CN111417336B

CN111417336B - biometric sensor

Info

Publication number: CN111417336B
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: 2023-10-27
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-13
Also published as: CN111417336A; JP2021509300A; WO2019099077A1; DE112018005874T5

Abstract

Biometric sensing devices are employed by humans to obtain biometric data. Transmitting and receiving antennas are used for transmitting and receiving antennas. The measurement of the received signal is correlated with biological activity to provide biometric data.

Description

Biometric sensor

The present application is a continuation-in-part application from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/943221, entitled "Flexible deformation sensor (Flexible Deformation Sensor)" filed on 4/2 of 2018. The present application also claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/657120 entitled "Interier Sensing" filed on day 13, 4, 2018. The application also claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/657270 entitled "displacement sensing for mobile positioning (Displacement Sensing to Localize Movement)" filed on day 13, 4, 2018. The present application is also a continuation of the section of U.S. patent application No. 15/904953 entitled "apparatus and method for sensing deformation (Apparatus and Method for Sensing Deformation)" filed on month 2 and 26 of 2018, which in turn claims the benefits of the following applications: U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/621117 entitled "matrix sensor with receive isolation (Matrix Sensor with Receive Isolation)" filed on 1/24/2018; U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/588867 entitled "sensing controller (Sensing Controller)" filed on 11/17/2017; and U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/5883148 entitled "System and method for integrating Range Sensors (Systems and Methods for Infusion Range Sensor)" filed on 11/17 2017. The application also relates to the subject matter disclosed in the following applications: U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/473908 entitled "hand controller (Hand Sensing Controller)" filed 3/20/2017; U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/488753 entitled "heterogeneous sensing device and method (Heterogenous Sensing Apparatus and Methods)" filed on 4/22/2017; and U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/533405 entitled "apparatus and method for enhancing digital separation and replication (Apparatus and Methods for Enhancing Digit Separation and Reproduction)" filed on 7, 17, 2017. The contents of all of the above applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

Technical Field

The disclosed apparatus and methods relate 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 descriptions of embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers refer to the same parts throughout the various figures. 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 the measured signal received at the receiver.

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

Detailed Description

The present application contemplates embodiments of a sensor designed for obtaining a biometric. The sensor configuration is suitable for use with frequency orthogonal signaling techniques (see, e.g., U.S. patent nos. 9019224 and 9529476, and U.S. patent No. 9811214, which are all incorporated herein by reference). The sensor configurations discussed herein may be used with other signal 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 connection with signal-in (also referred to as signal injection) techniques and devices.

The presently disclosed systems and methods relate to principles regarding or for designing, manufacturing, and using capacitive-based sensors, and in particular capacitive-based sensors employing orthogonal signaling-based multiplexing schemes such as, but not limited to: frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), code Division Multiplexing (CDM), or a hybrid modulation technique combining both the FDM method and the CDM method. References herein to frequency may also refer to other orthogonal signal bases. Thus, the present application contemplates FDM sensors, CDM sensors, or FDM/CDM hybrid touch sensors that may be used in conjunction with the presently disclosed sensors by reference to applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 9019224 entitled "Low-Latency Touch Sensitive Device" and U.S. Pat. No. 9158411 entitled "Fast Multi-Touch Post Processing," in which interactions are sensed as signals from the rows are coupled (increased) or decoupled (decreased) to the columns and the results received on the columns.

The present application also employs the principles disclosed in the following patents for use in fast multi-touch sensors and other interfaces: U.S. patent No. 9933880; 9019224; 9811214; 9804721; 9710113; and 9158411. Familiarity with the disclosures, concepts and nomenclature of these patents is assumed. The entire disclosures of those patents and applications incorporated by reference herein are incorporated by reference. The present application also employs the 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, given familiarity with the disclosure, concepts and nomenclature therein. The complete disclosures of these applications and the applications incorporated by reference herein are incorporated by reference.

