DESCRIPTION

Field of the Invention

The current application generally relates to sensors for biological readings and, more particularly, sensors which may be worn on the skin.

Background

A wide variety of sensors are used in various industries from medicine to athletics for collection and monitoring of data pertaining to a user's body, health, and activity. In many applications, sensors are used for extended durations of time, even over the course of regular daily activities. In the field of wearable sensors, considerations such as portability, comfort, and reliability are of great importance in the design and implementation of a sensor device.

Additionally, sensors may be used by adults and children alike, and ease of use and child- friendliness may also affect proper use of the device. Sensors which are to be worn directly on human skin are furthermore faced with challenges concerning the uneven surfaces of the human body and device sizing limitations based on sensor circuitry.

SUMMARY

Generally, a wearable sensor may include a housing with at least two lobed regions separated by a flexible midsection. A body contacting surface for making contact with the human skin is connected to the housing and includes an adhesive patch for adhering to skin of a subject. In some configurations, a gel can be positioned on the skin contacting surface, but in other configurations gels are not required. Circuit board, integrated circuit chip, sensor, or

communication elements may be positioned in each of the two or more lobed regions of the housing, the circuitry being arranged between the housing exterior and the body contacting surface. Circuit boards and other elements can be electrically connected by a flexible wired pathway positioned between the housing and the body contacting surface and which passes through the flexible midsection. The wearable sensor may include circuit elements or circuit board elements such as a microphone, an actuator button, an access port for a battery

compartment, an access port for an electrical communications plug, batteries (rechargeable or disposable), wireless transmission devices (e.g., Bluetooth, Zigbee, NFC chips), a display (e.g., LED or graphical screens including touch screens), sensors (e.g., accelerometer sensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, fluid sensors, altimeter sensors, MEMS sensors (e.g. for electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring), and various other circuitry, chips (including those with embedded firmware as well as those that are programmable prior to and/or during and after use) and devices. In some configurations, the housing and body contacting surface can be separable to allow for replacing sensors, substituting one type of sensor for a different kind of sensor, replacing circuitry or displays, etc.

By flexing at the flexible midsection, the wearable sensor provides multiple portions in which circuit elements can be provided which are not in the same plane. This improves the ability to conform traditionally planar circuit board elements to the uneven and non-planar skin surface of a patient. The wearable sensor accommodates present-day limitations of sensor technology while providing a sensor-patient interface that is more comfortable and which provides better contact. The soft edges of the package design, by comparison to rectangular devices, allows for a better user interface and experience. Furthermore, the package is less bulky while still providing enhanced medical utility. For example, in some applications the package layout/architecture can capture three vectors of the heart using, e.g., an array of MEMS sensor, and can allow securing four leads (if desired) versus the current 1 lead used on current chest patches.

The wearable sensor can include circuitry and integrated circuits with embedded algorithms and various sensor and communications technologies which can accommodate a wide variety of medical or non-medical applications (e.g., ECG hear, EEG stress, respiration for sleep apnea, asthma, alcohol biosensing, cuffless blood pressure, etc.). While a two lobed design is optimal for many applications, having additional lobes, each being separated by the same or different flexible mid sections (e.g., three lobes could be configured with two flexible mid sections (one between each lobe), or could be configured with a single flexible mid section with each of the lobes being connected with the same single flexible midsection. Having additional lobes may permit the sensor to sensor several different parameters using the same different sensors in the different lobes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a wearable sensor;

Figure 2 is a side view of a wearable sensor;

Figure 3 is a top, front isometric view of a wearable sensor;

Figure 4 is a top, rear isometric view of a wearable sensor;

Figure 5 is a bottom isometric view of a wearable sensor;

Figure 6 is a view of a wearable sensor worn by a person; and

Figure 7 is an exploded view of a wearable sensor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the figures, and more particularly Figures 1-7, a wearable sensor 100 includes a housing 101 comprising at least a first lobed region 102 and at least a second lobed region 104 (in some applications, additional lobes (not shown) could be included). Lobed regions 102 and 104 are separated by a flexible midsection 106 allowing for adjustment of an angle between the lobed regions (for exemplary purposes, Figures 2 and 5 show lobes regions 102 and 104 are angled relative to one another and are not in the same plane).

Generally, a wearable sensor 100 is worn directly on a surface of human skin, such as on the neck of a user 110 as shown in Figure 6 (it being understood the wearable sensor 100 can be used at other locations on the body). The flexion provided by midsection 106 allows electrical system components to be arranged in multiple planes. This is especially advantageous for circuit boards (e.g. printed circuit boards, or PCBs) or other rigid electrical modules, such as those including batteries, which, depending on the complexity of a circuit or other element (these being sometimes collectively referred to herein as circuit elements, circuit board elements, or electrical components), may require an appreciable amount of space in a single plane.

Housing 101 advantageously provides an internal capacity from both first lobed region 102 and second lobed region 104 for accommodation of electrical components of wearable sensor 100. The electrical components in each lobe may be provided on different planes to better conform the overall device to the uneven plane of a user's skin. Circuit elements may be divided between each of the two lobed regions 102 and 104 of the housing 101, the circuit board elements (e.g. circuit boards, batteries, etc.) of each lobed region can be electrically connected to one another by a flexible wired pathway 107 passing through the flexible midsection.

