Systems and methods for enabling NFC communication with wearable biosensors

Abstract

A system for enabling NFC communication with a wearable biosensor includes a biosensor applicator comprising a housing defining a cavity configured to receive and physically couple to a biosensor device and apply the biosensor device to a wearer, a first applicator coil antenna and a second applicator coil antenna, wherein the first applicator coil antenna is configured to wirelessly receive electromagnetic EM energy from a transmitter coil antenna of a remote device and to provide at least a first portion of the received EM energy to the second coil antenna; and a biosensor device comprising a biosensor coil antenna, a wireless receiver electrically coupled to the biosensor coil antenna, where the biosensor device is physically coupled to the biosensor applicator and located within the cavity, and where the second applicator coil antenna is configured to receive EM energy from the first applicator coil antenna, and wirelessly transmitting at least a second portion of the received EM energy to a biosensor coil antenna. Efficient wireless transmission is provided.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a patent application with an application date of August 2, 2019, application number 201980052442.1, and invention name “System and method for implementing NFC communication with wearable biosensors”. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates generally to wireless communications between electronic devices, and more particularly to systems and methods for implementing NFC communications with wearable biosensors. Background Art

[0003] Computing devices may communicate with other computing devices using wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth (BT), BT Low Energy (BLE), WiFi, Near Field Communication (NFC), etc. Depending on the type of wireless communication technology employed, computing devices may be far apart from each other, or may need to be in close proximity. In addition, different wireless communication technologies may require different levels of power consumption to achieve effective wireless communication. Therefore, different wireless communication technologies may be more suitable for different types of computing devices or use cases than other technologies. Summary of the invention

[0004] Various examples are described for systems and methods for implementing NFC communication with a wearable biosensor. For example, a system includes a biosensor applicator and a biosensor device, the biosensor applicator including: a housing defining a cavity, the cavity configured to receive and physically couple to the biosensor device and apply the biosensor device to a wearer; a first applicator coil antenna physically coupled to the housing and defined within a first plane; and a second applicator coil antenna physically coupled to the housing and defined within a second plane, the second plane being substantially parallel to and different from the first plane, the second applicator coil antenna being coaxially positioned relative to the first applicator coil antenna, wherein the first applicator coil antenna is configured to wirelessly receive an electromagnetic (E) signal from a transmitter coil antenna of a remote device. The biosensor device is configured to receive EM energy from the first applicator coil antenna and wirelessly transmit at least a first portion of the received EM energy to a second coil antenna, the biosensor device comprising: a biosensor coil antenna defined in a third plane, the third plane being substantially parallel to the first plane and the second plane and different from the first plane and the second plane; a wireless receiver electrically coupled to the biosensor coil antenna, wherein the biosensor device is physically coupled to the biosensor applicator and positioned within the cavity, wherein the biosensor coil antenna is positioned and oriented substantially coaxially relative to the second applicator coil antenna, and wherein the second applicator coil antenna is configured to receive EM energy from the first applicator coil antenna and wirelessly transmit at least a second portion of the received EM energy to the biosensor coil antenna

[0005] An example biosensor applicator includes: a biosensor applicator housing configured to receive and physically couple to a biosensor device, the biosensor applicator configured to apply the biosensor device to a wearer; a first coil antenna physically coupled to the biosensor applicator housing; and a second coil antenna physically coupled to the biosensor applicator housing, the second coil antenna being positioned away from the first coil antenna and substantially coaxially aligned with the first coil antenna, and wherein the first coil antenna is configured to wirelessly receive electromagnetic (EM) energy from a transmitter coil antenna and provide at least a portion of the received EM energy to the second coil antenna.

[0006] Another example biosensor applicator includes: a biosensor applicator housing configured to receive and physically couple to a biosensor device, the biosensor applicator configured to apply the biosensor device to a wearer; a first coil antenna, wherein the first coil antenna is configured to wirelessly receive electromagnetic (EM) energy from a transmitter coil antenna and provide at least a portion of the received EM energy to the biosensor coil antenna of the biosensor device.

[0007] An example method includes: generating an alternating electromagnetic field (EMF) using an electronic device, the electronic device including a wireless transmitter and a transmitter coil antenna, the wireless transmitter being electrically coupled to the wireless transmitter; receiving energy from the alternating EMF through a first coil antenna of a biosensor applicator, wherein the biosensor applicator includes a first coil antenna and a second coil antenna, the second coil antenna being positioned away from the first coil antenna and substantially coaxially aligned with the first coil antenna; transmitting energy received from the alternating EMF to the second coil antenna through the first coil antenna; transmitting energy received from the first coil antenna to a biosensor coil antenna of a biosensor device through the second coil antenna, wherein the biosensor device includes a biosensor coil antenna and a wireless receiver, the biosensor coil antenna being electrically coupled to the wireless receiver.

[0008] Another example method includes: generating an alternating electromagnetic field (EMF) using an electronic device, the electronic device including a wireless transmitter and a transmitter coil antenna electrically coupled to the wireless transmitter; receiving energy from the alternating EMF through a first coil antenna of a biosensor applicator, the biosensor applicator including a first coil antenna; and transmitting energy received from the alternating EMF to the biosensor coil antenna through the first coil antenna.

[0009] These illustrative examples are not mentioned to limit or define the scope of the present disclosure, but to provide examples to aid understanding of the present disclosure. Illustrative examples are discussed in the "Detailed Description" which provides further description. The advantages provided by the various examples can be further understood by carefully reading this specification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more specific examples and, together with the description of the examples, serve to explain the principles and implementations of these specific examples.

