CN111108413A

CN111108413A - Mobile device with sensor

Info

Publication number: CN111108413A
Application number: CN201780094233.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 瑞诺·彼得里切维奇; 克莱门斯·劳纳
Original assignee: iNDTact GmbH
Current assignee: iNDTact GmbH
Priority date: 2017-08-25
Filing date: 2017-08-25
Publication date: 2020-05-05
Also published as: DE112017007977A5; WO2019037875A1; KR20200044858A; JP6908777B2; JP2020531832A

Abstract

A mobile device (1, 7, 9, 11) with a sensor, which is accommodated in a housing (2), which sensor is embodied in the form of a strain and/or bending sensor (3) and forms together with a seismic mass an acceleration sensor for detecting structure-propagated acoustic waves and/or accelerations, wherein at least a part of the mass of the mobile device (1, 7, 9, 11) forms the seismic mass.

Description

Mobile device with sensor

The present invention relates to a mobile device having a sensor that is accommodated in a case.

Currently, mobile devices (mobile communication devices) such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc. include sensor units required for different applications, such as Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS). Such an embodiment is the detection of the position of the mobile device and the detection of the movements performed by the user. It has been proposed to use sensors already available in mobile devices, in particular acceleration sensors, for seismic monitoring.

For example, WO 2017/083556a1 proposes an early warning system for detecting earthquakes, in which a mobile phone is used. For this purpose, the acceleration data are detected by an acceleration sensor integrated in the mobile phone. These acceleration data are compared to empirical values to subsequently determine whether the detected acceleration is a seismic event. If it is determined that such a seismic event exists, a communication link is established to the server. The server may communicate with a plurality of such mobile phones and perform a plausibility check to assess whether an earthquake actually occurred. If so, the seismic alert may be issued to a mobile phone near the seismic event so that the receiver may seek security.

A similar early warning system for detecting seismic events is described in us 2015/0195693a 1.

These known systems and methods are based on detecting seismic events with conventional sensors available in mobile phones. In order to ensure a sufficient warning time before an earthquake occurs, it is necessary to detect an impending earthquake causing vibrations and seismic waves in the ground as early as possible. However, conventional sensors installed in mobile devices are not provided for this purpose. In particular, weak seismic activity cannot be detected early enough. But for sufficient early warning time early detection is required. Therefore, in order to allow better protection and sufficient warning time, it is necessary to be able to detect even weak seismic activity in time.

It is therefore the underlying object of the present invention to provide a mobile phone capable of detecting weak seismic activity.

To achieve this object, according to the invention a mobile device of the aforementioned type is provided, such that the sensors are embodied as strain and/or bending sensors and form, together with a seismic mass (seismic mass), acceleration sensors for detecting structure-borne sound waves and/or accelerations, wherein at least a part of the mass of the mobile device forms the seismic mass.

The invention is based on the insight that the sensitivity to accelerations, in particular to seismic vibrations, can be significantly improved using a special arrangement of strain and/or bending sensors in the housing of a mobile device. This effect is achieved by co-operating strain and/or bending sensors with the seismic mass, which is excited to vibrate by the action of acceleration. These vibrations may be detected by strain and/or bending sensors. The acceleration acting on the seismic mass may be greatly amplified by strain and/or bending sensors so that even the minimum acceleration occurring at the early stages of an impending earthquake may be detected. Thus, seismic vibrations and structure-propagated sound waves can be detected early by the mobile device of the present invention, so that a considerably longer warning period can be obtained before a seismic event occurs, compared to conventional systems. Due to the extended alarm period, the likelihood that people located in earthquake-threatening areas can seek security in a timely manner is increased.

The strain and/or bending sensors are preferably attached to the elastic support portion of the seismic mass. A part of the mobile device on or in which the strain and/or bending sensors are arranged may be elastically supported, e.g. like a flexible spring, wherein a majority of the mass of the mobile device acts as seismic mass.

