CN111417336A

CN111417336A - Biometric sensor

Info

Publication number: CN111417336A
Application number: CN201880073276.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: D·霍尔曼
Original assignee: Tactual Labs Co
Current assignee: Tactual Labs Co
Priority date: 2017-11-17
Filing date: 2018-08-13
Publication date: 2020-07-14
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-13
Also published as: CN111417336B; DE112018005874T5; JP2021509300A; WO2019099077A1

Abstract

A biometric sensing device is employed by a person to obtain biometric data. Transmit and receive antennas are used. The measurements of the received signals are correlated with biological activity to provide biometric data.

Description

Biometric sensor

The present application is a partial continuation application of U.S. patent application No. 15/943221 entitled "Flexible deformation Sensor" (filed on 4/2.2018. the present application also claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/657120 entitled "internal Sensing" (filed on 4/13.2018. the present application also claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/657270 entitled "Displacement Sensing for mobile positioning" (filed on 4/13.2018. the present application also claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/657270 entitled "means and Method for Sensing deformation" (filed on 2/26.2018. the partial continuation application of U.S. patent application No. 15/904953 entitled "means and Method for Sensing deformation" (filed on application No. 12 for Sensing deformation) (filed on 1/24. the description for Sensing deformation) "filed on the patent application No. 15/904953, the U.S. patent application No. 2 entitled" temporary Sensor application No. 2017 filed on 2. the temporary application No. wo 8. the patent application No. 2017 and Method for receiving "filed on the temporary application No. 2017. the system of Sensor No. 2017 (filed on 3 and Method for temporary application No. 2017)" filed on 4. the temporary application No. 2018. the present application No. 5 and Method for Sensing device and the aforementioned temporary application No. 2018. the temporary application No. 2017 (filed on "filed on 2. the patent application No. 2018. the temporary application No. 2018. the patent application No. 12" filed with the temporary Sensor filed on "filed on the temporary application No. 12 and Method for Sensing device and Method for Sensing" filed on the temporary application No. 2017 and Method for Sensing device and Method for Sensing "filed on the temporary application No. 2017 and Method for receiving the temporary application No. 2017 and Method for Sensing" filed on the temporary application No. 2017 and the temporary application No. 2018. the temporary application No. 2017 and Method for Sensing "filed on the temporary application No. 2018. the temporary application No. 201.

Technical Field

The disclosed apparatus and methods pertain to the field of sensing, and in particular to sensing for providing biometric data.

Drawings

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the disclosed embodiments.

Fig. 1 shows a diagram of a sensing device.

Fig. 2 shows a diagram of a sensing device used by a person.

Fig. 3 shows a diagram of a measured signal received at a receiver.

Fig. 4 shows another diagram of a measured signal received at a receiver.

Detailed Description

The present application contemplates embodiments of sensors designed for obtaining biometrics. The sensor configuration is suitable for use with frequency orthogonal signaling techniques (see, e.g., U.S. patent nos. 9019224 and 9529476, and 9811214, which are all incorporated herein by reference). The sensor configurations discussed herein may be used with other signaling techniques, including scanning or time division techniques, and/or code division techniques. It is noted that the sensors described and illustrated herein are also suitable for use in conjunction with signal infusion (also referred to as signal injection) techniques and devices.

The presently disclosed systems and methods relate to principles related to or used for designing, manufacturing and using capacitive-based sensors, and in particular capacitive-based sensors that employ orthogonal signaling-based multiplexing schemes such as, but not limited to, Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), or hybrid modulation techniques that combine both FDM and CDM methods, references to frequencies herein may also refer to other orthogonal signal bases, as such, the present application contemplates the incorporation by reference of prior U.S. patent No. 9019224 entitled "Low latency Touch Sensitive Device (L ow-L inherent Touch Sensitive Device," and U.S. patent No. 9158411 entitled "Fast Multi-Touch Postprocessing," which contemplate FDM, CDM, or self-excited/hybrid Touch sensors that may be used in conjunction with the presently disclosed sensors, when signals to be coupled (added) or decoupled (subtracted) to a column and the results of the decoupling are received on the column, and thus the resulting capacitive excitation may be reflected on the column by the mutual excitation and thus the resulting changes in the thermal map may be measured.