[0011] Figure 1 An example system for implementing NFC communication with a wearable biosensor is shown;

[0012] Figure 2A-2B An example wearable biosensor is shown;

[0013] Figures 3A-3C An example wearable biosensor applicator is shown;

[0014] Figures 4A-4B An example system for implementing NFC communication with a wearable biosensor is shown;

[0015] Figures 5A-5C An example wearable biosensor applicator and an example system for enabling NFC communication with a wearable biosensor are shown;

[0016] Figures 6A-6C An example wearable biosensor applicator and an example system for enabling NFC communication with a wearable biosensor are shown;

[0017] Figure 7A-7B An example wearable biosensor applicator and an example system for enabling NFC communication with a wearable biosensor are shown;

[0018] Figure 8-9 An example method for implementing NFC communication with a wearable biosensor is shown; and

[0019] Fig.10 An example wireless computing device is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Examples are described herein in the context of systems and methods for implementing NFC communications with wearable biosensors. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the following description is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar items.

[0021] For the sake of clarity, not all of the conventional features of the examples described herein are shown and described. Of course, it will be appreciated that in developing any such actual implementation, many implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as complying with application-related and business-related constraints, and it will be appreciated that these specific goals will vary from implementation to implementation and from developer to developer.

[0022] Wearable biosensors can be used for a variety of different reasons and can be used to sense many different physiological characteristics of the wearer. Figure 1 , a diabetic person can wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) 120 to monitor her glucose level and determine if she needs a dose of insulin or if she needs to eat some food. To apply the CGM 120, the wearer purchases a new CGM 120 and removes it from its packaging. The CGM 120 is installed in a CGM applicator 130, which is a device that helps the user apply the CGM 120 to her body, such as by piercing her skin so that the sensor wires of the CGM can be inserted under her skin. However, before she applies the CGM 120, she first has to activate the CGM 120.

[0023] In this example, the CGM 120 is configured to use NFC communications to communicate with Figure 1 However, because the CGM 120 is mounted within the CGM applicator 130, and NFC has a relatively short effective communication range, the CGM applicator 130 itself may prevent NFC communication between the user's smartphone and the CGM 120 simply by acting as a physical barrier between the smartphone and the CGM 120 that prevents the two from being positioned close enough to enable NFC communication.

[0024] To mitigate this potential problem, the CGM applicator 130 has an NFC coil antenna embedded therein. The coil antenna 132 of the CGM applicator can receive NFC communications from the smart phone 110 and relay them to the NFC antenna 122 of the CGM. In this example, to help achieve this relay function, the coil antenna 132 of the CGM applicator is coaxially aligned with the coil antenna 122 of the CGM. When a changing electromagnetic field (EMF) is applied to the coil antenna 132 of the CGM applicator, it is energized and can electromagnetically couple with the coil antenna 122 of the CGM, thereby transferring energy from the received EMF to the coil antenna 122 of the CGM and the NFC receiver.

[0025] Thus, to activate the CGM 120, the wearer launches an app on her smartphone 110 and selects an option to activate the new CGM. The app then activates the smartphone's NFC communication system and energizes its coil antenna to generate a changing EMF. Because NFC has an effective communication range on the order of a few centimeters to tens of centimeters, she brings her smartphone close to the new CGM system 100 including the CGM applicator 130 and CGM 120. She then aligns her smartphone with the coil antenna within the CGM applicator 130, for example by visually locating the coil antenna 132 itself or finding one or more alignment marks on the CGM applicator 130.

[0026] When she brings the smart phone 110 close to the coil antenna 132 of the CGM applicator, that is, when she places the smart phone 110 within the effective transmission range of the coil antenna 132 of the CGM applicator, the generated EMF electromagnetically couples the coil antenna of the smart phone with the coil antenna 132 of the CGM applicator. The coil antenna 132 of the CGM applicator, after receiving energy from the EMF, electromagnetically couples with the coil antenna 122 of the CGM, and transmits the energy to the CGM using electromagnetic coupling.

[0027] In this example, the changing EMF field generated by the wearer's smart phone 110 includes an activation command, which is propagated through the coil antenna to the CGM 120 as discussed above. After receiving the activation command, the CGM 120 activates and sends a confirmation to the smart phone 110, which uses the same propagation technology but in the reverse direction from the CGM 120 back to the smart phone 110. After receiving the confirmation from the CGM 120, the application provides a notification to the wearer that the CGM 120 was successfully activated.

[0028] After receiving confirmation that the CGM 120 has been activated, the wearer then applies the CGM 120 to her body and affixes it to her skin using the CGM applicator 130. She then discards the CGM applicator 130, leaving the CGM 120 in place.

[0029] In this example, the CGM applicator 130 implements NFC communication between the wearer's smart phone 110 (or other computing device) and the NFC receiver of the CGM by providing an intervening coil antenna to relay EMF energy to the CGM. EMF energy can be used to send commands to the CGM or to power the CGM (or both). Therefore, the CGM applicator implements NFC communication, which may be blocked or degraded because the CGM applicator itself prevents the wearer's smart phone 110 from moving into the effective communication range of the coil antenna 122 of the CGM or otherwise interferes with the communication between the two. Moreover, although the above examples are in the context of CGM and CGM applicators, any suitable biosensor device, including wearable biosensors, can be used according to different examples. In addition, and as will be discussed in more detail below, other intervening coil configurations including multiple coils can be used in some examples to extend the range of NFC communication between the smart phone (or other wireless computing device) and the receiving coil antenna.

[0030] This illustrative example is given to introduce the reader to the general subject matter discussed herein, and the present disclosure is not limited to this example.The following sections describe various additional non-limiting examples and examples of systems and methods for implementing NFC communication with a wearable biosensor.