In the mobile device of the invention, it is preferred that the strain and/or bending sensor is a piezoelectric sensor. Such sensors are characterized by high accuracy, low compression quality and low manufacturing costs. Such piezoelectric sensors are therefore relatively easy to integrate into mobile devices. For example, strain and/or bending sensors proposed by the applicant in DE 102012222239 a1 may be used. DE 102012222239 a1 is incorporated by reference in its entirety in the present application.

In the mobile device of the invention, it is particularly preferred that the strain and/or bending sensor is embodied at least indirectly for measuring a minimum acceleration of less than 1mg, preferably less than 100 μ g. The strain and/or bend sensors supply strain and/or bend measurements from which accelerations can be derived and calculated. In contrast, the acceleration sensors of conventional mobile devices are embodied for detecting larger accelerations, typically between 10mg and 100 mg. Thus, the sensitivity of the strain and/or bending sensors used in the mobile device of the invention is one or more orders of magnitude higher than the sensitivity of conventional acceleration sensors integrated in the mobile device.

When an acceleration sensor is provided in the mobile device of the invention, it is particularly advantageous if the acceleration sensor is arranged at or on a component of the mobile device, which component is embodied as a plate or a bar. Due to this arrangement, the assembly embodied as a plate or rod acts as a seismic mass, which may be caused to vibrate by acceleration. The plate can be supported at a plurality of points (support points) or on a straight line. The rod may be supported on one or both sides.

An improvement of the mobile device according to the invention can be provided that the housing has two, three, four or more support points for placement on the substrate. If the mobile device of the present invention is placed on a base, it can register minimal vibrations, particularly in the form of structure-borne sound, as well as accelerations, particularly minimal seismic motions. On a decoupled basis or a decoupled base, seismic waves (sesismicraves) can be detected separately from vibrations originating from other sources.

As regards the bearing points, it can be provided that one bearing point is arranged in a corner region of the housing or in an edge region of the housing. The plurality of support points are preferably arranged distributed over the surface area of the housing, in particular the underside.

The support points of the mobile device of the present invention may be embodied in the shape of points, lines or curves or may be embodied as planes. The bearing points preferably project from the underside of the housing. By providing a plurality of support points, a defined contact is established between the mobile device of the invention and the substrate, allowing an accurate detection of structure-propagated acoustic waves.

For the mobile device of the invention it is particularly preferred that the strain and/or bending sensor is arranged at least near the center of the mobile device. This arrangement means that in practice the entire mass of the mobile device acts as seismic mass.

The mobile device of the invention may have a control device embodied for evaluating vibrations detected by the strain and/or bending sensors and for sending a signal to an external device if an event is determined. The control device is embodied, inter alia, to determine whether a seismic event is present by evaluating the vibrations.

The mobile device of the invention may be, in particular, a smartphone, a tablet computer or a laptop computer.

According to one variant of the invention, the mobile device may be embodied as an early warning system for detecting earthquakes or as a component of such an early warning system. Such an early warning system may include a plurality of such mobile devices that may establish a communication link with a central server.

An alternative embodiment of the mobile device of the present invention provides that the mobile device is embodied as a pulse meter. If the user holds or fixes the mobile device on his arm or neck, his pulse, i.e. his heartbeat, can be detected.

Another alternative embodiment of the mobile device of the invention provides that the mobile device is embodied as a monitoring device which is capable of detecting a fall of a person in a space. Such falls produce structure-borne sounds that can be detected by the mobile device. In this way, the mobile device may be used, for example, to monitor a space or to monitor elderly people. An alarm or call for help may be automatically triggered if the mobile device has determined that a person has fallen.

Surprisingly, the mobile device of the invention can also be used as a directional microphone for airborne (airborne) sound. The direction of the sound source of the received acoustic signal may be determined by the mobile device. For example, the quality of a telephone conversation in a noisy environment may thereby be improved.