On a bottom portion of wearable sensor 100 a body contacting surface 1 12 is connected with housing 101 and preferably includes at least one adhesive patch 114 for adhering to the skin of a subject. One or more adhesive patches 1 14 may, for example, cover the entirety of a bottom portion of wearable sensor 100 (including both lobed regions 102 and 104 and flexible midsection 106), entire bottom portions of just lobed regions 102 and 104, or limited bottom portions of either or both lobed regions 102 and 104. Generally, it is advantageous to provide one or more adhesive patches providing direct adherence of both lobed regions 102 and 104 to a user's skin. Multiple known materials and types of adhesive patches suitable for use with human skin are known in the art and may be employed in the practice of the invention. For some embodiments, the at least one adhesive patch 1 14 is removable such that it can be replaced with a new adhesive patch when its adhesive properties are reduced from use (e.g. from foreign particles, dirt, sweat, etc.) Alternatively, adhesive patch 1 14 may be permanently attached to housing 101, such as with embodiments where the adhesive patch 1 14 is washable and/or where wearable sensor 100 is disposable. In some application, gels (not shown) may also be positioned on the body contacting surface 1 12 to accommodate the requirements of some sensor devices.

In some embodiments, a bottom portion of wearable sensor 100 may be provided with one or more openings in either or both lobed regions 102 and 104 for extending a circuit board with a sensor receiver (e.g. a microphone or electrode or MEMS array, etc/) for collection of data from the patient at the surface of the patient's skin. As shown in the figures, wearable sensor 100 has an opening 1 16 in first lobed region 102 in which a microphone 1 18 extends from an encased internal circuit board 1 19. Body contacting surface 1 12 likewise has openings for sensor receivers of the device circuitry where the body contacting surface would otherwise prevent necessary access to the skin by the sensor receiver. During use, the microphone 1 18 is positioned immediately adjacent or against the user's skin. As discussed above, for some sensor receivers such as electrodes, the sensor receiver may be arranged with spacing for a conductive gel (e.g. an electrode gel) which may be optionally applied prior to adhering the wearable sensor 100 to a user's skin.

A top or side portion of the housing 101 of wearable sensor 100 may be provided with an opening 119 in which there is an actuator button 120 for actuating a switch of the electrical system or systems of the wearable sensor 100. Functionality provided by actuator button 120 may include, but is not limited to, switching the device on/off, resetting the device, and changing a setting of the device. The actuator button 120 may be reversibly depressed into the opening or, alternatively, may be touch-sensitive and only require contact with a finger in order to be actuated. In some embodiments, an actuator button may be variably back-lit to represent different electrical states. For example, the button may be back-lit when the unit is turned on and not back-lit when the unit is turned off. Additionally, different colors of back-lighting (e.g. red, green, yellow) may be provided to indicate the selection of different settings. In some applications a display (e.g. LED array or touch screen) may be positioned in the center of a lobed region, such as the central location of the actuator button 120.

Different embodiments of housing 101 may have different shapes, as will be clear to those of skill in the art. One exemplary embodiment is a "snowman" or "figure eight" or "bowling pin" appearance as given in the figures. In this case, lobed region 102 is larger than lobed region 104. One advantage of housing 101 is minimization of sharp edges. As the wearable sensor 100 may be used with children, it is also advantageous to have a shape and appearance which is child-friendly. Generally, a wearable sensor 100 has a size which permits easy gripping by an adult human hand. Embodiments may vary in size, however, and in some cases may be sized for easy gripping by a child's hand. The size of the electrical components and systems inside of housing 101 is a primary determinant for the minimum size of the wearable sensor 100. As already discussed, the provision of separate lobes connected by a flexible midsection eliminates the limitation that the device be applied to a single large substantially planar region of skin. In some embodiments, more than two lobed regions may be provided, connected by a series of flexible midsections. Furthermore, embodiments may be provided with arced or sloped body contacting surfaces 1 12 for improved contact with curved regions of skin where the device is worn during use.

Power is preferably provided by a battery 121 which may be removed to either be recharged or replaced. Lobed region 104 of wearable sensor 100 includes an access port 122 for 2015/015097

a battery / battery compartment. In the embodiment shown in the figures, an access port 122 has two tab portions 122a which can be gripped to slide the battery compartment into and out of the housing 101. In some embodiments, a battery 121 may be permanently installed inside housing 101 and recharged by, for example, an inductive charging element or by a power port into which a charging cable may be inserted. An access port 124 for an electrical communications plug (e.g. mini- or micro-USB port) may be provided for transfer of data onto and off of the circuitry of the wearable device 100. This may also be used for charging the battery 121.

Generally, housing 101 may be made of any material providing sufficient structural rigidity. In some embodiments, housing 101 may comprise plastic and/or metal, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Lighter materials are preferable to minimize a weight burden of the wearable sensor 100 on a user during use and reduce the risk of the device pulling away from skin on account of its own weight. The flexible midsection 106 is of a material allowing flexion (e.g. plastic).

While the invention has been described in terms of its preferred embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize that the invention may be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.