[0031] Now refer to Figure 2A-2B , Figure 2A A top view of an example biosensor 200 is shown, which can be used with one or more systems or methods to implement NFC communication with a wearable biosensor. The biosensor 200 includes a housing 202, and a sensor electronics 230, a wireless receiver 220, and a coil antenna 210 are inside the housing 202. In this example, the biosensor 200 includes a sensor electronics 230, which includes a CGM, which includes a sensor wire inserted into the wearer's skin to measure the glucose level in the wearer's interstitial fluid. However, the sensor electronics 230 may include any suitable (multiple) biosensors. For example, one or more sensors may be incorporated into the biosensor 200, including invasive or non-invasive sensors, such as analyte sensors (e.g., glucose, lactate, alcohol, etc.), blood pressure sensors, pulse sensors, blood oxygen sensors (e.g., SvO2, SpO2, etc.), skin galvanic response sensors, ultraviolet sensors, etc.

[0032] The sensor electronics 230 may include one or more processors, memory, a battery or other power source (e.g., a photovoltaic cell), etc. The sensor electronics 230 is communicatively coupled to the wireless receiver 220 to allow communication between the wireless receiver 220 and the sensor electronics 230. According to various examples, the communication may include data, commands, power, etc.

[0033] In this example, the wireless receiver 220 is part of a wireless transceiver that uses the coil antenna 210 to implement wireless communication with a remote device; however, it should be understood that according to different examples, the biosensor 200 may not include a wireless transceiver, but only a wireless receiver 220. The wireless transceiver 220 is configured to receive NFC communications; however, according to different examples, any suitable short-range wireless communication protocol may be employed. In the context of this application, "short range" refers to an implementation of a communication technology that has an effective range of a few centimeters (cm) (e.g., less than 30 cm) without intervening physical obstacles.

[0034] The coil antenna 210 is an electrical conductor formed in a coil shape to achieve electromagnetic coupling with another coil antenna and electromagnetically couple to the receiver 220 through a changing EMF, such as a wire or an electrical trace formed on a substrate. In this example, the coil antenna 210 is substantially planar, however, the example coil antenna 210 may alternatively be spiral. In this example, the coil antenna 210 has a rectangular shape, and a suitable coil antenna may have any shape, including a circular shape, an oval shape, etc. In addition, a suitable coil antenna may be substantially planar or may extend along an axis, for example, in a spiral configuration.

[0035] Figure 2B A side view of a biosensor 220 is shown, which shows the biosensor assembly within the housing 202 of the biosensor. In this view, the receiver 220 and the antenna 210 are both located on a common substrate at the bottom of the biosensor housing. The sensor electronics 230 are also physically coupled to the bottom of the biosensor housing 202, however, in this view, the sensor electronics 230 are obscured by the receiver 220 and the antenna 210. The bottom of the housing 202 refers to the portion of the housing 202 that will be located on or adjacent to the skin or clothing of the wearer. It should be understood that the coil antenna 210 can be located in any suitable position within or on the biosensor housing 202. For example, the antenna 210 can be physically coupled to the top of the biosensor housing 202 or on the outer surface of the biosensor housing 202 (e.g., the top of the biosensor housing 202). In such an arrangement, the coil antenna 210 can be communicatively coupled to the receiver 220 via one or more conductors such as wires or conductive traces (e.g., conductive traces formed on the housing 202).

[0036] Now refer to Figures 3A-3C , Figures 3A-3C An example biosensor applicator 300 is shown that can be used with the system and method for implementing NFC communication with a wearable biosensor. In this example, the biosensor applicator 300 has a housing 302 and two antennas 310, 320, and is configured to receive the biosensor below. Figures 4A-4B The housing 302 is discussed in more detail.

[0037] In this example, Figure 3A A top view of the biosensor applicator 300 is shown. In this view, the first antenna 310 of the two antennas is shown as being located on the inner surface of the upper portion of the housing 302. The upper portion refers to the portion of the housing 302 opposite the portion of the housing 302 into which the biosensor can be inserted. Although in this example, the first antenna 310 is located on the inner surface of the housing 302, in some examples, the first antenna 310 can be located on the outer surface of the housing 302. Such a configuration can allow the wearer to more easily identify the location of the antenna 310. In this example, the antenna 310 has a substantially planar configuration, although in some examples, it can have a spiral configuration.

[0038] Reference Figure 3B , Figure 3B A top cross-sectional view of the interior of the biosensor applicator 300 is shown. In this view, the second antenna 320 is located inside the housing 302 and is substantially axially aligned with the first coil antenna. It can be seen that each antenna 310, 320 is a coil about an axis extending perpendicular to the plane of the respective coil. In this example, the two coils 310, 320 are positioned so that they substantially share a common central axis 312, which is oriented at Figure 3A-3B In the example, the Figure 3C , represented by axis 312. Such alignment can enable the coils to electromagnetically couple after a varying EMF is applied to one (or both) of the coils. Similar to the first antenna 310, in this example, the second antenna 320 has a substantially planar configuration, although in some examples, it can have a helical configuration.

[0039] It should be understood that while in this example, antennas 310, 320 do not have a circular cross-section, in some examples, one or both of antennas 310, 320 may have a substantially circular cross-section. However, in some examples, any suitable coil shape may be employed.

[0040] Now refer to Figure 3C , Figure 3CA side cross-sectional view of a biosensor applicator 300 is shown. In this example, the applicator 300 does not include a conductor that physically couples the first coil antenna 310 to the second coil antenna 310; however, other examples do have such a conductor, as will be discussed in more detail below. Therefore, in this example, the two coil antennas 310, 320 are spaced apart by a distance of several centimeters. However, in one example, the two coils are spaced apart by a distance that is no greater than twice the radius of the first or second coil. In some examples, one or both coils may not have a circular shape. In such examples, "radius" refers to the distance from the central axis 312 to the outer edge of the antenna 310, 320.

