Functional skin patch

• US 9,943,228 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Kappel, Robert, Herndl, Thomas, Holweg, Gerald, Pachler, Walther
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoang
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALIH, AWAT M
• Application Number:
  US14/938,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20160135684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/17 characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermocouple forming the device

Abstract

A functional skin patch having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface is provided. The functional skin patch includes a functional unit having a thermo harvester and an antenna unit. The thermo harvester has a first terminal thermally connected to the first surface and a second terminal. The antenna unit has a first terminal thermally connected to the second terminal of the thermo harvester and a second terminal thermally connected to the second surface. The antenna unit has a stacked layer structure including, in this sequence, a metal layer thermally connected to the second terminal of the thermo harvester, a ferrite layer thermally connected to the metal layer, and an antenna layer thermally connected to the ferrite layer.

Claims

1. A functional skin patch, comprising:

a first surface of the functional skin patch;

a second surface of the functional skin patch and opposite the first surface;

a functional unit disposed in the functional skin patch and comprising a thermo harvester, the thermo harvester having a first terminal thermally connected to the first surface and a second terminal; and

an antenna unit disposed in the functional skin patch and having a first terminal thermally connected to the second terminal of the thermo harvester and a second terminal thermally connected to the second surface,

wherein the antenna unit has a stacked layer structure comprising, in this sequence, a metal layer thermally connected to the second terminal of the thermo harvester, a ferrite layer thermally connected to the metal layer, and an antenna layer thermally connected to the ferrite layer.

2. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the metal layer is a flexible metal foil having a thickness in a range between 5 μ

m and 1000 μ

m.

3. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the ferrite layer is a flexible ferrite foil having a thickness in a range between 5 μ

m and 1000 μ

m.

4. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the antenna layer includes an antenna pattern printed on the ferrite layer.

5. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the metal layer, the ferrite layer, and the antenna layer are in direct contact with each other.

6. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the antenna layer further comprises a metal dot layer printed on the ferrite layer for enhancing the surface area of the antenna layer.

7. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the area of the first and the second surfaces of the functional skin patch are in a range of 20 cm² to 500 cm².

8. The functional skin patch of claim 1, further comprising:

a heat collector unit having a first terminal thermally connected to the first surface and a second terminal thermally connected to the first terminal of the thermo harvester; and

a thermally isolating layer,

wherein the thermo harvester is embedded in the thermally isolating layer.

9. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the functional unit comprises an RF-circuit connected to the antenna layer via a connection plug extended through the metal layer and the ferrite layer.

10. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the functional unit comprises a sensor unit configured to sense a body health parameter including at least one of a body temperature, a body pulse frequency, an electrocardiogram recording, an electro encephalogram recording, a body function, a blood sugar value, a blood pressure, and a blood heparin value.

11. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the thermo harvester comprises an energy storage unit configured to store harvested body energy.

12. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the functional unit comprises a processing unit configured to process measurement data of the sensor unit and transmit the measurement data to the RF-circuit.

13. The functional skin patch of claim 1, further comprising a coupling antenna configured to communicate with or energize an implantable device.

14. The functional skin patch of claim 13, wherein the antenna layer is connected to the coupling antenna so as to boost transmission from an external transceiver to the implantable device.

15. The functional skin patch of claim 13, wherein the functional unit comprises an energizing unit configured to energize the implantable device via the coupling antenna.

16. The functional skin patch of claim 15, wherein the energizing unit comprises a DC/AC-transformer having a DC-terminal connected to the thermo harvester and an AC-terminal connected to the coupling antenna.

17. The functional skin patch of claim 15, wherein the energizing unit comprises a switch configured to selectively connect the energizing unit with the thermo harvester.

18. The functional skin patch of claim 1, further comprising a data storage unit, wherein the functional unit is configured to temporarily energize the implantable device, to receive measurement data transmitted from the implantable device, and to store the transmitted measurement data from the implantable device in the data storage unit.

19. The functional skin patch of claim 1, wherein the thermo harvester comprises a Peltier element including Bi₂Te₃.

20. A system for monitoring a body health parameter, comprising:

an implantable device; and

a functional skin patch,

wherein the functional skin patch comprises a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, a functional unit comprising a thermo harvester having a first terminal thermally connected to the first surface and a second terminal, an antenna unit having a first terminal thermally connected to the second terminal of the thermo harvester and a second terminal thermally connected to the second surface, and a coupling antenna configured to communicate with or energize the implantable device,

wherein the antenna unit has a stacked layer structure comprising, in this sequence, a metal layer thermally connected to the second terminal of the thermo harvester, a ferrite layer thermally connected to the metal layer, and an antenna layer thermally connected to the ferrite layer,

wherein the implantable device comprises a sensor unit configured to measure at least one body health parameter, a data transceiver unit configured to transmit measurement data containing the at least one body health parameter to the functional skin patch, and an energy receiving unit configured to receive electromagnetic energy from the coupling antenna of the functional skin patch.