As used herein, and particularly within the claims, ordinal terms such as first and second are not by themselves intended to mean sequential, temporal, or unique, but rather are used to distinguish one claimed construct from another. In some use cases, where the context dictates, these terms may suggest 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 deliberate meaning: the first time occurs before the second time, after the second time, or simultaneously with the second time. However, in the case where a further limitation of the second time after the first time is 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 specifies or permits, ordinal terms are intended to be construed broadly such that two identified claim constructions can have the same characteristics or have 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 10Mhz; or the first frequency and the second frequency may be different frequencies, for example, the first frequency is 10Mhz and the second frequency is 11Mhz. The context can be defined in other ways, for example in the case where the first frequency and the second frequency are further limited to be orthogonal to each other in frequency, in which case they may not be the same frequency.

Certain principles of a fast multi-touch (FMT) sensor have been disclosed in the above-discussed patent applications. The quadrature signals are transmitted into a plurality of transmit conductors (or antennas) and the information is received by a receiver attached to the plurality of receive conductors (or antennas), and then the signals are analyzed by a signal processor to identify touch events. The transmit conductors and receive conductors may be organized in various configurations including, for example, a matrix in which the intersections form nodes, and interactions detected at those nodes by processing the received signals. In embodiments in which the orthogonal signals are frequency orthogonal, the interval Δf between the orthogonal frequencies 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 frequency interval of one kilohertz (Δf) may be used to measure columns for one millisecond (τ) (i.e., Δf=1/τ).

In an embodiment, the 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, the mixed signal integrated circuit (or downstream component or software) is adapted to digitize the received signal and perform a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) on the digitized information. In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit (or downstream component or software) is adapted to digitize the received signal and perform a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) -FFT on the digitized information is one type of discrete fourier transform.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure 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 were repeated. As a result, signals that are not center frequencies (i.e., not integer multiples of the reciprocal of the integration period (whose reciprocal defines the minimum frequency interval)) may have relatively nominal, but unintended results of contributing multiple small values into other DFT bins. Thus, it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure that the term orthogonality 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 contributions of one signal to the DFT band are made for a DFT band that is different than substantially all contributions of the other signal.

In an embodiment, the received signal is sampled at least 1MHz. In an embodiment, the received signal is sampled at least 2MHz. 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, for example, at 4.096 MHz. In such an embodiment, the integration period is 1 millisecond, and the integration period provides a minimum frequency interval of 1KHz, subject to the constraint that the frequency interval should be greater than or equal to the inverse of the integration period. (it will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure that taking 4096 samples at, for example, 4MHz will result in an integration period slightly longer than a millisecond, and kHz sampling is not achieved, 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 2MHz. 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 1.6MHz. In an embodiment, a DFT (which may be an FFT) is used to transform the digitized received signal into information bins, each of which reflects the frequency of the transmitted frequency quadrature signal that may have been transmitted by the transmit antenna 130. In an embodiment, 2048 bins correspond to frequencies from 1KHz to about 2MHz. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure that these examples are merely illustrative. 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, and so on.

In an embodiment, the DFT (which may be an FFT) output includes a frequency band for each frequency quadrature signal transmitted. In an embodiment, each DFT (which may be an FFT) frequency band includes an in-phase (I) component and a quadrature (Q) component. In an embodiment, the sum of squares of the I and Q components is used as a measure 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 a measure corresponding to the signal strength of that frequency band. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure 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 following process: the signal is transmitted to the body of the subject, effectively rendering the body (or parts of the body) an active source of emission 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 a hand (or finger or some other body part) to be determined relative to the surface. In embodiments, the signals are carried (e.g., conducted) by the body, and depending on the frequencies involved, the signals may also be carried near or below the surface. In an embodiment, frequencies in at least the KHz range may be used for frequency injection. In an embodiment, frequencies in the MHz range may be used for frequency injection. To use the fuse in conjunction with an FMT as described above, in an embodiment, the fuse signal can be selected to be orthogonal to the drive signal, and thus can be seen on the sense line in addition to other signals.

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

Turning to fig. 1, a diagram of an embodiment of a sensing device 100 is shown. In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit 105 with signal processing capability includes a transmitter 110 and a receiver 120. In an embodiment, an analog front end including a transmitter (or transmitters) and a receiver (or 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 the signal generation and signal processing circuitry and/or software.