[0041] In this example, the two coil antennas 310, 320 of the applicator each have a radius of approximately 4 cm; however, any suitable radius or width may be used. However, it should be understood that in some examples, the effective electromagnetic coupling distance may be substantially up to twice the radius or width of the electromagnetic coil. Therefore, the size of one or more coil antennas may be selected based on the desired effective range. For example, if the distance between the biosensor coil antenna 210 and the top surface of the applicator is 6 cm, a single coil antenna, such as the first antenna 310, may have a radius of approximately 3 cm. Alternatively, if two coil antennas are used, a smaller radius may be used based on the position of the coil antenna within the applicator 300.

[0042] In operation, a reader device having an NFC transmitter and a coil antenna, such as Figure 1 Smartphone 110 is shown, placed within the effective transmission range of biosensor applicator 300. When the reader device's NFC transmitter is activated, it generates an alternating EMF using its coil antenna that is electromagnetically coupled to first coil antenna 310. First coil antenna 310 can then be electromagnetically coupled to second coil antenna 320, effectively extending the range of the reader device's own coil antenna. In the absence of first coil antenna 310 or second coil antenna 320, the alternating EMF may not be able to effectively penetrate applicator housing 302 to reach the biosensor within applicator 300.

[0043] Now refer to Figures 4A-4B , Figure 4A A side view of an example system 400 for implementing NFC communication with a wearable biosensor is shown. The system 400 includes Figures 3A-3C The biosensor applicator 300 and Figure 2A-2BThe biosensor 200 is shown. It can be seen that the biosensor 200 is located within the applicator 300, forming an integrated system 400. The integrated system 400 can be used to apply the biosensor 200 to the skin of the wearer. For example, if the biosensor 200 is a CGM, the applicator 300 can include a needle to pierce the skin of the wearer and allow one or more CGM sensor wires to be inserted through the puncture hole.

[0044] As can be seen, the biosensor 200 is positioned within the applicator 300 such that the two antennas 310, 320 of the applicator are seated above the biosensor 200. Also, while in this example, the biosensor 200 is disposed entirely within the applicator, in other examples, the biosensor 200 may partially protrude from the applicator 300, or it may be physically coupled to an outer surface of the housing 302 of the applicator.

[0045] In this example, the biosensor's antenna 210 is offset from the coaxially aligned antennas 310, 320 in the applicator; however, in some examples, the biosensor's antenna 210 can be coaxially aligned with the applicator's antennas 310, 320. Additionally, in this example, the biosensor's antenna 210 has a radius that is smaller than the radius of the applicator's antennas 310, 320; however, in some examples, the biosensor's antenna 210 can have a radius that is substantially the same as or larger than the applicator's antennas 310, 320.

[0046] In this example, the first antenna 310 is located on the inner side of the top surface of the applicator 300. Therefore, when a reader device such as a smart phone energizes its transmitting coil antenna within the effective range of the first antenna 310, the first antenna 310 is electromagnetically coupled with the coil antenna of the reader device and receives EMF energy from the reader device. The first antenna 310 then uses the received energy to electromagnetically couple with the second antenna 320. The second antenna 320 then receives the EMF energy from the first antenna 310 and uses the received EMF energy to electromagnetically couple with the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor, which transmits the EMF energy to the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor. Therefore, the arrangement of the antennas 210, 310, 320 in the applicator and biosensor effectively extends the range of the reader device's own transmitting coil antenna, allowing the energy transmitted by the reader device to effectively reach the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor, even though the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor is likely to be outside the effective range of the transmitting coil.

[0047] In this example, because the first antenna 310 is located inside the applicator housing, for example, to protect the first antenna 310 from damage, the alignment mark 330 is provided on the outside top surface of the applicator 300. Figure 4BAn example alignment mark 330 is shown to enable a user to more easily align the reader device with the first antenna. However, in some examples, the first antenna 310 may be located on the outside top surface of the applicator 300, or may be embedded in the top surface and become visible, for example, through a transparent window, and such an alignment mark 330 may not be used.

[0048] Now refer to Figures 5A-5C , Figures 5A-5C An example system 500 for implementing NFC communications with a wearable biosensor is shown. Figure 5A A top view of a biosensor applicator 502 is shown. In this view, a first antenna 510 of the applicator's two antennas 510, 520 is shown as being located on the inner surface of the upper portion of the applicator 502, while a second coil antenna 520 is located inside the applicator 502. In this example, the applicator's two antennas 510, 520 are coaxially aligned with each other, substantially as described above with respect to Figures 3A-3C described.

[0049] In this example, as above about Figures 3A-3C Unlike the example discussed, the two antennas of the applicator are physically coupled and electrically coupled by an electrical conductor 530, such as a wire or electrical trace formed on the applicator housing. The electrical conductor 530 enables the energy received by the first antenna 510 to be transmitted to the second antenna 520. Therefore, instead of only using electromagnetic coupling, the first antenna 510 and the second antenna 520 also exchange energy through the electrical conductor. Therefore, if the reader device is located within the effective range of the first antenna 510, the coil antenna of the reader device will be electromagnetically coupled with the first antenna 510, and the conductor 530 will transmit EMF energy to the first antenna 510. Then, the received energy will pass through the electrical conductor 530 to the second antenna 520. It should be understood that the first antenna 510 will also be electromagnetically coupled with the second antenna 520 wirelessly; however, the electrical conductor 530 provides a direct wired conductive path that can also transmit energy. Then, the second antenna 520 will be electromagnetically coupled with the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor. Then, the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor can receive any command, data or power sent by the reader device.

