This invention relates to mobile communication devices, more specifically to accessories for handheld smartphones.
Smart telephones became more and more versatile. Nowadays in their versatility, smart telephones resemble a Swiss Army Knife—a multi-function and multi-purpose item. Most wireless communication devices (cellular or mobile telephones, e.g.) incorporate additional non-communication features, such as imaging (photo and video), personal planners, games, navigation, etc. There are numerous inventions that attempt to include more features for measurement and/or monitoring external signals such as temperature and air pressure. An example is the electromagnetic radiation sensors as taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 8,275,413 issued to Fraden et al. and incorporated herein as reference. Especially of interest for practical applications are medical uses of the smartphones for patient monitoring, self-diagnostic and treatment.
For a chemical analysis and material composition a mass-spectrometry can be employed. A recent advancement in the MEMS technology allowed a construction a miniature sensor responsive to a single molecule as described in A. K. Naik et al. “Towards single-molecule nanomechanical mass spectrometry”. Nat. Nanotechnol. 4, 445-450 (2009). This chip can be incorporated in a mobile communication device or a carrying case.
Certain medical monitoring detectors can be imbedded directly into a smartphone and become an integral part of such. Yet, many more shouldn't be integrated into mobile communication devices (smart phones, e.g.) for various reasons. The key reason why all smartphones should not comprise a multitude imbedded sensors is a pure practicality. At least in a foreseeable future, many sensors would take a valuable space and increase cost—often this makes not much sense for a generic smartphone that is intended for a general population. Being “smart’ is good and beneficial, but being “too smart” is not always useful. For example, an air pressure or noncontact infrared temperature measurements may be very useful features during activities of certain phone owners (in a work place, hospital, travel, e.g.), yet they would not be needed at all for many other users that are not engaged in such activities. Incorporating monitors and sensors into smartphones while technically feasible, would increase cost, cause larger overall dimensions and reduce reliability. Further, numerous smartphone models being already in service, can't be retrofitted for adding the extra sensing features. One approach to this issue would be a use of an external attachment to a conventional telephone. However, such attachments may not be convenient for carrying around (and most consumers would never do that), are relatively bulky and require extra efforts for attaching and maintenance. Another and more practical approach is to imbed additional sensors and detectors into a conventional everyday accessory that is routinely used with a smartphone. Such a commonly used accessory is a protective jacket or case that envelops the exterior surface of a phone and absorbs impact forces if dropped on a floor. Most of such covers are designed just for a mechanical protection of the phone. However, the phone covers that in addition to their protective properties incorporate extra electronic circuitry are known in art and exemplified herein by the following. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,683 issued to Collett teaches an extension system that implements the additional electronic functions in a case attachable to an external surface of the cellular phone to form a physically integral unit with a connector to couple the extension electronics to the cellular phone electronics. U.S. Pat. No. 8,086,285 issued to McNamara et al. teaches a sound enhancing feature in a protective case. A phone case with electrical lights is taught by the U.S. Publication No. 20120302294 issued to Hammond et al. The U.S. Publication No. 20120285847 issued to Ollson teaches use of an electronic devices inside a protective case. U.S. Publication No. 20120088558 issued to Song et al. teaches an extra battery incorporated inside a protective case. A US company AliveCor (www.alivecor.com) developed the ECG screening monitor incorporated into a protective smartphone jacket. All foregoing patents, publications and the company are incorporated herewith as references. These devices and other inventions on record and known commercial products fail to address sensing a variety of external signals by a smartphone protective case.
Generally, there are two types of sensors that can be either imbedded into a smartphone or protective jacket. The sensors of the first type are responsive to external electrical signals, like voltage or charge, as exemplified by the above referenced the ECG screening monitor from AliveCor. The second type sensors are responsive to non-electrical external stimuli, for instance: pressure, chemical composition, temperature, light, as exemplified by the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 8,275,413. The latter sensor type is characterized by a complex sensor design comprising at least one transducer of non-electrical energy to electrical signal, for example, a thermopile that converts the absorbed infrared light to heat, then coverts heat to electrical signal.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a protective cover for a smartphone that incorporates additional sensors and/or actuators.
It is another object of the present invention to increase versatility of a smartphone by adding sensors for electromagnetic radiation, chemical composition, ECG, pressure and other external factors of either electrical or non-electrical in nature.
And another goal of the invention is to develop a smartphone protective cover that can sense ECG signals with no physical contact with the patient body.
Further and additional objects and goals are apparent from the following discussion of the present invention and the preferred embodiments.