The present application also employs principles disclosed in the following patents for use in fast multi-touch sensors and other interfaces: U.S. patent No. 9933880; 9019224 No; 9811214 No; 9804721 No; 9710113 No; and No. 9158411. Familiarity with the disclosures, concepts, and nomenclature of these patents is assumed. The entire disclosures of those patents, as well as the applications incorporated by reference herein, are incorporated by reference. The present application also employs principles used in the fast multi-touch sensors and other interfaces disclosed in the following applications: U.S. patent applications 15/162240, 15/690234, 15/195675, 15/200642, 15/821677, 15/904953, 15/905465, 15/943221, 62/540458, 62/575005, 62/621117, 62/619656 and PCT publication PCT/US2017/050547, presuming familiarity with the disclosures, concepts and nomenclature therein. The complete disclosures of these applications, as well as the applications incorporated by reference herein, are incorporated by reference.

As used herein, and particularly within the claims, ordinal words such as first and second are not intended to imply sequence, time or uniqueness by themselves, but are used to describe one claimed configuration as being distinct from another. In some use cases where the context dictates, these terms may imply that the first and second are unique. For example, in the case where an event occurs at a first time and another event occurs at a second time, there is no intended meaning of: the first time occurs before the second time, after the second time, or simultaneously with the second time. However, where further limitations of the second time after the first time are presented in the claims, the context will require that the first time and the second time be interpreted as unique times. Similarly, where the context so dictates or permits, the ordinal words are intended to be interpreted broadly such that two identified claim configurations may have the same characteristics or different characteristics. Thus, for example, without further limitation, the first frequency and the second frequency may be the same frequency, e.g., the first frequency is 10Mhz and the second frequency is 10 Mhz; or the first and second frequencies may be different frequencies, e.g., the first frequency is 10Mhz and the second frequency is 11 Mhz. The context can be specified in other ways, for example in the case where the first and second frequencies are further constrained to be frequency orthogonal to each other, in which case they cannot be the same frequency.

Certain principles of a fast multi-touch (FMT) sensor have been disclosed in the above-discussed patent applications. The orthogonal signals are transmitted into multiple transmit conductors (or antennas) and the information is received by receivers attached to multiple receive conductors (or antennas), which are then analyzed by a signal processor to identify touch events. The transmit and receive conductors may be organized in various configurations, including, for example, a matrix in which the intersections form nodes, and the interaction detected at those nodes by processing of the received signals. In embodiments where the quadrature signals are frequency quadrature, the spacing between the quadrature frequencies Δ f is at least the inverse of the measurement period τ, which is equal to the period during which the columns are sampled. Thus, in an embodiment, a column may be measured for one millisecond (τ) using a frequency interval (Δ f) of one kilohertz (i.e., Δ f ═ 1/τ).

In an embodiment, a signal processor of the mixed signal integrated circuit (or downstream component or software) is adapted to determine at least one value representative of each frequency quadrature signal transmitted to the row. In an embodiment, a signal processor (or downstream component or software) of the mixed signal integrated circuit performs a fourier transform on the received signal. In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit is adapted to digitize the received signal. In an embodiment, a mixed signal integrated circuit (or downstream component or software) is adapted to digitize a received signal and perform a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) on the digitized information. In an embodiment, a mixed signal integrated circuit (or downstream component or software) adapted to digitize a received signal and perform a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) -FFT on the digitized information is one type of discrete fourier transform.

In view of this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the DFT essentially treats a sequence (e.g., a window) of digital samples taken during a sampling period (e.g., an integration period) as if it repeated. As a result, signals that are not the center frequency (i.e., are not integer multiples of the inverse of the integration period (whose inverse defines the minimum frequency spacing)) may have a relatively nominal, but non-intentional, result of contributing multiple small values into other DFT bands. Thus, it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure that the term orthogonal as used herein is not "violated" by such small contributions. In other words, when we use the term frequency orthogonal herein, two signals are considered to be frequency orthogonal if substantially all of the contribution of one signal to a DFT band is made to a DFT band that is different than substantially all of the contribution of the other signal.