[0050] Therefore, with Figures 4A-4B Similar to the example shown, the two antennas 510, 520 of the applicator effectively extend the range of the coil antenna of the reader device. In addition, the electrical conductor 530 can provide a more efficient path for energy transfer between the first coil antenna 510 and the second coil antenna 520 compared to wireless electromagnetic coupling. It should be understood that while in this example, the coil antennas 510, 520 have a substantially planar configuration, in some examples, one or both can have a spiral configuration.

[0051] Now refer to Figures 6A-6C , Figures 6A-6C An example system 600 for implementing NFC communications with a wearable biosensor is shown. Fig. 6A A top view of a biosensor applicator 602 with a coil antenna 610 is shown. In this example, the biosensor applicator 602 has only one coil antenna within its housing to electromagnetically couple with the reader device and the antenna 210 of the biosensor. Figure 6B As can be seen in the figure, the coil antenna 610 has a helical structure, rather than being substantially planar. Thus, the coil antenna 610 is physically coupled to the inner surface of the upper portion of the applicator housing and extends along an axis toward the bottom surface of the applicator housing. Although in this example, the coil antenna 610 is shown in a particular configuration having approximately five turns and a turn pitch (axial spacing between adjacent turns) of approximately the width of the antenna conductor, other antenna configurations may have any suitable number of turns or turn pitch.

[0052] Figure 6C A system 600 is shown that includes a biosensor applicator 602 with an installed biosensor 200. It can be seen in this view of the biosensor applicator 602 that its coil antenna 610 extends axially toward the biosensor 200. In this example, the applicator's coil antenna 610 extends to within a few millimeters (mm) of the upper outer surface of the biosensor 200. Such spacing can provide more efficient electromagnetic coupling between the applicator's coil antenna 610 and the biosensor's coil antenna 210 when the applicator's coil antenna 610 is powered.

[0053] In this example, with Figures 5A-5C Similar to the example shown, the biosensor's coil antenna 210 is not axially aligned with the applicator's antenna 610; however, in some examples, such axial alignment may not be necessary. For example, the energy transmitted by the applicator's antenna 610 may be sufficient to achieve electromagnetic coupling with the misaligned antenna 210. However, in some examples, the applicator's coil antenna 610 and the biosensor's coil antenna 210 may be designed to be axially aligned with each other.

[0054] Now refer to Figure 7A-7B, these figures show an example system 700 including a biosensor applicator 702 and a biosensor 200. In this example, the biosensor applicator 702 includes only one coil antenna 710, which is located inside the biosensor applicator 702 at a position between the upper surface 704 of the applicator and the upper surface 204 of the biosensor. Specifically, in this example, the coil antenna 710 of the applicator is equidistantly located between the upper surface 704 of the applicator and the upper surface 204 of the biosensor. However, in some examples, other positions may be used. For example, the coil antenna 710 of the applicator may be equidistantly located between the upper surface 704 of the applicator and the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor.

[0055] As mentioned above Figures 3A-5C Similar to the applicators discussed that employ two or more coil antennas, an example applicator or similar device according to the present disclosure that employs only one coil antenna can effectively increase the effective range of an NFC or similar coil antenna in a reader device by providing an intervening electromagnetic coupling between the reader device and a target device such as a biosensor. In applications where, for example, an intervening device or applicator prevents the reader device from moving into an effective near field communication range of a target device, an example arrangement of one or more intervening coil antennas (including helical antennas) can be placed within the intervening device or applicator to enable such near field communications to propagate from the reader device through the intervening device to the coil antenna of the target device. Such technology can enable communications across obstacles or across distances that may impair or prevent NFC communications between the reader device and the target device.

[0056] Now refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 An example method 800 for implementing NFC communication with a wearable biosensor is shown. The example method 800 relates to the example system 400 and Fig.10 The example wireless reader device 1000 is shown for discussion and described in greater detail below; however, any suitable system and reader device consistent with the present disclosure may be employed.

[0057] At block 810, the reader device 1000 generates an EMF using a wireless transmitter 1012 electrically coupled to a coil antenna 1014. In this example, the reader device 1000 generates a varying EMF using the transmitter 1012 in accordance with NFC technology; however, any suitable near-field wireless communication technology may be employed.

[0058] At block 820, the reader device 1000 is brought close to a device having a coil antenna. In this example, the device is a system 400, which includes a biosensor applicator 300 having an installed biosensor 200. The biosensor applicator 300 includes two coil antennas 310, 320. In this example, the reader device is positioned so that the first antenna 310 within the biosensor applicator 300 is within the effective range of the coil antenna 1014 of the reader device, such as within a few centimeters. After the coil antenna 1014 of the reader device is energized by the transmitter 1012 and generates an EMF, the coil antenna 1014 of the reader device is electromagnetically coupled with the first antenna 310 of the applicator, thereby transmitting energy to the first antenna 310.

[0059] At block 830, the first coil antenna 310 of the applicator uses the energy received from the reader device 1000 to electromagnetically couple with the second antenna 320 of the applicator, thereby transferring energy to it. It should be understood that if the device does not include a second antenna, such as in Fig. 6A -6c and 7A-7B, block 830 may be omitted. Furthermore, if the device includes more than two antennas, block 830 may be repeated for each additional antenna, thereby propagating the energy transmitted by the reader device 1000 through successive coil antennas within the device.

[0060] At block 840, the second coil antenna 320 is electromagnetically coupled to the biosensor's coil antenna 210 using the energy received from the first antenna 310. The energy received at the biosensor's coil antenna 210 is then conducted to its wireless receiver 220, where the energy can be used by the biosensor.

