US 12,219,877 B2
Multi-element piezo sensors for physiological measurements
Chin San Han, Mountain View, CA (US); German A. Alvarez, San Jose, CA (US); Santiago Quijano, San Jose, CA (US); and Stuart W. Wenzel, San Carlos, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/730,841.
Application 17/730,841 is a division of application No. 15/986,643, filed on May 22, 2018, granted, now 11,349,063.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/509,657, filed on May 22, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0254984 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 41/113 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/11 (2006.01); G01L 1/16 (2006.01); G01L 1/20 (2006.01); H10N 30/00 (2023.01); H10N 30/30 (2023.01); H10N 30/50 (2023.01); H10N 30/87 (2023.01); A61B 5/0205 (2006.01)
CPC H10N 30/302 (2023.02) [A61B 5/1126 (2013.01); A61B 5/4806 (2013.01); A61B 5/6892 (2013.01); A61B 5/742 (2013.01); G01L 1/16 (2013.01); G01L 1/205 (2013.01); H10N 30/508 (2023.02); H10N 30/704 (2024.05); H10N 30/87 (2023.02); A61B 5/0205 (2013.01); A61B 5/02055 (2013.01); A61B 5/6802 (2013.01); A61B 2560/0252 (2013.01); A61B 2560/0462 (2013.01); A61B 2562/04 (2013.01); A61B 2562/06 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A multi-element piezo sensor comprising:
a mat for placement on a sleeping surface and comprising:
a plurality of piezo film elements, each piezo film element electrically isolated from other piezo film elements;
one or more layers comprising:
an outer layer; and
an intermediate layer positioned between the outer layer the plurality of piezoelectric elements and comprising multiple structures, each structure of the multiple structures located between one of the plurality of piezo film elements and the outer layer and configured to concentrate a forced applied to the outer layer on a respective piezo film element of the multiple piezo film elements;
a plurality of electrodes configured to electrically couple to the plurality of piezo film elements; and
a plurality of routing traces configured to route one or more electrical signals from the plurality of electrodes to a controller, wherein the controller is configured to receive signals from the set of sensing elements and determine one or more physiological parameters of a user using the received signals.