Sensor device for wearable device generating power-on trigger signal

• US 10,452,966 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kanda, Kouichi, Masui, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Harshad R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tran M.
• Application Number:
  US15/729,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20180121779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/02 characterised by the selection of materials, e.g. to avoid wear during transport through the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07718 the record carrier being manufactured in a continuous process, e.g. using endless rolls
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/45 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15313 being a land array, e.g. LGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7005 Guiding, mounting, polarizing or locking means; Extractors for printed circuit boards H05K

Abstract

A sensor device includes: a first portion that is formed of an inorganic semiconductor material, includes a control module, and is reusable; a second portion that is formed of an organic material and separably coupled to the first portion; and a sensor that is disposed in at least one of the first and second portions.

Claims

1. A sensor device that detects information of a user carrying a terminal device, the sensor device comprising:

a first portion that is formed of an inorganic semiconductor material, includes a control module, and is reusable;

a second portion that is formed of an organic material and coupled to the first portion in such a way that the second portion is either capable of being attached to or capable of being detached from the first portion, the second portion including an operation start trigger circuit that generates a trigger signal for operating the first portion; and

a sensor that is disposed in at least one of the first and second portions and configured to detect the information of the user of the terminal device,

wherein the sensor device is capable of performing a pairing with the terminal device using a first wireless communication protocol, and

wherein when a radio signal is transmitted to the second portion from the terminal device paired with the sensor device through the first wireless communication protocol, the operation start trigger circuit of the second portion compares identification information of the radio signal with identification information of the sensor device, and when the identification information of the radio signal and the identification information of the sensor device are consistent with each other, the operation start trigger circuit of the second portion generates the trigger signal to operate the first portion.

2. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the first portion starts an operation when the trigger signal is input from the second portion.

3. The sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is disposed in the first portion and starts sensing by the trigger signal input from the second portion.

4. The sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is disposed in the second portion, and the operation start trigger circuit generates the trigger signal when a value detected by the sensor exceeds a level, and supplies the trigger signal and sensor information detected by the sensor to the first portion.

5. The sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the first portion includes a second sensor, and the second sensor starts an operation when the trigger signal is received from the second portion.

6. The sensor device according to claim 4, wherein a coil type antenna is additionally disposed in the second portion, and

when the radio signal is transmitted to the coil type antenna of the second portion from the terminal device, the operation start trigger circuit generates the trigger signal.

7. The sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the first portion includes a power supply, and a supply of power from the power supply to the control module of the first portion is not performed while no trigger signal is input from the second portion.

8. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the first portion including a first connector and the second portion including a second connector are coupled to each other by an engagement between the first connector of the first portion and the second connector of the second portion.

9. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the first portion and the second portion are coupled to each other by a non-contact connection including an electromagnetic field coupling.

10. The sensor device according to claim 9, wherein the second portion includes a coil type antenna, and when the radio signal is transmitted through the first wireless communication protocol from the terminal device to the coil type antenna of the second portion, the second portion transmits the trigger signal generated by the operation start trigger circuit to the first portion by the non-contact connection such that the first portion generates a power by a power supply to use the power for an operation of the control module.

11. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the second portion includes a coil type antenna, and when the radio signal is received from the terminal device to the coil type antenna of the second portion through the first wireless communication protocol, the second portion is operated by using a power generated from the radio signal.

12. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the first portion includes a power supply, and the second portion is operated by using power from the power supply.

13. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the second portion includes an energy harvester and is operated by using energy generated in the energy harvester.

14. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the first portion includes a communication module, and the communication module of the first portion conducts a wireless communication according to a second wireless communication protocol such that sensor information acquired by the sensor is transmitted to the terminal device, the second wireless communication protocol is a short distance wireless protocol having a longer range than the first wireless communication protocol.