[0061] At block 850, the reader device 1000 sends a command to the biosensor to the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor using the indirect electromagnetic coupling provided by the first coil antenna 310 and the second coil antenna 320 of the applicator. In this example, the reader device 1000 sends an activation command to the biosensor 200. The activation command is configured to cause the biosensor to activate, which may include waking up from a sleep or pre-use mode, activating a power source within the biosensor 200, activating one or more electronic components within the biosensor, etc. In response to the activation command, the biosensor 200 may also use the indirect electromagnetic coupling between the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor and the coil antenna 1014 of the reader device to send a response to the activation command. And although this example employs an activation command, it should be understood that any suitable command or data may be communicatively sent using the indirect electromagnetic coupling between the coil antenna 1014 of the reader device and the coil antenna 210 of the biosensor.

[0062] In some examples, the reader device 1000 may provide power to the biosensor 210 instead of sending commands or data, for example to charge a battery within the biosensor 200. In some examples, the reader device 1000 may both send power to charge the battery and provide one or more commands to the biosensor.

[0063] Now refer to Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 An example method 900 for implementing NFC communication with a wearable biosensor is shown. The method 900 will be related to Figures 6A-6C The example system 600 and Fig.10 The example reader device 1000 is shown for discussion and is discussed in greater detail below; however, any suitable device system or reader device may be employed according to various examples.

[0064] At block 910 , the wireless transmitter 1012 of the reader device generates an EMF using its coil antenna 1014 substantially as described above with respect to block 1010 .

[0065] At block 920 , substantially as discussed above with respect to block 1020 , the coil antenna 1014 of the reader device is electromagnetically coupled to the coil antenna 610 of the applicator.

[0066] At block 930, the coil antenna 610 of the applicator is electromagnetically coupled to the coil antenna 610 of the applicator, substantially as discussed above with respect to block 1040. Figure 8 In contrast to the illustrated example, this example method 900 utilizes only one coil within the applicator device 602; however, as discussed above with respect to block 830 of method 800, any suitable number of coil antennas may be employed.

[0067] At block 940 , the reader device 1000 sends a command to the biosensor 200 substantially as discussed above with respect to block 850 .

[0068] Now refer to Fig.10 , Fig.10 An example computing device 1000 is shown. Fig.10In the example shown, the computing device includes a processor 1010, a memory 1020, a wireless transceiver 1012, a display 1030, a user input device 1040, and a bus 1050. In this example, the computing device 1000 includes a cellular smart phone, but may be any suitable computing device, including a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a phablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable device, etc. The processor 1010 is configured to use the bus 1050 to run program code stored in the memory 1020, output display signals to the display 1030, and receive input from the user input module 1040. In addition, the processor 1010 is configured to send information to the wireless transceiver 1012. The wireless transceiver 1012 is configured to send and receive wireless signals through the coil antenna 1014. For example, the wireless transceiver 1012 can be configured to generate an EMF to electromagnetically couple the coil antenna 1014 with another coil antenna that can be incorporated into any of the above devices, for example.

[0069] Although some examples of the methods and systems herein are described in terms of software running on various machines, the methods and systems may also be implemented as specially configured hardware, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) specifically for performing various methods. For example, the examples may be implemented as digital electronic circuits or as computer hardware, firmware, software, or as a combination thereof. In one example, the device may include one or more processors. The processor includes a computer-readable medium, such as a random access memory (RAM) coupled to the processor. The processor runs computer executable program instructions stored in the memory, such as running one or more computer programs. Such processors may include microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays, and state machines. Such processors may further include programmable electronic devices, such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), programmable interrupt controllers (PICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), programmable read-only memories (PROMs), electronic programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or EEPROMs), or other similar devices.

[0070] Such a processor may include or may communicate with a medium (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium) that may store instructions that, when run by the processor, may cause the processor to perform steps described herein as being performed or assisted by the processor. Examples of computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, electronic devices, optical devices, magnetic devices, or other storage devices that can provide computer-readable instructions to a processor (such as a processor in a network server). Other examples of media include, but are not limited to, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, disks, memory chips, ROMs, RAMs, ASICs, configured processors, all optical media, all tapes or other magnetic media, or any other media from which a computer processor can read. The described processor and processing may have one or more structures and may be dispersed in one or more structures. The processor may include code for executing one or more methods (or parts of methods) described herein.

[0071] The foregoing description of some examples is presented for purposes of illustration and description only and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and adaptations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[0072] Reference to an example or implementation herein means that a specific feature, structure, operation or other characteristic described in conjunction with the example may be included in at least one implementation of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific examples or implementations described in this manner. The appearance of the phrase "in one example", "in one example", "in one implementation" or "in one implementation" or its variations in various places in the specification do not necessarily refer to the same example or implementation. Any specific feature, structure, operation or other characteristic described in this specification with respect to an example or implementation may be combined with other features, structures, operations or other characteristics described with respect to any other example or implementation.

[0073] The word "or" as used herein is intended to cover both inclusive and exclusive "or" conditions. In other words, A or B or C includes any or all of the following alternative combinations suitable for a particular purpose: A only; B only; C only; A and B only; A and C only; B and C only; and A and B and C.