In an embodiment, the received signal is sampled at least 1 MHz. In an embodiment, the received signal is sampled at least 2 MHz. In an embodiment, the received signal is sampled at 4 MHz. In an embodiment, the received signal is sampled at 4.096 Mhz. In an embodiment, the received signal is sampled at greater than 4 MHz.

To achieve kHz sampling, 4096 samples can be taken at 4.096MHz, for example. In such an embodiment, the integration period is 1 millisecond, which provides a minimum frequency spacing of 1KHz, subject to the constraint that the frequency spacing should be greater than or equal to the inverse of the integration period. (in view of this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that taking 4096 samples at, for example, 4MHz will result in an integration period slightly longer than milliseconds, and kHz sampling is not implemented, and the minimum frequency interval is 976.5625 Hz.) in an embodiment, the frequency interval is equal to the inverse of the integration period. In such embodiments, the maximum frequency of the frequency quadrature signal range should be less than 2 MHz. In such embodiments, the actual maximum frequency of the frequency quadrature signal range should be less than about 40% of the sampling rate, or less than about 1.6 MHz. In an embodiment, a DFT (which may be an FFT) is used to transform the digitized received signal into information bands, each information band reflecting the frequency of the transmitted frequency orthogonal signal that may have been transmitted by the transmit antennas 130. In an embodiment, the 2048 bins correspond to frequencies from 1KHz to about 2 MHz. In view of this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these examples are merely exemplary. Depending on the requirements of the system and subject to the constraints described above, the sampling rate may be increased or decreased, the integration period may be adjusted, the frequency range may be adjusted, etc.

In an embodiment, the DFT (which may be an FFT) output includes a frequency bin for each frequency orthogonal signal transmitted. In an embodiment, each DFT (which may be an FFT) bin includes an in-phase (I) component and a quadrature (Q) component. In an embodiment, the sum of the squares of the I and Q components is used as a metric corresponding to the signal strength of that frequency band. In an embodiment, the square root of the sum of the squares of the I and Q components is used as the metric corresponding to the signal strength for that frequency band. In view of this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a metric corresponding to the signal strength of a frequency band may be used as a metric related to biometric activity. In other words, the metric corresponding to the signal strength in a given frequency band will change as a result of some activity.

Generally, as the term is used herein, injection or infusion refers to the process of: the signal is transmitted to the body of the subject, effectively making the body (or multiple parts of the body) the active source of the signal. In an embodiment, an electrical signal is injected into the hand (or other part of the body) and can be detected by the sensor even when the hand (or finger or other part of the body) is not in direct contact with the touch surface of the sensor. To some extent, this allows the proximity and orientation of the hand (or finger or some other body part) to be determined relative to the surface. In embodiments, the signal is carried (e.g., conducted) by the body, and depending on the frequencies involved, the signal may also be carried near or below the surface. In an embodiment, frequencies in the range of at least KHz may be used for frequency injection. In an embodiment, frequencies in the MHz range may be used for frequency injection. To use blend in conjunction with an FMT as described above, in embodiments, the blend in signal may be selected to be orthogonal to the drive signal, so that on the sense line, the blend in signal may be seen in addition to other signals.

The sensing devices discussed herein use transmit and receive antennas (also referred to herein as conductors). However, it should be understood that whether a transmit antenna or a receive antenna acts as a transmitter, a receiver, or both, depends on the context and the embodiment. In an embodiment, the transmitter and receiver for all modes or any combination of modes are operably connected to a single integrated circuit capable of transmitting and receiving the desired signal. In an embodiment, the transmitter and receiver are each operatively connected to different integrated circuits capable of transmitting and receiving, respectively, the desired signal. In an embodiment, a transmitter and receiver for all modes or any combination of modes may be operatively connected to a set of integrated circuits, each capable of transmitting and receiving a desired signal, and sharing together the information necessary for such multiple IC configurations. In an embodiment, all transmitters and receivers of all of the multiple modes used by the controller are operated by a common integrated circuit or a group of integrated circuits having communication therebetween, as permitted by the capabilities of the integrated circuits (i.e., the number of transmit and receive channels) and the requirements of the modes (i.e., the number of transmit and receive channels). In embodiments where the number of transmit or receive channels requires the use of multiple integrated circuits, the information from each circuit is combined in a separate system. In an embodiment, a separate system includes a GPU and software for signal processing.