Transmitter 110 is conductively coupled to transmit antenna 130 via transmit lead 115 and receiver 120 is conductively coupled to receive antenna 140 via receive lead 125. The signal is transmitted from the transmitting antenna 130. The signal received by the receiving antenna 140 is measured by the sensing device 100. The measured amount of the signal is used to provide information about the environment in which the signal is being used. 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 receiving 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, the mixed signal integrated circuit 105 is adapted to generate a plurality of frequency quadrature signals and to transmit the plurality of frequency quadrature signals to the transmit antenna 130. In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit 105 is adapted to generate a plurality of frequency quadrature signals and to transmit one or more of the plurality of frequency quadrature signals to each of a plurality of transmit antennas. In an embodiment, the frequency quadrature signal ranges from DC up to about 2.5 GHz. In an embodiment, the frequency quadrature signal ranges from DC up to about 1.6MHz. 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., the sampling period).

In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit 105 (or downstream component or software) is adapted to determine at least one value representative of each frequency quadrature signal transmitted by the transmit antenna 130. In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit 105 (or downstream component or software) performs a fourier transform on the received signal. In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit 105 is adapted to digitize the received signal. In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit 10 (or downstream components or software) is adapted to digitize the received signal and perform a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) on the digitized information. In an embodiment, the mixed signal integrated circuit 100 (or downstream components or software) is adapted to digitize the 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, which sensing device 100 can be placed on or near a part of a human or animal body. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 includes a transmitting antenna 130 and a receiving antenna 140. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 includes a transmitting antenna 130 and a plurality of receiving 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 apparatus. In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is adapted to be attached to or applied to the body. In an embodiment, the sensor device 100 includes an adhesive side that can be applied to the body. In an embodiment, the sensor device 100 is part of or embedded within a wearable item, such as a wristband, headband, scarf, waistband, or other such item. In an embodiment, the sensor device 100 is part of or embedded in an article of apparel, such as a glove, shirt, pants, sock, or undergarment, that is worn in proximity to the skin.

In an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is formed of two parts (not shown), wherein one part comprises one or more transmit antennas and the other part comprises one or more receive antennas 140. In an embodiment, the two parts of the sensing device are each worn on the body, e.g. a wristband and a forearm strap; or a wristband for the left arm and a wristband 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 positioned in proximity to a body (e.g., a human or animal), the transmit antenna 130 and the receive antenna 140 are in direct contact with the body. 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 are not in direct contact with the subject. In an embodiment, when the sensing device 100 is operatively located near a subject (e.g., a human or animal), one or more transmit antennas 130 or receive antennas 140 are maintained at a distance from the subject. In an embodiment, such distance is maintained by a non-conductive coating on the antenna. In an embodiment, such a distance is maintained by a dielectric layer between the antenna and the body.

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

In an embodiment, the sensing device includes a plurality of conductive antennas that are affixed to 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 an embodiment, each of the plurality of conductive antennas may be used as a transmitting antenna or as a receiving 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 the unique orthogonal signals being 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 can be used as a transmit antenna. In an embodiment, the signal processor is configured to provide measurements for each unique orthogonal signal of a plurality of unique orthogonal signals received by each of the one or more receive antennas. In an embodiment, the matrix switch is configured for selectively operatively connecting each receive antenna to an input of the signal processor.