A protective case for holding a smartphone incorporates at least one sensor for detecting signals caused by the stimuli external to the smartphone. The stimuli may be electrical or non-electrical. The case and the phone form an integral unit that possess the sensing features that the phone alone doesn't have. The sensor is supplemented by a signal conditioning and interface electronic circuit for communicating the sensed information to the inner processor of the smartphone. The communication may be via a wired connection to the smartphone connector or wirelessly via a radio wave or optical link. For expanding versatility of a smartphone, specific sensors imbedded into a protective sensing case may be adapted for detecting non-contact temperature, light, ECG, smell, chemical composition, ultrasonic and other external stimuli.
In the following description, the words “smartphone”, “cell phone”, “phone” and “mobile communications device” are used interchangeably and generally have the same meaning. Likewise, words “case”, “cover” and “jacket” refer to the same item.
Before operation, smartphone, 15, in positioned inside the case, 21, with the phone inner connector, 16, being coupled to the case connector, 6, as illustrated in
Alternatively, the smartphone, 15, may communicate with the module, 9, by a wireless means, for example by using a bidirectional radiofrequency or optical coupling. In that case, the module, 9, and smartphone, 15, must incorporate the appropriate coupling components that are well known in art and thus not described here. As a result, the connector, 6, and the wiring harness, 10, will not be required for a wireless communication between the case and the smartphone.
Optionally, module, 9, may be positioned in other areas of the case, 21, for example, inside the back wall, 25, or at the upper part, 11, as shown in
If the jacket comprises a module that for operation requires certain disposable or reusable components, the jacket my be appended with a pocket for storing such components (not shown). An example is a set of disposable test strips for a glucometer. Likewise, certain actuators, either manual or electrical, also can be imbedded into the jacket. An example is a piercing blade (a blood lancet) for puncturing the patient skin to obtain a blood sample for a glucometer.
Most of the sensors imbedded into the case, 21, can't be directly coupled to the connector, 6, and thus require intermediate (interface) electronic circuits, such as signal conditioners, amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters, encoders, etc. As an illustration,
In this example of
To illustrate operation of a sensor responsive to the ECG electrical stimuli,
Electrical signals from the ECG electrodes are amplified by the amplifier, 28, processed by the signal conditioner, 29 and converted to a digital format by the signal converter, 30. The same converter may be used to convert signals from the thermopile detector, 22. The digital signals pass to the connector, 6, and subsequently appear at receptacle, 12, for connecting to the external peripheral devices, if needed for calibration, e.g.
During operation, the non-contact active electrodes 26 and 27 and the ground electrode, 47, are pressed against the patient chest. Here term “non-contact” means that the conductive portions of the electrodes make no direct electrically conductive contact with the patient skin. Fundamentals of such an electrode system can be found in: Yu M. Chi et al. “Wireless Non-contact Cardiac and Neural Monitoring.” Wireless Health 2010, Oct. 5-7, 2010, San Diego, USA.
A more detailed schematic of an active non-contact capacitive electrode (26 or 27) is illustrated in
A capacitance between the electrode plate, 31, and the patient body provides a capacitive coupling for the ECG varying voltage. A voltage difference between the electrodes, 26 and 27, is amplified and in a digital format is fed to the smartphone inner electronics for processing. Note that the ground electrode, 47, is driven by a ground amplifier, 48. The ground electrode construction is shown in
Note that thanks to very high input impedance of the voltage follower, 33, it may take a long time for an ECG signal to settle down for a normal recording after the case, 21, being placed onto the patient chest. This transition time can be significantly reduced by a momentary shorting together the electrode plates, 21, of both active electrodes, 26 and 27, to the electrode plate of the ground electrode, 47. This can be accomplished by a set of additional solid-state switches that are not shown in the drawings because details of the capacitive electrode design go beyond the scope of this disclosure.
Even though the mobile communication device (smartphone, e.g.) usually has a means for communication with the user, it may be beneficial to supplement the sensing case, 21, with an additional output means, 49 (
Case, 21, can be designed in many modifications without departing from the key principles and spirit disclosed herein. As an illustration,
An optical sensor as described herein can be adapted for monitoring a heart rate of a human or animal subject by detecting a variable (modulated) light by the photo detector, 57. Alternatively, a heart rate me be computed from an R-wave of the ECG signal as detected by the embodiment shown in
Some sensors after being incorporated into case, 21, may be quite delicate, thus requiring an additional protection from environment. This can be accomplished by appending case, 21, with a protective lid, 51, shown in
While the present invention has been illustrated by description of various preferred embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in some detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The various features of the invention may be used alone or in numerous combinations depending on the needs and preferences of the user. This has been a description of the present invention, along with the preferred methods of practicing the present invention as currently known. However, the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims.
This application claims the priority of a provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/737,739 filed on 15 Dec., 2012. The disclosure of the prior related application is hereby fully incorporated by reference herein.