Turning to fig. 1, shown is a diagram of an embodiment of a sensing device 100. In an embodiment, a mixed signal integrated circuit 105 with signal processing capabilities includes a transmitter 110 and a receiver 120. In an embodiment, an analog front end including a transmitter (or multiple transmitters) and a receiver (or multiple receivers) is used to transmit and receive signals instead of mixed signal integrated circuit 100. In such embodiments, the analog front end provides a digital interface to signal generation and signal processing circuitry and/or software.

The transmitter 110 is conductively coupled to the transmit antenna 130 via a transmit lead 115, and the receiver 120 is conductively coupled to the receive antenna 140 via a receive lead 125. The signal is transmitted from the transmit antenna 130. The signal received by the receiving antenna 140 is measured by the sensing device 100. The measured amount of signal is used to provide information about the environment in which the signal is being used. The movement between the transmit antenna 130 and the receive antenna 140 affects the measurement of the signal received by the receive antenna 140. In addition, other environmental conditions may affect the measurements made. For example, humidity may affect the measurement of the signal received by the receive antenna 140.

In an embodiment, mixed signal integrated circuit 105 is adapted to generate one or more signals and transmit the signals to transmit antenna 130 via transmitter 110. In an embodiment, mixed signal integrated circuit 105 is adapted to generate a plurality of frequency orthogonal signals and transmit the plurality of frequency orthogonal signals to transmit antenna 130. In an embodiment, mixed signal integrated circuit 105 is adapted to generate a plurality of frequency orthogonal signals and to transmit one or more of the plurality of frequency orthogonal signals to each of a plurality of transmit antennas. In an embodiment, the frequency quadrature signal is in the range from DC up to about 2.5 GHz. In an embodiment, the frequency quadrature signal ranges from DC up to about 1.6 MHz. In an embodiment, the frequency quadrature signal is in the range from 50KHz to 200 KHz. The frequency separation between the frequency quadrature signals should be greater than or equal to the inverse of the integration period (i.e., sampling period).

In an embodiment, mixed signal integrated circuit 105 (or a downstream component or software) is adapted to determine at least one value representative of each frequency quadrature signal transmitted by transmit antenna 130. In an embodiment, mixed signal integrated circuit 105 (or a downstream component or software) performs a fourier transform on the received signal. In an embodiment, mixed signal integrated circuit 105 is adapted to digitize a received signal. In an embodiment, mixed signal integrated circuit 10 (or a downstream component or software) is adapted to digitize a received signal and perform a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) on the digitized information. In an embodiment, mixed signal integrated circuit 100 (or a downstream component or software) is adapted to digitize a received signal and perform a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the digitized information.

Turning to fig. 2, an embodiment of a sensing device 100 is shown, the sensing device 100 being capable of being placed on or in proximity to a part of a human or animal's body. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 includes a transmit antenna 130 and a receive antenna 140. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 includes a transmit antenna 130 and a plurality of receive antennas 140. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 includes a plurality of transmit antennas 130 and includes a receive antenna 140. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 includes one or more transmit antennas 130 and one or more receive antennas 140. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is embedded or encased in a wearable device. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is adapted to be attached or applied to a body. In an embodiment, the sensor device 100 comprises an adhesive side that can be applied to the body. In embodiments, the sensor device 100 is part of or embedded within a wearable item, such as a wrist band, headband, neckband, belt, or other such item. In an embodiment, the sensor device 100 is part of or embedded in an article of clothing, such as a glove, shirt, pants, sock, or underwear, that is worn proximate to the skin.

In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is formed of two parts (not shown), wherein one part comprises one or more transmitting antennas and the other part comprises one or more receiving antennas 140. In an embodiment, the two parts of the sensing device are each worn on the body, e.g., a wrist band and a forearm band; or a wrist strap for the left arm and a wrist strap for the right arm.