In an embodiment, each transmit antenna 140 transmits a unique frequency quadrature signal that is recognizable by a signal processor. In an embodiment, there are multiple devices located on the body, each of the multiple devices including one or more transmit antennas 130 and one or more receive antennas 140. In an embodiment, the transmit antenna 130 operates as follows: they incorporate the signals subsequently received by the receiving 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 shield. 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 an embodiment, the sensing device 100 is worn on a single foot or on 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 the 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 an embodiment, the antenna is formed as a three-dimensional object (or a face of such three-dimensional object), examples of which include: cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, octagonal prisms, tetrahedrons, tetragonal pyramids, cylinders, and cones. In such embodiments, interleaving in two or more dimensions is possible. For example, a 2mm cube may be placed, for example, 2mm apart on a two-dimensional grid, for example, 1 "wide, on a first structure worn on the wrist, while a similar cube of another layer may be deployed on a second structure. In an embodiment, a large dense array of alternating transmitters and receivers, for example, may interact. Biometric data may be measured by the system using the mixed signal integrated circuit described above, or another system that may 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 quadrature signals. In an embodiment, the locations 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 antenna may be used as both a transmit antenna and a receive antenna during a single integration period (albeit with different frequency quadrature signals). 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 it receives through a high pass filter and is used to transmit only low frequencies, while the second group of antennas passes the signals it receives through a low pass filter and is used to transmit 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. In general, more antennas will produce more sets of data. However, having the antennas provide antenna placement of information about the biometric data to be obtained, not just the number, 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 "proximal", it is generally meant sufficiently close 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 related to 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 antenna and the receive antenna (or transmit antenna set and receive antenna set) are placed on the skin, and stretching of the skin and movement of the subcutaneous structure causes indirect signal changes for obtaining biometric data. In an embodiment, a transmit antenna and a receive antenna (or a transmit antenna combination receive antenna set) are placed on the skin and ambient skin changes are used to obtain biometric data. In an embodiment, a machine learning algorithm is used to correlate the measured signal with biometric data.

In an embodiment, very small transmit and receive antennas are positioned directly at various adjacent 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, a small amount of adhesive is used to attach the antenna to the hair, hair follicle or skin.

When in use, the amount of signal received at the receiver from the transmit antenna is measured. 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: during certain integration periods, more signals are 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 diagram 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 be indicative of biometric data that is easier to visualize and enables the signal to be used to establish biometric data.

The measured signals can be processed to provide biometric data related to the person. Biometric data is information related to and/or associated with a biological activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with a heart rate. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with a recurring 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 a digestive activity. In an embodiment, the biometric data is associated with the transmission of signals within the body. In embodiments, biometric data is associated with a particular portion of the body and is used to map a particular portion of the body, for example, particular veins and arteries, such as the shallow palm arch, may be capable of providing an orientation of the hand relative to the surface. In an embodiment, calibrating a particular artery using a wearable device may permit us to track placement of the wearable device on the body for a period of time.

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

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

Claims

1. A biometric sensing device, comprising:

a first antenna supported by a first component, the first component configured to be worn by a body and configured to maintain the first antenna in proximity to the body when the first component is worn;

a plurality of second antennas supported by a second assembly, the second assembly configured to be worn by the body and configured to maintain the plurality of second antennas in proximity to the body when the second assembly is worn;

a signal generator operatively connected to the first antenna, the signal generator configured to generate 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 received signals received on each of the plurality of second antennas during a plurality of integration periods, and for each of the plurality of integration periods and for each of the plurality of second antennas, determining a measure of an amount of received signals corresponding to the first frequency signal using a fast fourier transform; and is also provided with

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 and second components comprises a dielectric layer configured such that at least one of the first or second antennas is separated from the body by the dielectric layer when the at least one of the first and second components is worn.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. A biometric sensing device, comprising:

a signal generator operatively connected to each of the plurality of second antennas, the signal generator configured to generate at least one unique frequency quadrature signal of a plurality of unique frequency quadrature 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 the received signal received on the first antenna during a plurality of integration periods, and for each of the plurality of integration periods, determining a measure of an amount of the received signal corresponding to each unique frequency quadrature signal of the plurality of unique frequency quadrature signals using a fast fourier transform; and is also provided with

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.

12. The biometric sensing device of claim 11, 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 also provided with

Wherein the 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.

13. The biometric sensing device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first and second components comprises a dielectric layer configured such that at least one of the first or second antennas is separated from the body by the dielectric layer when the at least one of the first and second components is worn.

14. The biometric sensing device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of second antennas is contacting the body when the plurality of second antennas are proximate the body.

15. The biometric sensing device of claim 11 wherein the second component is made of a rigid material.

16. The biometric sensing device of claim 11, wherein the second component is made of a flexible material.

17. The biometric sensing device of claim 11, wherein the second component is made of rubber or plastic.

18. The biometric sensing device of claim 11, wherein the first component and the second component form a single component.

19. The biometric sensing device of claim 11, wherein the first component is adapted to be worn on an arm of a body.

20. The biometric sensing device of claim 11, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to heart activity.

21. The biometric sensing device of claim 11, wherein the biometric of the subject is related to lung activity.