The invention will be explained below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. The drawings are schematic diagrams as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mobile device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the mobile device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of another exemplary embodiment of a mobile device of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of another exemplary embodiment of a mobile device of the present invention; and

fig. 5 is a side view of another exemplary embodiment of a mobile device of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view and depicts a mobile device 1 having a housing 2 in which a strain and/or bending sensor 3 is accommodated in the housing 2. The strain and/or bending sensors 3 accommodated inside the housing 2 are shown in fig. 1 with dashed lines. Fig. 1 depicts the mobile device 1 in an upside down position, i.e. with the underside 4 visibly at the top. A total of four bearing points 5 embodied in a cylindrical shape are provided in the corners and project from the underside 4 of the housing 2.

The strain and/or bending sensors 3 are embodied as piezoelectric sensors and are capable of detecting elongation(s) and/or acceleration(s). Starting from these detected measured values, accelerations of less than 100 μ g can be derived and determined computationally. The mobile device 1 in this exemplary embodiment is embodied as a smartphone and components of an early warning system for detecting earthquakes.

If the mobile device 1 is placed with its support point 5 on the base, the strain and/or bending sensors 3 may be excited by seismic waves to vibrate. The mass of the mobile device 1 acts as a seismic mass, so that external accelerations, in particular seismic waves, are amplified and can be detected with high accuracy by the strain and/or bending sensors 3. The mobile device 1 further comprises a control device 6 schematically depicted in fig. 1, which control device 6 is linked to the strain and/or bending sensor 3, and which control device 6 evaluates acceleration data detected by the strain and/or bending sensor 3. With the evaluation, it may be determined whether the detected vibrations and/or accelerations are caused by a seismic event or other sources. Seismic events are characterized by typical low frequency accelerations, so that evaluation and classification can be used to determine whether the source of the acceleration is an earthquake.

If the control device 6 has determined a seismic event, the control device 6 sends an alarm signal to another device, for example to a central server. The alarm signal is sent over a conventional mobile communication link. The central server evaluates a plurality of such messages, wherein a plausibility check of the alarm signal can be carried out simultaneously. The plausibility check may prevent false alarms. Additional information about the seismic event, such as the epicenter at which the seismic event occurred, the direction of propagation, the velocity of propagation, etc., may also be determined if the individual mobile devices also inform the server of their location.

Fig. 2 is a side view of fig. 1. In fig. 2, it can be seen that the strain and/or bending sensor 3 is arranged inside the mobile device 1. In the exemplary embodiment, the strain and/or bending sensors 3 are arranged spaced apart from the underside 4 and the opposite top side 12.

Fig. 3 depicts a second exemplary embodiment of the mobile device 7. The mobile device 7 is depicted in the form of a cross-sectional view. A board 8 with electronic components (not shown) is arranged inside the housing 2. The strain and/or bending sensors 3 are arranged on the plate 8. The plate 8 is at least slightly elastically deformed under the effect of the acceleration. In fig. 3, it can be seen that the plate 8 is supported on the left and right of the displacement device 7 and can therefore be displaced at least minimally vertically. Thus, the strain and/or bending sensors 3 are supported in a bendable or extendable manner and register the slightest shocks as they would normally occur during a seismic event.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to fig. 3 and depicts another exemplary embodiment of the mobile device 9. The strain and/or bending sensor 3 is arranged in a housing on a base embodied as a cantilever beam 10. Attached to the right in fig. 4 is a cantilever bar 10 supporting a strain and/or bending sensor 3. The left end of the cantilever rod 10 may be vibrated by vibrations, accelerations or seismic waves, which vibrations are detected by the strain and/or bending sensors 3. The mass of the mobile device 9 acts as a seismic mass and amplifies the acceleration acting on the mobile device 9.

Fig. 5 depicts another exemplary embodiment of the mobile device 11 in cross-section. In this exemplary embodiment, the strain and/or bending sensor 3 is arranged inside the housing 2, on the top side 12 of the housing 2. If acceleration occurs, the plate-shaped top side 12 is caused to vibrate and the strain and/or bending sensor 3 is able to detect the vibration. The mass of the additional components 13, not shown in detail, inside the mobile device 11 acts as a seismic mass, so that the motion acting on the strain and/or bending sensors 3 is amplified.