In an embodiment, the transmit antenna 130 and the receive antenna 140 are conductive. In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located in proximity to a subject (e.g., a human or animal), the transmitting antenna 130 and the receiving antenna 140 are in direct contact with the subject. In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located in proximity to a subject (e.g., a human or animal), at least one of the transmit antenna(s) 130 and the receive antenna(s) 140 is not in direct contact with the subject. In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located in proximity to a subject (e.g., a human or animal), one or more of the transmit antenna 130 or the receive antenna 140 is maintained at a distance from the subject. In embodiments, such distances are maintained by a non-conductive coating on the antenna. In embodiments, such distance is maintained by a dielectric layer between the antenna and the body.

In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located in proximity to a body (e.g., a human or animal), the at least one transmitting antenna 130 is maintained in close proximity to the body, and the at least one receiving antenna 140 is supported on a rigid substrate, e.g., by a plastic bracelet. In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located in proximity to a body (e.g., a human or animal), at least one transmitting antenna 130 is maintained in close proximity to the body, and a plurality of receiving antennas 140 are supported on a rigid substrate, e.g., by a plastic bracelet. In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located near a subject (e.g., a human or animal), one or more of the transmit antenna 130 or the receive antenna 140 are maintained in a fixed position relative to each other and do not move with the surface of the skin, e.g., the antenna held in place relative to a bracelet. In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located near a subject (e.g., a human or animal), one or more of the transmit antenna 130 or the receive antenna 140 is supported on a rigid substrate, e.g., an antenna supported by a plastic bracelet. In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located near a subject (e.g., a human or animal), one or more of the transmit antenna 130 or the receive antenna 140 is supported on a highly flexible substrate, e.g., an antenna supported on soft fabric or flexible rubber; and in embodiments, the soft fabric or flexible rubber substrate may be temporarily attached to the body using an adhesive (e.g., an adhesive portion like a band-aid). In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located near a subject (e.g., a human or animal), one or more of the transmit antenna 130 or the receive antenna 140 is supported on a flexible substrate, e.g., an antenna supported by a fabric or rubber substrate; in embodiments, such a base may resemble a silicone bracelet, or may resemble a non-adhesive portion of a wound dressing that is generally positioned by an adhesive portion, but will not move precisely with the skin.

In an embodiment, the sensing device includes a plurality of conductive antennas that are cradled on one or more wearable components. In an embodiment, the wearable assembly is configured such that its antenna is in direct contact with the body. In an embodiment, the wearable assembly is configured such that its antenna is not in direct contact with the body. In an embodiment, the wearable assembly is configured such that at least some of the antennas are not in direct contact with the body. In embodiments, each of the plurality of conductive antennas may be used as a transmit antenna or as a receive antenna.

In an embodiment, a plurality of unique orthogonal signals are operatively conducted to one or more transmit antennas. In an embodiment, the signal generator is for generating a plurality of unique orthogonal signals, each of which is operatively conducted to the transmit antenna. In an embodiment, a plurality of unique orthogonal signals are operatively conducted to one or more transmit antennas. In an embodiment, the matrix switch is configured to selectively operatively connect the output of the signal generator (any unique orthogonal signal of the plurality of unique orthogonal signals) to any antenna that may be used as a transmit antenna. In an embodiment, the signal processor is configured to provide a measurement for each unique orthogonal signal of the plurality of unique orthogonal signals received by each of the one or more receive antennas. In an embodiment, the matrix switch is configured to selectively operatively connect each receive antenna to an input of the signal processor.

In an embodiment, each transmit antenna 140 transmits a unique frequency quadrature signal that can be recognized by the signal processor. In an embodiment, there are multiple devices located on the body, each of which includes one or more transmit antennas 130 and one or more receive antennas 140. In an embodiment, the transmit antenna 130 operates as follows: they blend the signal subsequently received by the receive antenna 140 into the body. In an embodiment, one or both of the receive antenna 140 and the transmit antenna are located inside the body.

In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is a belt worn on an arm. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is an eye mask. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is a scarf worn around the neck. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is a collar. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is a necklace. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is worn on the wrist. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is formed as goggles or glasses. In embodiments, the sensing device 100 is worn on one or both feet. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is one or more earrings. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is a belt worn on a leg. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is worn on the chest. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is worn on the back. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is worn in the groin area.

