directs said signal to said transmission lines and said circulator port;

a second antenna on said substrate connected to said transmission lines and said circulator port that receives said signal from said circulator port and transmit said signal into the wearer'"'"'s tissue to the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs and produces a reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs from the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs; and

a third antenna matched to the air and connected to said transmission lines and said circulator port, said third antenna positioned on said substrate wherein said third antenna receives said reflected signal and transmits said reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs through the air wherein it is picked up by said remote antenna for providing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said transmission lines on said substrate are co-planar.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said transmission lines on said substrate are co-planar and are less than one millimeter thick.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said substrate is a plastic substrate.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said substrate is a polydimethylsiloxane substrate.

8. The ntenna apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first antenna is a planar dipole antenna printed onto a silicone substrate.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said third antenna matched to air is a planar dipole antenna.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a dielectric filler between said transmission lines.

11. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a high dielectric constant, low loss filler between said transmission lines that will allow lower impedances and focus more fields between said transmission lines.

12. An apparatus directly attached to a wearer'"'"'s skin and operably connected to a wearer'"'"'s tissue, sub-skin tissues, and organs for obtaining interpretable information pertaining to speech and voiced information wherein the wearer'"'"'s skin is exposed to air, comprising:

an outside source;

a signal produced by said outside source;

a remote antenna;

a polydimethylsiloxane substrate directly attached to the wearer'"'"'s skin;

a circulator port on said substrate;

transmission lines on said substrate, said transmission lines connected to said circulator port;

a first antenna on said substrate and operably connected to said transmission lines and said circulator port that receives said signal from said outside source and directs said signal to said transmission lines and said circulator port;

a second antenna on said substrate connected to said transmission lines and said circulator port adapted to receive said signal from said circulator port and transmit said signal to the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs, said signal producing a reflected signal from the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs pertaining to speech and voiced information; and

a third antenna matched to the air and connected to said transmission lines and said circulator port, said third antenna located on said substrate wherein said third antenna receives said reflected signal from the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and organs containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs pertaining to speech and voiced information from said circulator port and transmit said reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs pertaining to speech and voiced information through the air wherein it is picked up by said remote antenna for obtaining interpretable information pertaining to speech and voiced information.

13. A method of making an apparatus for obtaining information about the physical state of a wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and a wearer'"'"'s organs, wherein the wearer'"'"'s skin is exposed to air, comprising the steps of:

providing an outside source that produces a signal;

providing a remote antenna;

providing a flexible and biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane substrate;

positioning co-planer lines on said substrate,

positioning a circulator port on said substrate connected to said co-planer lines;

positioning a first antenna on said substrate connected to said co-planar lines and said circulator port wherein said first antenna receives said signal from said outside source and transmits said signal through said co-planar lines to said circulator port;

positioning a second on said substrate connected to said co-planar lines and said circulator port wherein said first antenna receives said signal from said circulator port and transmit said signal to the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs wherein said signal produces a reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs, said second antenna matched to the wearer'"'"'s tissue,

providing a third antenna connected to said co-planar lines and said circulator port and matched to the air,

positioning said third antenna on said substrate wherein said third antenna is adapted to receive said reflected signal and transmit said reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs into the air wherein it is picked up by said remote antenna;

attaching said substrate directly onto the wearer'"'"'s skin, and

monitoring said reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs from said third antenna that is picked up by the remote antenna for providing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs.

14. A method of providing information about the physical state of a wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and a wearer'"'"'s organs wherein the wearer'"'"'s skin is exposed to air, comprising the steps of:

providing an outside source that produces a signal;

providing a remote antenna;

providing a flexible and biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane substrate;

positioning co-planer lines on said substrate,

positioning a circulator port on said substrate connected to said co-planer lines;

positioning a first antenna on said substrate connected to said co-planar lines and said circulator port wherein said first antenna is adapted to receive said signal from said outside source and transmit said signal through the co-planar lines to said circulator port;

positioning a second antenna on said substrate connected to said co-planar lines and said circulator port wherein said second antenna is adapted to receive said signal from said co-planar lines and said circulator port and to transmit said signal to the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs, said second antenna matched to the wearer'"'"'s tissue wherein said signal produces a reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs from the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs;

providing a third antenna connected to said co-planar lines and said circulator port and matched to the air;

positioning said third antenna on said substrate to receive said reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs, and transmit said reflected signal into the air wherein it is picked up by a said remote antenna;

attaching said substrate directly to the wearer'"'"'s skin, and

providing a monitoring device adapted to receive said reflected signal containing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs from said remote antenna for providing information about the physical state of the wearer'"'"'s sub-skin tissues and the wearer'"'"'s organs.