Claims

1. A system comprising: A biosensor applicator comprising: a housing defining a cavity configured to receive and physically couple to a biosensor device and apply the biosensor device to a wearer; a first applicator coil antenna physically coupled to the housing and defined within a first plane; and a second applicator coil antenna physically coupled to the housing and defined within a second plane, the second plane being substantially parallel to and different from the first plane, the second applicator coil antenna being coaxially positioned relative to the first applicator coil antenna, wherein the first applicator coil antenna is configured to wirelessly receive electromagnetic EM ("EM") energy from a transmitter coil antenna of a remote device and provide at least a first portion of the received EM energy to the second coil antenna; and Biosensor devices, including: a biosensor coil antenna defined in a third plane, the third plane being substantially parallel to the first and second planes and different from the first and second planes; a wireless receiver electrically coupled to the biosensor coil antenna; wherein the biosensor device is physically coupled to the biosensor applicator and is located within the cavity; wherein the biosensor coil antenna is positioned and oriented substantially coaxially relative to the second applicator coil antenna, and Wherein the second applicator coil antenna is configured to receive EM energy from the first applicator coil antenna and wirelessly transmit at least a second portion of the received EM energy to the biosensor coil antenna.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The first applicator coil antenna is configured to wirelessly transmit a first portion of the received EM energy to the second applicator coil antenna.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The system also includes an electrical conductor coupled between the first applicator coil antenna and the second applicator coil antenna to electrically couple the first applicator coil antenna and the second applicator coil antenna.

4. A biosensor applicator device comprising: a biosensor applicator housing configured to receive and physically couple to a biosensor device, the biosensor applicator configured to apply the biosensor device to a wearer; a first coil antenna physically coupled to the biosensor applicator housing; as well as a second coil antenna physically coupled to the biosensor applicator housing, the second coil antenna being positioned distally from and substantially coaxially aligned with the first coil antenna, wherein the first coil antenna is configured to: wirelessly receiving electromagnetic EM energy from a transmitter coil antenna; as well as At least a portion of the received EM energy is provided to the second coil antenna.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The device also includes an electrical conductor physically coupled between the first coil antenna and the second coil antenna, the conductor electrically coupling the first coil antenna and the second coil antenna, wherein the first coil antenna is configured to provide received EM energy to the second coil antenna by transmitting the received EM energy to the second coil using the conductor.

6. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The first coil antenna is substantially electrically insulated from the second coil antenna; and Wherein the first coil antenna is configured to provide received EM energy to the second coil antenna by wirelessly transmitting the received EM energy to the second coil.

7. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The second coil antenna has a width between substantially the width of the first coil antenna and substantially twice the width of the first coil antenna.

8. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The second coil antenna is configured to wirelessly transmit the received EM energy to a biosensor coil antenna of the biosensor device.

9. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that The biosensor device is a continuous glucose monitor.

10. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The first coil antenna is substantially planar.

11. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The first coil antenna is substantially helical.

12. A biosensor applicator comprising: a biosensor applicator housing configured to receive and physically couple to a biosensor device, the biosensor applicator configured to apply the biosensor device to a wearer; a first coil antenna; Wherein the first coil antenna is configured as follows: wirelessly receiving electromagnetic (EM) energy from a transmitter coil antenna, and At least a portion of the received EM energy is provided to a biosensor coil antenna of the biosensor device.

13. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that The first coil antenna is substantially planar.

14. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that The first coil antenna is substantially helical.

15. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that The first coil antenna has a width between a width of the substantially remote coil antenna and twice a width of the substantially remote coil antenna.

16. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that The biosensor device is physically coupled to a biosensor applicator.

17. The device according to claim 16, characterized in that The biosensor device is a continuous glucose monitor.

18. A method comprising: generating an alternating electromagnetic field EMF using an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a wireless transmitter and a transmitter coil antenna, the wireless transmitter being electrically coupled to the wireless transmitter; Receiving energy from the alternating EMF via a first coil antenna of a biosensor applicator, wherein the biosensor applicator comprises: a first coil antenna; and a second coil antenna located remotely from the first coil antenna and substantially coaxially aligned with the first coil antenna; transmitting energy received from the alternating EMF via the first coil antenna to the second coil antenna; transmitting energy received from the first coil antenna to a biosensor coil antenna of the biosensor device through the second coil antenna, The biosensor device includes a biosensor coil antenna and a wireless receiver, wherein the biosensor coil antenna is electrically coupled to the wireless receiver.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The method also includes activating the biosensor device using an alternating EMF.

20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The method also includes powering the biosensor device using the alternating EMF.

21. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The method also includes obtaining data from the biosensor device using the alternating EMF.

22. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The first coil antenna is electrically coupled to the second coil antenna through an electrical conductor, and wherein energy received from the EMF is transmitted from the first coil antenna to the second coil antenna using the electrical conductor.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The biosensor device is physically coupled to the biosensor applicator.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that The biosensor device is a continuous glucose monitor.

25. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The first coil antenna is electrically insulated from the second coil antenna.

26. A method comprising: generating an alternating electromagnetic field (EMF) using an electronic device including a wireless transmitter and a transmitter coil antenna electrically coupled to the wireless transmitter; receiving energy from the alternating EMF via a first coil antenna of a biosensor applicator, the biosensor applicator comprising a first coil antenna; as well as Energy received from the alternating EMF is transmitted through the first coil antenna to the biosensor coil antenna of the biosensor device.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The method also includes activating the biosensor device using an alternating EMF.

28. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The method also includes powering the biosensor device using the alternating EMF.

29. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The method also includes obtaining data from the biosensor device using the alternating EMF.

30. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The biosensor device is physically coupled to the biosensor applicator.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that The biosensor device is a continuous glucose monitor.

32. A system comprising: A biosensor applicator comprising: a housing defining a cavity configured to receive and physically couple to a biosensor device and apply the biosensor device to a wearer; an applicator coil antenna positioned about a first axis; Biosensor devices, including: Biosensor coil antenna; a first wireless receiver electrically coupled to the biosensor coil antenna; Bluetooth antenna; a second wireless transceiver coupled to the Bluetooth antenna; wherein the biosensor device is physically coupled to the biosensor applicator and is at least partially located within the cavity; and Wherein the applicator coil antenna is configured to wirelessly receive EM energy from a remote coil antenna and wirelessly provide at least a portion of the received EM energy to the biosensor coil antenna.