In embodiments, the antenna is formed as a three-dimensional object (or a face of such a three-dimensional object), examples of which include: cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, octagonal prisms, tetrahedrons, square pyramids, cylinders, and cones. In such embodiments, interleaving in two or more dimensions is possible. For example, 2mm cubes may be placed, e.g., 2mm apart, on a two-dimensional grid, e.g., 1 "wide, on a first structure worn on the wrist, while another layer of similar cubes may be disposed on a second structure. In an embodiment, large dense arrays of, for example, alternating transmitters and receivers may interact. Biometric data may be measured by the system using the mixed signal integrated circuit described above, or another system that can transmit and receive frequency quadrature signals and detect changes in signal interaction.

In an embodiment, each transmit antenna may be used to transmit multiple frequency orthogonal signals. In an embodiment, the positions of the transmit antenna 130 and the receive antenna 140 may be dynamically reconfigured, allowing each antenna to operate as either a transmit antenna or a receive antenna during any integration period. In an embodiment, the antennas may be used as both transmit and receive antennas (although with different frequency quadrature signals) during a single integration period. In an embodiment, during the same integration period, two sets of antennas are used as both transmit and receive antennas; the first group of antennas passes the signals they receive through a high pass filter and is used to transmit only low frequencies, while the second group of antennas passes the signals they receive through a low pass filter and transmits only high frequencies.

The transmit antenna 130 and the receive antenna 140 may be arranged or formed as part of an antenna array comprising one or more transmit antennas 130 and one or more receive antennas 140. Generally, more antennas will produce more sets of data. However, antenna placement, rather than just quantity, that causes the antenna to provide information about the biometric data to be obtained results in improved measurement capabilities. In an embodiment, the antenna is placed in a strategic location or placed in proximity to a body part to obtain biometric data. By "proximate," it is generally meant close enough that placement of the antenna provides information about the body part, or placement of the antenna on the surface of the skin to obtain biometric data about the body function. In an embodiment, the antennas of the array are placed at specific locations where veins and arteries are located. In an embodiment, the transmit and receive antennas (or the set of transmit and receive antennas) are placed on the skin, and stretching of the skin and movement of subcutaneous structures cause indirect signal changes for obtaining biometric data. In an embodiment, the transmit antenna and the receive antenna (or the transmit antenna combined receive antenna set) are placed on the skin and environmental skin changes are used to obtain biometric data. In an embodiment, a machine learning algorithm is used to associate the measured signals with biometric data.

In an embodiment, very small transmit and receive antennas are positioned directly on various nearby locations on the body and are able to detect relative movement with respect to each other — and that relative movement can be used to obtain biometric data. In an embodiment, the antenna is attached to the hair, hair follicle or skin using a small amount of adhesive.

When in use, a measurement is made of the amount of signal received at the receiver from the transmit antenna. Referring to fig. 3, shown is the amount of measured signal received at a particular receiver during a series of integration periods. The activity indicates that: during some integration periods, more signal is being received than at other frames. The measured signal may be indicative of biological activity. In an embodiment, the measured signal during each frame may be indicative of biological activity. In an embodiment, the measured signal during the plurality of frames may be indicative of biological activity.

Fig. 4 is another graph illustrating the amount of measured signal received at a particular receiver during a series of integration periods. In the diagram of fig. 4, the delta between the currently received signal and the previously received signal is illustrated. This provides different perspectives of the received signal and enables the signal to indicate biometric data that is easier to visualize and to be used to build up biometric data.

The measured signals can be processed to provide biometric data about the person. Biometric data is information related to and/or associated with biological activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with a heart rate. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with cyclical activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with respiratory activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with skin activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with voice activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with auditory activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with gait. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with muscle activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with eye movement activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with eyelid activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with digestive activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with transmission of a signal within the body. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with a particular part of the body and is used to target a particular part of the body, for example, a particular vein and artery, such as the superficial arch of the palm, may be able to provide an orientation of the hand relative to the surface. In an embodiment, using a wearable device to target a particular artery may permit us to track the placement of the wearable device on the body for a period of time.