The

mobile device

1, 7, 9, 11 can also be used in particular as a pulsimeter (pulsemeter). For this reason, the user holds or fixes the mobile device on a body part where a pulse is easily detected. For example, arms or necks are suitable for this. The pulse caused by the heartbeat causes structure-borne sound that can be detected and measured by the strain and/or bending sensors 3 of the mobile device. The measurement values may be displayed on a display surface of the mobile device and stored using a corresponding software application (app).

The described

mobile devices

1, 7, 9, 11 are also suitable for monitoring a space. Mobile devices can be used to monitor a space and if a person in the room falls, an alarm can be triggered. A fallen person generates structure-borne sound that is transmitted through the floor and other objects to a mobile device disposed in space. Structure-propagated acoustic waves caused by falls are characteristic and the control device 6 can distinguish these from other sources, for example from seismic accelerations. If a fall of a person is detected, the mobile device may activate an alarm.

As a further alternative, the

mobile device

1, 7, 9, 11 may also be used as a directional microphone for airborne sound. When the mobile device passes through the sound source, the mobile device has strong direction correlation characteristics. Surprisingly, the strain and/or bending sensor 3 is not only able to detect direct acceleration and/or structure-borne sound, it is also able to detect indirect airborne sound. In this way, the quality of a phone call in, for example, a noisy environment, may be improved.

Reference table

1 Mobile device

2 casing

3 strain and/or bending sensor

4 bottom side

5 bearing point

6 control device

7 Mobile device

8 board

9 Mobile device

10 cantilever bar

11 Mobile device

12 top side

13 Assembly

Claims

1. A mobile device (1, 7, 9, 11) with a sensor, which is accommodated in a housing (2), characterized in that the sensor is embodied as a strain and/or bending sensor (3) and forms together with a seismic mass an acceleration sensor for detecting structure-propagated acoustic waves and/or accelerations, wherein at least a part of the mass of the mobile device (1, 7, 9, 11) forms the seismic mass.

2. A mobile device according to claim 1, characterized in that the strain and/or bending sensor (3) is attached to an elastic support part of the seismic mass.

3. Mobile device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the strain and/or bending sensor (3) is a piezoelectric sensor.

4. A mobile device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the strain and/or bending sensor (3) is embodied for measuring accelerations of less than 1mg, preferably less than 100 μ g.

5. Mobile device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the strain and/or bending sensor (3) is arranged at or on a component of the mobile device (1, 7, 9, 11), which component is embodied as a plate (8) or a bar (10).

6. Mobile device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (2) has two, three, four or more support points (5) for placing on a substrate.

7. Mobile device according to claim 6, characterized in that one support point (5) is arranged in a corner region of the housing (2) or in an edge region of the housing (2).

8. Mobile device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the support points (5) may be embodied in the shape of points, lines or curves, or may be embodied as planes, and preferably protrude from the underside of the housing (2).

9. Mobile device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the strain and/or bending sensor (3) is arranged at least near the center of the mobile device (1, 7, 9, 11).

10. A mobile device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a control device (6), said control device (6) being embodied for evaluating vibrations detected by said strain and/or bending sensor (3) and for sending a signal to an external device if an event is determined, in particular if a seismic event is determined.

11. The mobile device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile device is embodied as a smartphone, a tablet or a laptop.

12. The mobile device of any preceding claim, wherein the mobile device is embodied as an early warning system for detecting an earthquake.

13. The mobile device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is embodied as a pulse meter.

14. A mobile device as claimed in any preceding claim, characterized in that the mobile device is embodied as a monitoring device capable of detecting a fall of a person in a space.

15. A mobile device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile device is embodied as a directional microphone for airborne sound.