33. The system according to claim 32, characterized in that The biosensor device further comprises a processor, the processor being configured to: Receiving a data signal from a remote device from the first wireless transceiver via the applicator coil antenna, the data signal including Bluetooth authentication information; comparing the Bluetooth authentication information with device information associated with the biosensor device; and enabling a Bluetooth network connection to the remote device based on the Bluetooth authentication information.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein: The biosensor device further comprises a biosensor and a memory configured to store sensor data from the biosensor, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining, based on the data signal, access rights at a plurality of access levels to sensor data stored in the memory; Access by a remote device to sensor data stored in the memory is controlled based on the access level.

35. The system according to claim 34, characterized in that The plurality of access levels include a user access level, a healthcare provider access level, and a caregiver access level.

36. The system according to claim 33, characterized in that The user access level allows access to real-time sensor data; The healthcare provider access level allows access to historical sensor data and calibration or recalibration of the biosensor.

37. The system according to claim 32, characterized in that The applicator coil antenna is a first applicator coil antenna, and the biosensor applicator further comprises: a second applicator coil antenna positioned generally coaxially with respect to said first applicator coil antenna, Wherein the second applicator coil antenna is configured to wirelessly receive EM energy from a transmitter coil antenna of a remote device and provide at least a first portion of the received EM energy to the first applicator coil antenna.

38. A biosensor device comprising: Biosensor coil antenna; a first wireless transceiver electrically coupled to the biosensor coil antenna; Bluetooth antenna; a second wireless transceiver coupled to the Bluetooth antenna; as well as A processor, the processor being configured to: receiving, from the first wireless transceiver, a data signal from a remote device, the data signal including Bluetooth authentication information; comparing the Bluetooth authentication information with device information associated with the biosensor device; enabling a Bluetooth network connection to a remote device based on the Bluetooth authentication information; determining, based on the data signal, access rights at a plurality of access levels to sensor data stored in the memory; Access by a remote device to sensor data stored in the memory is controlled based on the access level.

39. The system according to claim 38, characterized in that The plurality of access levels include a user access level, a healthcare provider access level, and a caregiver access level.

40. The system according to claim 39, characterized in that The system further comprises a biosensor, wherein: the user access level allows access to real-time sensor data; The healthcare provider access level allows access to historical sensor data and calibration or recalibration of the biosensor.

41. A method comprising: wirelessly receiving, by the applicator antenna coil, electromagnetic (EM) energy from a remote coil antenna of a remote device, the EM energy comprising a data signal; wirelessly providing at least a first portion of the received EM energy to a biosensor coil antenna of a biosensor device, the at least first portion of the received EM energy comprising a data signal, the data signal comprising Bluetooth authentication information; The data signal v is wirelessly received by the processor of the biosensor device from the biosensor coil antenna comparing the Bluetooth authentication information with device information associated with the biosensor device; enabling a Bluetooth network connection to a remote device based on the Bluetooth authentication information; wherein the applicator antenna coil is part of the biosensor applicator; The biosensor coil antenna is part of the biosensor device; The biosensor device is physically coupled to the biosensor applicator.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein: The biosensor device further comprises a biosensor and a memory configured to store sensor data from the biosensor, wherein the method further comprises: determining access rights at multiple access levels to sensor data stored in the memory based on the data signal; and Access by a remote device to sensor data stored in the memory is controlled based on the access level.

43. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that The plurality of access levels include a user access level, a healthcare provider access level, and a caregiver access level.

44. The method according to claim 43, characterized in that The user access level allows access to real-time sensor data; The healthcare provider access level allows access to historical sensor data and calibration or recalibration of the biosensor.

45. The method according to claim 41, characterized in that The applicator coil antenna is a first applicator coil antenna, the method further comprising: receiving, by a second applicator antenna coil of the biosensor applicator, EM energy from a transmitter antenna coil of a remote device; providing a portion of the EM energy received from the transmitter antenna coil of the remote device to the first applicator antenna coil; Wherein the second applicator antenna coil is part of the biosensor applicator and is positioned substantially coaxially relative to the first applicator antenna coil.

46. ​​A method comprising: receiving, by the first wireless transceiver of the biosensor device, a data signal from the antenna coil of the remote device via re-radiation of the applicator antenna coil, the data signal including Bluetooth authentication information; comparing the Bluetooth authentication information with device information associated with the biosensor device; enabling a Bluetooth network connection to a remote device based on the Bluetooth authentication information; determining access rights at a plurality of access levels to sensor data stored in a memory based on the data signal; Access by a remote device to sensor data stored in the memory is controlled based on the access level.

47. The method according to claim 46, characterized in that The plurality of access levels include a user access level, a healthcare provider access level, and a caregiver access level.

48. The method according to claim 47, characterized in that The biosensor device comprises a biosensor: The user access level allows access to real-time sensor data; The healthcare provider access level allows access to historical sensor data and calibration or recalibration of the biosensor.

49. A method comprising: receiving, by the first wireless transceiver of the biosensor device, a data signal from the antenna coil of the remote device via re-radiation of the applicator antenna coil, the data signal including Bluetooth authentication information; comparing the Bluetooth authentication information with device information associated with the biosensor device; enabling a Bluetooth network connection to a remote device based on the Bluetooth authentication information; determining access rights at a plurality of access levels to sensor data stored in a memory based on the data signal; Access by the remote device to the sensor data stored in the memory is controlled based on the access level.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein: The plurality of access levels include a user access level, a healthcare provider access level, and a caregiver access level.

51. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The biosensor device comprises a biosensor: The user access level allows access to real-time sensor data; The healthcare provider access level allows access to historical sensor data and calibration or recalibration of the biosensor.

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