As discussed above, to obtain biometric data, the sensing device 100 is positioned and/or the sensing device 100 is associated with a person such that the received signals can be measured and used by the sensing device 100 to provide biometric data. The biometric data may then be used for diagnostic purposes, health-related issues, identification, and other activities.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A biometric sensing device comprising:

a first antenna supported by a first component configured to be worn by a subject and configured to maintain the first antenna proximate to the subject when the first component is worn;

a plurality of second antennas supported by a second component configured to be worn by the body and configured to maintain the plurality of second antennas proximate to the body when the second component is worn;

a signal generator operatively connected to the first antenna, the signal generator configured to transmit a first frequency signal on the first antenna;

a signal processor operatively connected to the plurality of second antennas, the signal processor configured to: processing a received signal received on each of the second plurality of antennas during a plurality of integration periods and determining, for each of the plurality of integration periods and for each of the plurality of second antennas, a measurement corresponding to the first frequency signal; and is

Wherein measurements corresponding to the first frequency signal taken during the plurality of integration periods provide data relating to a biometric of the subject.

2. The biometric sensing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component includes a dielectric layer configured such that when the at least one of the first component and the second component is worn, at least one of the first antenna or the plurality of second antennas is separated from the body by the dielectric layer.

3. The biometric sensing device of claim 1, wherein the first antenna is contacting the subject when the first antenna is proximate to the subject.

4. The biometric sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the second component is made of a rigid material.

5. The biometric sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the second component is made of a flexible material.

6. The biometric sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the second component is made of rubber or plastic.

7. The biometric sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the first component and the second component form a single component.

8. The biometric sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the first component is adapted to be worn on an arm of the body.

9. The biometric sensing device of claim 1, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to cardiac activity.

10. The biometric sensing device of claim 1, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to lung activity.

11. The biometric sensing device of claim 1, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to involuntary physical activity.

12. The biometric sensing device of claim 1, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to a location of a vein or artery.

13. A biometric sensing device comprising:

a signal generator operatively connected to each of the plurality of second antennas, the signal generator configured to transmit at least one unique frequency orthogonal signal of a plurality of unique frequency orthogonal signals on each of the plurality of second antennas during a plurality of integration periods;

a signal processor operatively connected to the first antenna, the signal processor configured to: processing a received signal received on the first antenna during a plurality of integration periods and, for each of the plurality of integration periods, determining a measurement corresponding to each of the plurality of unique frequency orthogonal signals; and is

Wherein the measurements corresponding to each unique frequency quadrature signal of the plurality of unique frequency quadrature signals during the plurality of integration periods provide data related to a biometric of the subject.

14. The biometric sensing device according to claim 13, the signal processor further configured to: processing a second received signal received on the first antenna during a second plurality of integration periods and, for each integration period of the second plurality of integration periods, determining a measurement corresponding to each unique frequency quadrature signal of the plurality of unique frequency quadrature signals; and is

Wherein measurements corresponding to each unique frequency quadrature signal of the plurality of unique frequency quadrature signals during the second plurality of integration periods provide data related to a biometric of the subject.

15. The biometric sensing device of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component includes a dielectric layer configured such that when the at least one of the first component and the second component is worn, at least one of the first antenna or the plurality of second antennas is separated from the body by the dielectric layer.

16. The biometric sensing device according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of second antennas is contacting the subject when the plurality of second antennas is proximate to the subject.

17. The biometric sensing device according to claim 13, wherein the second component is made of a rigid material.

18. The biometric sensing device according to claim 13, wherein the second component is made of a flexible material.

19. The biometric sensing device according to claim 13, wherein the second component is made of rubber or plastic.

20. The biometric sensing device according to claim 13, wherein the first component and the second component form a single component.

21. The biometric sensing device according to claim 13, wherein the first component is adapted to be worn on an arm of the body.

22. The biometric sensing device of claim 13, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to cardiac activity.

23. The biometric sensing device of claim 13, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to lung activity.

24. The sensing device of claim 13, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to involuntary physical activity.

25. The sensing device of claim 13, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to a location of a vein or artery.